ASCO 2015 Highlights

On August 14, 2023, the FDA approved melphalan hydrochloride for injection/Hepatic Delivery System (HDS; Hepzato Kit; Delcath Systems) as a liver-directed treatment for use in adults with uveal melanoma and unresectable hepatic metastases affecting <50% of the liver and no extrahepatic disease, or extrahepatic disease that is limited to the bone, lymph nodes, subcutaneous tissues, or lung that is amenable to resection or radiation.

On August 14, 2023, the FDA accelerated the approval of elranatamab-bcmm (Elrexfio; Pfizer), a bispecific B-cell maturation antigen–directed CD3 T-cell engager, for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least 4 previous lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory drug, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.

On August 9, 2023, the FDA accelerated the approval of talquetamab-tgvs (Talvey; Janssen Biotech), a bispecific GPRC5D-directed CD3 T-cell engager, for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have previously received at least 4 lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory drug, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.

On August 11, 2023, the FDA accelerated the approval of the fixed-dose combination of niraparib and abiraterone acetate (Akeega; Janssen Biotech), with prednisone, for the treatment of adults with deleterious or suspected deleterious BRCA-mutated, castration-resistant prostate cancer, as determined by an FDA-approved test. The FDA granted this approval priority review.

On August 9, 2023, the FDA granted regular approval to pralsetinib (Gavreto; Genentech), a kinase inhibitor of wild-type RET and oncogenic RET fusions and mutations, for the treatment of adults with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and RET fusion–positive gene mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test.

It was once thought that after guiding the development of male sex organs in a fetus, the Y chromosome did not do much else. But over the past few years, results from multiple studies have challenged that belief.

Improving clinical outcomes in the second line of treatment in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer remains an important goal, and researchers have been exploring various therapeutic targets, including HER2, an oncogene that creates a protein that encourages cell growth and accelerates the spread of cancers.

Chicago, IL—Physicians are less likely to work in a private practice than 10 years ago due to economic, administrative, and regulatory burdens that have driven physicians to shift traditional business models for medical practices, according to a newly released biennial analysis of physician practice arrangements by the American Medical Association.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology has issued an update to its guidelines for the practical assessment and management of vulnerabilities in patients aged ≥65 years receiving systemic cancer treatment.

Opioids such as morphine are the gold standard for treating cancer-induced bone pain, but new University of Arizona Health Sciences research recently published in PAIN uncovered a mechanism by which chronic morphine use may increase bone loss and pain.