May 2021, Vol 11, No 5

Belzutifan, an oral, novel hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2α inhibitor, showed encouraging activity as a single agent in heavily pretreated patients with advanced clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma (RCC) associated with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, as well as impressive tumor shrinkage when used in combination with cabozantinib (Cabometyx) in separate studies presented at the 2021 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. Read Article ›

For patients with relapsed malignant mesothelioma, nivolumab (Opdivo) monotherapy is an effective treatment option, according to preliminary results of the phase 3 CONFIRM study, presented at the 2021 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer meeting. Read Article ›

Sexual orientation and assigned sex at birth are significant determinants in the utilization of lung cancer screening, according to an analysis from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2018, a cross-sectional, nationally representative database, that looked at screening among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) populations. Read Article ›

Genomic analysis of lung cancer in women who have never smoked may reveal novel mutations and structural alterations. Such an analysis, said Sitapriya Moorthi, PhD, Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, may suggest unique opportunities for future target identification and therapeutic intervention. Dr Moorthi discussed the results of a mutational analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative Cohort that were presented at the 2021 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer meeting. Read Article ›

Bemarituzumab, an investigational first-in-class humanized immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody that selectively binds to FGFR2b, improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) when added to modified FOLFOX6 (mFOLFOX6) chemotherapy in patients with FGFR2b-positive advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer in the phase 2 FIGHT clinical trial. Read Article ›

A small-molecule CD73 inhibitor (AB680) induced a 41% overall response rate (ORR) when combined with chemotherapy (with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine), plus the novel PD-1 inhibitor zimberelimab, as a first-line treatment for patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, according to results of the dose-escalation portion of a phase 1/1b study known as ARC-8. The data were presented as a poster at the 2021 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. Read Article ›

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on healthcare, especially in the management of patients with cancer, who are often not seeking healthcare in the same way as before the pandemic. At the 2021 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) meeting, experts discussed the implications for patients with lung cancer, specifically. Read Article ›

A survey of patients with lung cancer conducted as COVID-19 pandemic shelter-in-place lockdowns were first easing in June 2020 in the United States revealed substantial anxieties about vulnerability to severe illness and access to care. Read Article ›

Once patients are diagnosed with cancer, they begin their journey by forming new relationships with a multidisciplinary healthcare team that will support them during various points along the way. The definition of the patient journey has been broadened to answer important questions on how patients enter the healthcare system. Read Article ›

Physicians often fail to perceive radiation-associated symptoms and the severity of those symptoms, according to the results of a large observational study that compared the reports of patients with breast cancer with physicians’ assessments of 4 common radiation-associated symptoms. Physicians were also more likely to underrecognize the severity of these symptoms in younger women and black women with breast cancer. Read Article ›