News

The FDA approved durvalumab (Imfinzi) plus standard-of-care (SoC) chemotherapies etoposide with either carboplatin or cisplatin (platinum-etoposide) for the treatment of adults with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).

To hinder the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the globe, mandatory lockdowns have been put into place to encourage the practice of social distancing, explained Omid Hamid, MD; however, efforts to prevent close contact, and thus exposure to the virus, have also caused disruptions in access to care for patients with cancer.

Retrospective results showed that African-American women with endometrial cancer are less likely to receive evidence-based care compared with white women.

A recent study from Wuhan, China, analyzed characteristics and outcomes of patients with cancer infected with the coronavirus.

In the absence of definitive data regarding the risk of COVID-19 to patients with cancer and information to guide daily treatment decisions in the interim, Petros Grivas, MD, recommended converting the majority of patient visits to telehealth appointments and basing a patient’s need for treatment on their medical comorbidities, performance status, and cancer risk.

Cancer immunotherapy agents may be useful in treating patients with the coronavirus disease 2019, and should be made readily available, according to the Society of Immunotherapy for Cancer.

The FDA recently stated that it is taking steps to mitigate the personal protective equipment and device shortage for healthcare professionals amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

“Your wellbeing and emotional resilience is essential to our patients as we work to help our community through the COVID-19 pandemic,” the organization said.

The FDA has approved the initiation of a double-blind, randomized phase III clinical trial of the oncology supportive care drug tocilizumab (Actemra) for use in combination with standard of care for the treatment of hospitalized adult patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia, according to Genentech (Roche), the manufacturer of the interleukin-6 receptor antagonist.

The FDA has approved a 420-mg multidose vial of trastuzumab-dttb (SB3; Ontruzant), according to Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd., the manufacturer of the trastuzumab (Herceptin) biosimilar.

The needs of the oncology population remains a “top priority,” according to the FDA.

The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) recently published interim guidelines – though they’re admittedly not ideal – on PPE usage in the midst of the epidemic.

The optimal sequencing of therapies for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has proven to be a significant clinical challenge following the approvals of additional agents, said William K. Oh, MD.

Treatment options for patients with localized bladder cancer, beyond Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), are evolving as immunotherapies and novel agents are gaining traction in the management of this population, according to John P. Sfakianos, MD.

Breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a relatively newly discovered illness, which leaves many questions for both patients and providers.

“We must protect them” one nurse said about oncology patients in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FDA has granted 2 Orphan Drug Designations to ALPN-101 for the prevention and treatment of acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), according to Alpine Immune Sciences, Inc., the company developing the first-in-class selective dual T cell costimulation inhibitor.

Certain patients with myelofibrosis may be at higher risk for pulmonary hypertension, according to recent research.

Healthcare providers and citizens alike are navigating uncharted territories when it comes to the novel coronavirus/COVID-19.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network discussed problems – and potential solutions – for healthcare providers regarding the COVD-19 pandemic.

In the midst of the current opioid epidemic, pain management is taking center stage in many healthcare settings, and oncology is no different. It is crucial that patients have their pain – both acute and chronic – managed, while avoiding the potential of drug misuse. Add in barriers to care and other roadblocks, and things become even trickier.

After nearly 4 decades of stagnation, the advent of immunotherapy has transformed the frontline treatment paradigm for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). However, biomarkers are needed to better inform which patients are most likely to respond to checkpoint inhibitors, said Jason Niu, MD, PhD.

Currently, we are facing unprecedented challenges in nursing and with our collective experiences and expertise.

A flood of targeted therapy and immunotherapy options to both the first- and second-line settings of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has had significant implications on the treatment of patients in this space and will likely create challenges regarding sequencing, said Richard S. Finn, MD.

The FDA has granted a Fast Track designation to the combination of the PD-1 inhibitor balstilimab and the CTLA-inhibitor zalifrelimab for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory metastatic cervical cancer.

Biomarker-driven treatments continue to expand in prostate cancer, as research efforts explore responses across different subgroups, explained Petros Grivas MD, PhD.

The FDA has approved the CINtec® PLUS Cytology test as the first biomarker-based triage test for women whose primary cervical cancer screening results are positive for the human papillomavirus (HPV) using the cobas® 4800 HPV Test, according to Roche (Genentech), the manufacturer of the test.

The landscape of metastatic hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer continues to evolve, highlighting the necessity of genetic and genomic testing, explained Elisa Krill-Jackson, MD.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) plus ipilimumab (Yervoy) for the treatment of previously treated patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.