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Latest from UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

CSCC: Translating Cemiplimab Data Into Practice
ByNikhil Kushalani, MD,Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD,Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS Following their review of recent clinical data, expert panelists consider how neoadjuvant cemiplimab will fit into the real-world treatment paradigm of resectable CSCC, including the possibility of delaying or avoiding surgery in patients who have an adequate response to cemiplimab.

Neoadjuvant IO Therapy Trials in Resectable CSCC and Cemiplimab Data Updates
ByNikhil Kushalani, MD,Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD,Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS A brief overview of clinical trials evaluating the potential use of neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors—pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, and cemiplimab—in CSCC, followed by a focused discussion of recent cemiplimab trial data.

Lessons Learned in Other Cancers and Suggested Endpoints in Future Trials
ByNikhil Kushalani, MD,Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD,Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS Key opinion leaders take time to review how immune checkpoint inhibitors have transformed outcomes in rectal cancer and non-cutaneous squamous cell cancers and consider how to better structure clinical trial endpoints in CSCC.

Clinical Experience With Neoadjuvant IO Therapy in Melanoma
ByNikhil Kushalani, MD,Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD,Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS Shared insight on the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in other patient populations within the skin cancer paradigm, and how lessons may be applied to patients with CSCC.

Evolving Treatment Paradigm of Resectable CSCC
ByNikhil Kushalani, MD,Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD,Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS Expert panelists consider the broader evolution of therapy in resectable stage II-IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Real World Experience With Resectable Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
ByNikhil Kushalani, MD,Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD,Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS Expert perspectives on real-world, in-practice identification and management of patients with resectable CSCC.

Staging and Risk Stratification’s Impact on Treatment Approach in CSCC
ByNikhil Kushalani, MD,Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD,Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS Panelists round out their review of staging and risk stratification in CSCC by considering how each affects the selection of optimal surgical strategies.

Defining Resectability in CSCC
ByNikhil Kushalani, MD,Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD,Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS Following their discussions on staging and risk stratification in CSCC, key opinion leaders work to define resectability in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Optimal Risk Stratification in Patients With Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
ByNikhil Kushalani, MD,Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD,Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS Expert panelists share their perspectives on best strategies to risk stratify patients diagnosed with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Yvonne Chao, MD, PhD, discusses key trials leading to FDA approvals in metastatic non–small cell lung cancer.

Timothy Burns, MD, PhD, discusses the evolving use of antibody-drug conjugates in HER2-mutant non–small cell lung cancer.

Available Staging Systems for Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
ByNikhil Khushalani, MD,Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD,Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS A review of current staging systems used to categorize CSCC, particularly those from the American Joint Committee on Cancer and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Incidence and Risk Factors
ByNikhil Khushalani, MD,Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD,Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS Opening their discussion on resectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), expert panelists elucidate its current incidence and known risk factors.

Anwaar Saeed, MD, discusses biomarkers that signal the potential efficacy of frontline immunotherapy regimens in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Yvonne Chao, MD, PhD, discusses the study of various PD-L1 inhibitors in patients with non–small cell lung cancer.

Timothy Burns, MD, PhD, discusses the evolution of EGFR-targeted non–small cell lung cancer treatments, the importance of delineating small cell lung cancer subtypes, and the advantages of continued antibody-drug conjugate development across all areas of lung cancer.

The combination of the p38 MAPK inhibitor ARRY-614 plus nivolumab with or without ipilimumab was well tolerated and elicited disease control in high-risk, PD-(L)1–refractory patients with advanced solid tumors.

A new study pinpoints how LAG3 modulates T cell activity, providing important insights for development of other LAG3-blocking therapies for cancer and autoimmune disorders.

Treatment with lisocabtagene maraleucel resulted in a high rate of durable overall and complete responses as second-line therapy in frail patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma for whom hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was not intended, according to preliminary findings from the phase 2 PILOT study.

Present in approximately two-thirds of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers, the role of ESR1 mutations in disease metastasis is poorly defined.

Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, emphasizes the importance of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in HER2-postive breast cancer and highlights the potential benefits of local salvage radiation therapy in patients with oligometastatic or de novo stage IV breast cancer.

Alexander B. Olawaiye, MD, discusses how to address disparities in cancer care.

John M. Kirkwood, MD, discusses the utilization of ipilimumab and nivolumab in patients with melanoma with brain metastases.

Jason Luke, MD, FACP, reviews key points from each presentation from an Institutional Perspectives in Cancer webinar on melanoma and provides perspective on the practice-changing benefits of therapies moving into earlier lines of treatment.

Alexander B. Olawaiye, MD, discusses how social and biological determinants can affect care outcomes across cancer subtypes and what steps community and academic oncologists can take to ensure these disparities are recognized.

Alexander B. Olawaiye, MD, discusses front line treatment sequencing considerations in ovarian cancer.

Alexander Babatunde Olawaiye, MD, discusses frontline and second-line maintenance in ovarian cancer, the role of surgery in platinum-sensitive disease, and updates in cervical and endometrial cancers.

Alexander B. Olawaiye, MD, discusses the social and biological determinants of disparities in women’s cancer.

Alexander Babatunde Olawaiye, MD, discusses the investigation of balstilimab plus zalifrelimab in gynecologic cancers.

Adam M. Brufsky, MD, PhD, FACP, discusses the significance of the data from DESTINY-Breast03 with trastuzumab deruxtecan vs T-DM1 for patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, as well as how the findings set the field up to improve outcomes for patients with brain metastases.