ADC-Pertuzumab Promising as New Standard in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer
CHICAGO — First-line trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) combined with pertuzumab (Perjeta) improved progression-free survival (PFS) in HER2-positive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, according to the DESTINY-Breast09 trial. In the phase III study after a median of follow-up of 29 months, patients randomized to T-DXd plus pertuzumab had a median PFS by blinded independent central review […]
Immunotherapy/BCG Combo Boosts EFS in Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
LAS VEGAS — Event-free survival (EFS) in high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) improved significantly when patients received the PD-1 inhibitor sasanlimab in addition to bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a randomized trial showed. The 3-year EFS increased from 74.8% with standard-of-care BCG induction and maintenance to 82.1% with the addition of sasanlimab. Most of the improvement […]
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Chemo Combo Boosts OS in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
SAN DIEGO — The addition of an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) to chemotherapy up front improved overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, regardless of mismatch repair (MMR) status, according to two trials. In the phase III RUBY Part 1, patients treated with dostarlimab (Jemperli) and chemotherapy had a median OS […]
Two-Stage Screening Strategy for Ovarian Cancer Continues to Show Progress
A two-stage ovarian cancer screening strategy substantially improved early-stage detection among average-risk postmenopausal women, according to long-term follow-up from a large prospective study. Combining serial CA125 values and conditional referral for transvaginal sonography (TVS) led to a sensitivity of 74% for detection of ovarian and borderline cancers. Cancers detected by the Risk of Ovarian Cancer […]
Telehealth, Default Orders Show Promise in Palliative Care
A palliative telecare intervention improved quality of life for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure (HF), and interstitial lung disease (ILD), the ADAPT randomized clinical trial found. Patient phone calls with a nurse and social worker — who met separately with a primary care and palliative care physician and specialists as needed […]
Add-On Clarithromycin Pans Out in Community-Acquired Pneumonia Trial
In a phase III trial, the addition of oral clarithromycin to beta-lactam antibiotic treatment improved the clinical response of people with community-acquired pneumonia who had systemic inflammatory response syndrome, findings that support existing guidelines. In the study, the proportion of patients meeting the primary composite endpoint after 72 hours of treatment — fulfilling criteria for […]
ASCT Tops CAR T-Cell Therapy for Relapsed LBCL in Complete Remission
SAN DIEGO — Autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) led to improved outcomes as compared with CAR T-cell therapy for patients with relapsed large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) in complete remission, a retrospective analysis showed. Patients who underwent ASCT had fewer relapses at 2 years (27.8% vs 48.0%) and better progression-free survival (PFS, 66.2% vs 47.8%), and overall […]
‘New Gold Standard’ for Previously Untreated CLL
SAN DIEGO — A time-limited, targeted combination significantly improved survival compared with chemoimmunotherapy in fit chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who met criteria for starting treatment, findings from the randomized FLAIR trial indicated. At 3 years, progression-free survival (PFS) rates reached 97% for patients randomized to venetoclax (Venclexta) plus ibrutinib (Imbruvica), as compared with 77% […]
Conservative Oxygenation Outperforms Liberal Targets for Critically Ill Kids
Conservative oxygenation targets in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) improved outcomes and reduced costs for ventilated patients, a randomized clinical trial found. The rank-based endpoint of duration of organ support or death before day 30 was significantly lower among children randomized to conservative oxygenation as opposed to liberal targets (probabilistic index 0.53, 95% CI […]
Multi-Agent Treatment Offers Hope in Advanced or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer
MADRID — Immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and a PARP inhibitor in the first line improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, according to the DUO-E trial. The trial assessed the combination of durvalumab (Imfinzi) and platinum-based chemotherapy, followed by maintenance therapy with either durvalumab plus the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) or durvalumab […]