Vol. 19/No. 24

After years in development, several PARP inhibitors have achieved indications in ovarian cancer treatment, while others continue in development and expanding indications.

Investigators have achieved some success with immune checkpoint inhibitors and antiangiogenesis agents in patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancers, and exciting new agents targeting different tumor growth pathways are under investigation.

Cancer cells must maintain a delicate balance to prevent catastrophic levels of DNA damage from triggering cell death, and their heavy reliance on the remaining normal DNA damage response components creates a therapeutically targetable Achilles’ heel.

Approximately 1 of every 20 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer at some point in their life, and the American Cancer Society estimates that most colorectal cancer deaths can be prevented by screening.

Although the need for biomarkers of immunotherapy response has generated much attention, investigators also are pursuing mechanisms for distinguishing which patients will experience adverse effects from these therapies.

Due to a variety of factors, today’s oncologists face multiple challenges in collecting, managing, and sharing their patients’ health data.

Although some of the improvement is a result of prevention and screening, advances in technology and in chemotherapy and immunotherapy pharmaceuticals have been major driving forces in the decline in cancer-related death.

Maurie Markman, MD, discusses how to address the important issue of survival following a cancer diagnosis.

Evidence continues to build that tucatinib, a novel small molecule HER2 inhibitor, is safe and effective for patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer in combination with standard therapies, including for those who develop brain metastases.