ASCO 2015 Highlights

On January 14, 2019, the FDA approved a new indication for cabozantinib (Cabometyx; Exelixis), an oral multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who had previously received treatment with sorafenib (Nexavar).

San Francisco, CA—Tumor expression of PD-L1 has consistently predicted ­response and survival outcomes in non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), whereas the role of PD-L1 in immune cells is unclear, said Edward B. Garon, MD, Director, Thoracic Oncology Program, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, at the 2019 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium.

San Francisco, CA—Many patients with leukemia or lymphoma who receive treatment with anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy achieve minimum residual disease (MRD) negativity, and many are in complete remission well beyond 12 months.

San Antonio, TX—Adding the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq) to nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) chemother­apy is the first immunotherapy-based combination to improve progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in women with advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and PD-L1 expression compared with placebo plus nab-paclitaxel, according to results of the IMpassion130 clinical trial.

On May 2, 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ivosidenib (Tibsovo; Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc) for the treatment of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a susceptible IDH1 mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved companion diagnostic test, in patients who are aged ≥75 years or who have comorbidities that preclude the use of intensive induction chemotherapy.

Another Approval for Keytruda

On April 4, 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the indication of palbociclib (Ibrance; Pfizer), a kinase inhibitor, in combination with specific endocrine therapies for men with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer. This is the first hormonal-based therapy to be approved for men.

On March 27, 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert from its Office of Women’s Health announcing that, after more than 20 years of regulatory oversight, the agency is proposing amendments to the existing policy governing mammography services.