ASCO 2015 Highlights

Results from two phase 1 clinical trials—one evaluating an anti–PD-1 antibody (Topalian SL, et al. N Engl J Med. 2012; 366:2443-2454) and the second evaluating an anti–PD-1 ligand (PD-L1) antibody (Brahmer JR, et al. N Engl J Med. 2012;366:2455-2465)—suggest that targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway may be beneficial in treating certain types of solid tumors, including advanced melanoma, non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and renal-cell cancer.

New data suggest that regorafenib, a unique inhibitor of several kinase-associated cancers, has a wide-range activity in this patient population (George S, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2012;30:2401-2407).

Newly reported results of a phase 2 clinical trial have shown that treatment with the antibody-drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin achieves high response rates in patients with relapsed or refractory HL whose disease has progressed even after receiving autologous stem-cell transplant (auto-SCT) salvage therapy (Younes A, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2012;30:2183-2189).

Over the past 2 years, we have written about the impact of accountable care organizations, value-based purchasing, health insurance exchanges, and other programs relevant to the oncology community. These initiatives were all born out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which, on June 28, 2012, had its major day of reckoning.

Houston, TX—Patient navigation assures timely access to care for many patients, especially the medically underserved population, and it will soon become mandated for institutions accredited by the Commission on Cancer, reported Mandi Pratt-Chapman, MA, Associate Director of the Community Programs, Codirector of the Center for the Advancement of Cancer Survivorship, Navigation and Policy, George Washington Cancer Institute, Washington, DC, at the Second Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Chicago, IL—The novel androgen receptor–signaling inhibitor enzalutamide, also known as MDV3100, significantly prolonged overall survival (OS), slowed disease progression, and improved quality-of-life (QOL) measures in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer after docetaxel failure, according to results from a large phase 3 clinical trial.

Chicago, IL—Canadian researchers reported a finding at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncol ogy meeting that runs contrary to what other researchers have observed in the majority of studies.

Chicago, IL—Several presentations featured at a news conference at the 2012 American Association for Cancer Research meeting highlighted new therapies showing promising results in the early stage of research, potentially charting new options for patients with cancer.

There is progress in at least 4 areas: pediatric brain tumors, breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and generally advanced cancers, according to 4 current studies described at the 2012 American Association for Cancer Research meeting.

A combination of ipilimumab and the granulocyte-macrophage colonystimulating factor-transduced allogeneic prostate cancer cells vaccine (GVAX) was feasible and tolerable in an openlabel phase 1 study in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (van den Eertwegh AJM, et al. Lancet Oncol. 2012;13:509-517).