William King

Molecular/genetic characterization has taken on greater importance in the classification of adult gliomas and in diagnostic and treatment decision-making. “These tumors are now grouped and predicated more on molecular features rather than histopathologic criteria,” said L. Burt Nabors, MD, in a presentation during the 2023 National Comprehensive Cancer Network Annual Conference. Read More ›

In a session during the 2023 National Comprehensive Cancer Network Annual Conference, Deborah M. Stephens, DO, provided important updates to treatment recommendations for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma, and identified key factors for selecting frontline and subsequent therapies, including immunoglobulin heavy chain variable gene status, 17p deletion/TP53 mutation status, age, patient comorbidities, and resistance mutations. Read More ›

Surgery is typically the gold standard for patients with biopsy-proven, clear cell, renal cell carcinoma with no evidence of metastatic disease, said Eric Jonasch, MD, in a session during the 2023 National Comprehensive Cancer Network Annual Conference. In this setting, there is probably not a role for systemic neoadjuvant treatment, as response rates of 15% to 45% have been recorded with axitinib, sunitinib, and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Read More ›

During the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, a panel of experts identified some of the key challenges to achieving health equity in bladder cancer care and discussed what can be done to improve access to clinical trials, mitigate financial toxicity, and promote value-based care. Read More ›

In his keynote address at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, MD, Former Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and Professor, Cancer Policy and Innovation, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, told attendees that although cancer-related mortality is declining, challenges remain to “end cancer as we know it.” Read More ›

Patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, including those with visceral crises, treated with the CDK4/6 inhibitor ribociclib (Kisqali) plus endocrine therapy had a significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) and fewer adverse events (AEs) compared with those treated with combination chemotherapy, according to results from the phase 2 RIGHT Choice trial. Read More ›

At the 12th Annual Summit of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) in 2022, held October 19-21, in New York City, a panel of experts from Upstream Partners discussed the current state of value-based agreements (VBAs) in pharma and what lies ahead. The session was moderated by Burt Zweigenhaft, PhD, DLitt, Executive Director and Co-Founder of AVBCC. Read More ›

Using circulating tumor cell (CTC) count to guide the choice of first-line treatment—chemotherapy or endocrine therapy—improved overall survival (OS) compared with investigator’s choice of treatment for patients with metastatic, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to results from the STIC CTC trial, which were discussed at the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) by François-Clément Bidard, MD, PhD, Co-Coordinator, Breast Cancer Research, Institut Curie, Paris, France, and Professor, Medicine, Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie and Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France. Read More ›

In patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-low or -negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer resistant to aromatase inhibitors, the addition of the investigational first-in-class AKT inhibitor capivasertib (AZD5363) to fulvestrant (Faslodex) led to a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) compared with placebo plus fulvestrant. Read More ›

Several baseline factors were associated with an increased risk for treatment discontinuation in the phase 3 monarchE clinical trial, which assessed adjuvant abemaciclib (Verzenio) in patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer, according to findings from a multivariate analysis presented during the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. Read More ›

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The addition of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab (Avastin) resulted in significantly and clinically meaningful improvements in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in women with cervical cancer. Read More ›

Targeting HER2 with the antibody–drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu; T-DXd) provided clinically meaningful benefits for patients with HER2-low metastatic breast cancer, according to findings presented at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. Read More ›

More than 50% of adults with refractory or relapsed large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) who were not deemed candidates for high-dose chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) had complete responses (CRs) following treatment with the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi). Read More ›

Treatment with the androgen receptor inhibitor darolutamide (Nubeqa), in combination with androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) and docetaxel, significantly improved overall survival (OS) compared with ADT and docetaxel alone in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), according to recent results from the phase 3 ARASENS clinical trial, which were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read More ›

The theme for the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting selected by 2021-2022 ASCO President Everett E. Vokes, MD, John E. Ultmann Professor of Medicine, and Chair, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine, Hyde Park, was advancing equitable cancer care through innovation. Read More ›

The neoadjuvant combination of avelumab (Bavencio) and axitinib (Inlyta) resulted in a partial response (PR) rate of 30% in patients with localized renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) at high risk for relapse after nephrectomy, according to results from the phase 2 NeoAvAx clinical trial. Read More ›

Telehealth is playing a larger role in the delivery of cancer care, but there is more work that needs to be done to permanently increase access, according to a panel of experts during a plenary session at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 2022 Annual Conference. Read More ›

Once-daily ibrutinib (Imbruvica) combined with bendamustine (Bendeka) and rituximab (Rituxan; BR) significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with placebo plus BR in patients aged ≥65 years with newly diagnosed mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL), according to data from the phase 3 SHINE trial. Read More ›

Updates to the screening guidelines for colorectal cancer (CRC) from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) include lowering the initial screening age for average-risk individuals and second- and third-degree family members with CRC, as well as an extension in the interval for surveillance colonoscopy for low-risk individuals. Read More ›

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) added to best supportive care (BSC) improved outcomes including overall survival (OS) versus BSC alone in Asian patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) previously treated with sorafenib (Nexavar), according to final results from the KEYNOTE-394 trial. Read More ›

Treatment with nivolumab (Opdivo) plus ipilimumab (Yervoy) in the neoadjuvant setting plus adjuvant nivolumab resulted in a high rate of pathologic complete response (pCR) in patients with resectable microsatellite instable (MSI)/mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) oeso-gastric junction (OGJ) adenocarcinoma, according to findings from the GERCOR NEONIPIGA clinical trial, which were presented by Thierry André, MD, Professor, Medical Oncology, Sorbonne Université, Hôpital Saint Antoine, Paris, France, at the 2022 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. Read More ›

Trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu; T-DXd) continues to show superior antitumor activity and improved survival compared with standard chemotherapy in patients with advanced HER2-expressing gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, according to updated results from the phase 2 DESTINY-Gastric01 trial. Read More ›

Continuous treatment with the androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide (Xtandi) in combination with docetaxel significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with placebo plus docetaxel in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) whose disease progressed while receiving enzalutamide alone in the phase 3b PRESIDE clinical trial. Read More ›

Neoadjuvant therapy with enfortumab vedotin (Padcev) showed promising antitumor activity in patients with MIBC who were ineligible for cisplatin therapy, based on the preliminary findings for cohort H from the phase 1b/2 EV-103 clinical trial. Read More ›

During a presentation at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2022 Annual Conference, Genevieve Boland, MD, PhD, FACS, Section Head, Melanoma/Sarcoma Surgery; Surgical Director, Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies; and Director, Therapeutic Intralesional Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, discussed how targeted treatments and immunotherapies are improving the treatment landscape for melanoma. Read More ›

With better insights into the biology of cancer and other diseases, genetic medicine is entering “a whole new ballgame,” said Scott Gottlieb, MD, Former FDA Commissioner, during the keynote session at the 11th Annual Summit of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care in 2021. Read More ›

A panel moderated by Barbara McAneny, MD, Chief Executive Officer, New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants, Albuquerque, at the 11th Annual Summit of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care in 2021 explored the road ahead for community practices in terms of balancing value and delivering optimal access to care for patients. Read More ›

Currently, 33 biosimilar products have been approved by the FDA, 22 of which have been launched in the United States. Read More ›

nterim results from a phase 2 clinical trial showed that a novel combination of aldoxorubicin, N-803 (an IL-15 superagonist), and PD-L1 natural killer cell therapy (Nant Cancer Vaccine) plus low-dose chemotherapy doubled overall survival (OS) compared with historical controls in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Read More ›

Treatment with the investigational agent mosunetuzumab (RG7828) as monotherapy induced deep remissions in patients with relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma, according to results of a recent trial presented at the ASH 2021 Annual Meeting and Exposition. Read More ›

At the 11th Annual Summit of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care in 2021, a panel of experts, moderated by Michael Reff, RPh, MBA, Founder and Executive Director, National Community Oncology Dispensing Association (NCODA), Cazenovia, NY, discussed the current and future state of Medically Integrated Pharmacy (MIP) and the benefits of this approach in oncology. Read More ›

Enhanced flexibility in delivery, increased investment in digital capability, and quick adaptation to events were some of the positive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care. Read More ›

At the 11th Annual Summit of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) in 2021, health plans and employers discussed the utility of value-based contracting for managing oncology care costs while maintaining focus on outcomes of value for patients. Read More ›

Results from 2 single-center studies presented at the ASH 2021 Annual Meeting and Exposition showed that nearly 1 in 6 patients with hematologic diseases had no or low antibody response after a second COVID-19 vaccination, but that the mRNA 1273 COVID-19 vaccine induced a strong antibody response in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Read More ›

The results from 2 phase 3 clinical trials highlighted the superiority of CAR T-cell therapies over current standard of care (SOC) when used earlier in the course of treatment for patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). Read More ›

Patients with cancer have been prioritized in vaccination programs due to the increased likelihood of poor clinical outcomes from a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Read More ›

Oropharyngeal cancer, which can develop at the base of the tongue, tonsils, and the middle part of the throat, is primarily caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, the most common sexually transmitted virus and infection in the United States.¹ Read More ›

The use of the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) for 1 year after receiving standard chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant or the adjuvant setting significantly improved invasive disease-free survival in patients with high-risk, early-stage, HER2-negative breast cancer and BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, according to results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2021 virtual meeting. Read More ›

During the 2021 European Society for Medical Oncology virtual meeting, 5-year follow-up data from a clinial trial showed comparable results related to cardiac safety and long-term efficacy between trastuzumab (Herceptin) and the biosimilar trastuzumab-dttb (SB3; Ontruzant) in patients with HER2-positive, early or locally advanced breast cancer. Read More ›

The HER2-targeted bispecific investigational antibody zanidatamab, either as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy, has shown promising antitumor activity in an ongoing phase 1 study of patients with HER2-expressing biliary tract cancer or gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma, reported Funda Meric-Bernstam, MD, Chair, Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, at the 2021 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. Read More ›

Final results from the phase 3 clinical trial ClarIDHy showed that ivosidenib (Tibsovo), a first-in-class oral inhibitor of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutation, prolonged the median overall survival (OS) in patients with previously treated advanced cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and IDH1 mutation. Although this improvement did not reach statistical significance, after adjusting for crossovers from the placebo to the ivosidenib group, the difference in median OS was statistically significant. Read More ›

A post-hoc analysis of a pivotal clinical trial presented at ASH 2020 showed that the recently approved belantamab mafodotin-blmf (Blenrep), a first-in-class antibody targeting BCMA (B-cell maturation antigen), induced deep and durable responses in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Read More ›

The combination of 2 investigational agents—umbralisib and ublituximab (U2)—represents a promising new treatment option for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Read More ›

The combination of the investigational drug pevonedistat in combination with azacitidine injection (Vidaza) leads to longer event-free survival (EFS) and a higher complete response rate than azacitidine alone in patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), according to results from a phase 2, open-label, international clinical trial. The findings were presented by Mikkael A. Sekeres, MD, MS, Director, Leukemia Program, Cleveland Clinic, OH, at ASH 2020. Read More ›

In a keynote address during the virtual 2020 International Kidney Cancer Symposium, William G. Kaelin Jr, MD, Sidney Farber Professor of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, provided an update on treatment strategies aimed at improving outcomes for patients with clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) caused by inactivation of the VHL gene. Read More ›

The approaches to the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma are evolving, including the sequencing of therapy and a possibly expanded role for minimal residual disease (MRD) status, said William G. Wierda, MD, PhD, Section Chief, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2020 Virtual Congress: hematologic malignancies. Read More ›

The treatment of renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) continues to evolve with the development of more effective front-line regimens. Read More ›

Value-based drug purchasing, better coordination of care delivery, and earlier institution of palliative care were among the measures to lower the cost of cancer care that were suggested during a panel discussion at the 2020 virtual National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Oncology Policy Summit. Read More ›

Asingle infusion of the investigational agent lifileucel—an immunotherapy using cryopreserved autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs)—induced responses in more than 33% of patients with advanced melanoma whose disease progressed with multiple previous therapies, including PD-1 and BRAF/MEK inhibitors. Read More ›

Cancer health disparities remain a challenge in the United States, despite some strides being made to reduce these disparities, according to a new report from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) that was released in a virtual presentation on September 16, 2020. Read More ›

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only resulted in adjustments to the current Oncology Care Model (OCM), but it has led to considerations for future models, said Lara M. Strawbridge, MPH, Director, Ambulatory Payment Models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), Washington, DC, during the 2020 virtual National Comprehensive Cancer Network Oncology Policy Summit. Read More ›

Value-based or alternative payment models have yet to deliver the cost-savings in oncology hoped for when these models were proposed, said experts at the 2020 virtual National Comprehensive Cancer Network Oncology Policy Summit during a panel discussion on best practices for value-based agreements. Read More ›

There has been an increased focus on the study of tumor alterations that may predict treatment benefit or serve as possible actionable targets in cancer. During the virtual American Urological Association 2020 Annual Meeting, Kyrollis Attalla, MD, Urology Oncology Fellow, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Ridgewood, NY, discussed findings of a recent study that looked at the landscape of actionable genomic alterations and the corresponding evidence to support these alterations as predictive of response to targeted therapy in patients with renal-cell carcinoma (RCC). Read More ›

Capmatinib (Tabrecta), an oral kinase inhibitor, has shown clinical activity in patients with high-level MET-amplified advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to new data presented at the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting. Read More ›

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with chemotherapy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) compared with chemotherapy alone as a first-line treatment for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) whose tumors express PD-L1. Read More ›

The small molecule inhibitor of tyrosine kinase WEE1 adavosertib demonstrated promising clinical activity in a single-arm, phase 2 study of patients with unselected uterine serous cancer (USC), with an objective response rate of 29.4%, said Joyce F. Liu, MD, MPH, Director of Clinical Research, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, at the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting. Read More ›

The first-line immunotherapy combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and low-dose ipilimumab (Yervoy) continues to show robust, durable clinical benefit, with a deepening of response, in patients with microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC), according to results presented at the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting. Read More ›

A total of 80% of patients with relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) achieved a complete response (CR) to axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta), and those responses have proved durable, according to the interim results of the phase 2 ZUMA-5 study, said Caron A. Jacobson, MD, Medical Director, Immune Effector Cell Therapy Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, at the ASCO 2020 virtual annual meeting. Read More ›

According to results of the phase 3 multinational ADAURA clinical trial, treatment with osimertinib in the adjuvant setting significantly improves disease-free survival in patients with localized non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutation. Read More ›