Vismodegib-RT Regimen Achieves High Rate of Disease Control in Head and Neck BCC
More than 90% of patients with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the head and neck achieved locoregional control (LRC) with vismodegib (Erivedge) and radiation therapy (RT), a small clinical trial showed. LRC at 1 year was 91% after vismodegib induction therapy followed by concurrent vismodegib and RT. The overall response rate was 63% […]
Robotic Surgery Proves Its Mettle for Liver Cancer
Fully robotic liver resection was safe and effective for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with open liver resection, a cohort study found. Propensity score-matched analysis showed “better perioperative tolerability … based on clinical, oncologic, and technical criteria” compared with open resection, reported Fabrizio Di Benedetto, MD, PhD, of the University of Modena and Reggio […]
Patients With Head/Neck Cancer See Lower Stroke Risk With Initial Surgery
In oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), the type of initial treatment appears to influence the likelihood of stroke in the years afterward, researchers said. A population-based study of U.S. veterans treated for OPSCC found 23% lower stroke risk for those who underwent up-front surgery compared with patients who received definitive (chemo)radiotherapy, reported Lova L. Sun, […]
Check Troponin in RCC Patients Before Checkpoint-VEGFR Inhibitor Combo
Advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients with high serum levels of troponin T had a greater risk of serious cardiac events when treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor and VEGFR inhibitor combination, data from the phase III JAVELIN Renal 101 trial indicated. For patients assigned to the avelumab (Bavencio) plus axitinib (Inlyta) arm, 17.1% of […]
FDA OKs PD-1 Inhibitor for Adjuvant Treatment of Kidney Cancer
The FDA approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for the adjuvant treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) for patients who have an intermediate-high or high risk of recurrence following nephrectomy, or following nephrectomy and resection of metastatic lesions, the agency announced. Approval was based on results from the KEYNOTE-564 trial, which demonstrated that adjuvant pembrolizumab following nephrectomy significantly […]
Immunotherapy Combo in Advanced RCC Led to More Time Off Treatment
Nearly one-fifth of patients with intermediate- or poor-risk advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treated with nivolumab (Opdivo) plus ipilimumab (Yervoy) in the CheckMate 214 trial were alive and treatment free beyond 3 years. Among the phase III trial participants, the treatment-free survival (TFS) rate at 42 months was 18% for those who were randomized to […]
Benefits of Adjuvant Radiation in DCIS Persist Out to 15 Years
Adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) for good-risk ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) reduced long-term ipsilateral breast recurrence (IBR) by more than 50% compared with observation, results of a large intergroup study showed. RT, following surgery with or without tamoxifen, decreased 15-year IBR from 15.1% with observation to 7.1%. RT also reduced the odds of invasive local […]
PD-1 Inhibitor OK’d as Adjuvant Therapy for Bladder Cancer
The FDA has approved nivolumab (Opdivo) as an adjuvant therapy for patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC) who are at high risk of recurrence after undergoing radical resection, regardless of prior neoadjuvant chemotherapy, nodal involvement, or PD-L1 status, Bristol Myers Squibb announced. Nivolumab becomes the first PD-1 inhibitor in UC with an indication in the adjuvant […]