Articles

Chicago, IL—Although the cost of novel oncology drugs continues to rise, their clinical benefit has not managed to keep pace, suggesting a decrease in value over time.

Chicago, IL—The use of an online tool to self-report symptoms during treatment for metastatic cancer extended survival by 5 months compared with usual care according to a study presented at ASCO 2017. In addition, online self-reporting of symptoms improved quality of life (QOL) and reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations versus usual care.

Chicago, IL—Providing relief from the symptoms and stress of serious illness can significantly reduce the cost of care in addition to improving the patient experience.

Chicago, IL—In patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, the addition of daratumumab to carfilzomib (Kyprolis), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and dexamethasone (ie, the KRd regimen) is showing promise as a frontline treatment regimen. According to the results of an open-label, phase 1b study presented at ASCO 2017, induction therapy with the KRd regimen was well-tolerated, and the overall safety profile was consistent with previous reports for KRd, with no additional toxicity observed with the addition of daratumumab. Moreover, the study investigators reported that the regimen was very effective, with 100% overall response rate observed.

Chicago, IL—The era of immunotherapy in multiple myeloma is near. Two presentations at ASCO 2017 demonstrated that cellular therapy can steer immune reconstitution against multiple myeloma.

Chicago, IL—The results from 2 studies should advance the use of abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) to the frontline treatment of patients with hormone-sensitive advanced prostate cancer, effectively replacing chemotherapy, said several experts at the 2017 ASCO annual meeting.

Chicago, IL—Immunotherapy holds promise as second-line or third-line treatment of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare cancer with increasing incidence. Early findings from the ongoing, phase 2 MAPS-2 clinical trial showed that immunotherapy slowed the growth of malignant pleural mesothelioma after relapse, reported lead investigator Arnaud Scherpereel, MD, PhD, Head, Pulmonary and Thoracic Oncology Department, University Hospital of Lille, France, at the 2017 ASCO annual meeting. MAPS-2 is the largest clinical trial to date of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

A brief overview of new therapies approved by the FDA between August 1 and August 7, 2017.

Chicago, IL—The tumor types amenable to immunotherapy with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) keep expanding and now include sarcoma, which has been difficult to treat.

Chicago, IL—Survival with the use of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) approved for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase is comparable among the available drugs, so other variables should come into play when selecting a specific TKI. In some instances, a treatment-free remission is possible, said CML experts at the 2017 ASCO annual meeting.