Perioperative Toripalimab Prolongs EFS in Stage III Lung Cancer
Adding an investigational anti-PD-1 drug to perioperative chemotherapy improved event-free survival (EFS) in patients with resectable, stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), an interim analysis of a phase III study found. Among 404 patients receiving perioperative chemotherapy in the so-called Neotorch trial, the median investigator-assessed EFS was not reached in patients assigned to toripalimab, […]
Modest Survival Gain in Gastric/GEJ Cancer With Chemo Plus Pembrolizumab
Adding pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to chemotherapy modestly improved survival in unresectable/metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, a randomized trial showed. Median overall survival (OS) improved from 11.5 months with chemotherapy alone to 12.9 months with the addition of the immune checkpoint inhibitor. Median progression-free survival (PFS) improved from 5.6 months to 6.9 months. Landmark survival […]
Adding Targeted Drug to Chemo Boosts Survival in Esophageal/GEJ Cancer
SAN FRANCISCO — Adding a Claudin (CLDN) inhibitor to chemotherapy significantly increased progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in locally advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer and CLDN 18.2 expression, a randomized trial showed. Median PFS increased from 8.67 months with modified FOLFOX chemotherapy to 10.61 months with the addition of investigational zolbetuximab. Median OS improved […]
Exercise During Chemo Shows Benefits for Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Physical exercise during chemotherapy is not only safe, but helps to prevent declines in cardiorespiratory fitness and to facilitate a faster return to normal daily activities, compared with waiting until after chemotherapy is completed, the prospective ACT trial showed. Among 266 patients with mostly breast, testicular, or colon cancer who were randomized to a 24-week […]
Treatment De-Escalation Shows Promise in Testicular Cancer
A reduced dose of chemotherapy and involved node radiotherapy (INRT) may be viable for patients with stage IIA or IIB seminoma of the testis, results from a phase II study suggested. In a group of 116 patients, a single-dose of carboplatin along with de-escalated INRT yielded a 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate of 93.7% (90% […]
10-Year Follow-Up Confirms Benefit of Chemoradiotherapy in MIBC Patients
Long-term results confirmed that the benefit of adding chemotherapy to radiotherapy was maintained in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) in a follow-up to the phase III randomized BC2001 trial. Over a median follow-up of about 10 years, locoregional control was significantly improved by adding 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C to radiotherapy, with a 5-year recurrence-free […]
Can Pre-Op Chemo Set Stage for Organ-Sparing Surgery in Early Rectal Cancer?
Three months of induction chemotherapy resulted in successful downstaging for certain patients with early-stage rectal cancer, enabling them to undergo organ-sparing therapy, according to a phase II trial. In 33 of 58 patients, induction with modified folinic acid, fluorouracil, oxaliplatin 6 (FOLFOX6) or capecitabine-oxaliplatin (CAPOX), followed by transanal excision surgery, resulted in downstaging to ypT0/1N0/X […]
CEND-1 Offers Hope in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
Chemotherapy combined with the CEND-1 cyclic peptide showed promising efficacy, and was well tolerated as a first-line treatment, for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, researchers reported. In a phase I study of 29 patients evaluable for efficacy, 59% (95% CI 39-77) responded to the combination of CEND-1 — a novel 9-amino acid cyclic peptide that […]
Brentuximab Vedotin-Chemo Boosts EFS in High-Risk Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma
CHICAGO — A combination of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) and chemotherapy was safe and effective in pediatric patients (up to age 21 years) with newly diagnosed high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma, a researcher reported here. In the phase III study, a regimen of brentuximab vedotin (Bv) combined with doxorubicin, vincristine, etoposide, prednisone, and cyclophosphamide chemotherapy (AVE-PC) was superior […]
Add-on Pembrolizumab Tied to Good QoL in Women With Advanced Cervical Cancer
PHOENIX — The addition of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to chemotherapy, with or without bevacizumab (Avastin), in women with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer was linked with better quality of life (QoL), a researcher reported. Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) from the KEYNOTE-826 trial showed that changes from baseline in QLQ-C30 global health status (GHS)/QoL scores — a […]