[Comment] Changing the standard of care for treating melanoma brain metastases
Melanoma metastasis to the CNS is a devastating event. Until recently, treatment resulted in responses only anecdotally,1,2 and median survival generally ranged 3 –5 months.3 However, the COMBI-MB trial4 showed that in patients with BRAFV600E-mutated brain metastases, 44 (58%; 95% CI 46–69) of 76 patients responded to dabrafenib and trametinib combination treatment, although the median time to progression was only 5·6 months (95% CI 5·3–7·4). The res ults of COMBI-MB trial4 confirmed that for melanomas driven by an activating BRAF mutation, inhibition of the ERK pathway results in dramatic tumour shrinkage regardl...
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 27, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Paul B Chapman Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Articles] Encorafenib plus binimetinib versus vemurafenib or encorafenib in patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma (COLUMBUS): a multicentre, open-label, randomised phase 3 trial
Encorafenib plus binimetinib and encorafenib monotherapy showed favourable efficacy compared with vemurafenib. Overall, encorafenib plus binimetinib appears to have an improved tolerability profile compared with encorafenib or vemurafenib. Encorafenib plus binimetinib could represent a new treatment option for patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 22, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Reinhard Dummer, Paolo A Ascierto, Helen J Gogas, Ana Arance, Mario Mandala, Gabriella Liszkay, Claus Garbe, Dirk Schadendorf, Ivana Krajsova, Ralf Gutzmer, Vanna Chiarion-Sileni, Caroline Dutriaux, Jan Willem B de Groot, Naoya Yamazaki, Carmen Loquai, La Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[News] TACE plus external beam radiotherapy in liver cancer
New research suggests that combined treatment with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and external beam radiotherapy improves survival outcomes compared with sorafenib —the standard systemic therapy—in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 22, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Manjulika Das Tags: News Source Type: research
[News] No impact of English national cancer policies on survival
A new study has concluded that the 2000 NHS Cancer Plan and subsequent national cancer policy strategies did not reduce socio-economic inequalities in cancer survival or improve cancer survival overall in England. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 22, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Talha Khan Burki Tags: News Source Type: research
[News] Major health-care companies merge in the USA
Americans will almost surely face a markedly different health-care landscape at the end of 2018 than they did at its beginning, as an already narrow field of giant companies further consolidates. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 22, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Ted Alcorn Tags: News Source Type: research
[Comment] Is there any interest in a new BRAF –MEK inhibitor combination in melanoma?
BRAF –MEK inhibitor combinations are still the backbone of treatment for BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma, despite the increasing role of anti-PD1 inhibitors. In the past 4 years, three trials1–3 in BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma have shown the superiority of the combination of BRAF and MEK inhibito rs over BRAF inhibitors alone, with better efficacy and lower toxicity—namely, the superiority of dabrafenib–trametinib over monotherapy with dabrafenib or vemurafenib, and the superiority of vemurafenib–cobimetinib over monotherapy with vemurafenib. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 22, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Jean Jacques Grob Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Articles] Nilotinib in locally advanced pigmented villonodular synovitis: a multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase 2 trial
More than 90% of patients with locally advanced unresectable progressive pigmented villonodular synovitis achieved disease control with 12 weeks of nilotinib treatment. These results indicate that CSF1R tyrosine kinase inhibitors have anti-tumour activity with manageable toxicity in patients with inoperable progressive pigmented villonodular synovitis. Randomised trials investigating the efficacy of nilotinib for patients with unresectable pigmented villonodular synovitis are warranted. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 20, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Hans Gelderblom, Claire Cropet, Christine Chevreau, Richard Boyle, Martin Tattersall, Silvia Stacchiotti, Antoine Italiano, Sophie Piperno-Neumann, Axel Le Cesne, Virginia Ferraresi, Nicolas Penel, Florence Duffaud, Philippe Cassier, Maud Toulmonde, Paolo Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] Nilotinib in locally advanced pigmented villonodular synovitis: challenges of a new targeted therapy
Pigmented villonodular synovitis, also known as diffuse-type tenosynovial giant cell tumour, is a benign neoplasm that arises from the intra-articular tissue or tenosynovial tissue in most patients. Pluriarticular disease and aggressive or malignant presentations are rarely reported, and most patients present with slowly progressive monoarticular disease (occurring in the knee, hip, or ankle) that leads to functional impairment and osteoarticular destruction. The condition is not usually life-threatening, with the exception of malignant forms, which are treated using the same approach as soft-tissue sarcomas. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 20, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Francois Gouin Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Articles] Predictive test for chemotherapy response in resectable gastric cancer: a multi-cohort, retrospective analysis
The single patient classifiers validated in this study provide clinically important prognostic information independent of standard risk-stratification methods and predicted chemotherapy response after surgery in two independent cohorts of patients with resectable, stage II –III gastric cancer. The single patient classifiers could complement TNM staging to optimise decision making in patients with resectable gastric cancer who are eligible for adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. Further validation of these results in prospective studies is warranted. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 19, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Jae-Ho Cheong, Han-Kwang Yang, Hyunki Kim, Woo Ho Kim, Young-Woo Kim, Myeong-Cherl Kook, Young-Kyu Park, Hyung-Ho Kim, Hye Seung Lee, Kyung Hee Lee, Mi Jin Gu, Ha Yan Kim, Jinae Lee, Seung Ho Choi, Soonwon Hong, Jong Won Kim, Yoon Young Choi, Woo Jin Hyun Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] Precision medicine in the adjuvant treatment of gastric cancer
Adjuvant chemotherapy is considered the standard of care after surgical resection in patients with stage IB –III gastric cancer in most Asian countries. The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery over surgery alone in terms of overall and disease-free survival was confirmed in an individual-patient data meta-analysis1 of 3838 patients treated in 17 randomised controlled trials. After surgery wit h curative intent, patients with gastric cancer receive postoperative chemotherapy to eradicate undetectable micrometastatic disease. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 19, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Valentina Gambardella, Andr és Cervantes Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Articles] Modified XELIRI (capecitabine plus irinotecan) versus FOLFIRI (leucovorin, fluorouracil, and irinotecan), both either with or without bevacizumab, as second-line therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (AXEPT): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, non-inferiority, phase 3 trial
mXELIRI with or without bevacizumab is well tolerated and non-inferior to FOLFIRI with or without bevacizumab in terms of overall survival. mXELIRI could be an alternative to FOLFIRI as a standard second-line backbone treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer, at least for Asian patient populations. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 16, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Rui-Hua Xu, Kei Muro, Satoshi Morita, Satoru Iwasa, Sae Won Han, Wei Wang, Masahito Kotaka, Masato Nakamura, Joong Bae Ahn, Yan-Hong Deng, Takeshi Kato, Sang-Hee Cho, Yi Ba, Hiroshi Matsuoka, Keun-Wook Lee, Tao Zhang, Yasuhide Yamada, Junichi Sakamoto, Yo Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] Modified XELIRI (capecitabine plus irinotecan) for metastatic colorectal cancer
The treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer has changed substantially in the past two decades with the development of more effective chemotherapy protocols and molecular-based strategies. Despite these changes, intravenous fluorouracil chemotherapy remains an important component of treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer, generally combined with leucovorin plus oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) or leucovorin plus irinotecan (FOLFIRI). However, changes to the method of delivery with oral alternatives, such as capecitabine, are being developed to simplify drug delivery. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 16, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Timothy J Price Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[News] EMA guidance on radium-223 dichloride in prostate cancer
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a formal warning against using the drug Xofigo (radium-223 dichloride) in combination with Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) plus prednisone or prednisolone in patients with metastatic prostate cancer because of an increased risk of death and fractures in a review of an ongoing phase 3 trial by the EMA's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC). (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 15, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Elizabeth Gourd Tags: News Source Type: research
[Articles] Durvalumab as third-line or later treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (ATLANTIC): an open-label, single-arm, phase 2 study
In patients with advanced and heavily pretreated NSCLC, the clinical activity and safety profile of durvalumab was consistent with that of other anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 agents. Responses were recorded in all cohorts; the proportion of patients with EGFR –/ALK– NSCLC (cohorts 2 and 3) achieving a response was higher than the proportion with EGFR+/ALK+ NSCLC (cohort 1) achieving a response. The clinical activity of durvalumab in patients with EGFR+ NSCLC with ≥25% of tumour cells expressing PD-L1 was encouraging, and further investigation of du rvalumab in patients with EGFR+/ALK+ NSCLC is warranted. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 12, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Marina Chiara Garassino, Byoung-Chul Cho, Joo-Hang Kim, Julien Mazi ères, Johan Vansteenkiste, Hervé Lena, Jesus Corral Jaime, Jhanelle E Gray, John Powderly, Christos Chouaid, Paolo Bidoli, Paul Wheatley-Price, Keunchil Park, Ross A Soo, Yifan Huang, C Tags: Articles Source Type: research
[Comment] ATLANTIC: a sea change in immunotherapy for oncogene-driven lung cancer?
Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) –programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) axis have dramatically expanded the therapeutic armamentarium for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and are now standard treatments for patients with advanced disease.1 However, most patients with NSCLC do not respond to PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors—an obser vation motivating ongoing research efforts to identify biomarkers of response. Until now, such efforts have largely centred on assessments of PD-L1 expression, although several other biomarkers are under investigation. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)
Source: The Lancet Oncology - March 12, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Jessica J Lin, Justin F Gainor Tags: Comment Source Type: research
