Pembro with chemotherapy or alone better then cetuximab combination, also improved responses to subsequent therapy.
Stopping oxaliplatinum and cont. of 5FU is better than stopping all chemotherapy. An option for patients with worsening neuropathy or other oxaliplatinum toxicity.
Phase II/III study of weekly docetaxel+RT vs. RT alone in cis-ineligible patients. This study was done in India, where oral cancers are an epidemic and possibly biologically unique, as most are related to the use of oral tobacco + betel nut products. >70% of patients were stage IVA / IVB, and HPV was only positive in 4% of patients. Still, the survival benefit was sizeable, and the treatment was tolerable. This is a good option for cis-ineligible HPV-neg patients with bulky disease.
Final PFS results of the ALPINE study of Zanubrutinib vs. Ibrutinib in patients with >=2L CLL/SLL. Zanubritinib was superior in terms of PFS with an HR of 0.49; at two years PFs were 78% vs. 66% in favor of Zanubritinib; improvement was seen across all subgroups. OS data is not mature yet, and that data will be interesting. Of note, the SEQUOIA study showed this drug was superior compared to Bendamustine + rituximab in the 1L setting.
The NAPOLI-3 study assessed FOLFOX+ liposomal irinotecan vs. gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel. NALIRIFOX was superior, with an OS of 11.1 vs. 9.2 months. Criticisms of modern gem trials are often that of rigid dosing requirements that differ from modern clinical practice. Additionally, it is unclear whether NALIRIFOX provides any meaningful benefit over FOLFIRINOX, and the cost is always a consideration.
In the SUNLIGHT study, Lonsurf + bevacizumab was found to be superior to bevacizumab alone in the 3L setting of mCRC, independent of mutation status. First 3L mCRC where the control group was an active compound instead of a placebo. OS was superior, with a clinically meaningful difference of 10.8 vs. 7.5 months. This is now the SOC 3L option in mCRC, in my opinion.
Guideline of the month — ASCO guidance on mCRC. Many interesting points made.
More may not always be better. Adjuvant Nivo q2-weeks + Ipi q6-weeks was not better than Nivo q4 weeks in reducing recurrences in fully resected stage III-IV melanoma.
ASA vs. LMWH prophylaxis after an extremity fracture requiring surgery or a pelvic fracture. ASA was non-inferior to LMWH, and death rates were equivalent; however, DVT rates were higher (2.5%) in the ASA group vs. the LMWH group (1.7%), while PE and bleeding rates were similar. I think ASA has a role for some patients in various high-risk settings.
FCS Hematology Oncology Review creates a platform for our physician network to observe the most recent articles and studies available in the oncology and hematology world. By sharing these articles we are building our wealth of knowledge of new observations and treatments as they come available.
