The Next Big Thing

OncLive Chairman,

Mike Hennessy

Sometimes it seems as though we’ve become addicted to a big story mentality when it comes to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. We’re looking for the big news, the hot new trend, the next transformative therapy. We didn’t have that sort of a breakout piece of research this year. It wasn’t “the year of melanoma” or the conference where checkpoint blockade immunotherapies first sprouted like mushrooms in steamy summer weather.

Yet as this issue of OncologyLive attests, there was plenty of notable new research that will help improve cancer care either immediately or in the future. We are pleased to offer our 2016 ASCO Special Section, as well as our conferencerelated cover story, “Biosimilar Era Gets Rolling in Oncology.”

Among the notable research presented at this conference is the latest evidence on the optimal use of intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy for women with ovarian cancer. A study recently discussed at a conference in March cast doubt on the IP approach, sending shock waves through the ovarian cancer community. The ASCO research offers a more finely tuned view, and that is vital in a tumor type that proves deadly all too often.

We are also fascinated by the new therapies that are showing activity in non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It appears that NSCLC is following melanoma’s lead with encouraging results. First, PD-1 inhibitors that are revolutionizing melanoma treatment demonstrated efficacy in NSCLC. Now, the targeted therapy duo of dabrafenib and trametinib is marching from melanoma to NSCLC.

Finally, there’s another reason that we always find the ASCO meeting exciting. The conference has become an important occasion for OncLive to recognize the oncology leaders whose achievements we celebrate through our Giants of Cancer Care Awards program. This year, we named the finalists at ASCO. The winners will be announced at the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium in November.

As we look forward to the next big thing in oncology research, we’re savoring all these moments that are enriching the field in so many ways. Please let us know what you would like us to feature in our coverage and, as always, thanks for reading.