April 2017, Vol 8, No 2

San Diego, CA—Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell administration after autologous stem-cell transplant (ASCT) showed clinical activity in patients with advanced multiple myeloma, according to results of a pilot study presented at the 2016 American Society of Hematology meeting. Substantially longer progression-free survival (PFS) was seen in 2 of 10 patients who received ASCT plus CTL019 than in patients who received first-line ASCT, said Alfred L. Garfall, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Unlike other countries around the world, the United States does not regulate or negotiate drug prices. In general, the European Union members (eg, United Kingdom, France, Germany), Australia, and other countries incorporate pricing at the time of new drug approval, and allow the use of a new drug when it provides a significant clinical benefit over existing drugs, relative to the drug price.

San Diego, CA—Ropeginterferon alfa-2b, an investigational, long-acting, mono-pegylated interferon was noninferior to hydroxyurea in achieving complete hematologic response and with superior tolerability to hydroxyurea in the treatment of patients with polycythemia vera, according to the final results of the phase 3 PROUD-PV clinical trial presented by Heinz Gisslinger, MD, Medical University of Vienna, Austria, at the 2016 American Society of Hematology meeting.

San Diego, CA—Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-targeting CD22 therapy induced clinical responses and a high rate of complete remission in children and young adults with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), including patients who had received anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy, said Terry J. Fry, MD, Hematologic Malignancies Section, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute (NCI), at the 2016 American Society of Hematology meeting. These findings create the opportunity for bispecific or multispecific CAR T-cell targeting.

San Francisco, CA—The multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) cabozantinib (Cabometyx) demonstrated encouraging activity in patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), including patients who previously received sunitinib (Sutent) or everolimus (Afinitor), according to results from a phase 2 clinical trial, reported Jennifer A. Chan, MD, MPH, Clinical Director, Program in Carcinoid and Neuroendocrine Tumors, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, at the 2017 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

San Francisco, CA—Pooled data from 2 randomized clinical trials and several open-label extension studies confirmed the safety and quality-of-life effects of long-term (>12 months) use of the somatostatin analog lanreotide (Somatulin Depot) for advanced neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), including functioning and nonfunctioning NETs, reported Alexandria T. Phan, MD, Medical Oncologist, University of New Mexico Cancer Center, Albuquerque, and colleagues, at a poster session at the 2017 Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium.

Orlando, FL—The incidence of bladder cancer is on the rise, and bladder cancer is 4 to 5 times more expensive to treat than breast or prostate cancer. The cost of bladder cancer treatment can be reduced by adhering to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network or the American Urological Association treatment guidelines.

Orlando, FL—Clinical trials involving immunotherapy have increased in the past few years, and the oncology community is eagerly awaiting the results. However, not so well-known is what happens to patients who receive immunotherapy outside of the clinical trial setting, including those who are not eligible for clinical trials.

Orlando, FL—One cycle of the bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) regimen had less toxicity and was as effective as 2 cycles in patients with high-risk, nonseminomatous or germ-cell tumors of the testis (NSGCTT), according to results of a large prospective trial called 111 presented at the 2017 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. Using 1 cycle of BEP as standard of care would reduce exposure to toxicity, and most patients with testicular cancer are relatively young.

National Harbor, MD—Results of a phase 1/2 study that investigated 2 dosing regi­mens of 2 immunotherapies—the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) plus the CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab (Yervoy)—in patients with previously treated metastatic urothelial carcinoma showed higher response rates and longer median overall survival with the regimen of nivolumab 1 mg/kg plus ipilimumab 3 mg/kg than with the dosing of nivolu­mab 3 mg/kg plus ipilimumab 1 mg/kg.