February 2023, Vol 14, No 1

Patients undergoing hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) do not derive any benefit from the restrictive diet frequently prescribed to prevent infections, according to the results of a clinical trial presented during the 64th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Response to treatment with a regimen of daratumumab (Darzalex) plus lenalidomide (Revlimid; DR) was greater and minimal residual disease (MRD) was achieved more frequently compared with a regimen of lenalidomide plus dexamethasone (Rd) in the first randomized phase 3 clinical trial dedicated to frail, transplant-ineligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Using circulating tumor cell (CTC) count to guide the choice of first-line treatment—chemotherapy or endocrine therapy—improved overall survival (OS) compared with investigator’s choice of treatment for patients with metastatic, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to results from the STIC CTC trial, which were discussed at the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) by François-Clément Bidard, MD, PhD, Co-Coordinator, Breast Cancer Research, Institut Curie, Paris, France, and Professor, Medicine, Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie and Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.

At the 4th Annual Cholangiocarcinoma Summit, held on October 13-15, 2022, in Aurora, CO, experts in the field of gastroenterology, interventional radiology, nursing, and surgery discussed the importance of using a multidisciplinary approach to supportive care and the management of complications in patients with biliary tract cancers (BTCs).

On January 27, 2023, the FDA accelerated the approval of pirtobrutinib (Jaypirca; Eli Lilly) for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL) after at least 2 lines of systemic therapy, including a Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor.

On December 22, 2022, the FDA accelerated the approval of mosunetuzumab-axgb (Lunsumio; Genentech), a bispecific CD20-directed CD3 T-cell engager, for adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma after ≥2 lines of systemic therapy. The FDA granted this indication breakthrough therapy and orphan drug designations.

Providers participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) value-based payment (VBP) models may realize a reduction in financial risk via biosimilar substitution.

According to findings from a phase 3 trial presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting 2022, the addition of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to sorafenib (Nexavar) can lengthen overall survival (OS) and delay tumor progression in patients with unresectable advanced hepatocellular cancer (HCC) without compromising quality of life.