Lefteris Teperikidis PharmD’s Post

Last weekend, our Breast Cancer Index team presented data at #ASCO24 that suggests a significant group of #BreastCancer patients and their providers may make inappropriate extended endocrine therapy (EET) treatment decisions if they only base the decision on test results that are intended to inform chemotherapy benefit. One size doesn't fit all when developing treatment plans, as deciding whether to extend endocrine therapy – and balancing potential EET side effects with risk of recurrence – is an incredibly personal decision. And as the only genomic test recognized by major guidelines to predict which patients are likely to benefit from EET, we’re proud that the Breast Cancer Index test is trusted to help make that choice. Read more on the data here: https://lnkd.in/gzEeDWbR [meetings.asco.org]

According to this update in the Oncology Nurse Advisor, the FDA recently approved a drug combo of Krazati® (adagrasib) with Erbitux (cetuximab) for the treatment of adult patients with KRAS G12C-mutated locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). Of the 94 patients enrolled in he study, 34% had an overall response rate (ORR). According to the National Library of Medicine, "The tumor objective response rate (ORR) is the assessment of the tumor burden (TB) after a given treatment in patients with solid tumors and has a long history. The ORR is undoubtedly an important parameter to demonstrate the efficacy of a treatment and it serves as a primary or secondary end-point in clinical trials." While appendix cancer is not colorectal cancer, it may be worth discussing with your medical team the possibility of gene-related treatments for advanced recurrence which did not respond to a first line of treatment. https://lnkd.in/ev9wTZBF #article #genemutation #KRAS #G12C #metastasis #advancedtreatments #treatmentoptions

We recently spoke with Amanda Nizam, MD, about her presentation from the 2024 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium titled "Outcomes in patients (pts) with advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC) treated with enfortumab vedotin (EV) after switch maintenance avelumab (MAv) in the UNITE study.”   "UNITE is a retrospective cohort study across 16 US academic sites comprised of patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma treated with novel systemic therapies, including EV. Noting the differing disease biology between patients with platinum responsive and platinum refractory disease, we wanted to investigate outcomes in patients treated with EV after platinum-based chemotherapy and maintenance avelumab where it's frequently used in contemporary clinical practice," said Dr. Nizam   Watch the full interview here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e8PKNVe8   #JournalOfClinicalPathways #UrothelialCarcinoma #GenitourinaryCancers #CancerCare

Today is International #HPV Awareness Day 📣 Learn more about circulating tumor HPV-#DNA as a #prognosticmarker for patients with #oropharyngealcancer, from this #ESMO2023 interview 🎥 Ari Rosenberg, MD, University of Chicago Medical Center, discusses a Phase I study (NCT04572100) assessing the validity of utilizing cell-free #HPV-#DNA (cfHPV-DNA) to determine #prognosis in patients with #oropharyngealcancer after #neoadjuvant #chemotherapy 💡High-risk (HR) patients (T4, N3, or ≥20 pack-year smoking history) received standard treatment 💡Low-risk (LR) patients received de-escalated treatment if they had a ≥50% response to #neoadjuvantchemotherapy 💡The study found clearance of #cfHPV-DNA after two cycles of #chemotherapy was associated with a favorable prognosis 💡Post-treatment detection of #cfHPV-DNA accurately predicted recurrence, with a 100% sensitivity and an 80% positive predictive value Dr Rosenberg elaborates on the high predictive power of this #biomarker, facilitating the adjustment of treatments to suit a patient’s disease profile. Longer follow-up is planned to confirm these findings 🔦 Take a look 👉 https://lnkd.in/e44xfJid #Oncology #InternationalHPVAwarenessDay ESMO - European Society for Medical Oncology

What was the best part of the oral prostate cancer session at #ASCO24 yesterday? When an audience member asked why a control arm inferior to the standard of care was used in the randomized clinical trial being discussed. Let me explain: ARPI = abiraterone, enzalutamide, darolutamide, apalutamide. We know in metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) that use of an ARPI after a prior ARPI has failed basically doesn’t work.  However, we do have other life prolonging options in this setting that are routinely used in clinical practice. New randomized phase 3 trials for patients with mCRPC who have failed a prior ARPI continue to be designed that compare fancy new drug regimen X to…..an ARPI.  This is effectively a placebo. Using inferior control arms to compare new regimen X against an ineffective therapy increases the chance new regimen X wins….and harms patients. There is a simple solution:  Don’t restrict the control arm to an ARPI in this setting.  Allow the treating physician to choose among all available life prolonging therapies.  Vinay Prasad talks about this important issue all the time.  If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, study his work. Back to the audience member yesterday….bravo to that person!  I am glad to see that researchers from leading medical centers are increasingly addressing this issue out loud and in public. Patients, KOLs, clinical trialists, advocacy groups, government agencies: demand better randomized clinical trial designs!  

Precision treatment has revolutionized cancer therapy in recent years. By utilizing the unique molecular profile of each patient, treatment strategies can be personalized to maximize therapeutic efficacy while minimizing side effects. A recent review provides valuable insights into the critical aspects of precision treatment in HCC, including therapeutic #biomarkers, molecular classifications, and the complexities of the tumor microenvironment. Check out the review here: https://lnkd.in/eDcC2vew #precisiononcology #oncology #biomarkers #cancerresearch

We’re pleased to share that our Chief Medical Officer, Nicky Nicu Liebermann, has co-authored a significant study on the 12-gene Oncotype DX Colon Recurrence Score® and its role in guiding treatment decisions for stage II colon cancer patients. The research, conducted in collaboration with leading institutions, provides valuable insights into how this assay can help personalize chemotherapy decisions, particularly for high-risk patients. This study adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the use of molecular profiling in optimizing cancer treatment strategies. #Oncology #CancerResearch #PrecisionMedicine #ClinicalOutcomes https://lnkd.in/dHc2TjPg

💫🌟Characterization of Responses to Lenvatinib plus Pembrolizumab in Patients with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma at the Final Prespecified Survival Analysis of the Phase 3 CLEAR Study🌟💫 Robert Motzer Toni Choueiri Javier Puente, MD, PhD Tom Powles OncoAlert CLEAR Study Results: 📙Lenvatinib + Pembrolizumab (L+P) showed superiority over sunitinib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC) 📈 🔸️Robust objective response rate of 71% 🔬 📙Median duration of response: 🔸️CR: 43.7 months ⏳ 🔸️near-CR: 30.5 months ⏳ 🔸️other PR: 17.2 months ⏳ 📙36-month survival rates: 🔸️CR: 97% 💪 🔸️near-CR: 86% 💪 🔸️other PR: 62% 💪 🔸️L+P is a first-line standard-of-care treatment for aRCC 💊 #Oncology #KidneyCancer #Immunotherapy #Lenvatinib #Pembrolizumab #CLEARStudy #MedicalResearch https://lnkd.in/dst2nhzC

Redefine treatment for multiple myeloma🩸 Our Clinician Scientist Dr. Suzanne Trudel reported results of a phase 3 trial at American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO): disease progression of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma can be slowed down by using a new treatment combination with belantamab mafodotin. >> https://lnkd.in/gZBMGGDg #Multiplemyeloma is a blood cancer that starts in plasma cells in the bone marrow. Advances in the myeloma treatment include using combination therapies that incorporate several important drug classes. While this approach has improved outcomes, it also means that most patients are already exposed, and often refractory, to standard antimyeloma treatments if there is a relapse. This leaves them with few good treatment options and highlights the need for newer combination regimens with different mechanisms. The phase 3 DREAMM-8 clinical trial is designed to compare two treatment combinations–BPd (belantamab mafodotin plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone) and PVd (pomalidomide plus bortezomib and dexamethasone)–and to see which one is more effective. In this study, 155 people were randomly assigned to receive BPd and 147 were randomly assigned to receive PVd. All study participants had received at least one previous treatment for multiple myeloma and participants were followed for a median of nearly 22 months. The research shows that BPd reduced the risk of myeloma progression or death by 48% compared to PVd: for those who received BPd, more than half the patients were alive and the disease had not grown or spread after a median time of 22 months; but for PVd, the median progression-free survival was just over 1 year (12.7 months). “The profound progression-free survival benefit seen in DREAMM-8 highlights the potential for BPd to improve outcomes for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma,” says Dr. Trudel. “This combination may have potential to redefine treatment of multiple myeloma at or after first relapse, a setting where patients may benefit from novel therapies.” First and corresponding author: Meletios Dimepoulos at Θεραπευτική Κλινική ΕΚΠΑ Research at UHN

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. At the recent SOHO 2024 Annual Meeting, a study assessed the efficacy of imetelstat for patients with transfusion-dependent myelodysplastic syndromes. Read the full article here ⤵️ #Oncology #MyelodysplasticSyndromes #BloodCancer #Anemia Society of Hematologic Oncology