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 […]
Intravascular Imaging-Guided PCI Reaches a Turning Point With Survival, MI Benefits
For the first time, intravascular imaging-guided coronary stenting was associated with better survival and reduced myocardial infarction (MI) in a meta-analysis powered to detect these benefits against angiography, researchers reported. Randomized to optical coherence tomography (OCT) or intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance, patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with contemporary stents showed a decrease in […]
Study Backs Recommended Antibiotic Approach for Aspiration Pneumonia
Antibiotic therapy with extended anaerobic coverage (EAC) was not associated with a survival benefit in patients with community-acquired aspiration pneumonia, according to results from a retrospective cohort study that support current guidelines. Across 18 hospitals in Canada, in-hospital mortality rates were 30.3% for patients treated with antibiotic therapy with limited anaerobic coverage (LAC) and 32.1% […]
Elotuzumab Misses Mark Again as Frontline Treatment for Multiple Myeloma
Elotuzumab (Empliciti) failed for a third time to improve progression-free survival (PFS) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma when added to standard therapy, a large randomized trial showed. After 4 years of follow-up, neither the median PFS nor the 3-year PFS differed significantly among four treatment groups who received lenalidomide (Revlimid) and bortezomib (Velcade) plus dexamethasone […]
No Survival Benefit to Higher Intranasal Naloxone Dose
There was no difference in survival between recipients of 4-mg or 8-mg intranasal naloxone (Narcan) administered by law enforcement, according to data from New York state. A review of 354 naloxone administration reports from New York State Police from March 2022 to August 2023 showed that 99% of people who received the 8-mg dose and […]
A Win and A Loss for Adjuvant ICIs in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
SAN FRANCISCO — The use of adjuvant pembrolizumab (Keytruda) boosted overall survival (OS) in post-surgical patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) at risk for recurrence, according to KEYNOTE-564 findings. Patients treated with the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) had a 38% reduced risk of death compared to patients on placebo, reported Tony Choueiri, MD, […]
No Improved Outcomes for HF Patients With Sleep Apnea Using ASV Breathing Devices
Breathing machines with adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) did not improve survival or other clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction and sleep-disordered breathing, the phase III ADVENT-HF trial found. Investigators found no difference between patients randomized to standard care plus bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) device therapy with ASV and those […]
‘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% […]
Radionuclide Therapy Tops AR-Pathway Inhibitor Switch for mCRPC
MADRID — Radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) doubled when patients received a radionuclide ligand targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) instead of switching to another androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI), a randomized trial showed. In patients with prior progression on an ARPI, median rPFS increased from 5.9 months with another ARPI […]