Revisit Every OncLive On Air Episode From January 2025

In case you missed any, below is a recap of the episodes of OncLive On Air® that aired in January 2025. Check out our podcast page for a full episode lineup and to stay up to date with all the latest releases!

DESTINY-Breast06 Data Demonstrate the Role of T-DXd in HER2-Low and -Ultralow Breast Cancer: With Chandler Park, MD; and Giuseppe Curigliano, MD, PhD

In this episode of MedNews Week’s Oncology Unplugged, host Chandler Park, MD, of the Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, and Giuseppe Curigliano, MD, PhD, of the University of Milan and the European Institute of Oncology in Italy, discussed the evolution of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in oncology; advances in precision medicine that may improve patient care; and data from the phase 3 DESTINY-Breast06 trial (NCT04494425) of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) in patients with HER2-low or -ultralow, hormone receptor–positive, metastatic breast cancer.

“Even if you just look at a class of cancer, such as estrogen receptor (ER)–positive breast cancer, now you're looking at first line [treatments for patients with] PIK3CA mutations using AI and precision medicine,” Park emphasized. “It's just phenomenal the clinical research that's occurring, not just in oncology [in general], but subspecies, breast oncology and ER-positive breast cancer [specifically]. The amount of information is just a lot right now, so I think AI and precision medicine will really help us.”

“We need to empower the next generation of oncologists,” Curigliano commented regarding the potential future implications of the recent influx of breast cancer research. “It's now time to empower them to affect the future of cancer treatment and the survival of our patients.”

FDA Approval Insights: Zenocutuzumab for NRG1+ Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma and NSCLC: With Alison Schram, MD

In this episode,Alison Schram, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York, discusses the significance of the FDA approval of zenocutuzumab-zbco (Bizengri) for patients with previously treated advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma or non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring NRG1 gene fusion, key efficacy data from the pancreatic cancer and NSCLC cohorts of the pivotal phase 2 eNRGy trial (NCT02912949), and how RNA-based testing can identify patients with NRG1 fusions.

“This is an exciting approval in a patient population that truly has a high unmet need, and I hope that many patients will benefit from this therapy,” Schram said.

Pembrolizumab Plus Preoperative Radiotherapy and Surgery Improves DFS in Soft-Tissue Sarcoma: With Yvonne Mowery, MD, PhD

In this episode, Yvonne Mowery, MD, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center in Pennsylvania, discussed unmet needs for patients with soft-tissue sarcoma that prompted the initiation of the phase 2 SU2C-SARC032 trial (NCT03092323) evaluating pembrolizumab (Keytruda) plus preoperative radiotherapy and surgery in patients with soft-tissue sarcoma, top data from the trial, and potential next steps for investigating the treatment regimen in this patient population.

“Our goal with this study was to use a less toxic systemic therapy to try to reduce the risk of developing distant metastatic disease, because really, that is where the mortality comes from,” Mowery explained.

Clinical Practice Insights Reveal the Complexity of Lymphoma Subtypes and Advances in First-Line Treatments: With Chandler Park, MD; and Joshua Brody, MD

In this episode of Oncology Unplugged, host Chandler Park, MD, sat down with Joshua Brody, MD, of The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai in New York, New York, to discuss treatment challenges that arise across the diverse array of lymphomas, the evolution of lymphoma classification, updates in frontline Hodgkin lymphoma management, and novel therapies emerging for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

“There are so many different lymphomas,” Park stated. “It's so heterogeneous, and all of them have different treatments. It's so intellectually stimulating.”

“I think in a few years, [for DLBCL], we are going to be beating R-CHOP (rituximab [Rituxan], cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) with some of the new medicines,” Brody emphasized.

Oncogene Analysis Identifies Clinically Relevant Gene Copy Number Gain Thresholds in NSCLC: With Alec Watson, MD

In this episode, Alec Watson, MD, of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, discussed the design and data from a retrospective analysis examining how oncogene overlap may demonstrate clinically relevant thresholds for MET, KRAS, and HER2 gene copy number gain in NSCLC; where this research is headed; and how the findings may affect NSCLC management going forward.

“[Based on the] first part of the results, using next-generation sequencing and oncogene overlap, we can define a threshold that isn’t just based on us picking a number of what copy number gain we think is clinically meaningful for a cancer,” Watson explained. “But based on biological mutual exclusivity this copy number gain seems to define a subgroup of meaningfully HER2-, KRAS-, and MET-amplified cancers that then could be studied in targeted therapy trials.”

MedNews Week Advances Global Oncology Education and Combats Misinformation: With Chandler Park, MD; and Yan Leyfman, MD

In this episode of Oncology Unplugged, MedNews Week founders Chandler Park, MD, and Yan Leyfman, MD, highlight the origins and mission of their global platform designed to combat misinformation in the health care field and advance oncology education.

“MedNews Week is dedicated to making medical education global and accessible, and we strive to aim our content toward a mainstream audience in a way that patients, caregivers, medical trainees, and physicians can all understand and appreciate,” Leyfman noted. “This ensures that everyone stays informed about the latest developments in the field. In addition to the medical information, we also dive into the personal stories behind our respective speakers, their motivations, their passions, and why they chose their respective career paths.”

“Oncology Unplugged is something that Dr Leyfman and I have thought about a lot,” Park explained about the podcast offering. “One of the unique features of this [podcast] is that at the end of the day, we're practicing physicians. Whenever new data comes out, it looks great and polished [when it's published in a journal], but we want to have that unplugged discussion. We get into the day-to-day discussion with leading cancer doctors, not just about what's [recommended in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines], but also how the person in front of us might respond to treatment differently when considering different medical comorbidities.”

FDA Approval Insights: Subcutaneous Nivolumab for Advanced Solid Tumors: With Roxana S. Dronca, MD

In this episode, Roxana S. Dronca, MD, of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Jacksonville, Florida, spotlighted the significance of the FDA approval of subcutaneous nivolumab (Opdivo) for adult patients with solid tumors, data from the pivotal phase 3 CheckMate-67T trial (NCT04810078), and how this regulatory decision represents a much-needed change in the delivery of cancer care.

“Developing patient-friendly methods of administering cancer therapies, which allow for delivery closer to patients’ communities or [potentially] in their homes, represents a significant paradigm shift in oncology,” Dronca said.

A Nuanced Understanding of Cellular Biology Advances Neuro-Oncology Practice: With D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD; and Adrienne A. Boire, MD, PhD

In this episode of How This Is Building Me, host D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, sat down with Adrienne A. Boire, MD, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, to talk through the evolution of Dr Boire’s career as a physician-scientist, pivotal neurology-focused aspects of her career, and the ways that the study of human biology at the cellular level can improve cancer care.

“I really loved the way [we can] think about a process at the level of the organism, to the organ, to the system, and then all the way down to a molecule,” Boire said of her decision to become a physician-scientist. “That's so satisfying. And I really liked that this was a way to be helping people in a very concrete way.”

“[When you were] coming to the end of your definitive fellowship in neuro-oncology, [your job was] really 2 jobs,” Camidge noted. “It's running a lab and being a clinical faculty, and it's hard enough to do one.”

Blinatumomab-Based Regimens Enhance and Refine the B-ALL Treatment Paradigm: With Ryan Cassaday, MD

In this episode, Ryan Cassaday, MD, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington, talked through the key findings and implications of several trials investigating blinatumomab (Blincyto) in patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) that were reported at the 2024 ASH Annual Meeting, including the phase 3 ECOG-ACRIN E1910 trial (NCT02003222) and the phase 3 AALL1731 trial (NCT03914625).

“It could be a bit hard to extrapolate [the AALL1731] data to adult B-ALL, but I think there's a couple important observations that we as adult physicians can apply,” Cassaday highlighted. “What you might take away from [the trial] is that the addition of blinatumomab is largely preventing medullary relapses from occurring, but it doesn't appear to add any protection in the central nervous system [CNS]. That has implications for adults when we start to think about whether we're going to be using blinatumomab as part of our frontline approaches, we can't necessarily omit or skip the CNS-directed prophylaxis that has to be included with those regimens.”

How are Antibody-Drug Conjugates Shaping the NSCLC Treatment Paradigm? With David Gerber, MD

In this episode, David Gerber, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, explained the role of antibody-drug conjugates in NSCLC management, focusing on findings from trials including the phase 3 TROPION-Lung01 trial (NCT04656652), the phase 2 HERTHENA-Lung01 trial (NCT04619004), and the phase 2 DESTINY-Lung02 trial (NCT04644237).

“Anytime you introduce a new class of therapy, that is a promising development for us as clinicians and for our patients,” Gerber said. “When [an agent is in] a new class, I think it means that not only might there be an opportunity for efficacy and disease control beyond what we already have, but hopefully toxicities that don't necessarily overlap with existing therapies, allowing, at least in some cases, perhaps a prolonged period of disease control that patients might not have otherwise experienced.”

How Generalists Are Uniquely Positioned to Administer and Advance Oncology Care: With D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD; and Rahul Gosain, MD, MBA

In this episode of How This Is Building Me, host D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, was rejoined by Rahul Gosain, MD, MBA, of the Wilmot Cancer Institute at Webster in New York and co-host of the podcast Oncology Brothers, to talk about a typical day in Dr Gosain's oncology practice; the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration; the challenges of maintaining work-life balance; and how oncology generalists uniquely meet the field’s high demand for medical oncologists.

“Where I am today, in the midst of community and academia and trying to bridge that gap, I think both sides want to do best. Not need to. They want to do best,” Gosain emphasized. “When I'm leaning into my academic colleagues, they're more than willing to help, be it in my own institution, or when I'm just sending emails to the first authors [of studies asking]: Can you walk me through the study design? Would [a certain] patient fall into [a certain] category. [As a] community oncologist, I acknowledge that I don't know everything. I cannot appreciate all the nuances. This field is moving too fast, and I need to tap into my academic colleagues.”

“You do Oncology Brothers, so your passion comes through, there, for staying up to date and for doing a service to the community, for getting [information] out there,” Camidge added. “You and your brother do an amazing job.”

How Second Primary Cancer Risk Factors Into CAR T-Cell Therapy Considerations: With Saurabh Dahiya, MD, FACP; and Shyam A. Patel, MD, PhD

In this episode, Saurabh Dahiya, MD, FACP, and Shyam A. Patel, MD, PhD, share insights about their research into the risk of developing second primary cancers (SPCs) following CAR T-cell therapy and how this risk, though low, may be mitigated. The two also discussed the pathobiology of SPCs that develop after CAR T-cell therapy, potential SPC prevention strategies, and how SPC research may help optimize CAR T-cell product development in the future.

“Car T-cell therapies have provided transformative benefits for patients with leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, and over the past few years, we've seen significant data which attests to the high value of Car T-cell therapies, including the curative potential for these therapies for a variety of different hematologic malignancies,” Patel explained. “However, the recent news of post Car T-cell therapy second primary cancers created significant distress amongst the public physicians and scientists, and there have been scattered reports of T cell lymphomas diagnosed after Car T-cell therapy administration, but the details of these reports were somewhat unclear.”

“As we [learned] in our [research], [the] incidence of these second primary cancers is fairly low. The concern was, of course, [T-cell] malignancies specifically insertional mutagenesis and insertional transgene-positive [T-cell] malignancies,” Dahiya noted. “That was [the] main concern, which was found to be quite a rare incidence [of] transgene-positive [T-cell] lymphoma in our [analysis].”