Authors
Latest:
Dr. Normanno on Using Circulating Tumor DNA for EGFR DetectionNicola Normanno, MD, chief of the Cell Biology and Biotherapy Unit, INT-Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy, discusses the benefit of plasma genotyping to predict response to EGFR-targeted therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Latest:
Radiation for Chemo-Sensitization: A Phase II Trial of Cetuximab and Docetaxel With Low-Dose Fractionated Radiation for Recurrent Unresectable Locally Advanced Head and Neck CarcinomaThis study evaluates low dose radiotherapy in combination with docetaxel and cetuximab in patients with recurrent, unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck initially treated with definitive chemo-radiation therapy.
Latest:
Radiation for Chemo-Sensitization: A Phase II Trial of Cetuximab and Docetaxel With Low-Dose Fractionated Radiation for Recurrent Unresectable Locally Advanced Head and Neck CarcinomaThis study evaluates low dose radiotherapy in combination with docetaxel and cetuximab in patients with recurrent, unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck initially treated with definitive chemo-radiation therapy.
Latest:
Radiation for Chemo-Sensitization: A Phase II Trial of Cetuximab and Docetaxel With Low-Dose Fractionated Radiation for Recurrent Unresectable Locally Advanced Head and Neck CarcinomaThis study evaluates low dose radiotherapy in combination with docetaxel and cetuximab in patients with recurrent, unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck initially treated with definitive chemo-radiation therapy.
Latest:
Radiation for Chemo-Sensitization: A Phase II Trial of Cetuximab and Docetaxel With Low-Dose Fractionated Radiation for Recurrent Unresectable Locally Advanced Head and Neck CarcinomaThis study evaluates low dose radiotherapy in combination with docetaxel and cetuximab in patients with recurrent, unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck initially treated with definitive chemo-radiation therapy.
Latest:
Radiation for Chemo-Sensitization: A Phase II Trial of Cetuximab and Docetaxel With Low-Dose Fractionated Radiation for Recurrent Unresectable Locally Advanced Head and Neck CarcinomaThis study evaluates low dose radiotherapy in combination with docetaxel and cetuximab in patients with recurrent, unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck initially treated with definitive chemo-radiation therapy.
Latest:
Radiation for Chemo-Sensitization: A Phase II Trial of Cetuximab and Docetaxel With Low-Dose Fractionated Radiation for Recurrent Unresectable Locally Advanced Head and Neck CarcinomaThis study evaluates low dose radiotherapy in combination with docetaxel and cetuximab in patients with recurrent, unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck initially treated with definitive chemo-radiation therapy.
Latest:
BCL-2 Inhibitors May Provide Avenue of Attack Against High-Risk NeuroblastomaInvestigators at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center discuss the current treatment for children with high-risk neuroblastoma including high-dose chemotherapy, surgery, stem cell transplantation, radiation therapy, isotretinoin, and immunotherapy.
Latest:
The Virtual Window: Clinical Trial Reports--April 2007The Clinical Trials reported in this issue include: PHASE I: 1) Cell Genesys and Medarex Remain Positive on Combination Immunotherapy Study 2) Active Biotech Achieves Success with TASQ for Prostate Cancer PHASE II: 1) Myriad Initiates Evaluation of Brain Cancer Drug that Crosses the Blood-Brain Barrier 2) Second Lung Cancer Trial Adds Data to Novel Therapy, and more
Latest:
Best Initial Treatment Strategies for EGFR-Mutant Lung CancerThis review will focus on current therapies used in the first-line setting for advanced EGFR mutation positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) followed by emerging data that may lead to a transition in the choice for initial therapy in these patients.
Latest:
Maintenance Therapy in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Before We Accept This Treatment Paradigm, Let's Critically Evaluate and Interpret the DataNon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States.
Latest:
Why Oncology Can Be a Tough Sell in MaineChimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy may soon hit the market, and numerous cancer care centers are poised to offer this for what may be the first FDA-approved indication: relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Latest:
Investigators Seek Expanded Use of Checkpoint Inhibitors in RCCIn contrast to the wide array of available therapies in the metastatic setting of renal cell carcinoma, in patients with localized disease, the results of trials investigating adjuvant systemic therapy after nephrectomy have so far been underwhelming.
Latest:
Axitinib Nears Approval as Second-Line Therapy for Metastatic Renal Cell CarcinomaAxitinib has shown promising results in phase II and III trials, including the AXIS trial in patients with metastatic clear cell RCC who failed on other treatments.
Latest:
Robotic Surgery Is Useful Option for Oral CancerMinimally invasive transoral robotic surgery, used alone or combined with adjuvant therapy, provides good functional and oncologic outcomes in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
Latest:
Therapy of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Past, Present, and FutureNew and relevant studies are examining the role of histology, biomarkers, and growth factor receptor inhibitors in the treatment of NSCLC.
Latest:
Dr. Saxena on the Importance of Initial Treatment Selection in ALK+ NSCLCAshish Saxena, MD, PhD, discusses the importance of initial therapy selection in ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer.
Latest:
High BMI Linked to Better Immunotherapy Outcomes in NSCLCA high body mass index at baseline may be independently associated with improved survival outcomes in patients with non–small cell lung cancer who receive immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.
Latest:
Researchers Focus on Optimizing Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced NSCLCLocally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a challenging disease to treat, with a 5-year survival rate for patients with unresectable stage III disease of approximately 20%, even after definitive radiation therapy and concurrent chemotherapy.
Latest:
Adjuvant Therapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Impact of Recent Clinical Trials on Community PracticeNon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is diagnosed at an early stage, when it is amenable to surgical resection in approximately 20% to 25% of cases.
Latest:
Sequencing VEGFR-Targeted and mTOR-Targeted Therapy in Advanced Renal Cell CarcinomaWith 8 therapies approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), practitioners are faced with the challenge of selecting the most appropriate therapies for their patients within this crowded therapeutic landscape.
Latest:
Study Adds Pembrolizumab to Paradigm for Certain Head and Neck CancersA group of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis recently opened a clinical trial to evaluate pembrolizumab as treatment intensification therapy for patients with high-risk locoregionally advanced, previously untreated, HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
Latest:
Autophagy Modulation May Be a Novel Approach to Treatment of Advanced CancersAlthough prolonged autophagy can result in cancer cell death, recent investigations suggest that therapy-induced autophagy is a reversible response that promotes cancer cell survival, and thus may diminish the efficacy of some therapeutic agents.
Latest:
Autophagy Modulation May Be a Novel Approach to Treatment of Advanced CancersAlthough prolonged autophagy can result in cancer cell death, recent investigations suggest that therapy-induced autophagy is a reversible response that promotes cancer cell survival, and thus may diminish the efficacy of some therapeutic agents.
Latest:
Evolving Strategies Using Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Diffuse Large B-Cell Non-Hodgkin LymphomaDiffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma is typically a chemotherapy-sensitive malignancy, justifying dose-intense therapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for patients unlikely to achieve cure with standard-dose regimens.
Latest:
Optimizing the Duration of Trastuzumab: A Fresh PerspectiveABSTRACT Prior to the introduction of trastuzumab, the first targeted anti-HER2 agent, in 1998, patients diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer felt like they were being handed a death sentence. Despite treatment with aggressive chemotherapy, their tumors recurred faster, more often spread to brain and liver, and were associated with higher rates of death than HER2-negative tumors. However, in the 1980s, cancer researchers and oncologists recognized that HER2 could be targeted by a small molecule that binds to the receptor on the cell surface and blocks the signal telling the cell to divide. This small molecule was called trastuzumab, and it eventually completely changed how HER2-positive breast cancer was treated. The drug was first approved in the metastatic setting, and then the results of 2 pivotal randomized control trials demonstrated that the administration of trastuzumab in the adjuvant setting decreased the risk of breast cancer recurrence by 50%. These trials showed trastuzumab to be unequivocally effective in the adjuvant setting and the HERA trial results led to the adoption of 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab as the standard of care. Since that time, the field of anti–HER2-targeted therapy has exploded, with the development of multiple targeted agents for use in the advanced and up-front settings. Although trastuzumab significantly improves outcomes for women diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer and has few adverse effects (AEs), the disadvantages are that it requires intravenous administration every 3 weeks and can be associated with cardiac AEs. It is also expensive. Given all of these factors, the question of whether a duration of trastuzumab that is shorter than 1 year may be acceptable for some patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer is an important and very relevant one. Here, we will review the studies that have examined this question and evaluate their results.
Latest:
Immunotherapy in Advanced Lung CancerABSTRACT Historically, platinum-based chemotherapy was the standard of care for metastatic lung cancer. However, since the success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in melanoma, PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 immune checkpoint pathways have been established as effective therapies to manage advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and extensive-stage (ES) small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Multiple large-scale randomized clinical trials have analyzed the effects of ICIs in NSCLC, and results of these trials have since translated to the approval of single-agent PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, and the combination of PD-1 inhibitors with platinum-based chemotherapy has become the new standard of care for patients with advanced NSCLC. Furthermore, in ES SCLC, in which chemotherapy or chemoradiation has been the standard of care for decades, 2 anti–PD-1/PD-L1 agents have been approved for use in the frontline setting for ES SCLC, in combination with chemotherapy. Despite progressive integration of immunotherapy into treatment regimens, there remains a need for reliable biomarkers to precisely determine therapy candidates.
Latest:
Targeted Therapy in Squamous Cell Cancers of the Head and NeckThe 5-year survival of patients with locally advanced squamous cell cancers of the head and neck is still less than 30%. Treatment of these cancers involves significant functional impairment, diminished quality of life, and considerable time and expense. Local recurrence and distant metastases are still fairly common, and the development of second primary cancers has a significant impact on survival in patients with initial early-stage disease. Despite the success of combination chemoradiation in locally advanced head and neck cancers, these facts stress the need for improved treatment of this disease.
