Oncology

Michael Kolodziej, MD, considers the benefit of combination therapy vs sequential and whether the increased toxicity of combination therapy is worth it.

Although the oncolytic virus therapy being used in the OPTIM trial has been modified in a way that there should be minimal safety concerns, it should still be handled in a way to limit adverse effects and mutations, according to Kimberly Shafer-Weaver, PhD.

While it would be nice to think that one and only one therapy would be effective at combatting cancer, combination therapy is needed, Kimberly Shafer-Weaver, PhD, said.

People are now viewing cancer as a kind of chronic disease that can be held at bay, if it cannot be eliminated entirely, according to Kimberly Shafer-Weaver, PhD.

Although there are some efforts to marry progression-free survival benefits to clinical benefits defined by the patients, the approach is still in the early stages and needs to be moved forward more quickly, according to Michael Kolodziej, MD.

Michael Kolodziej, MD, explains, the benefit of using biomarkers from a payer perspective to ensure that the right patient gets the right treatment.

Although animal models have shown the anti-CTLA-4 antibodies boost the immune system, the human body is not so simple, Jianda Yuan, MD, PhD, said.

In this clip, Kimberly Shafer-Weaver, PhD, discusses specific biomarkers that could establish utilities for specific patient populations and measuring response to drugs.

Jianda Yuan, MD, PhD, explains the importance of bringing the latest innovations to the public and how more data are showing promising immunologic and clinical responses for different types of cancer.

Surabhi Dangi-Garimella, PhD, managing editor of The American Journal of Managed Care's Evidence-Based series led the panel of experts in a discussion on immuno-oncology by first talking about checkpoint inhibitors currently in the market and under development.

Phase 3 trial data from the ROMANA trials, presented at ESMO found that anamorelin improves appetite and body mass in patients with advanced lung cancer who are suffering cancer anorexia and cachexia.

Xalkori, currently approved for treating NSCLC with ALK rearrangements, reduced the tumor size in nearly 75% of the patients and also extended the remission period.

The monoclonal antibody extended survival by nearly 16 months compared to those in the control cohort.

Results from the CheckMate-037 trial showed a significant increase in duration of response in patients with advanced melanoma administered nivolumab as second- or third-line therapy

A study published in the British Journal of Cancer discovered a correlation between hypercalcaemia and the risk of cancer, specifically in males.

The researchers identified discrepancies across the globe in patient access to life-saving cures for cancer.

Having delivered antibody mimics to cancer cells in vitro, the research group at MIT that conducted the research is now working on evaluating the technique in tumors grown in mice.

A new retrospective study published in JAMA identified that tuberculosis and certain fungal infections in the lungs could hamper the efficient detection of lung cancer by FDG-PET imaging.

A prospective study published in The Journal of Thoracic Oncology found that the average cost to screen high-risk individuals for developing lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography plus the average cost of curative intent treatment, like surgery, is lower than the average cost to treat advanced stage lung cancer, which quite rarely results in a cure.

Controversy over the value of proton beam radiation continues to harass clinicians as the therapy emerges to be extremely useful in some, but not all, cancers. Additionally, payers sometimes refuse to cover treatment costs due to lack of evidence of efficacy.

With the aim of understanding why some patients respond better to a particular drug, NCI has launched the Exceptional Responders Initiative, to generate molecular profiles of tumors that respond well to a particular treatment.

Research published this month in the journal Cancer Research, found that increased expression of the enzyme PAD2 in young mice could lead to skin tumors that could progress to invasive squamous cell carcinoma.

The ASCO statement corroborates the need for regulation of laboratory-developed tests, which are increasingly being used to guide personalized treatment in oncology as well as other therapeutic areas.

Due to existing payment structures and practice patterns for colonoscopy, reducing endoscopist reimbursement may diminish access to and quality of colorectal cancer screening.

The guidelines have been published in 2 journals: Breast and Annals of Oncology.