Vol. 21/No. 8

Investigators are testing the hypothesis that administering cetuximab with an anti–PD-L1 agent will induce immunostimulatory synergy and prolong survival in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

The approval of imatinib almost 20 years ago heralded the arrival of the targeted therapy era in oncology and thrust the ABL1 kinase into the limelight.

Alexandra S. Bercow, MD, discusses the implications of research showing that patients with advanced-stage cervical cancer who received palliative care consultations underwent the same level of treatment but had shorter, less acute, and fewer hospital stays than their counterparts who were not given such referrals.

Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, FACP, discusses the use of neratinib and the importance of expanding the treatment portfolio in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

By individualizing risk of locoregional recurrence and radiosensitivity with molecular subtyping/genomic classifiers, it is hoped that use and/or extent of adjuvant radiation therapy could be tailored in early-stage breast cancer.

Although considerable progress has been made in treating diffuse large B-cell lymphoma since the advent of chemoimmunotherapy, approximately 33% of patients still develop relapsed/refractory disease, which is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality.

The conduct of randomized trials in surgical oncology, although highly appealing in concept, may be problematic, especially in complex settings where the skills, experience, and clinical judgment of individual surgeons and their institutions may vary greatly.

A cure concept has not yet been established for asymptomatic and untreated patients with high-risk smoldering myeloma, and debate needs to be initiated surrounding how these patients can be treated sustainably while also taking into account their age, comorbidities, fitness, personal preference, and adverse events of the therapeutic agents.