Oncology Times - Ot Broadcasts From The Ipad Archives

We talk to Naveen Pemmaraju, MD, about the results of the largest prospective BPDCN trial evaluating the CD123-targeted therapy tagraxofusp in adults with treatment-naive and relapsed/refractory blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN). BPDCN is a rare and aggressive myeloid malignancy of the dendritic cell lineage which can affect other organs such as the lymph nodes, spleen, central nervous system, and skin. The disease carries a poor prognosis, and although it has been treated with combination leukemia or lymphoma chemotherapy regimens, these often result in nondurable responses with high rates of relapse. Oncology Times journalist Catlin Nalley sat down with Pemmaraju to discuss his most recent study titled “Long-Term Benefits of Tagraxofusp for Patients With Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm,” recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (2022; doi: 10.1200/JCO.22.00034). Pemmaraju is Associate Professor in the Department of Leukemia at the Univers

PARIS, France—One of the most prominent late-breaking abstracts reported at ESMO 2022 in Paris was about a rare cancer, desmoid tumor, for which no standard therapy had yet been recommended and for which there had been a clear unmet need. A team from Germany presented new findings from a randomized study using nirogacestat, a “NOTCH inhibitor”—gamma secretase inhibitor—that the investigators suggest should be adopted as standard therapy. This is pertinent to oncology practices since desmoid tumors have often been treated as if they were sarcomas in the absence of proven therapies, and there is a risk that inappropriate therapy can worsen outcomes with desmoid tumor. Peter Goodwin caught up with principal author Bernd Kasper, MD, from Mannheim University in Heidelberg, Germany to get the details for OncTimes Talk.

The availability of a blood test for circulating DNA that can be used widely in healthy individuals to check for molecular signs of multiple cancers led Deb Schrag, MD, MPH, formerly of the Dana-Farber Cancer Center in Boston and currently Chair of the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, to research it's use as a means of spotting a wide range of cancers early—including types for which there is currently no routine screening (Abstract 903O). At the European Society for Medical Oncology 2022 Annual Congress, she told OncTimes Talk reporter Peter Goodwin about the findings which give her confidence that widespread blood testing could play an important role in the overall battle against cancer.

Journalist Peter Goodwin gives OncTimes Talk a whirlwind review of the top 2022 breast cancer research as he reports live in person from the 2022 ESMO Berlin meeting. Featuring the following interviews with leading experts: 1. Patient-Reported Outcomes Support First-Line Pembrolizumab in TNBC: David Cescon, MD, PhD, Medical Oncologist and Clinician Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada discusses analysis of patient-reported outcomes in the KEYNOTE-355 study in which adding pembrolizumab immunotherapy to chemotherapy did not impair health-related quality of life among patients with previously untreated, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) -positive advanced, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). : 2. Combination Therapy to Convert Immunologically “Cold” Breast Tumors into “Hot” Ones: Alex De Caluwe, MD, Radiation Oncologist at the Institut Jules Bordet in Brussels, Belgium tells us about after his group’s findings from a “safety run-in” of the Neo-CheckRay study which raise hopes th

In this edition of OncTimes Talk we’re taking a look at: extending life in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer by adding a third drug to standard two-drug regimens. In the randomized Phase III ARASENS trial—just published in the New England Journal of Medicine—the androgen receptor inhibitor, darolutamide, was compared with placebo when added to gold-standard two-drug therapy. Peter Goodwin visited the Royal Marsden Hospital in London UK to meet one of the ARASENS study investigators: Consultant Clinical Oncologist Vincent Khoo.

CAMBRIDGE, UK—OncTimesTalk visits genetics pioneer Nitzan Rosenfeld PhD, group leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, to learn about giant steps forward for lung cancer management—reported in the Annals of Oncology—made with the sensitive assay for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) they developed (2022; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annonc.2022.02.007). Rosenfeld tells reporter Peter Goodwin about the origins of his group’s genomic detection platform, and about the advances the assay has made for predicting non-small cell lung cancer relapse after primary treatment. He explains how the method provides a much clearer picture of whether the patient has residual disease, while also answering questions about what actionable mutations there are for patients with advanced cancers.

At the ASCO 2022 Annual Meeting, Oncology Times reporter Peter Goodwin interviewed Marla Lipsyc-Sharf, MD, Medical Oncology Fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Mass General Brigham, who reported what she believes is the first data on ctDNA detection in late adjuvant, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. The research showed ctDNA testing was successful in detecting measurable residual disease (MRD) prior to late clinical metastatic recurrence in women with high-risk, HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer (Abstract 103).

At the ASCO 2022 Annual Meeting, Oncology Times reporter Peter Goodwin caught up with Julia C. Tchou, MD, PhD, FACS, from the University of Pennsylvania Health System, during her poster session. Her research examined the feasibility and acceptability of a weight loss group program via telehealth for breast cancer survivors.

At the ASCO 2022 Annual Meeting, Oncology Times reporter Peter Goodwin caught up with Alexander I. Spira, MD, PhD, FACP after his presentation on KRYSTAL-1: Activity and safety of adagrasib (MRTX849) in patients with advanced/metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring a KRASG12C mutation (Abstract 9002).

Colleague Conversations offers insights into hematology/oncology from two different perspectives: a seasoned hematologist/oncologist and a clinician earlier in their career. Oncology Times reporter Catlin Nalley sat down with Lucy A. Godley, MD, PhD, and Gina Keiffer, MD, to discuss germline predisposition to hematologic malignancies. They delve into our growing understanding of this area, including current and future research endeavors, and examine how germline predisposition intersects with disparities in cancer care. Godley is the Hospira Foundation Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics at The University of Chicago Medicine, and Keiffer is board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Oncology at Jefferson Health in New Jersey.

As Russian forces continue to bombard Ukraine, concerns are mounting about the most vulnerable citizens there, including the ill and those with cancer. Today on OncTimes Talk, we review the war in Ukraine and discuss how the war is impacting cancer patients and health systems in neighboring countries. Trying to process the refugee flow is very daunting because “the numbers are absolutely staggering,” according to Richard Sullivan, MD, PhD, a member of the World Health Organization Emergency Committee, as well as Director of the Institute of Cancer Policy at King’s College, London. Sullivan gave a briefing on the developing situation in Ukraine during an ASCO/ECO webinar titled “Cancer Care During the War in Ukraine,” on March 18. Later in the episode, we interview Deborah Mukherji, MD, MBBS, FRCP, at the American University of Beirut to discuss the experiences of refuges in Syria and Lebanon and how humanitarian and health agencies around the world can better serve displaced peop

A bilateral prophylactic mastectomy for women at high risk of developing breast cancer can reduce their risk of developing the disease by up to 90 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute. An increasing number of women, including young women, are taking up this option. And while the data shows mastectomy is an effective method of reducing breast cancer risk, doctors still have to consider patients' choices which often involve other factors. For the individual patient, choosing a mastectomy is a complex non-linear process that is affected by personal knowledge, past experiences, and emotions surrounding identity and societal expectation. To understand these factors more, Oncology Times interviewed Clara N. Lee, MD, Associate Professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Lee’s clinical practice focuses on breast reconstruction and microvascular surgery and her research focuses on understanding and improving how people with cancer make decisions abo

While the threat of climate change may conjure images of sea level rise, extreme weather patterns, and drought, the full picture of how climate change will impact oncology practice and care is still emerging. We do know that climate change will impact cancer risk, increase exposure to carcinogens, impede access to care, and ultimately effect survival.To discuss some of these impending changes and what oncologists and patients can do to prepare, Oncology Times interviewed Robert A. Hiatt, MD, PhD, Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Associate Director of Population Sciences at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In early February, President Joe Biden announced that he is supercharging the Cancer Moonshot program to accelerate progress against cancer and save lives. The ambitious, jumpstarted Cancer Moonshot aims to reduce the U.S. death rate due to cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years, and to improve the lives of all Americans living with and surviving cancer.The recharged Cancer Moonshot calls for a bipartisan across-the-board, all-hands-on-deck U.S. effort, which includes establishing a “Cancer Cabinet” consisting of the heads of major government agencies. Biden is asking Congress to approve $6 billion net new money to advance promising new treatments.In a press briefing in early February, Candace Johnson, PhD, the President and CEO of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center discussed the reinvigorated Moonshots program with Congressman Brian Higgins (D-NY 26th District). Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center will benefit from the newly announced federal Cancer Moonshot Initiative and Representa

Today we revisit three studies presented at the ASH 2021 Annual Meeting. Primary Analysis of ZUMA-7 The 2021 American Society of Hematology Plenary Sessions in Atlanta, Georgia, heard data from a new study of CAR-T cell therapy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: the Phase III randomized ZUMA-7 trial. This compared Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (Axi-Cell) with the current standard-of-care in patients whose disease had relapsed or was refractory after first-line therapy.After the talk, Oncology Times reporter Peter Goodwin caught up with the lead investigator Frederick Locke, MD, Co-Leader of the Immuno-Oncology Program, and Vice Chair of the Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL.How Patients with AML & MDS Respond to COVID Vaccines ASH 2021 held a cluster of sessions devoted to coronavirus infection in patients with hematologic malignancies.Since cancer patients in general are at higher risk from COVID-19 than the general popul

Today we are bringing you a round up of three stories from around the world. We will start at the 2021 World Cancer Leader’s Summit, then move onto a story on how radiotherapy can cut late gastrointestinal toxicity for cervical cancer patients, and finish with lessons on what COVID has taught us about cancer care. All interviews are brought to you by journalist Peter Goodwin. First up, we hear from radiation oncologist Stephen Hahn, MD, who was the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Commissioner from 2019 to 2021—where he oversaw all manner of regulations concerning COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. In his 2021 address at the World Cancer Leaders' Summit, Hahn discussed "What can we learn from the development of COVID-19 vaccines." During the summit, leading cancer decision-makers from about a hundred countries met online to assess whether innovations generated during the pandemic of COVID-19 could be harnessed to improve cancer treatment and prevention. Journalist Peter Goodwin was curious to know about d

At the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology, researchers presented more data on additional risks faced by patients who have acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome and have become infected with COVID-19. In a key study presented at ASH, Dr. Pinkal Desai from New York’s Weill Cornell Medical College has identified clinical predictors of outcome among these patients. Oncology Times reporter Peter Goodwin talked with Dr. Desai about her findings and clinical recommendations.

In this episode, we bring you new research from the 2021 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting about the cellular processes involving the mutated TP53 oncogene that can convert a patient’s—fairly benign—myeloproliferative neoplasm into a very threatening acute myeloid leukemia. These have been under investigation at Oxford University in the UK, using the refined genetic sequencing tool: single cell multi omics (Abstract 3). The ASH Plenary Session heard an inspiring talk on this from Oxford scientist Alba Rodriguez-Meira—winner of an ASH Abstract Achievement Award. And after the session, OT reporter Peter Goodwin tracked down her colleague, senior author Adam J. Meade, at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford University.

A new study provides support for high effectiveness of the Pfizer COVID vaccine against hospital admissions up until around 6 months after being fully vaccinated. The real-world, retrospective cohort study included data from 3.4 million Californian residents and was recently published in The Lancet.  The importance of this Californian study is that up until now we've mainly relied on phase three study results to assess vaccine efficacy. This study (and another, even bigger one in Chile—with the CoronaVac) brings much greater statistical significance to the outcome findings and makes it possible to look at subgroups. In this episode, Lead author Dr. Sara Y Tartof, a Research Scientist Epidemiologist with Kaiser Permanente Department of Research & Evaluation in Southern California discusses the implications for vaccination programs with Oncology Times reporter Peter Goodwin.

A new study has helped to define MET amplification as a rare but potentially actionable driver for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The paper, titled “Crizotinib in Patients With MET-Amplified NSCLC,” published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, introduces a third means of defining NSCLC subsets that can be targeted with a specific drug. In this episode, journalist Peter Goodwin interviews study author D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, Director of Thoracic Oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, on the recent findings.