Vol. 19/No. 8

In updated guidelines exploring the role of bone-modifying agents, ASCO has recommended expanding the use of bisphosphonates to include all patients being treated for active multiple myeloma.

Robert J. Motzer, MD, has been at the forefront of research into renal cell carcinoma for nearly 30 years, with his work contributing to the approval of at least 8 new drugs.

SL-401, a novel therapy that targets a cancer stemness pathway, is being investigated in patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm in a phase I/II trial.

In March, the President’s Cancer Panel issued a report acknowledging the financial toxicity associated with cancer care across the spectrum of treatments and suggesting potential remedies.

Although mutant RAS has proved to be a challenging therapeutic target, recent success with tipifarnib, a biologically active drug known as a farnesyltransferase inhibitor, brings promise for treating solid tumors and hematological malignancies.

Experts offer their perspectives on developments in the field of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, such as novel combinations and emerging agents.

The quest continues to identify a predictive biomarker of response to more precisely treat patients with checkpoint inhibitors that, while markedly beneficial to some patients, are not without their own costs and associated immune-related adverse effects.

Maurie Markman, MD, shares his thoughts on the right-to-try bill, which would allow terminally ill patients to receive investigational drugs that have been studied in phase I trials without applying through the FDA’s expanded access program.

The incidence of emergency department visits and subsequent hospitalizations among patients with cancer is relatively common. Cancer-specific urgent care, pathways for symptom management, and more education for patients and healthcare providers are among the approaches that are being implemented to address patients’ needs and manage costs.

Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, discusses the challenge of resistance mechanisms in the treatment of patients with non–small cell lung cancer whose tumors harbor ALK rearrangements.