AACR Meeting Highlights

The realignment of incentives and enhanced collaboration in cancer research are priorities that would speed the pace of discovery, with the goal to “end cancer as we know,” said Vice President Joe Biden at the 2016 American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting. Mr Biden discussed aspects of the new “Moonshot” initiative to eliminate cancer, which was initiated by President Obama at his 2016 State of the Union Address.
Read Article

Anti–PD-1 treatment with the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) significantly improved survival in patients with head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma that progressed after platinum-based therapy, according to data from a phase 3 clinical trial known as CheckMate-141.
Read Article

Philadelphia, PA—Immunotherapy with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was safe and effective in the treatment of patients with previously treated as well as treatment-naïve patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to results of the KEYNOTE-001 trial, said Edward B. Garon, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, who presented these data at the 2015 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting.
Read Article

Philadelphia, PA—The use of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, olaparib (Lynparza), plus carboplatin chemotherapy shows promising activity in patients with recurrent breast or ovarian cancer; furthermore, the order of administration of these therapies did not affect the occurrence of side effects, according to new data from a phase 1 clinical trial presented at the 2015 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting.
Read Article

Philadelphia, PA—Several retrospective studies have shown that metformin is associated with longer survival in patients with cancer, including pancreatic cancer. However, in a new study led by Roongruedee Chaiteerakij, MD, PhD, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN, metformin did not improve survival for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The results were presented at the 2015 American Association for Cancer Research meeting.
Read Article

Philadelphia, PA—Over the next 15 years, up to a 50% increase is projected in the number of breast cancer cases, according to a study from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The incidence of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers, diagnosed mostly by mammography, is projected to increase, whereas cases of ER-negative cancers, the more-difficult-to-treat cancers, are projected to decrease. ER-positive in situ cancers are expected to increase by approximately 50% and ER-negative cancers are expected to decrease by approximately 50% by 2030.
Read Article

Philadelphia, PA—High levels of KRAS mutations in plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) predict worse overall survival (OS), whereas low levels of KRAS mutations in plasma ctDNA indicate improved OS in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Read Article

Philadelphia, PA—Combination immunotherapy with ipilimumab (Yervoy) plus nivolumab (Opdivo) was superior to ipilimumab monotherapy in previously untreated patients with advanced melanoma in a phase 2 randomized clinical trial, according to lead investigator F. Stephen Hodi, MD, Director of the Melanoma Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, who presented the study at the 2015 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting.
Read Article

Philadelphia, PA—As new immunotherapies become available for the treatment of melanoma and other cancers, head-to-head trials of these agents shed more light on how best to use them. In the phase 3 KEYNOTE-006 trial, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) outperformed ipilimumab (Yervoy)—a current standard of care—as upfront treatment for patients with unresectable advanced melanoma. The data were presented at the 2015 American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.
Read Article

Page 2 of 2