ASCO 2015 Highlights

On March 29, 2018, the FDA accelerated the approval of a new indication for blinatumomab (Blincyto; Amgen) for the treatment of patients with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) whose disease was in remission but was at risk for relapse because of minimal residual disease (MRD). The FDA granted blinatumomab orphan drug status for this indication.

On April 6, 2018, rucaparib (Rubraca; Clovis Oncology), a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, received a new indication by the FDA for the maintenance treatment of patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who achieved complete or partial response with platinum-based chemotherapy.

On April 18, 2018, the FDA approved osimertinib (Tagrisso; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals) as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R mutations, as detected by an FDA-approved test. The FDA used its priority review process, and designated osimertinib as a breakthrough therapy for this indication.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have changed the treatment landscape for many cancer types. These immunomodulatory antibodies target the PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4 pathways to help restore immune responses against tumors.

San Francisco, CA—The immunotherapy combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) provides durable clinical benefit in patients with previously treated DNA mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).

In a January 3, 2018, statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, the FDA announced new steps to promote generic drug competition as a way to expand potential access to inexpensive medicines, which would be especially helpful for patients with cancer. These new steps are a part of the FDA’s ongoing implementation of the Drug Competition Action Plan.

In ovarian epithelial cancer, fallopian tube cancer, and primary peritoneal cancer, malignant cells form in the tissue covering the ovary or lining the fallopian tube or peritoneum. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2017 more than 22,000 women in the United States were estimated to be diagnosed with these cancers and more than 14,000 to die from them.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a form of cancer that starts in the lymphatic system, is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in adults. In the United States, approximately 72,000 new cases of NHL are diagnosed annually; more than 20,000 people were estimated to die from the disease in 2017.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rare but deadly cancer. Approximately 21,400 new cases of AML were diagnosed in 2017 in the United States, and nearly 10,600 people died from the disease. Approximately 60% to 70% of adults with AML respond to initial treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, the 5-year survival rate for patients with AML remains poor at approximately 27%.