Randomized Trial Backs HIF-2a Inhibition in Advanced RCC
MADRID — Treatment with the hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α) inhibitor belzutifan (Welireg) in advanced, heavily pretreated kidney cancer led to superior outcomes when compared with an older kinase inhibitor, a phase III trial demonstrated. Final progression-free survival (PFS) analysis showed a 26% reduction in disease progression or death with belzutifan versus everolimus (Afinitor), despite an […]
RET Inhibitor Posts Frontline Wins in Medullary Thyroid Cancer, NSCLC
MADRID — First-line treatment with the RET inhibitor selpercatinib (Retevmo) achieved superior outcomes in both medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) and advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to results from two phase III trials presented here. In the LIBRETTO-531 trial, selpercatinib resulted in superior progression-free survival (PFS) and treatment failure-free survival (TFFS) compared with the […]
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 […]
Sotorasib’s Confirmatory Data in NSCLC Unreliable, Says FDA Panel
An FDA advisory committee on Thursday said the confirmatory trial data for the KRAS inhibitor sotorasib (Lumakras) in previously treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cannot be reliably interpreted in the CodeBreaK 200 study. Most members of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) agreed with FDA staff that multiple sources of systemic bias during the […]
Ravulizumab Showed Preclinical Promise for ALS. What Happened?
Ravulizumab (Ultomiris), a terminal complement C5 inhibitor, did not improve functional status and survival in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the phase III CHAMPION-ALS trial showed. No significant difference between ravulizumab and placebo emerged in Combined Assessment of Function and Survival (CAFS) scores at week 50 (mean difference of 5.5 points, 95% CI -15.7 […]
COX-2 Inhibitor Added to Levonorgestrel Improved Emergency Contraception Efficacy
Taking the oral cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor piroxicam in combination with levonorgestrel improved emergency contraception efficacy versus levonorgestrel alone, with no additional adverse events, a randomized controlled trial showed. Piroxicam 40 mg combined with levonorgestrel 1.5 mg prevented 94.7% of expected pregnancies compared with 63.4% with levonorgestrel plus placebo (P<0.0001), reported Raymond Hang Wun Li, MD, […]
FDA Approves Fixed-Dose Prostate Cancer Combination Treatment
The FDA approved the first fixed-dose combination of the PARP inhibitor niraparib and the androgen biosynthesis inhibitor abiraterone (Akeega) for metastatic BRCA-mutant castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The approval stipulates use of the dual-action tablet with prednisone in patients with metastatic BRCA-mutant CRPC confirmed by an FDA-approved diagnostic test. Eligible patients must have had prior bilateral […]
FDA OKs New Frontline Endometrial Cancer Regimen, First in Decades
The FDA approved the immune checkpoint inhibitor dostarlimab (Jemperli) plus chemotherapy as a frontline option for certain patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, the agency announced on Monday. For adults with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer that is mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H), dostarlimab is now approved as part of a […]
Novel Combination Boosts Survival in Unresectable Liver Cancer
The PD-1 inhibitor camrelizumab combined with the VEGFR2-targeted inhibitor rivoceranib (also known as apatinib) significantly improved survival compared with sorafenib (Nexavar) alone for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a randomized phase III trial showed. At a median follow-up of 7.8 months, the median progression-free survival was 5.6 months with the two […]
Some NSCLC Patients on ICI Therapy Fare Worse With Proton Pump Inhibitor Use
Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use was independently associated with worse treatment outcomes in some patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), according to a Japanese multicenter cohort study. Among patients with a PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) of 50% or more, a history of PPI use […]