Oncology

Chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cell therapies have demonstrated durable complete responses for patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia; however, several questions remain regarding their optimal use and applicability outside of this disease.

The FDA has approved Captisol-enabled melphalan (Evomela) as a high-dose conditioning treatment for use in patients with multiple myeloma prior to autologous stem cell transplantation, as well as for the palliative treatment of patients with myeloma for whom oral therapy is not appropriate.

Two CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cell therapies demonstrated complete response rates ranging from 90% to 100% in patients with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Updated findings from early stage clinical trials exploring chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cell therapies continue to highlight the effectiveness of these approaches for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Though clinical work is ongoing and early, researchers are already considering how to manage potentially fatal neurotoxicities in patients treated with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy

Infusions of CTL019 achieved durable responses and showed an acceptable safety profile in heavily pretreated patients with CD19-positive non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Infusions of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)–specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes from healthy donors led to high response rates and significant extensions in overall survival for patients with rituximab-refractory EBV–associated lymphoproliferative disorders.

Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD, associate professor, chief, Cellular Therapeutics Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, talks about the challenges of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell therapies for the treatment of hematologic cancers.

Wile several big and small pharmaceutical companies have invested research efforts in developing these complex, and expensive, treatment regimens, early results from trials indicate safety issues.

Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, discusses the optimal treatment settings for novel CD19-specific CAR-modified T cell therapies in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Andre Goy, MD, MS, discusses intensive therapy for the treatment of patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD, discusses the implications of responses to the CAR T-cell therapy KTE-C19, particularly among patients with chemotherapy-refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is an immunotherapy in which the patient's own T cells are isolated in the laboratory, redirected with a synthetic receptor to recognize a particular antigen or protein, and reinfused into the patient.

Pfizer's deal with the French company will ensure a market share in the promising immunooncology field.

Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. and MedImmune today announced they are jointly developing a PD-L1 (SP263) immunohistochemistry assay to enroll patients in clinical trials for MedImmune's MEDI4736 anti-PD-L1 therapy for non-small cell lung carcinoma. This includes the recently commenced MEDI4736 ATLANTIC trial that will enroll only patients who express PD-L1 as determined by the VENTANA assay.

An interview with Renier J. Brentjens, MD, PhD, on new therapies for patients with acute and chronic leukemias, in particular novel immunotherapies such as chimeric antigen receptor T cells.

Patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck treated with hyperfractionated radiation therapy (HFX) experienced improved local-regional control and, with patients censored at five years, improved overall survival with no increase in late toxicity.

Renier J. Brentjens, MD, PhD, associate professor, chief, Cellular Therapeutics Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the challenges associated with CAR-modified T cells.

Advances in treating multiple myeloma have transformed the field over the past decade, giving clinicians more effective therapy options for newly diagnosed patients who are candidates for stem cell transplant and those who are not.

Andre Goy, MD, MS, from the John Theurer Cancer Center, discusses the apparent effectiveness of CD19-targeted CAR-modified T cells as a treatment for patients with various types of lymphoma.

To gain insight into the studies being presented at the ASH Annual Meeting, we interviewed Marcel R.M. van den Brink, MD, PhD, on abstracts being presented by faculty at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Researchers have had little success in developing an HIV cure, but recent studies involving gene therapy, immune-based therapy, reactivation of the immune system, and "very early" treatment have produced promising results.

Renier J. Brentjens, MD, PhD, Leukemia Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the side effects of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)–modified T cells when used to treat B-cell malignancies.

Renier J. Brentjens, MD, PhD, Leukemia Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the treatment of B-cell malignancies with chimeric antigen receptor(CAR)–modified T cells.

Catherine Bollard, MBChB, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, discusses the treatment of EBV-positive lymphoma with T-cell therapy.

After receiving breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA for the treatment of two B-cell malignancies earlier this year, ibrutinib has received an additional breakthrough designation.

The investigational agent ibrutinib was granted "Breakthrough Therapy Designations" by the FDA as a singular therapy for a pair of B-cell malignancies: relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma and Waldenström's macroglobulinemia.

Diffuse 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.

Imatinib (Gleevec) improves the ability to proceed with allogeneic stem cell transplantation and improves 5-year overall survival (OS) when used as induction therapy in patients with Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph ) acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Non-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.