Oncology

Based on results from the phase 2 KEYNOTE-158, KEYNOTE-164, and KEYNOTE-051 trials, the FDA has given full approval to pembrolizumab for patients with microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair deficient solid tumors.

Data from a prospective pilot study indicate that circulating tumor DNA may be a valuable prognostic biomarker in early-stage follicular lymphoma.

The safety profile of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki for managing HER2-expressing tumors in the DESTINY-PanTumor02 trial appears consistent with previously reported findings on the agent.

Findings from the phase 3 DeFi trial support the new drug application for nirogacestat as a treatment for adults with desmoid tumors.

Rahul Banerjee, MD, FACP, discusses a recent presentation from the Tandem meeting regarding BCMA CAR T-cell therapy in patients with multiple myeloma.

Rahul Banerjee, MD, FACP, recounts the recent Tandem meeting by highlighting an interesting study involving cell phones and cell therapies.

Adverse effects including light sensitivity and blurred vision lead to a clinical hold in enrollment for the phase 1/2 VERA trial evaluating BLU-222 in advanced solid tumors.

Although opioid use guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control exclude patients with cancer, drug screenings are required that could further contribute to racial disparities.

An expert from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute says that policymakers and insurers should take a hard look at policies that restrict opioid use in patients with cancer who are at end of life, especially for underserved communities.

An expert from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute speaks not only to racial disparities in access to opioids for end-of-life cancer care but gender/racial discrepancies, as well.

After assessing racial disparities in opioid access in older patients with cancer, an expert from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute speaks to the need for examining younger populations and those with different insurance types.

An expert from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute states that although giving opioids for minor procedures could lead to substance abuse issues, use of the drugs to manage end of life cancer pain should not be up for debate.

Nicole Peeke, LCSW, ACHP-SW, emphasizes the importance of an integrated oncology care plan and that mental health care should be incorporated as a standard of care.

An expert from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute discusses data from a study investigating racial inequities in opioid access among patients of cancer near the end of life.

A biologic license application for a biosimilar of denosumab is under review by the FDA for managing osteoporosis and treatment-induced bone loss in those with cancer.

An expert from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute describes several key strategies for mitigating racial disparities in opioid access among patients with cancer near end of life.

An expert from Ochsner Health discusses the essential role positive lifestyle habits and regular screenings play in preventing cancer diagnoses.

Lack of access to adequate mental health care affects both patients and survivors of cancer who experience significant burdens, highlighting a need for normalization, according to a licensed clinical social worker.

“Being a patient advocate means not so much putting ourselves in the patient's shoes but asking the right questions to find out what those barriers to care are,” says an oncology survivorship navigator from Sibley Memorial Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Patients with tenosynovial giant cell tumors, a rare locally aggressive neoplasm, who are unable to undergo surgery may benefit from treatment with pimicotinib.

Investigators will evaluate DK210 in a first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial following the FDA’s review of an investigational new drug application for the compound for locally advanced or metastatic EGFR-positive solid tumors.

Black and Hispanic patients are less likely to receive opioids than their White counterparts; bias training and logistical support may act as potential strategies to mitigate these disparities, according to an expert from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab appears to improve outcomes in a cohort of patients with metastatic microsatellite instability–high, mismatch repair deficient solid tumors.

Under a new FDA initiative, the agency recently updated a decades’ old approval of the chemotherapy capecitabine. This move, according to an expert, will springboard further change in the treatment of cancer.

The use of cobimetinib was effective in patients with Rosai-Dorfman disease, and responses were especially deep in those with KRAS or MEK alterations, according to findings from a recent retrospective study.