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The top 5 OncLive videos of the week cover insights in myelofibrosis, AL amyloidosis, pancreatic cancer, and PIK3CA-mutated breast cancer.
Welcome to The Five Under 5, your go-to roundup of the top 5 videos of the week.
These short videos are designed for busy oncologists to view on the go, and feature expert insights on breaking news, regulatory updates, practice-changing data shared at medical meetings, and other key topics in the realm of oncology.
Here’s what you may have missed:
Safety of Imetelstat Plus Ruxolitinib in Higher-Risk Myelofibrosis: John O. Mascarenhas, MD
John O. Mascarenhas, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses the favorable safety profile of imetelstat (Rytelo) plus ruxolitinib (Jakafi) in patients with intermediate- to high-risk myelofibrosis. At the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, Mascarenhas presented data from the phase 1b IMproveMF trial (NCT05371964), which showed no dose-limiting toxicities across escalating dose levels, including the highest dose of imetelstat, which was 8.9 mg/kg given every 4 weeks. Only one patient experienced grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia, and no treatment discontinuations occurred due to toxicity. Mascarenhas emphasized the lack of additive hematologic or nonhematologic toxicity, supporting continued development of this dual pathway inhibition strategy in later-phase trials.
Early Safety and Efficacy Data With NXC-201 in AL Amyloidosis: Shahzad Raza, MD
Shahzad Raza, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, discusses the encouraging early results from the phase 1b/2 NEXICART-2 trial (NCT06097832) evaluating NXC-201, an autologous BCMA-targeted CAR T-cell therapy, in relapsed/refractory light chain amyloidosis. Also presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, findings showed that all 7 patients treated achieved rapid and deep hematologic responses, with a 70% complete response rate and minimal residual disease negativity achieved in 8 of 9 evaluable patients by day 25. Raza emphasized the exceptional tolerability of the product, noting the absence of neurotoxicity and severe cytokine release syndrome. These results mark a potential breakthrough for a patient population with limited treatment options and warrant continued clinical development of NXC-201.
Rapidly Evolving Role of Local Therapy in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: Eileen M. O’Reilly, MD
Eileen M. O’Reilly, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the emerging role of local therapy in metastatic pancreatic cancer, particularly for patients with isolated or metachronous metastases. She noted that patients with indolent disease patterns, such as isolated lung or delayed liver metastases, may benefit from interventions like resection or ablation, although prospective data are still limited. At the 2025 ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress (ESMO GI), O’Reilly highlighted the phase 2 EXTEND trial (NCT03599765), which showed a progression-free survival (PFS) benefit with the addition of radiation to metastatic sites in oligometastatic pancreatic cancer. As systemic treatments evolve, she anticipates that local therapy will become a more actively explored and integrated strategy in select patient populations.
Inavolisib Plus Palbociclib/Fulvestrant in PIK3CA-Mutated HR+ Breast Cancer: Katherine C. Ansley, MD
Katherine C. Ansley, MD, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, discussed findings from the phase 3 INAVO120 trial (NCT04191499), which evaluated inavolisib (Itovebi) plus palbociclib (Ibrance) and fulvestrant (Faslodex) in the first-line setting for patients with endocrine-resistant, PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. Ansley highlighted that this trial targeted a high-risk group—those whose disease recurred during or shortly after adjuvant endocrine therapy—marking a significant shift from prior use of PIK3CA inhibitors in later lines. The triplet regimen significantly improved PFS to 15.0 months vs 7.3 months with palbociclib and fulvestrant alone (HR, 0.43; P < .0001). These results supported the October 2024 FDA approval of inavolisib in this setting, offering a new frontline option for patients with aggressive disease biology.
Efficacy of BXCL701 Plus Pembrolizumab in Pretreated, Metastatic PDAC: Benjamin Weinberg, MD
Benjamin A. Weinberg, MD, FACP, of Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, discussed early results from the phase 2 EXPEL PANC trial (NCT05558982), evaluating BXCL701 plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) after progression on chemotherapy. Preliminary data shared during ESMO GI showed a 17% overall response rate and a 39% disease control rate among 18 evaluable patients, with three experiencing durable stable disease lasting at least 6 months. Weinberg highlighted a patient case demonstrating tumor shrinkage in both lymph nodes and the liver in microsatellite-stable (MSS) disease, which is historically resistant to immunotherapy. He noted the regimen was well tolerated and emphasized its potential clinical activity in MSS metastatic PDAC, with further biomarker analyses underway.
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