Articles
By Phoebe Starr
Barcelona, Spain—The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) delayed disease progression and showed a trend toward improved survival compared with newer hormonal agents in men with pretreated metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and homologous recombinant repair (HRR) gene mutations or with BRCA1, BRCA2, and ATM mutations. Results of this late-breaker were reported at the ESMO Congress 2019 during the presidential session.
By Wayne Kuznar
San Francisco, CA—We are in a “golden age” in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, Medical Oncologist, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City.
San Francisco, CA—Personalization of therapy in the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is focused primarily on risk classification of patients. Once clinical risk has been established, treatment considerations should be informed by features such as disease subtype, prognostic somatic mutations, chromosomal abnormalities, targetable somatic mutations, immunologic features, and patient factors, according to Rafael Bejar, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA.
On November 14, 2019, the FDA granted accelerated approval to zanubrutinib capsules (Brukinsa; BeiGene), a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, for the treatment of adults with mantle-cell lymphoma who have received at least 1 previous therapy. This is the second BTK inhibitor to be approved by the FDA.
By Phoebe Starr
Barcelona, Spain—Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition has an established role as maintenance therapy in women with newly diagnosed high-grade advanced ovarian cancer and a BRCA mutation. At the ESMO Congress 2019, results of 3 clinical trials expand the use of PARP inhibition in ovarian cancer to all patients. The 3 studies had different enrollment criteria, used a different PARP inhibitor, and 2 of them used PARP inhibitor plus bevacizumab (Avastin); however, taken together, all 3 trials show that the PARP inhibition era is here.
The FDA has confirmed another strong year regarding the approval of innovative new drugs and biosimilars, including several agents used in the treatment of patients with cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is a difficult to treat malignancy with a high mortality rate. Patients are usually diagnosed with advanced disease, and many are not eligible for surgery. Although systemic therapy is a mainstay of treatment, there are limited options for patients with metastatic disease. We invite you to read more about some of the recent observational data on metastatic pancreatic cancer treatment patterns, patient outcomes, and costs in an effort to shed insights into real-world clinical decisions and the economic factors that influence them.
- Brukinsa Receives Accelerated FDA Approval for Mantle-Cell Lymphoma
- Ziextenzo Third Biosimilar to Neulasta Approved for Febrile Neutropenia
- Tecentriq Approved with Chemotherapy for First-Line Treatment of Metastatic NSCLC without EGFR or ALK Mutations
- FDA Approves Calquence for Adults with CLL or SL
- Zejula Receives FDA Approval for HRD-Positive Advanced Ovarian Cancer
On December 12, 2019, the FDA issued draft guidance to implement amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act that will facilitate early assessment of studies of molecularly targeted oncology drugs that may be effective in the treatment of pediatric cancers.