All Oncology News

KRAS has topped the most wanted list of therapeutic targets in oncology for decades, but it has resolutely resisted all efforts, garnering it a reputation as undruggable.

The practice-changing treatment regimens that were evaluated in the pivotal KATHERINE, HER2CLIMB, and DESTINY-Breast01 trials in women with HER2-positive breast cancer are pushing the needle forward in making this breast cancer subtype a chronic disease.

Several novel therapeutics such as JAK inhibitors and luspatercept have been developed for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis and its associated symptoms, paving the way for improved survival rates and new combination strategies over the last decade.

There is building evidence that novel combination therapies could be effective in treating early relapsed multiple myeloma.

Michael Wagner, MD, discusses the safety profile of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in patients with angiosarcoma.

Genomic sequencing is a critical step in informing the prognosis of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and more information regarding specific subgroups of ALL, such as lineage ambiguous ALL, could pave the way for more personalized therapies for patients.

Although it is too soon to tell whether the addition of a CD20-directed antibody to novel agents in relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma should become standard practice, it is clear that immunotherapy could represent the next paradigm shift.

With an increased understanding of disease biology, several approaches are under examination to optimize the management of patients with graft-versus-host disease.

Health Canada has approved the BTK inhibitor zanubrutinib for the treatment of adult patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

Merck has withdrawn pembrolizumab from the US market for the treatment of patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer who experienced disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy and at least 1 previous line of treatment.

Daniel H. Ahn, DO, and Manish A. Shah, MD, discuss the emergence of HER2 as a validated target in GI malignancies, the approval of trastuzumab deruxtecan in gastric/GEJ cancer, and other emerging agents that are poised to propel HER2-targeted therapy in these diseases.

Minimal residual disease has helped to predict relapse in numerous leukemia subtypes, with novel testing methods helping to identify the biomarker at a higher sensitivity than ever before.

Mei Wei, MD, discusses the efficacy of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki in HER2-positive breast cancer, as demonstrated in the DESTINY-Breast01 trial.

Tian Zhang, MD, discusses emerging biomarkers that are helping to guide treatment for patients with renal cell carcinoma.

The treatment landscape of Waldenström macroglobulinemia is becoming increasingly complex with second-generation BTK inhibitors; however, the combination of bendamustine and rituximab remains the frontline standard of care for this patient population.

As more options emerge in the mantle cell lymphoma paradigm, choosing among the agents available has become all the more challenging.

Michael B. Atkins, MD, discusses the efficacy of dabrafenib plus trametinib in patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma.

Immune therapy has evolved rapidly in multiple myeloma, and the field is on the verge of major improvements in outcomes.

A supplemental new drug application has been submitted to the FDA for ivosidenib tablets as a potential therapeutic option for patients with previously treated, IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma.

The FDA has issued a complete response letter to Athenex, Inc. stating that it will not, at this time, approve the new drug application for oral paclitaxel in combination with encequidar for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Although scientific advances in hematology and oncology have been extraordinary, the US health care system faces significant challenges in ensuring that patients receive high-quality, cost-effective care.

Yttrium-90 glass microspheres administered in a personalized, dosimetric approach demonstrated a 16-month improvement in overall survival compared with a standard dosimetric approach in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Chemoimmunotherapy has maintained its role as a go-to frontline approach in patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Several options have emerged for patients with acute myeloid leukemia who are not candidates to receive chemotherapy, with venetoclax-based regimens chief among them.

Targeted therapies have helped to improve responses in patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia regardless of high-risk disease, although optimal sequencing and toxicity management need to be further explored to strengthen the utilization of these options.

The FDA has approved melphalan flufenamide for use in combination with dexamethasone in the treatment of select adult patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Natural killer cells can offer several advantages over T cells for CAR therapy in that the former uses both a CAR dependent and independent mechanism for tumor eradication, has better safety, and off-the-shelf feasibility—all at a potentially lower cost.

Although the research that emerged from the discovery of the HeLa cell line has helped to prevent 4.5 billion global infections and 10.3 million global deaths, the unethical and controversial nature of their discovery has raised issues with regard to privacy and consent in underrepresented patient populations.

High-dose chemotherapy and transplant remains the second-line standard of care for the majority of patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; however, CAR T-cell therapy and other novel agents, which have transformed the third-line setting, may offer alternative and more personalized second-line options in the coming years.

Rituximab plus CHOP is not a suitable frontline treatment regimen for all patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, explained Andre H. Goy, MD, who specified that patients with a high-risk International Prognostic Index, elderly patients, and patients with high-risk molecular subtypes require alternative treatment.