April 2022, Vol 13, No 2

Continuous enzalutamide (Xtandi) treatment in combination with docetaxel significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with placebo plus docetaxel in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who had disease progression on enzalutamide alone, according to results from the phase 3b PRESIDE clinical trial.

With better insights into the biology of cancer and other diseases, genetic medicine is entering “a whole new ballgame,” said Scott Gottlieb, MD, Former FDA Commissioner, during the keynote session at the 11th Annual Summit of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care in 2021.

Interim results from a phase 2 clinical trial showed that a novel combination of aldoxorubicin, N-803 (an IL-15 super­agonist), and PD-L1 natural killer cell therapy (Nant Cancer Vaccine) plus low-dose chemotherapy doubled overall survival (OS) compared with historical controls in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.

The antibody–drug conjugate pol­atuzumab vedotin-piiq (Polivy) added to R-CHP (rituximab [Rituxan], cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone) achieved a 27% reduction in the risk for progression or death compared with the standard regimen of R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) as first-line therapy for patients with intermediate- and high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Community-based providers remain at the core of the oncology care delivery system. A panel moderated by Barbara McAneny, MD, Chief Executive Officer, New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants, Albuquerque, at the 11th Annual Summit of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care in 2021 explored the road ahead for community practices in terms of balancing value and delivering optimal access to care for patients.

The addition of isatuximab (Sarclisa) to the triplet of lenalidomide (Revlimid), bortezomib (Velcade), and dexamethasone (RVd) achieved superior minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity rates versus standard therapy with RVd alone as induction treatment in transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to results of the phase 3 GMMG-HD7 clinical trial presented at the 2021 ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Treatment with time-limited venetoclax (Venclexta)-based combination regimens resulted in superior rates of undetectable minimal residual disease (uMRD) in the peripheral blood at 15 months compared with chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) in fit patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to findings from the GAIA (CLL13) clinical trial.

Pembrolizumab (Opdivo) added to best supportive care (BSC) improved outcomes including overall survival (OS) versus BSC alone in Asian patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) previously treated with sorafenib (Nexavar), according to final results from the KEYNOTE-394 trial.

Trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu; T-DXd) continues to show superior antitumor activity and improved survival compared with standard chemotherapy in patients with advanced HER2-expressing gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, according to updated results from the phase 2 DESTINY-Gastric01 trial. T-DXd is an antibody–drug conjugate comprising an anti-HER2 antibody, a cleavable tetrapeptide-based linker, and a topoisomerase I inhibitor.

The PD-1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody, AK104, plus chemotherapy represents a potential new first-line treatment option for patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer.