Experts discuss a complex case of a middle-aged woman with high-risk EGFR-mutant lung cancer and brain metastases, highlighting the balance between aggressive combination therapies and patient-centered shared decision-making amid clinical, logistical, and psychosocial challenges.
Experts discuss the complexities and controversies in sequencing therapies beyond first-line treatment for EGFR-mutant lung cancer, balancing up-front regimen efficacy with preserving later treatment options while navigating evolving evidence, emerging therapies, and real-world challenges such as access and individualized patient care.
Panelists discuss how the field is shifting from reactive to proactive management of dermatologic adverse events, with future developments potentially including new topical treatments and integrated dermatology support within oncology practices.
Kelly Dyckman, MSW, LCSW, discusses the need for proactive, not reactive, communication about posttreatment challenges to better support cancer survivors.
Prophylactic steroid or tocilizumab use may help in preventing CRS in patients undergoing treatment with bispecific antibodies for multiple myeloma.
Recommending counseling sessions may help patients with cancer navigate sexual health and emotional issues during their cancer treatment.
Panelists discuss how comprehensive patient education materials and manufacturer resources help patients prepare for and manage talquetamab adverse effects, with prior experience from chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy providing valuable context for understanding potential complications such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS).
Panelists discuss how real-world data consistently show bispecific efficacy matching clinical trial results despite treating higher-risk patients, and how prophylactic interventions have reduced cytokine release syndrome severity.
Panelists discuss how CAR T-cell therapy should generally precede bispecifics when possible due to T-cell exhaustion concerns, though they agree there are virtually no absolute contraindications to bispecific therapy.
Tara A. McCannel, MD, PhD, discusses how brachytherapy plaque with vitrectomy and silicone oil led to a 100% survival rate in patients with uveal melanoma.
Panelists discuss how health care providers must actively educate local oncologists, emergency departments, and community centers about bispecific antibody management as these therapies move from inpatient to outpatient settings, ensuring proper recognition and treatment of adverse effects such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS).
Kelly Dyckman, MSW, LCSW, discusses how her role integrates with multidisciplinary oncology teams to support patients' emotional and relational well-being.
Experts discuss how the SEQUOIA trial reinforces Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor monotherapy as an effective frontline treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with deletion 17p, showing progression-free survival (PFS) rates comparable to those without high-risk mutations, and highlighting that second-generation BTK inhibitors can overcome historically poor prognoses without added benefit from anti-CD20 antibodies.
Patients with uveal melanoma who have tumors larger than 2 mm are candidates for brachytherapy plaque with vitrectomy and silicone oil.
Panelists discuss how to choose between first-line (1L) luspatercept vs erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) therapy for SF3B1-negative patients with lower-risk MDS (LR-MDS) with erythropoietin (EPO) levels under 200 mU/mL. Team Whataburger argues that luspatercept’s superior response rates (60% vs 40%) and survival benefits make it the clear frontline choice, while Team In-and-Out counters that ESA remains viable for minimally transfusion-dependent patients due to cost considerations and potential for sequential therapy approaches.
Panelists discuss how the IMerge trial data demonstrate imetelstat’s efficacy in SF3B1-negative patients with lower-risk MDS who failed ESA therapy, achieving substantial hemoglobin improvements (averaging 4-5 g/dL in responders) with meaningful transfusion independence rates. They debate the clinical significance of modest patient-reported quality-of-life improvements and question whether historical hemoglobin ceiling limits should be reconsidered given robust treatment responses.
Tara M. Graff, DO, MS, stated that combination therapy approaches may be the optimal route forward for advancing MZL care.
“…if [there’s] a younger patient with MZL, I’m willing to risk a little extra toxicity to give them a longer-term remission,” said Tara M. Graff, DO, MS.
Subcutaneous mosunetuzumab achieved consistent rates of complete responses across various high-risk marginal zone lymphoma subgroups.
Beyond DNA-centric diagnostics, protein-based methods may play a role in accurately matching patients with the most effective therapies.
Panelists discuss how managing the safety profile of pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib requires proactive patient education and early toxicity identification, with approximately 25% of patients discontinuing therapy due to adverse events in both clinical trials and real-world practice, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and immunotherapy-related adverse events for appropriate management.
Panelists discuss how the KEYNOTE-B61 study demonstrated impressive survival outcomes with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 17.9 months and median overall survival (OS) of 41.5 months, effectively doubling the historical tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) monotherapy benchmarks of 8 to 9 months PFS and 21 months OS in patients with non–clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
Biomarker research is needed to better ascertain patient benefit with tarlatamab among those with relapsed extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.
Biochemical markers and advanced imaging modalities play a critical role in monitoring patients undergoing RLT therapy for metastatic prostate cancer.
Experts discuss the trade-offs between long-term efficacy and real-world tolerability in EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment, debating innovative targeted regimens vs familiar chemotherapy-based approaches and emphasizing the importance of personalized care, supportive infrastructure, and shared decision-making in optimizing outcomes.
Experts have a nuanced debate on frontline treatment for EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastases, contrasting the central nervous system (CNS) efficacy and clinical familiarity of chemotherapy-based combinations with the precision and potential durability of newer targeted regimens, ultimately emphasizing individualized care and critical appraisal of trial data.
There will be an unmet need for therapy in patients with aggressive lymphomas who did not benefit from therapy with bispecifics, CAR-T, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy.
Less lymphocyte depletion with twice-daily radiotherapy warrants further assessment to optimize the synergistic effect of radiotherapy and immunotherapy.
David Rimm, MD, PhD, discussed how AI tools may help automate routine tasks for pathologists and predict genomic alterations from images.
Panelists discuss the evolving clinical trial landscape in non–clear cell renal cell carcinoma, highlighting ongoing studies of combination therapies integrating TKIs and immuno-oncology agents, the challenges of rare subtypes, and the critical role of trials and support networks in advancing personalized treatment options.
