The AJMC® Precision Medicine in Oncology compendium is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights for molecular profiling of tumors.
The Increasing Relevancy of MRD Testing in Blood Cancers
March 12th 2019Minimal residual disease (MRD) testing is the future of diagnostics and monitoring for cancer, according to some experts. Not only can MRD determine the depth of response to a treatment, but it can also be used to determine treatment strategies.
Read More
Using NGS to Assess Minimal Residual Disease Better Predicts Outcomes in AML
February 26th 2019A high proportion of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who achieve a negative minimal residual disease (MRD) status still relapse, indicating a more sensitive method of detecting MRD is needed.
Read More
PET Scans Could Identify Patients With Breast Cancer Who May Be Able to Avoid Chemotherapy
February 22nd 2019Researchers have used positron emission tomography scans to identify which patients with a type of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive breast cancer might benefit most from targeted agents alone and can be spared chemotherapy.
Read More
Personalized Medicines Account for 42% of All Drug Approvals in 2018
February 21st 2019More than one-third of the therapies the FDA approved in the last 2 years includes information on the label identifying patients would benefit the most or experience fewer side effects, found a recently published report from the Personalized Medicine Coalition.
Read More
Breast Surgeons Seek Genetic Testing for All Patients With Breast Cancer
February 19th 2019The update follows a study published in November that found almost no difference in the frequency of mutations between patients with breast cancer who met National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines and those who didn't.
Read More
Dr Thomas Martin Outlines How MRD Testing Is Being Used
February 16th 2019Currently, minimal residual disease testing is being used for prognostication not for treatment decisions, explained Thomas G. Martin, MD, clinical professor of medicine, Adult Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplantation Program, associate director, Myeloma Program, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); co-leader, Hematopoietic Malignancies Program, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Watch
Patients With Relapsed/Refractory MM More Likely to Have Sustained MRD on Daratumumab
February 15th 2019Minimal residual disease (MRD) is a strong prognosticator of cancer outcomes, and recent research found that patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM) are more likely to achieve MRD on daratumumab than on a standard of care alone.
Read More
Moving Toward the "Tipping Point" for Transformation in Cancer Care
February 14th 2019Andrew Pecora, MD, FACP, CPE, recently visited Evidence-Based OncologyTM to discuss the progress of COTA’s, a company created in 2011 to develop technology that Pecora said is poised to transform cancer care delivery by helping oncologists and other specialists make decisions that will yield the best outcomes in the most cost-effective way, all at the point of care.
Read More
MRD Can't Predict Response in Early Days of Intensive AML Therapy, Study Says
February 9th 2019Molecular minimal residual disease (MRD) testing during the first 4 days of induction therapy does not differentiate responders and nonresponders and should not be used in predicting clinical response for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to the results from a recent study.
Read More
VA Contract Makes Foundation Medicine Oncology Tests Available to Veterans
February 5th 2019Foundation Medicine announced that it has won a nationwide contract from the Department of Veterans Affairs National Precision Oncology Program. The contract covers all of Foundation Medicine’s tests.
Read More
Dr Elizabeth Griffiths Discusses Barriers to Genetic Testing in AML
January 30th 2019The biggest barrier to molecular profile testing right now is a financial one, explained Elizabeth Griffiths, MD, associate professor of oncology, department of medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Watch
Diagnostic Test Assessing MRD in Patients With MM and ALL Receives Medicare Coverage
January 25th 2019The first and only test authorized by the FDA to detect and monitor minimal residual disease (MRD) in multiple myeloma (MM) and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has received coverage for Medicare patients.
Read More
Dr Jeff Sharman on Using Precision Medicine to Treat CLL
January 24th 2019Jeff Sharman, MD, medical oncologist, Willamette Valley Cancer Institute and Research Center; medical director, The US Oncology Network, explains how personalized medicine has changed the way physicians think about treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
Watch
ctDNA Alone Not a Useful Biomarker of Multiple Myeloma Disease Status, Study Says
January 16th 2019There is a lack in correlation between circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and bone marrow for minimal residual disease (MRD) by next generation sequencing (NGS) using immunoglobulin genes in patients with multiple myeloma, according to results of a recent study.
Read More
Dr Elizabeth Griffiths on Biomarkers, Mutational Events That Drive Treatment Choice in AML
January 15th 2019Elizabeth Griffiths, MD, associate professor of oncology, department of medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center discusses which biomarkers and mutational events help determine if a patient would likely benefit from a traditional therapy or if they are more suitable for a clinical trial or upfront allogeneic transplantation.
Watch
Phase 2 Study of Combo Therapy Shows Promise for Patients With Mantle Cell Lymphoma
January 9th 2019A phase 2 trial demonstrated that the regimen of rituximab, bortezomib, bendamustine, and dexamethasone is a viable treatment option for older patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), and highlighted the usefulness of using minimal residual disease (MRD) to guide early and late clinical decisions.
Read More
Using Precision Medicine to Treat the Long Arc of Disease
January 9th 2019In the past year, there have been tremendous advancements in precision medicine, and the big upfront investments are starting to come to fruition, according to panelists at the 37th Annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, held January 7-10 in San Francisco, California.
Read More
Dr Kibum Kim on Precision Medicine in Managed Care
October 25th 2018There has been dramatic growth in the number of labels relevant to precision medicine, but there remains a gap in the number available and what health plans actually cover, explained Kibum Kim, PhD, MSc, research assistant professor, University of Utah.
Watch
FDA Approves NGS-Based Test That Detects Very Low Levels of Cancer Cells in ALL or MM
October 2nd 2018A test that uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been approved to detect and monitor minimal residual disease in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Read More
Dr Peter Paul Yu Explains Current Challenges With Precision Medicine
July 18th 2018We need to bring together our real-world data and our reimbursement systems to recognize the fact that a lot of what could be gained by precision medicine is going to be based on a lot of research, explained Peter Paul Yu, MD, FASCO, FACP, physician-in-chief, Hartford HealthCare Cancer Center.
Read More