Adjuvant Chemo Disappoints in Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
PHOENIX — Adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with better overall survival (OS) for patients with advanced stage low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma undergoing primary cytoreductive surgery, according to an observational study presented here. There was no difference in OS between patients who did and did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy, with 4-year OS rates of 77.5% and […]
Another China-Developed PD-1 Inhibitor Makes Its Case in NSCLC
Adding the investigational PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor toripalimab to chemotherapy in first-line significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients without EGFR/ALK mutations, according to results from a study conducted in China. Median PFS improved from 5.6 months with chemotherapy alone to 8.4 months with the toripalimab-based combination (HR 0.49, 95% […]
Active Cellular Immunotherapy Disappoints in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
An autologous dendritic cell-based immunotherapy (DCVAC/PCa) added to chemotherapy did not improve survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), a phase III trial found. Among over 1,100 men with mCRPC, median overall survival (OS) was 23.9 months in those who received DCVAC/PCa plus docetaxel-prednisone compared with 24.3 months for those who received placebo […]
Pre-Op Atezolizumab Promising in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
The use of a checkpoint inhibitor combined with chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting appeared to be effective for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), according to results from a phase II trial. Among 39 patients, the addition of the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq) to gemcitabine and cisplatin resulted in a non-muscle-invasive downstaging rate of 69% […]
Risk of Premature Death Seen in Testicular Cancer Survivors
Treating testicular cancer (TC) with platinum-based chemotherapy (PBCT) and radiotherapy (RT) was associated with an increased risk of long-term non-TC mortality, a Norwegian population-based cohort study found. Over a median follow-up of 18.7 years, overall excess non-TC mortality was 23% in men diagnosed with TC compared with the general population (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] 1.23, […]
Practice-Changing Study in Advanced Cervical Cancer
Adding pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab (Avastin) significantly slowed progression of metastatic cervical cancer and improved overall survival (OS), investigators in a randomized trial concluded. Median progression-free survival (PFS) improved from 8.2 months with chemotherapy plus or minus bevacizumab (Avastin) to 10.4 months with the addition of the PD-1 inhibitor. Comparison of […]
Study Confirms, Clarifies Excess Mortality in Testicular Cancer Survivors
Platinum-based chemotherapy (PBCT) and radiation therapy (RT) for testicular cancer significantly increased the risk of premature death from other causes, especially secondary cancers, a large Norwegian study showed. Overall, the 5,700 men included in the analysis had a 23% excess mortality from causes other than testicular cancer after treatment with PBCT or RT, as compared […]
Cancer and the Heart; COVID and Dx Delays; Not the Same Old Accelerated Approval?
The European Society of Cardiology has launched a clinical trial to evaluate cardiac MRI during chemotherapy to prevent treatment-related heart failure in patients with cancer. A large retrospective study showed that patients with heart failure had a significantly increased risk of developing cancer. (ESC Heart Failure) The American Heart Association awarded $11 million in grants […]