ASCO Annual Meeting | Conference

Pembrolizumab Again Demonstrates Durable Activity in TNBC

June 5th 2017

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) showed durable antitumor activity in patients with heavily pretreated metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), according to findings from cohort A of the phase II KEYNOTE-086 trial presented at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Dr. Tolaney on Activity With Abemaciclib in Patients With HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer

June 5th 2017

Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, instructor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, attending physician of medical oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the results of a phase II trial exploring the efficacy of abemaciclib as a treatment of brain metastases that are secondary in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive,HER2-negative breast cancer.

Dr. Sharman on the Phase III Results of the GENUINE Study in CLL

June 5th 2017

Jeff Sharman, MD, medical director, Hematology Research, The US Oncology Network, discusses the phase III findings of the GENUINE study, the combination of ublituximab (TG-1101) and ibrutinib (Imbruvica) for patients with previously treated high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Pembrolizumab Gastric Cancer Data Updated, as FDA Considers Approval

June 5th 2017

Pembrolizumab continued to show promising signs of clinical activity as a treatment for patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer in updated findings from the KEYNOTE-059 study.

Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Highly Active in Patients With Melanoma Brain Metastases

June 5th 2017

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab demonstrated an intracranial response rate of 42% in asymptomatic patients with melanoma brain metastases who had not received prior local therapy to the brain.

Lenalidomide Consolidation OS Plateau Intrigues in CLL

June 4th 2017

Induction therapy with fludarabine and rituximab followed by lenalidomide consolidation therapy (FR-L) demonstrated a distinct plateau in overall survivalbeyond that seen with FR or FR plus cyclophosphamide (FCR) alone for patients with symptomatic, untreated non-del(11q) chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Patients With Advanced Cancer Live Longer When They Report Symptoms Online and in Real Time

June 4th 2017

Patients receiving treatment for metastatic cancer who used a web-based tool to report their symptoms either while at home or during clinic visits lived on average 5 months longer than their counterparts who had standard symptom monitoring, according to findings of a randomized trial reported at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Study Backs 50% Chemo Cutback After Surgery for Low-Risk Colon Cancer

June 4th 2017

Most patients with low-risk advanced colon cancer would benefit from a 50% reduction in the oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy they typically receive after surgery without notably increasing their risk of recurrence and while markedly decreasing the likelihood that they will develop neuropathy, according to an analysis that challenges the current standard of care and paves the way for a more personalized approach.

Lenvatinib OS Noninferior, PFS Improved Versus Sorafenib for Unresectable HCC

June 4th 2017

First-line treatment with lenvatinib (Lenvima) improved progression-free survival by 3.7 months and was noninferior for overall survival compared with sorafenib for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Dr. Soberman on the Next Generation of Multidisciplinary Care

June 4th 2017

Mark S. Soberman, MD, MBA, FACS, was elected as the 2017-2018 President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) discusses his vision for the next generation of multidisciplinary care in an interview during the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Olaparib Extends PFS in Phase III BRCA+ Breast Cancer Trial

June 4th 2017

The PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) reduce the risk of disease progression by 42% versus standard chemotherapy in patients with BRCA-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to findings from the phase III OLYMPIAD trial.

Pembrolizumab/Entinostat Active in Melanoma Patients Refractory to Checkpoint Inhibitors

June 4th 2017

Combining the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with the HDAC inhibitor entinostat demonstrated promising clinical activity and acceptable safety in patients with melanoma who were refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Ublituximab/Ibrutinib Shows High ORR for High-Risk CLL

June 4th 2017

The combination of ublituximab and ibrutinib demonstrated an objective response rate of 78% for patients with previously treated high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Dr. Apolo on Updated JAVELIN Results of Avelumab in Urothelial Carcinoma

June 4th 2017

Andrea B. Apolo, MD, principal investigator and the head of the Bladder Cancer Section in the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research, discusses the updated findings of the phase Ib JAVELIN trial exploring avelumab (Bavencio) for the treatment of patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

Genomic Profiling Yields OS Benefit for Patients With Targeted Therapy Matches

June 4th 2017

Comprehensive genomic testing is not yet widespread, but a French study presented at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting suggested that DNA profiling can be of important value in advancing personalized medicine.

Dr. Attai on the Challenges With Implementing Survivorship Care Plans

June 4th 2017

Deanna J. Attai, MD, assistant clinical professor of surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), breast surgeon at UCLA Health, discusses studies exploring the challenges with survivorship care plan implementation for patients with cancer in an interview during the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Larotrectinib Yields Impressive Responses Across All Age Groups and Tumor Types Harboring TRK Fusion Mutations

June 4th 2017

Three out of 4 patients representing a range of TRK fusion–positive solid tumors responded to the novel pan-TRK inhibitor larotrectinib (LOXO-101) and remain on treatment, setting the stage for the well-tolerated oral agent to become a standard of care for adults and children with any advanced tumor harboring this mutation.

Abemaciclib Extends PFS in Phase III Breast Cancer Trial

June 4th 2017

Adding the CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib to fulvestrant reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 45% versus fulvestrant alone in pretreated patients with HR+/HER2-negative breast cancer, according to findings presented at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Pembrolizumab/Chemo PFS Benefit in NSCLC Sustained With Longer Follow-Up

June 3rd 2017

The frontline combination of pembrolizumab, pemetrexed, and carboplatin reduced the risk of progression or death by 50% and nearly doubled objective response rates compared with chemotherapy alone for patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC.

Novel Sequencing Approach Detects Circulating Tumor DNA in 89% of Patients with Advanced Cancer

June 3rd 2017

A new, high-intensity genomic sequencing approach for circulating tumor DNA uncovered at least 1 genetic change in both the tumor DNA and the blood of 89% of patients, demonstrating a high rate of concordance between 2 approaches for detecting molecular aberrations, according to a study presented at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.