Revisit Every OncLive On Air Episode From October 2025

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

Early Biomarker Testing Optimizes Tepotinib Use in NSCLC With MET Exon 14 Skipping Mutations: With Stephen Liu, MD

In this episode, Stephen Liu, MD, of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, DC, highlighted data from the phase 2 VISION trial (NCT02864992) that led to the FDA approval of tepotinib (Tepmetko) for the treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring MET exon 14 skipping alterations, comparisons between tissue and liquid biopsy results, and why early biomarker testing is important for identifying actionable mutations and optimizing treatment outcomes.

“To get full coverage, we’d like to do both DNA and RNA sequencing,” Liu said. “It’s going to help find more MET exon 14 mutations, ROS1 fusions, ALK fusions, NRG1 fusions, and NTRK fusions. These are often more likely to be found on RNA [testing]. They might be missed if we’re only doing DNA [testing]. It’s important that we understand the metrics and the analytics of the tests we’re doing. DNA and RNA [testing] will maximize yield. We can’t miss any of these alterations; we should be doing both [tests] on all patients.”

FDA Approval Insights: Maintenance Lurbinectedin Plus Atezolizumab for ES-SCLC: With Anne Chiang, MD, PhD; and Stephen Liu, MD

In this episode, Stephen Liu, MD, and Anne Chiang, MD, PhD, of the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, discussed the significance of the FDA approval of lurbinectedin (Zepzelca) plus atezolizumab (Tecentriq) or atezolizumab and hyaluronidase-tqjs (Tecentriq Hybreza) as maintenance therapy for the treatment of adult patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer whose disease has not progressed following first-line induction therapy with atezolizumab or atezolizumab and hyaluronidase, carboplatin, and etoposide.

“When we’re adding an active drug like lurbinectedin, we expect to see an increase in response,” Liu said. “We expect to see an improvement in progression-free survival. We expect that to come at the cost of toxicity. The real question is: Would that translate to patients living longer? Would that lead to a survival benefit? Or would it only be a transient improvement or a temporary benefit? Importantly, adding lurbinectedin into the maintenance setting did improve overall survival.”

“This is a tolerable regimen,” Chiang added. “The toxicities are a bit overlapping. [The regimen is associated with] cytotoxic chemotherapy-related toxicities and myelosuppression, which we know about lurbinectedin already. You have to watch for LFT elevation. Patients can have gastrointestinal upset. Then [there are the adverse effects [AEs] associated with] atezolizumab. Those were part of the control arm as well. Overall, [the regimen was] well tolerated.”

Sequencing, Efficacy, and Safety Data May Further Evolve the Role of Fruquintinib in CRC: With Kanwal P. S. Raghav, MBBS, MD

In this episode, Kanwal P. S. Raghav, MBBS, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, explained the mechanism of action of fruquintinib (Fruzaqla), findings from the pivotal phase 3 FRESCO (NCT02314819) and FRESCO-2 (NCT04322539) trials, the current role of fruquintinib in the metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treatment paradigm, and adverse effects to monitor for when using this agent in practice.

“Fruquintinib is a highly selective oral TKI that [targets] all 3 receptors in the VEGF pathway,” Raghav said. “As a result, its major implication is anti-angiogenesis, and it also affects lymphogenesis that occurs through VEGF3. Since its approval, most of the use of this drug has been in the third- and fourth-line settings, as was designed by the study, depending on how you are defining your lines of therapy in mCRC.”

FDA Approval Insights: Sunvozertinib in EGFR-Mutated Metastatic NSCLC: With Lyudmila Bazhenova, MD

In this episode, Lyudmila Bazhenova, MD, of the University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center, highlighted the significance of the FDA approval of sunvozertinib (Zegfrovy) for the treatment of patients with EGFR-mutated metastatic NSCLC.

“The [phase 3] PAPILLON trial [NCT04538664] established carboplatin, pemetrexed, and amivantamab-vmjw [Rybrevant] as a standard first-line treatment option,” Bazhenova contextualized. “Sunvozertinib can be used after [this regimen as] a second-line treatment option.”

FDA Approval Insights: Gemcitabine Intravesical System for NMIBC: With Joseph Jacob, MD, MCR

In this episode, Joseph Jacob, MD, MCR, of State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, noted the significance of the FDA approval of the gemcitabine intravesical system (formerly TAR-200; Inlexzo)​ for the treatment of patients with BCG-unresponsive non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

“This is a drug that’s going to save a lot of bladders,” Jacob emphasized.

Oncology Experts Preview Key Studies Ahead of the 2025 ESMO Congress

In this episode, experts from across oncology specialties highlighted the research from the 2025 ESMO Congress that they were most looking forward to seeing ahead of the meeting. We heard from:

• Dana M. Chase, MD, of UCLA
• Premal H. Thaker, MD, MS, of the Siteman Cancer Center in Saint Louis, Missouri
• Zev Wainberg, MD, of UCLA
• Sagus Sampath, MD, of City of Hope in Duarte, California

Notable studies included a phase 1 trial (NCT05403554) of NI-1801 in patients with heavily pretreated, mesothelin-expressing platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer; a multiomic analysis of the phase 3 AtTEnd/ENGOT-EN7 trial (NCT03603184) investigating atezolizumab in patients with endometrial cancer; the phase 3 MATTERHORN trial (NCT04592913) evaluating durvalumab in combination with FLOT (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel) in patients with resectable gastric and gastroesophageal cancer; and the phase 2 NorthStar trial (NCT03410043) of osimertinib (Tagrisso) alone or with local consolidative therapy in patients with metastatic EGFR-mutated NSCLC.

“The reason this interests me is 2-fold: first, for these patients who have been heavily pre-treated, we’re seeing them more clinically, and we’re having fewer options for them,” Chase said of the phase 1 NI-1801 trial. “Typically, clinical trials include patients who have 3 or fewer prior lines of therapy. Therefore, to have 4 or more prior lines and have patients on a clinical trial is interesting to me, because we have those patients in the clinic, and we don’t have many available therapies for them.”

“We feel like all patients who have dMMR disease should do well with immunotherapy, but sadly, we realize there are some patients who don’t,” Thaker said of her reasoning for interest in the AtTEnd/ENGOT-EN7 trial multiomic analysis. “We can’t figure that out just by TMB scores or by PD-L1 scoring. I’m interested to see what this new scoring system is, which might help us determine how to counsel patients better about expectations.”

“[We have not yet seen] the critical secondary end point of overall survival, so that’s one thing everybody’s excited about,” Wainberg said of the updated MATTERHORN data.

“[These data could be] practice-changing and provide even more support for this approach,” Samapth said of NorthStar. “At the same time, given that the science has changed with new trials in the upfront setting showing that patients may benefit more from multiagent therapy, we probably need to now start looking at another version of NorthStar [where], instead of just osimertinib alone, [we examine] either an osimertinib/chemotherapy regimen or an amivantamab/lazertinib regimen.”

Passion and Innovation Formed the Foundation for a Leading Cancer Program: With Girindra Raval, MD; and Anand Jillella, MD

In this episode of Cancer, Character, and Calling: The Oncologist’s Journey, host Girindra Raval, MD sat down with Anand Jillella, MD, of Georgia Cancer Center, to discuss Jillella’s career journey, the importance of collaboration between cancer centers and referring practices, and the historical development of the treatment algorithm for patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

“He has singlehandedly set up the program that we are part of now,” Raval said of Jillella. “Besides being an expert in myeloma, he’s also an expert in starting programs from the ground up and then seeing them flourish as part of developing an academic program.”

“The most important intervention is to have somebody who knows what to do,” Jillella explained. “I think the biggest cause for death is inexperience of the treating physician.”

FDA Approval Insights: Subcutaneous Pembrolizumab for Solid Tumors: With J. Thaddeus Beck, MD, FACP

In this episode, J. Thaddeus Beck, MD, FACP, of Highlands Oncology in Rogers, Arkansas, highlighted the significance of the FDA approval of pembrolizumab and berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph (subcutaneous pembrolizumab; Keytruda Qlex) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older who have solid tumors for which the intravenous formulation of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is indicated.

“[This approval] is the wave of the future,” Beck emphasized. “[I expect that] more of these monoclonal [antibodies] will be given subcutaneously.”

Metastatic Breast Cancer 2025 UPDATE

In this episode of Two Onc Docs, hosts Samantha A. Armstrong, MD, of Indiana University Health in Indianapolis, and Karine Tawagi, MD, of the University of Illinois in Chicago, reviewed current management strategies for metastatic breast cancer across molecular subtypes, explained common AE mitigation approaches, and spotlighted the importance of individualizing patient care.

“Although [metastatic breast cancer] is an incurable condition, the goal is—in addition to prolonging survival—controlling symptoms, minimizing toxicity from therapy, improving quality of life [QOL], and keeping into consideration the patients’ goals and preferences,” Tawagi summarized.

“We need to focus on QOL and when it is appropriate to go to best supportive care,” Armstrong added.

Evolving Treatment Strategies and Novel Therapies Reshape Secondary AML Management: With Eunice Wang, MD

In this episode, Eunice Wang, MD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, noted the prevalence of secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML), unmet needs for this patient population, and potential treatment advances that could revolutionize patient care in the future.

“The overall prognosis of patients with secondary AML is much worse than patients with de novo AML, with higher rates of relapse,” Wang said. “Also, only a small percentage of these patients—only approximately 10% or 15%—live more than 3 years with standard chemotherapy. We now have agents that have been used for treatment of these patients. And one is a liposomal formulation of cytarabine and daunorubicin called CPX-351.”

FDA Approval Insights: Adjuvant Cemiplimab for High-Risk CSCC: With Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS

In this episode, Vishal A. Patel, MD, FAAD, FACMS, of the GW Cancer Center in Washington, DC, emphasized the significance of the FDA approval of adjuvant cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo) for the treatment of patients with high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

“What’s most important is that this approval provides oncologists and patients with options, especially in cases where recurrence risk is unexpectedly high after surgery and radiation,” Patel shared. “We now have strong data to guide decision-making when that clinical situation arises.”

FDA Approval Insights: Y-90 Resin Microspheres for Unresectable HCC: With Armeen Mahvash, MD

In this episode, Armeen Mahvash, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, highlighted the significance of the FDA approval of SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

“[Patients] can get retreatment [with] Y-90 to maintain their transplant eligibility,” Mahvash explained. “[In some] patients, chemo-embolization was not as successful. For the patients [who] are transplant eligible, [this approval] is a paradigm shift.”

Evolving Research Paradigms, Real-World Data, and Multidisciplinary Collaboration Enhance Bladder Cancer Management: With Amit Mehta, MD

In this episode, Amit Mehta, MD, of Premier Hematology and Tele-Oncology Center in Cary, North Carolina, discussed important urothelial carcinoma data that have been recently presented, the clinical applications of enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (Padcev) in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for patients with advanced or metastatic disease, and the importance of considering real-world data when making treatment decisions.

“Immunotherapies are well known in practice across the United States and the world,” Mehta explained. “That helps us leverage our knowledge. We need to educate our teams [to] make sure everybody’s up to speed about what to monitor for, how to diagnose if a problem is happening, and then treat when necessary.”

Early Detection, Surgical Innovation, and Multidisciplinary Collaboration Evolve Lung Cancer Care: With Ziad Hanhan, MD, Thomas Bauer, MD, and Rachel NeMoyer, MD

In this episode, host Ziad Hanhan, MD, of Hackensack Meridian Health, led a discussion about the diagnosis, surgical management, and evolving treatment of lung cancer. He sat down with Hackensack Meridian Health surgical colleagues Thomas Bauer, MD, and Rachel NeMoyer, MD, to talk about the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration, highlight technological innovations that have improved lung cancer surgical outcomes, and spread awareness about lung cancer causes and screening.

“[Patients with] stage III [lung cancer], for the most part, are going to receive some kind of neoadjuvant therapy,” Hanhan said. “[Those with] stage I, for the most part, will undergo surgery. If you’ve got a patient with stage II disease, that’s where the nuance is. We work closely with our medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and the tumor board, and we get a consensus statement.”

“If you participate in lung cancer screening, your probability of being cured is over 90%,” Bauer emphasized. “That is a huge factor for lung cancer of you were a smoker.”

“The biggest problem with lung cancer is that it’s a silent killer,” NeMoyer added. “Oftentimes it’s found incidentally [when the patient] came in for another reason. [They may have] vague symptoms that can be easily chalked up to a lot of different things. Many times we don’t diagnose lung cancer until it’s too late and at an advanced stage. We much more frequently use cardiac CT scans and a variety of other images that benefit the patients.”