Latest Conference Articles

Efficacy and safety remained strong 2 years following treatment with nivolumab for patients with advanced, refractory, squamous non-small–cell lung cancer, with an indication that cytokine levels could predict long-term outcomes.

Plasma genotyping can, in most cases, identify T790M-positivity in non-small cell lung cancer, which gives patients the option of receiving the targeted therapy osimertinib without the need for a tumor biopsy, according Geoffrey R. Oxnard, MD.

Members of the Community Oncology Alliance have issued a call to arms to spur a greater lobbying effort to stop a plan by The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Centers to implement a drug reimbursement change under Medicare Part B.

The first analysis of a trial investigating durvalumab in combination with gefitinib (Iressa) showed encouraging anti-tumor activity and tolerability in patients with non–small cell lung cancer and EGFR mutations that were tyrosine-kinase inhibitor-naïve.

Luis Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre in Madrid, Spain, discusses a subgroup analysis of patients with EGFR-expressing tumors from the SQUIRE trial, a phase III study of gemcitabine–cisplatin plus necitumumab versus gemcitabine–cisplatin alone as first-line treatment for patients with stage IV squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Suresh Ramalingam, MD, professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory School of Medicine and deputy director of Winship Cancer Institute, discusses first-line treatment with single-agent osimertinib in patients with EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Adding necitumumab to conventional chemotherapy improved outcomes in patients with metastatic squamous non–small cell lung cancer in the phase III SQUIRE trial, but the greatest benefit was derived by patients with EGFR-expressing tumors.

The first report of results from a phase Ib clinical trial evaluating CRS-207, a live, attenuated, double-deleted Listeria monocytogenes vaccine, in combination with pemetrexed and cisplatin, demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

A new generation of EGFR-targeted TKIs are poised to displace traditional agents as frontline therapies for patients with lung cancer.

John Haanen, MD PhD, epartment of Medical Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, discussed the role of PD-L1 as a biomarker in lung cancer.

Aligning physician compensation to performance can be a dicey matter, as it is difficult to reach a consensus on how to measure physician success. However, a number of oncology practices have been developing systems for doing this and achieving success.

First-line treatment with single-agent osimertinib (Tagrisso) induced a response rate of 77% in patients with EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer.

Thierry Jahan, MD, professor of medicine at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center in San Francisco, discusses CRS-20, a live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes bacterium which is being investigated with chemotherapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had ceased to respond to EGFR TKI therapy demonstrated a rapid and robust response to the investigational agent BI-1482694 (HM61713).

William Gradishar, MD, Betsy Bramsen Professorship of Breast Oncology, Professor in Medicine-Hematology/Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, discusses changes to the NCCN Breast Cancer Guidelines.

A new NCCN guideline for the management of vulvar cancer outlines the use of resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy based on disease site and stage, recognizing that only 2 randomized treatment trials have been completed.

Jeffrey Jones, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, discusses NCCN recommendations for treatment of relapsed patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

At the 2016 NCCN Annual Conference, William J. Gradishar, MD, discussed updates to the NCCN Breast Cancer Guideline and the latest research developments in the field.

Testing for EGFR mutations should be routine in patients with non–small cell lung cancer. With the presence of an EGFR mutation TKIs are an appropriate treatment option across multiple lines of therapy, according to the latest update from the NCCN.

Jeffrey Jones, MD, updated attendees at the 2016 NCCN Annual Conference on the latest developments in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The updated NCCN myeloma guideline broadens the diagnostic criteria for active disease and integrates novel therapies into the treatment paradigm.

Leora Horn, MD, MSc, clinical director, Thoracic Oncology Program, assistant vice chancellor for faculty development, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, provides her thoughts on how agents targeted T790M-mutant NSCLC will be incorporated into NCCN guidelines.

Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, Giant of Cancer Care: Myeloma, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, discusses how the definition of myeloma has changed.

While biosimilars have the potential to create competition and result in healthcare savings, the path to the marketplace has proven complex.

Kilian Salerno, MD, director of Breast Radiation and Soft Tissue/Melanoma Radiation, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, discusses hypofractionated radiotherapy for the treatment of patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Locoregional therapies are now considered potentially curable options that should be considered alongside transplant and resection for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

James Mohler, MD, chair, Department of Urology, associate director, Translational Research, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, discusses the use of androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) for patients with prostate cancer and how the use is reflected in the NCCN guidelines.

The NCCN's Evidence Blocks need further data and refinement to overcome subtleties of distinction in drug performance, but they’re the best value system developed so far, NCCN officials reported at their 2016 Annual Conference.

Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, medical director, Quality Informatics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the role of biosimilars in cancer care. Zelenetz spoke about this topic at the 2016 NCCN Annual Conference.

Anne Covey, MD, interventional radiologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses recent and future changes to locoregional treatment approaches for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).