Precision Medicine in Oncology® | Specialty

The OncLive Precision Medicine in Oncology® condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights on precision-focused approaches in patients with cancer, with gene-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors and antibody-drug conjugates, checkpoint inhibitors, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy, and other tailored treatments. This page features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on updates and ongoing research with personalized therapies across solid and hematologic tumors.

Evolving Biologic Diversity Generates New Challenges

October 16th 2012

The heterogeneity of lung tumors generates challenges in terms of the costs and logistics of developing targeted therapies, given that relatively few patients may harbor a particular mutation.

Five MEK-Related Questions for Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD

October 12th 2012

Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, specializes in cancer immunotherapy and has been involved in numerous trials of clinical drug development, vaccines, and studies on autoimmunity and melanoma.

The Secret to Success: Eliciting a Thorough Cancer Family History

October 11th 2012

A thorough personal and family history is the key to determining which patients are candidates for genetic counseling and testing.

Dr. Camidge on the Evolution of Clinical Cancer Research

October 11th 2012

D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, from the University of Colorado Cancer Center, discusses the ever changing and evolving world of clinical cancer research.

The MEK Junction: Protein Presents a Ripe Target for Inhibitors

October 11th 2012

Though located far downstream of the extracellular trigger that initiates its signaling pathway, the MEK protein is no less significant a player in the cascade of events that promotes key cellular processes.

Dr. Ribas on Combining Vemurafenib and Ipilimumab

October 9th 2012

Antoni Ribas, MD, from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses a phase I/II trial combining vemurafenib and ipilimumab for metastatic melanoma.

Urology Practices Form Collaborative Partnerships With Specialty Pharmacy Providers

October 9th 2012

Novel formulations of specialty drugs have shifted the treatment of patients taking oncologic and biologic agents from infusion centers to the doctor's office.

Molecular Discoveries Pave Way for Rapid Advances in Lung Cancer

October 5th 2012

An interview with Giorgio V. Scagliotti, MD, who has played a prominent role in researching and developing therapies to attack molecular targets.

Supercomputer Network Allows for Faster Genomic Analysis

October 4th 2012

A new supercomputer-based network will allow physicians to transfer and analyze genomic data more rapidly than standard methods.

BRAF Inhibitor Plus MEK Inhibitor Encouraging in Metastatic Melanoma

September 29th 2012

Combining the new drugs dabrafenib and trametinib provided a clinically meaningful improvement in patients with melanoma that had BRAF V600 mutations.

Biomarker Predicts Survival Benefit in Advanced Kidney Cancer Treated With TORC1 Inhibitor

September 26th 2012

Pretreatment serum lactate dehydrogenase is a prognostic factor in poor-risk patients with renal cell carcinoma and also a predictive factor for a survival benefit from treatment with temsirolimus.

ENCODE Decodes DNA

September 25th 2012

A consortium of over 442 global investigators at 32 institutions recently reported results in over 30 publications of a decade of work from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements project.

Panels of Molecular Markers Improve Diagnosis of Thyroid Cancer

September 24th 2012

The application of molecular markers is already significantly improving the diagnosis of thyroid cancer and broader application could help prevent unnecessary surgeries to confirm the diagnosis.

BRAF Mutational Status in Papillary Microcarcinoma: Diagnostic and Prognostic Potential

September 24th 2012

Four histopathologic features of papillary microcarcinoma help predict how aggressive the tumor will be and subsequently how aggressive treatment must be to prevent its spread.

Disease Stabilization Now Possible in Metastatic MTC With Targeted Therapies

September 21st 2012

The availability of molecular agents that target oncogenic signaling pathways now offers the possibility of achieving disease stabilization in a proportion of patients with metastatic medullary thyroid cancer.

Beyond Tumor Type: HER2 Link in Leukemia Setting Shows Molecular Profiling Potential

September 21st 2012

Trastuzumab has demonstrated activity in patients with B-cell adult acute lymphocytic leukemia who exhibit evidence of upregulation of the HER2 receptor.

Targeted Therapy Combination Slows NSCLC

September 14th 2012

Patients with refractory non-small cell lung cancer had a statistically significant improvement in PFS when treated with targeted therapy duo versus a single agent.

Mutation Confers Anti-EGFR Resistance

September 14th 2012

A common mutation in NSCLC confers resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors and worsens survival, creating a need for an alternative approach to treating the subgroup of patients with the mutation.

Dr. Gandara on Patient Selection for Molecular Testing

September 12th 2012

Dr. David Gandara from the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center on Patient Selection for Molecular Testing in Lung Cancer

Trials in Progress Poster Session

September 10th 2012

The Trials in Progress Poster Session at the ASCO Annual Meeting, now in its third year, is intended to stimulate discussion in the oncology community about ongoing clinical trials and to promote collaboration.