Virginia Powers

Articles

Frontline Atezolizumab Combo Emerges as Potential New Standard in NSCLC

April 12th 2018

The frontline regimen of atezolizumab (Tecentriq), bevacizumab (Avastin), carboplatin, and paclitaxel has emerged as a potential new standard of care for the treatment of patients with metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC.

Control of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Recurrence With TURBT and Beyond

October 10th 2017

The aim of treating NMIBC is avoid the loss of the bladder and to prevent recurrence and progression to muscle-invasive disease.

New Bladder Cancer Monitor Allows Non-invasive Routine Surveillance of NMIBC

October 6th 2017

A new procedure for monitoring RNA indicators of disease recurrence in urine samples from patients with a history of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer could spare these patients from undergoing multiple cystoscopies during routine follow-up.

Pembrolizumab Is Safe and Effective in Cisplatin-Ineligible Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma

October 5th 2017

As first-line therapy in cisplatin-ineligible advanced urothelial cancer, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was safe and provided tumor reduction as well as durable responses.

Study Finds Hyperprogression After Immunotherapy in NSCLC Subset

September 14th 2017

Although anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy has greatly improved the treatment of patients with non–small cell lung cancer and is generally well-tolerated, the therapy backfires in a newly defined subset of patients who experience accelerated tumor growth indicative of hyperprogressive disease.

Pazopanib Regimen Active, But Misses Mark in Leiomyosarcoma

September 12th 2017

Although second-line treatment with combined pazopanib and gemcitabine demonstrated disease control in the majority of patients with metastatic or relapsed uterine or soft tissue leiomyosarcomas, the phase II UNICANCER SARCOME 11 study did not meet statistical endpoints and is considered a negative trial.

Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab Shows Encouraging Clinical Activity in mRCC

September 11th 2017

Atezolizumab with bevacizumab provided improved progression-free survival over sunitinib in patients with untreated metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Enhanced Post-Surgery Surveillance Not Linked to Longer OS in NSCLC

September 10th 2017

Expanding surveillance after surgery for early-stage non–small cell lung cancer from chest x-ray to follow-up with PET-CT scan did not improve overall survival.

CDK4/6 Inhibitors Changing Practice in Advanced Breast Cancer

March 17th 2017

Inhibition of CDK4/6 results in improvements in progression-free survival in women with estrogen receptor-positive/HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer whether it is endocrine sensitive or resistant.

High Response Rates With Rucaparib in Heavily Pretreated Ovarian Cancer

October 7th 2016

The majority of heavily pretreated patients with high-grade ovarian cancer and germline or somatic BRCA mutations showed a durable response to rucaparib.

Outcomes Similar With Chemo Only Versus Chemoradiation for Gastric Adenocarcinoma

July 1st 2016

Patients with stage Ib-IVa resectable gastric adenocarcinoma undergoing surgery with curative intent had similar survival outcomes regardless of whether they received chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy after surgery.

QOL Sustained When Adding MM-398 to Standard Care in Pancreatic Cancer

June 30th 2016

Adding MM-398 (irinotecan liposome injection; nal-IRI; Onivyde) to 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin had no negative effect on quality of life while significantly improving overall survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Cobimetinib Plus Atezolizumab Active in Microsatellite Stable mCRC

June 29th 2016

Combined inhibition of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis with atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and the MEK pathway with cobimetinib (Cotellic) showed promising clinical activity and a good safety profile in heavily pretreated patients with microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer.

Combined Durvalumab/Gefitinib Combo Shows Promise in EGFR-Mutated NSCLC

April 15th 2016

The first analysis of a trial investigating durvalumab in combination with gefitinib (Iressa) showed encouraging anti-tumor activity and tolerability in patients with non–small cell lung cancer and EGFR mutations that were tyrosine-kinase inhibitor-naïve.

Novel Vaccine Added to Chemotherapy Improves Patient Outcomes in Mesothelioma

April 15th 2016

The first report of results from a phase Ib clinical trial evaluating CRS-207, a live, attenuated, double-deleted Listeria monocytogenes vaccine, in combination with pemetrexed and cisplatin, demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Third-Generation EGFR TKIs Move to Frontline in Lung Cancer

April 14th 2016

A new generation of EGFR-targeted TKIs are poised to displace traditional agents as frontline therapies for patients with lung cancer.