FDA Approves Tazemetostat for Epithelioid Sarcoma
January 24th 2020The FDA has granted an accelerated approval to tazemetostat (Tazverik) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged ≥16 years old with metastatic or locally advanced epithelioid sarcoma that is not eligible for complete resection.
Surufatinib Improves Outcomes in Advanced Pancreatic NETs
January 23rd 2020Surufatinib improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with placebo in patients with low- or intermediate-grade advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) for whom there is no effective therapy, according to a preplanned interim analysis of the phase III SANET-p trial (NCT02589821) that was completed by an independent data monitoring committee (IDMC).
FDA Grants Priority Review to Belantamab Mafodotin for Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma
January 21st 2020The agency granted the immunoconjugate targeting B-cell maturation antigen priority review to belantamab mafodotin for the treatment of heavily pre-treated patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
Detecting and Managing irAEs in Melanoma Is Crucial
January 20th 2020Being able to quickly detect and properly manage adverse events (AEs) that arise in patients with melanoma who are receiving immunotherapy is key to improving their experience with treatment, explained Kathleen Madden, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, AOCNP®, APHN.
Radiation's Role Shifts in Breast Cancer
January 19th 2020The role of radiation therapy, specifically with elective nodal irradiation (ENI), has evolved over the past several years, said He James Zhu, MD, PhD, adding that the technique should be performed in patients with breast cancer on an individualized basis.
FDA Grants Priority Review to Frontline Nivolumab-Ipilimumab Combo for NSCLC
January 16th 2020The FDA accepted and granted priority review to the supplemental biologics license application for nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer.
Luspatercept Reduces Anemia in Patients With MDS
January 15th 2020Treatment with luspatercept-aamt (Reblozyl) reduced the severity of anemia in patients with very low- to intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with ring sideroblasts who require red blood cell (RBC) transfusions, according to findings from the phase III MEDALIST trial that have now been published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
Immunotherapy Combos Are Now Standard of Care for Advanced RCC
January 13th 2020The standard of care for treatment-naïve patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has shifted from a single-agent VEGF TKI to a checkpoint inhibitor plus either a VEGF TKI or a CTLA-4 inhibitor, explained David F. McDermott, MD.
Next-Generation Imaging Will Change Prostate Cancer Paradigm
January 11th 2020Novel next-generation imaging modalities have greater visibility than conventional imaging tools, leading to higher detection rates and earlier treatment of early recurrences and metastatic disease among men with prostate cancer, explained Hussein Aoun, MD.
FDA Approves Pembrolizumab for BCG-Unresponsive, High-Risk Bladder Cancer
January 9th 2020The FDA approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the treatment of patients who are unresponsive to Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment with high-risk, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary tumors who are ineligible for or have elected not to undergo cystectomy.
PARP Inhibitor Provides Another Option for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
January 8th 2020The metastatic pancreatic cancer paradigm has expanded to include frontline maintenance therapy with the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza), as it recently received the green light from the FDA with a December 2019 approval.
Itacitinib Misses GVHD Treatment Goal
January 7th 2020The combination of itacitinib and corticosteroids did not induce a statistically significant improvement in overall response rate (ORR) at day 28 compared with placebo plus corticosteroids in patients with treatment-naïve acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD).
FDA Accepts BLA for Eflapegrastim for Chemo-Induced Neutropenia
January 4th 2020The FDA has accepted a biologics license application (BLA) to review eflapegrastim (Rolontis) for the management of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, according to Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, the developer of the novel long-acting granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF).