Axatilimab Shows Efficacy in Recurrent/Refractory GVHD
SAN DIEGO — Axatilimab achieved rapid and durable responses in patients with recurrent/refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), according to the phase II AGAVE-201 trial. The highest overall response rate (ORR) was observed in patients treated with the lowest dose of axatilimab at 0.3 mg/kg every 2 weeks, with an ORR of 74% (95% CI 63-83) […]
Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Active in Heavily Treated Renal Cell Carcinoma
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An investigational multitargeted drug produced objective responses in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), irrespective of prior exposure to cabozantinib (Cabometyx), a small clinical trial showed. Overall, 12 of 32 patients responded to zanzalintinib, including four of 17 evaluable patients with prior exposure to cabozantinib and eight of 14 without. All but one […]
HER3-Targeted Drug Active in Advanced/Metastatic Breast Cancer
An antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting HER3 produced objective responses in as many as 43% of patients with advanced breast cancer, a prospective clinical trial showed. Responses to patritumab deruxtecan (HER3-DXd) occurred in the three major types of breast cancer, ranging from 22.6% in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) to 30.1% in hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer […]
Combo Falters in Papillary Renal Cancer, but Some Promise in MET-Driven Subset
Treatment with an investigational MET inhibitor plus a PD-L1 inhibitor induced responses in fewer than a third of patients with metastatic papillary renal cancer, but the combination showed promise for one subgroup, findings from the phase II CALYPSO trial showed. In the single-arm study, 12 of 41 patients (29%, 95% CI 16-46) had a confirmed […]
Zaire Ebola Vaccines Produce Antibody Responses as Early as 14 Days
Three vaccine regimens for Zaire Ebola virus disease (EVD) produced antibody responses in adults and children, according to the results of two randomized trials conducted in West Africa. At 12 months, 41% of adults and 78% of children had a response to the Ad26-MVA regimen (Ad26.ZEBOV followed by MVA-BN-Filo 56 days later), 76% and 87% […]
Metastasis-Directed Therapy May Delay ADT in Advanced Prostate Cancer
Metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) in selected patients with recurrent oligometastatic prostate cancer led to PSA responses in a majority of patients and delayed initiation of hormonal therapy by 18 months, a retrospective study showed. Overall, 77 of 124 patients had PSA declines of more than 50% with surgery or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). In particular, […]
Medicare’s Proposed Physician Fee Schedule a Mixed Bag, Doc Groups Say
WASHINGTON — Physician group responses to the proposed 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule ranged from disappointment over the proposed 4.4% overall payment cut to praise for many of the provisions related to accountable care organizations (ACOs). “The scary part for most of us is we’re getting these reductions despite the fact that we’re still fighting […]
Placebo Responses in Migraine Prevention Trials Tick Upward Over Time
Placebo responses in migraine prevention trials appear to have risen over time, a systematic review and meta-analysis showed. A significant increase in placebo response was seen by publication year in migraine prevention studies that involved oral placebo (rho 0.39, P=0.047) but not in studies with injectable placebo (rho -0.07, P=0.724), reported Stewart Tepper, MD, of […]
Complete Responses in 100% of dMMR Rectal Cancer With Neoadjuvant PD-1 Inhibition
CHICAGO — Single-agent dostarlimab (Jemperli) led to complete responses in 100% of a small group of patients with locally advanced mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) rectal cancer, allowing them to avoid surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, at least for the time being. All 14 patients followed for at least 6 months had clinical complete responses with no evidence […]
T-cell responses may help predict protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in individuals with and without cancer: Results may inform future COVID-19 vaccine development
T-cell responses directed against the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were associated with protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated individuals with or without cancer, with lower T-cell responses observed in patients with blood cancers, according to results from a study published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. […]