[Articles] Neoadjuvant plus adjuvant dabrafenib and trametinib versus standard of care in patients with high-risk, surgically resectable melanoma: a single-centre, open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial
Neoadjuvant plus adjuvant dabrafenib and trametinib significantly improved event-free survival versus standard of care in patients with high-risk, surgically resectable, clinical stage III –IV melanoma. Although the trial finished early, limiting generalisability of the results, the findings provide proof-of-concept and support the rationale for further investigation of neoadjuvant approaches in this disease. This trial is currently continuing accrual as a single-arm study of neoadj uvant plus adjuvant dabrafenib and trametinib. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 17, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Rodabe N Amaria, Peter A Prieto, Michael T Tetzlaff, Alexandre Reuben, Miles C Andrews, Merrick I Ross, Isabella C Glitza, Janice Cormier, Wen-Jen Hwu, Hussein A Tawbi, Sapna P Patel, Jeffrey E Lee, Jeffrey E Gershenwald, Christine N Spencer, Vancheswaran Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] Revisiting RECIST: the case of treatment beyond progression
The use of the standardised Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) to determine response to novel therapy has been a notable improvement in increasing reproducibility and confidence in the results of clinical trials.1,2 The first RECIST guidelines were published in 2000 and were biased towards identifying progression in ambiguous situations, with a view to preventing unnecessary treatment. RECIST is not based on any particular mechanistic understanding of response to therapy but rather aims to improve reproducibility among observers and reduce measurement error. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 17, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Adil I Daud Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Comment] Neoadjuvant therapy in melanoma: the next step?
Active drugs for the treatment of advanced melanoma are now available, including combinations of BRAF plus MEK inhibitors for BRAF-mutant melanoma and immune-checkpoint blockers for all melanomas regardless of BRAF status, especially regimens based on PD-1.1 What works in the advanced setting is also effective in the adjuvant setting, especially the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib in patients with stage III BRAF-mutant melanoma2 and nivolumab for all melanoma types in patients with stage IIIB or IIIC –IV disease. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 17, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Paolo A Ascierto, Alexander M M Eggermont Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Articles] Prexasertib, a cell cycle checkpoint kinase 1 and 2 inhibitor, in BRCA wild-type recurrent high-grade serous ovarian cancer: a first-in-class proof-of-concept phase 2 study
Prexasertib showed clinical activity and was tolerable in patients with BRCA wild-type high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. This drug warrants further development in this setting, especially for patients with platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory disease. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 16, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Jung-Min Lee, Jayakumar Nair, Alexandra Zimmer, Stanley Lipkowitz, Christina M Annunziata, Maria J Merino, Elizabeth M Swisher, Maria I Harrell, Jane B Trepel, Min-Jung Lee, Mohammad H Bagheri, Dana-Adriana Botesteanu, Seth M Steinberg, Lori Minasian, Ire Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] A turning point in the fight against ovarian cancer?
Ovarian cancer represents the fifth leading cause of death in women, with 5-year survival around 10%. This unfavourable prognosis figures are closely related to intrinsic or acquired resistance to conventional chemotherapy, making the active search of novel agents with relevant molecular targets crucial in the fight against this disease. In The Lancet Oncology, Jung-Min Lee and colleagues1 report the results of a phase 2 study investigating the clinical activity of prexasertib, a cell cycle checkpoint kinase 1 and 2 (CHK1 and CHK2) inhibitor, in recurrent high-grade serous ovarian cancer. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 16, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Giovanni Scambia, Gabriella Ferrandina Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Articles] Inotuzumab ozogamicin in combination with low-intensity chemotherapy for older patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a single-arm, phase 2 study
Inotuzumab ozogamicin plus mini-hyper-CVD chemotherapy is a safe and active first-line therapy option in older patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and could represent a new therapy for this population. Randomised, phase 3 trials to evaluate the efficacy of this combination compared with the current standard of care in this setting, combination chemotherapy without inotuzumab ozogamicin, are warranted. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 15, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Hagop Kantarjian, Farhad Ravandi, Nicholas J Short, Xuelin Huang, Nitin Jain, Koji Sasaki, Naval Daver, Naveen Pemmaraju, Joseph D Khoury, Jeffrey Jorgensen, Yesid Alvarado, Marina Konopleva, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Tapan Kadia, Musa Yilmaz, Gautam Borta Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] Inotuzumab ozogamicin in older patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: premises and promises
Outcomes obtained with conventional chemotherapy treatments in patients with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia worsen as age increases, with children displaying the most favourable end results and older patients the worst. Worse outcomes in older patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia are attributed to frequent presence of comorbidities, poor tolerance to intensive chemotherapy, and the different biological characteristics of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at an older age, often displaying dissimilar patterns of sensitivity towards traditional chemotherapy agents. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 15, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Carmelo Rizzari Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Articles] Safety and preliminary efficacy of venetoclax with decitabine or azacitidine in elderly patients with previously untreated acute myeloid leukaemia: a non-randomised, open-label, phase 1b study
Venetoclax plus hypomethylating agent therapy seems to be a novel, well-tolerated regimen with promising activity in this underserved patient population. Evaluation of expansion cohorts is ongoing at 400 mg and 800 mg doses using both hypomethylating agent combinations. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 12, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Courtney D DiNardo, Keith W Pratz, Anthony Letai, Brian A Jonas, Andrew H Wei, Michael Thirman, Martha Arellano, Mark G Frattini, Hagop Kantarjian, Relja Popovic, Brenda Chyla, Tu Xu, Martin Dunbar, Suresh K Agarwal, Rod Humerickhouse, Mack Mabry, Jalaja Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] A new option for remission induction in acute myeloid leukaemia
Treatment of haematological malignancies has improved substantially over the past two decades; survival times have doubled and the prospect of cure of several diseases is based on the introduction of novel drugs. However, acute myeloid leukaemia was a notable exception with few new treatments available.1 Survival in this disease has remained dismal, especially in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukaemia not eligible for intensive induction chemotherapy. This situation was mainly due to the fact that the survival benefit from treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia was limited to patients who achieved complete remission o...
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 12, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Carsten M üller-Tidow, Richard F Schlenk Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Articles] Germline BRCA mutation and outcome in young-onset breast cancer (POSH): a prospective cohort study
Patients with young-onset breast cancer who carry a BRCA mutation have similar survival as non-carriers. However, BRCA mutation carriers with triple-negative breast cancer might have a survival advantage during the first few years after diagnosis compared with non-carriers. Decisions about timing of additional surgery aimed at reducing future second primary-cancer risks should take into account patient prognosis associated with the first malignancy and patient preferences. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 11, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Ellen R Copson, Tom C Maishman, Will J Tapper, Ramsey I Cutress, Stephanie Greville-Heygate, Douglas G Altman, Bryony Eccles, Sue Gerty, Lorraine T Durcan, Louise Jones, D Gareth Evans, Alastair M Thompson, Paul Pharoah, Douglas F Easton, Alison M Dunning Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] Breast cancer in young women: do BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations matter?
Young women with breast cancer have always caught the attention of both clinicians and researchers, despite this group being a rarity. Several factors distinguish the biology of both breast cancer in young patients and the patients themselves from that of tumours and patients who are diagnosed later in life. Additionally, the cancers might be associated with a previous pregnancy or have a pathogenesis that is based on a genetic predisposition; some data even imply that both cancers associated with a previous pregnancy and a genetic predisposition to cancer might be directly connected. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 11, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Peter A Fasching Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Articles] Neoadjuvant treatment with trastuzumab and pertuzumab plus palbociclib and fulvestrant in HER2-positive, ER-positive breast cancer (NA-PHER2): an exploratory, open-label, phase 2 study
The combination of palbociclib, fulvestrant, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab had a significant effect on the expression of Ki67 at 2 weeks and at surgery. Triple targeting of ER, HER2, and RB1 in HER2-positive and ER-positive breast cancer could be an effective chemotherapy-free treatment strategy. Further clinical testing and additional molecular characterisation is necessary, not only in hormone receptor-positive tumours but also in tumours without HER2 amplification. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 8, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Luca Gianni, Giancarlo Bisagni, Marco Colleoni, Lucia Del Mastro, Claudio Zamagni, Mauro Mansutti, Milvia Zambetti, Antonio Frassoldati, Raffaella De Fato, Pinuccia Valagussa, Giuseppe Viale Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Articles] Patient-reported outcomes following abiraterone acetate plus prednisone added to androgen deprivation therapy in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic castration-naive prostate cancer (LATITUDE): an international, randomised phase 3 trial
The addition of abiraterone acetate plus prednisone to ADT in patients with newly diagnosed, high-risk metastatic castration-naive prostate cancer improved overall PROs by consistently showing a clinical benefit in the progression of pain, prostate cancer symptoms, fatigue, functional decline, and overall HRQOL. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 8, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Kim N Chi, Andrew Protheroe, Alfredo Rodr íguez-Antolín, Gaetano Facchini, Henrik Suttman, Nobuaki Matsubara, Zhangqun Ye, Bhumsuk Keam, Ronaldo Damião, Tracy Li, Kelly McQuarrie, Bin Jia, Peter De Porre, Jason Martin, Mary B Todd, Karim Fizazi Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] A new era for treatment development in HER2-positive breast cancer
HER2-positive breast cancer has long been considered a clinically distinct disease, mainly because of the striking efficacy achieved by HER2-targeted treatments in the early and metastatic settings. However, the effectiveness of these therapies has been variable, and the development of different types of treatment resistance reveals the diversity of HER2-positive breast cancers. As part of efforts by the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) Breast Cancer Working Group, Ferrari and colleagues1 established the gene expression profiles of HER2-positive breast tumours. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 8, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Xavier Pivot, David G Cox Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Comment] Considering quantity and quality of life in metastatic castration-naive prostate cancer
The treatment approach for metastatic prostate cancer is rapidly evolving. Drugs that were previously used primarily in the setting of castration-resistant prostate cancer have now been shown to improve survival in castration-naive disease. Specifically, both abiraterone acetate (in combination with prednisone)1,2 and docetaxel3 have been shown to confer an overall survival advantage when used with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients with metastatic castration-naive prostate cancer. Although these are promising developments, it is important that these treatments improve both quantity and quality of life in patie...
Source: The Lancet Oncology - January 8, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: David F Penson Tags: Comment Source Type: research
