Articles

The FDA has confirmed another strong year regarding the approval of innovative new drugs and biosimilars, including several agents used in the treatment of patients with cancer.

At the First Annual Cholangiocarcinoma Summit, presenters discussed recent advances in the management of patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), including new surgical approaches, the expanding role of liver-directed therapies, radiation, and transplantation, and more effective sequencing of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies.

On October 17 and 18, 2019, a group of international experts convened in Phoenix, AZ, for the First Annual Cholangiocarcinoma Summit. The goal of the meeting was to discuss the latest clinical data on the disease, as well as the implications of these findings for providers and patients.

According to several presenters at the First Annual Cholangiocarcinoma Summit, advances in systemic treatment for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) are emerging, including cytotoxic chemotherapy.

San Francisco, CA—Personalization of therapy in the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is focused primarily on risk classification of patients. Once clinical risk has been established, treatment considerations should be informed by features such as disease subtype, prognostic somatic mutations, chromosomal abnormalities, targetable somatic mutations, immunologic features, and patient factors, according to Rafael Bejar, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA.

San Francisco, CA—We are in a “golden age” in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, Medical Oncologist, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City.

San Francisco, CA—An increasing number of biosimilars have been approved in the United States, but many clinicians are still poorly informed about what constitutes a biosimilar, and what is involved in their unique pathway to approval, said Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, Medical Oncologist, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City. He discussed this topic at the NCCN 2019 Hematologic Malignancies meeting.

In the phase 2 STORM Part 1 clinical trial, 21% of patients with refractory multiple myeloma had a partial or better response to oral selinexor (Xpovio) plus dexamethasone. Those findings were the basis for the pivotal phase 2 STORM Part 2 study (Chari A, et al. N Engl J Med. 2019;381:727-738).

The introduction of BRAF- and MEK-targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors has significantly improved outcomes in patients with metastatic melanoma. However, many patients have drug resistance—acquired or primary—which results in death from underlying disease.

New York, NY—By its very nature, oncology is rife with change, with new research resulting in treatment advances at a rapid pace. Pending federal legislation aimed at reining in prescription drug prices and an upcoming presidential election may introduce yet further changes in oncology. A discussion on these issues was presented at the 2019 AVBCC Summit in October, with a look at the oncology landscape.