Caroline Seymour

The pandemic has reduced cancer screening and diagnostic testing as well as clinical trials and research.

The CD71-directed probody-drug conjugate (PDC) of monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) CX-2029 showed tolerability and antitumor activity in patients with advanced cancer, according to findings from the first-in-human phase 1/2 PROCLAIM-CX-2029 trial (NCT03543813) that were presented during the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program.

A recent survey highlights the multiple barriers to molecular testing in lung cancer, and solutions to overcome them.

Though the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) may not have immediate clinical implications for patients with sarcoma, it can provide valuable information for data collection and position patients for ongoing clinical trials that have the potential to push the needle forward, explained Gina Z. D'Amato, MD.

Containment strategies for patients at greatest risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19 are evolving, says Allyson Ocean, MD.

Patients at risk of developing thrombosis should receive anticoagulants, in the form of Xa inhibitors and, if necessary, andexanet alfa (Andexxa) or prothrombin concentrates to control excessive bleeding, explained Alvin H. Schmaier, MD.

The use of PARP inhibitors against DNA damage repair (DDR) alterations in prostate cancer is the first display of the potential for widespread precision medicine in the field, according to William K. Oh, MD, in a presentation during the 13th Annual Interdisciplinary Prostate Cancer Congress® and Other Genitourinary Malignancies.

In the absence of definitive data regarding the risk of COVID-19 to patients with cancer and information to guide daily treatment decisions in the interim, Petros Grivas, MD, recommended converting the majority of patient visits to telehealth appointments and basing a patient’s need for treatment on their medical comorbidities, performance status, and cancer risk.

Key elements that should inform treatment decisions for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) include molecular profiling, tumor sidedness, and microsatellite instability–high (MSI-H)/mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) status, according to Michael J. Overman, MD.

The fields of early-stage hormone receptor (HR)–positive and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer have made great strides in recent years, said Neelima Denduluri, MD, and such progress could be attributed to the emergence of tailored treatment strategies and the use of HER2-directed agents, respectively.

Novel next-generation imaging modalities have greater visibility than conventional imaging tools, leading to higher detection rates and earlier treatment of early recurrences and metastatic disease among men with prostate cancer, explained Hussein Aoun, MD.

Resistance to aromatase inhibitors (AIs) is a growing concern in patients with advanced hormone receptor (HR)–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, said Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, who added that although fulvestrant (Faslodex) has shown some activity in patients who develop ESR1 mutations, more effective treatment options are needed.

New real-world data shows that PARP inhibitors have the potential to help patients with ovarian cancer and could be an affordable option for them.

Drug prices for cancer care are rising considerably, but biosimilars are poised to help patients with cancer handle these prices. Particularly, patients with breast cancer.

Immunotherapy as a frontline treatment for patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC is showing potential, but there is still additional testing that needs to be done.

Wnt emerges as an exciting and favorable pathway for the treatment of patients with CRC.

Results from the phase III CARD trial suggest positive outcomes for patients with advanced prostate cancer on a novel treatment chemotherapy combination therapy treatment.

Looking at biomarkers PD-L1 and TMB in tandem can help predict a patient with NSCLC reaction to immunotherapy.

A closer look at the genealogy of Utah's founders provided one expert with a data mine to help combat lung cancer.

Before considering intraperitoneal chemotherapy, or dose-dense chemotherapy, for newly diagnosed patients with advanced ovarian cancer, it's not vital to first determine whether the patient is medically fit for these treatments.

Chemotherapy is the foundation of treatment for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, but according to Madeleine B. Courtney Brooks, MD, MPH, conversations regarding the potential for secondary debulking and use of bevacizumab (Avastin) may also be warranted.

Robert M. Wenham, MD discusses evolving strategies in the ovarian cancer space.

Selective inhibitors for patients with non–small cell lung cancer with rare oncogenic drivers are showing high response rates in clinical trials, explained one expert.

Patients with high-risk mantle cell lymphoma are likely to have their disease relapse, making investigations into novel treatments, such as CAR T-cell therapy, important.

Some patients with advanced ovarian cancer may be better candidates for primary debulking surgery, while others should start chemotherapy.

Now that the CD19-targeted CAR T-cell therapies axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel; Yescarta) and tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) have shown durable responses in the relapsed/refractory settings of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, researchers are hopeful that earlier exposure may heighten the curative potential of the modality, explained Mazyar Shadman, MD, MPH.

Pancreatic cancer mortality is on the rise compared with other gastrointestinal malignancies, spurring an abundance of novel treatment approaches to combat the disease.

In non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), KRAS G12 mutations have been historically difficult to target, and research efforts dedicated to the development of effective targeted therapies for NRG1 fusions have not been successful. However, several biopharmaceutical companies are in the early stages of addressing that challenge, explained Sai-Hong I. Ou, MD, PhD.

Compared to the general population, survivors of childhood cancer who live 5 or more years from diagnosis are at a higher risk for skin cancer.

Immunotherapy agents may soon combine with VEGF TKIs to redefine the frontline standard for treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).