Author: Editor

@OncEd Presents Dr. Christos Sotiriou – NEOALTTO Trial

@OncEd Presents Dr. Linda Lindstrom – ST03 Trial

@OncEd Presents Dr. Neal Shore – TAK-385 Trial

@OncEd Presents Visualization and relaxation as anxiety reducing techniques – Dr. Andreas Charalambous. From ECC 2015 in Vienna, Austria.

At the European Cancer Congress (ECC) 2015, Hendrik-Tobias Arkenau, MD, PhD, of Sarah Cannon Research Institute UK, London, UK, discusses a first-in-human study of the first-in-class fatty acid synthase inhibitor, TVB-2640, as monotherapy or in combination for the treatment of patients with solid malignancies. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the European Cancer Congress (ECC) 2015, Giorgio V. Scagliotti, MD, PhD, of the University of Turin, Turin, Italy, discusses the exploratory analysis of frontline therapies in REVEL, a randomised phase 3 clinical trial of ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus docetaxel for the treatment of patients with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer after disease progression on platinum-based therapy. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Dr Naughton discusses challenges facing women who are evaluating extention of adjuvant endocrine treatment and how he finds Breast Cancer Index helpful.

At the European Cancer Congress (ECC) 2015, Peter Naredi, MD, PhD, of the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden, chairs a news briefing with Matteo Lambertini, MD, of IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genova, Italy; Martine Frouws, MD, of Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands; and Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, of Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France. They discuss the results from a clinical trial evaluating post-diagnosis aspirin use; the Combi-v clinical trial; and an analysis of hormonal therapy for preventing ovarian failure and preserving fertility in breast cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC) is the largest European cancer patients’ umbrella organisation, representing 365 patient organisations in 40 European countries. The Europe of Disparities in Cancer initiative, a framework developed by ECPC, was designed to improve the survival and quality of life for cancer patients in Europe. Presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECC) 2015 by Francesco de Lorenzo, MD, of ECPC, Brussels, Belgium European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

There is a growing divide in cancer healthcare and survivorship between populations across Europe. European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), the largest European cancer patients umbrella organisation, presented the paper, Europe of Disparities in Cancer, which discusses the position of European cancer patients on the increasing inequalities in cancer care in Europe, and provides a set of scientifically validated, patient-friendly, patient-oriented recommendations on the most important approaches to address these inequalities. Presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECC) 2015 by Richard Sullivan, MD, PhD, of King’s College London, London, UK European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the European Cancer Congress (ECC) 2015, Neal Shore, MD, FACS, of Carolina Urologic Research Center, Myrtle Beach, SC, discusses the first interim analysis of a phase 2, randomised, open-label, parallel group clinical trial of TAK-385, an oral gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist, for the treatment of patients with advanced prostate cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), the largest European cancer patients umbrella organisation, presented the paper, Europe of Disparities in Cancer, which discusses the position of European cancer patients on the increasing inequalities in cancer care in Europe. Europe of Disparities in Cancer is a scientifically validated, patient-friendly, patient-oriented set of recommendations on the most important approaches to address the inequalities in cancer care across Europe, including the need for better cancer health literacy, and access to cancer screening and early detection. Presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECC) 2015 by Mark Lawler, PhD, of Queens University Belfast, Belfast, UK European…

A meta-analysis was conducted to include 12 randomised trials and a total of 1,231 breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, with or without luteinising hormone-releasing hormone analogue (LHRHa). Initial results showed the rates of premature ovarian failure (POF) were reduced by 64% in patients who received LHRHa. However, the studies used different definitions of POF, and results ranged widely. The analysis was then restricted to trials that included specific data on whether a womans periods had re-started one year after chemotherapy. In the eight relevant trials, the rates of POF were reduced by 45% with LHRHa and there was close agreement…

Genomic interventions may improve disease-risk stratification and patient-tailored treatment. At the European Cancer Congress (ECC) 2015, John Crown, MD, MBA, of St Vincents University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, outlines the processes and challenges surrounding the health economic evaluation of genomic technologies in Europe. Clinical trials, such as the prospective validation of a 21-gene expression assay in breast cancer (Trial Assigning IndividuaLized Options for Treatment, TAILORx), are providing the data necessary to define the clinical utility of genomic profiling tests. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreview

At the European Cancer Congress (ECC) 2015, John Crown, MD, MBA, of St Vincents University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, discusses the low-risk registry results from Trial Assigning IndividuaLized Options for Treatment (TAILORx). TAILORx is a prospective phase 3 clinical trial designed to evaluate the role of endocrine therapy and chemoendocrine therapy in patients with oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative, node-negative breast cancer whose treatment was guided by the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay Recurrence Score® results. The results showed that adding genomic information provided by the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay may influence the selection of patients for adjuvant chemotherapy based on…

Results from a study in The Netherlands involving 13,715 patients showed that aspirin use after a cancer diagnosis significantly improved overall survival in patients diagnosed with a gastrointestinal cancer. In total, 30.5% of patients used aspirin pre-diagnosis, 8.3% were solely post-diagnosis users, and 61.1% had not taken aspirin at all. The commonest sites for tumours were colon (42.8% of patients), rectum (25.4%), and oesophagus (10.2%). Median follow-up time for all patients was 48.6 months, with 28% of patients surviving for at least five years. Patients using aspirin after their diagnosis had a chance of survival twice as high than that…

Updated results from the phase 3 COMBI-v trial of a combination of dabrafenib and trametinib for the first-line treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive cutaneous melanoma showed that patients are living significantly longer on the combined therapy than patients treated with vemurafenib alone. The median overall survival time in patients with metastatic melanoma with V600 mutations in the BRAF gene who received the combination treatment was 25.6 months, whereas it was 18 months in patients receiving vemurafenib alone. Presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECC) 2015 by Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, of Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif,…

Genetic analysis of biopsies taken from the primary tumour, brain metastases and normal tissues of 104 adults with cancer found that, in every patient, the brain metastasis and primary tumour shared some of their genetics, but there were key differences. In 56% of patients, genetic alterations that potentially could be targeted with drugs were found in the brain metastasis but not in the primary tumour. In addition, it was found that if a patient had more than one brain metastasis, each was genetically similar and this data were used to map the evolution of a cancer through a patients body.…

At the European Cancer Congress (ECC) 2015, Hendrik-Tobias Arkenau, MD, PhD, of Sarah Cannon Research Institute UK, London, UK, discusses a phase 1b clinical trial that evaluated the safety and clinical activity of avelumab, a fully human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 antibody, for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the European Cancer Congress (ECC) 2015, Clifford A. Hudis, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, discusses the low-risk registry results from Trial Assigning IndividuaLized Options for Treatment (TAILORx), which is a prospective phase 3 clinical trial designed to evaluate the role of endocrine therapy and chemoendocrine therapy in patients with oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative, axillary node-negative breast cancer whose treatment was guided by the 21-gene expression assay results, the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay Recurrence Score® results. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

NETTER-1, a phase 3 clinical trial, evaluated Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) with 177Lu-DOTATATE in patients with Grade 12 metastatic midgut neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). The results to date showed 177Lu-DOTATATE provided a clinically meaningful and statistically significant increase in progression-free survival (PFS) in the patients treated with 177Lu-DOTATATE. Presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECC) 2015 by Philippe Ruszniewski, MD, of Beaujon Hospital, Clichy, France European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

RADIANT-4, a placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 3 clinical trial conducted in centres in 13 European countries, Korea, Japan, Canada, and the US, showed that treatment with the mTOR inhibitor, everolimus, had a significant effect in non-functional neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). There was a statistically significant 52% reduction in the risk of progression or death in favour of everolimus, and also a clinically meaningful 2.8 fold (7.1 months) improvement in median progression-free survival compared with those who had taken placebo. Presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECC) 2015 by James Yao, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX…

The European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOP Europe or SIOPE), is a pan-European organisation that represents professionals working in the field of childhood cancers. Although there has been considerable progress in the treatment of childhood cancers over the past few decades, and childhood cancer is rare, a SIOPE report suggests these are major problems that need to be overcome. The SIOPE Strategic Plan: A European Cancer Plan for Children and Adolescents is designed to improve the quality of life of survivors and cure rate of paediatric cancer patients within the next decade. Presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECC) 2015…

At the European Cancer Congress (ECC) 2015, Martine Piccart, MD, PhD, of Université Libre de Bruxelles and Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium, President of European CanCer Organisation (ECCO) and Congress Chair, chairs a news briefing with Toni K. Choueiri, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Milena Sant, MD, of Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan, Italy; and Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. They discuss the results from the METEOR, CheckMate 025 and EUROCARE-5 clinical trials. European…

CheckMate 025, a phase 3 clinical trial, compared the anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) antibody, nivolumab, with the standard treatment, everolimus, in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma. CheckMate 025 is the first clinical trial to show an improvement in overall survival in these patients for any immune checkpoint inhibitor agent. The survival benefit was seen in patients regardless of the extent of the PD-1 ligand expression in their tumours. Presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECC) 2015 by Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/…

Comparisons of cancer patients survival and care in Europe up to 2007 showed that although more patients are surviving for at least five years after diagnosis, there are large variations in survival between countries, which are particularly significant in blood cancers. New analysis of data from the EUROCARE-5 trial in patients diagnosed after 2000 in European countries revealed that survival is generally low in Eastern Europe and high in Northern and Central Europe, which confirms trends highlighted in previous EUROCARE studies. Presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECC) 2015 by Milena Sant, MD, of Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e…

METEOR, a phase 3 clinical trial, compared cabozantinib, a novel receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, with everolimus for the treatment of patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Analysis of the results in July 2015 showed that the estimated median progression-free survival time for patients in the trial, randomised to receive cabozantinib, was 7.4 months, whereas it was 3.8 months for those receiving everolimus. The objective response rate, assessed up to 17 months, was 21% for cabozantinib and 5% for everolimus. Presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECC) 2015 by Toni K. Choueiri, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and…

The Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay is a 21-gene assay that provides a Recurrence Score® (RS), which is divided into low-, intermediate- and high-risk categories in relation to the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence. At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, discusses adjuvant treatment decisions in early breast cancer patients with intermediate Oncotype DX RS results. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Neal Shore, MD, FACS, of Atlantic Urology Clinics, Myrtle Beach, SC, discusses the results of the randomised, double-blind, phase 2 TERRAIN trial, which compared enzalutamide, a novel androgen receptor signalling inhibitor, with bicalutamide, a non-steroidal antiandrogen, for the treatment of men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Dr. Hamilton appeared on Fox & Friends to discuss a new treatment option for HER2+ breast cancer, an aggressive form of breast cancer that can spread to the brain.

Dr. Bendell appeared on MSNBC to discuss former U.S. president Jimmy Carter’s melanoma diagnosis. Dr. Bendell discusses breakthroughs in treatment for melanoma including immunotherapy.

Dr. John Hainsworth of the Sarah Cannon Research Institute explains the different types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Dr. Skip Burris on This Hour with Berman and Michael on CNN discussing cancer research in 2014.

Our physician experts appeared on Fox and Friends on 4/29 to discuss exciting new developments on the war on cancer. #fightingcancertogether

Dr. David Spigel on @FoxNews discussing exciting developments in #immunotherapy at the Annual ASCO Meeting

Genomic tests, such as the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay, provide results that quantify recurrence risk and identify patients who are likely or unlikely to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Joseph Gligorov, MD, PhD, of Sorbonne Université, Paris, France, outlines the approaches for effectively communicating personalised genomic disease-risk information to breast cancer patients. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Thomas Powles, MBBS, MRCP, MD, of Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK, discusses the updated response and survival data of a phase 1a study of the anti-PDL1 antibody, MPDL3280A, for the treatment of patients with metastatic urothelial bladder cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, discusses the controversy regarding the optimal approach to prognostic and predictive genomic testing for breast cancer. The Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay, a 21-gene assay, may complement clinicopathological factors for defining subpopulations in breast cancer patients that would benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Hope S. Rugo, MD, of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA, discusses the value of genomic tests for identifying breast cancer patients who are likely to benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Genomic testing may be beneficial for patients with intermediate-risk factors, as determined by classic clinicopathological tools, of tumour progression during therapy. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Mohammed Jaloudi, MD, of Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, discusses the implications of routine Oncotype DX® testing for predicting the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early breast cancer. Dr Jaloudi outlines some of the challenges that need to be addressed to ensure continued access to well-validated genomic tests, such as the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay, in clinical practice. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Joseph Gligorov, MD, PhD, of Sorbonne Université, Paris, France, discusses some of the difficulties with using Ki-67, a nuclear protein associated with cellular proliferation, as a predictive parameter for response to adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, discusses how genomic information from tests, such the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay, can be integrated with traditional clinicopathological information to support adjuvant clinical decision-making in breast cancer patients. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Paul Richardson, MD Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, Massachusetts, USA Preliminary safety and efficacy of TH-302, an investigational hypoxia-targeted drug, and dexamethasone (dex) in patients (pts) with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RR MM) While alkylators, IMiDs and proteasome inhibitors are current standard treatment for pts with MM, the presence of hypoxia in the diseased bone marrow (Colla, Leukemia 2010) presents a new therapeutic target for MM. TH-302 is a novel 2-nitroimidazole prodrug of the DNA alkylator bromo-isophosphoramide mustard that is selectively activated under hypoxia. Synergistic induction of apoptosis in MM cells by TH-302 and bortezomib was shown in MM models in vivo…

Saad Z. Usmani, MD Levine Cancer Institute – Morehead Charlotte, North Carolina, USA SWOG 1211: A randomized phase I/II study of optimal induction therapy for newly diagnosed high-risk multiple myeloma (HRMM) The introduction of immunomodulatory agents and proteasome inhibitors, and advances in high dose therapy administration have made an impact on progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for multiple myeloma (MM) patients in general, but patients with HRMM still have a poor long-term prognosis. Therefore, it is imperative to develop novel therapeutic regimens that will extend PFS and OS in this group. The SWOG 1211 is the first…

Henk Lokhorst, MD University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht, the Netherlands Dose-dependent efficacy of daratumumab (DARA) as monotherapy in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RR MM) Pts with RR MM received DARA for 9 wks in doses of 0.005-24mg/kg in the GEN501 dose-escalation part (Lokhorst: EHA 2013 abstract S576). The purpose of the GEN501 expansion part, which has completed enrollment, was to evaluate safety and efficacy of 2 doses of DARA for up to 24 mths using alternate dose schedules Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Gunjan L. Shah, MD Tufts Medical Center Oncology Boston Massachusetts, USA Survival benefit and cost of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Auto HSCT) in elderly patients with multiple myeloma (MM) using the SEER-Medicare database Medicare coverage for Auto HSCT for MM began in 10/2000. By 2009, MM was the leading indication for this treatment (CIBMTR, 2011). The survival benefit and cost implications of the rise in Auto HSCT are not well described in this population. Using SEER-Medicare data, we explored these implications for MM patients (pts) age 66+ by comparing them with pts not undergoing Auto HSCT. Visit our website…

David Siegel, MD John Theurer Cancer Center Hackensack, New Jersey, USA MM-014: A phase 2 trial evaluating efficacy, safety, and biomarkers of pomalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone (POM + LoDEX) in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) following second-line lenalidomide plus dexamethasone (LEN + DEX) Challenging relapsed disease with drugs of the same class remains an area of investigation. Subanalyses of MM-002 and MM-003 in advanced RRMM demonstrated comparable efficacy for POM + LoDEX in patients (pts) refractory to LEN as last prior treatment (Tx) vs. all pts (Richardson, 2014; San Miguel, 2013). To confirm this, MM-014, a multicenter, single-arm, open-label phase 2…

David Siegel, MD John Theurer Cancer Center Hackensack, New Jersey, USA A phase 1 (Ph1) trial of MK-3475 combined with lenalidomide (Len) and low-dose dexamethasone (Dex) in patients (pts) with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) RRMM patients refractory to proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs (IMiD) have a very poor outcome. PD-L1 expressed on most MM plasma cells is a potential mechanism of immune evasion. MK-3475 is a potent, highly selective, humanized IgG4/kappa isotype, anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody designed to block PD-1 interaction with PD-L1 and PD-L2, enhancing lymphocytic activity, tumor regression and immune rejection. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

David Siegel, MD John Theurer Cancer Center Hackensack, New Jersey, USA A phase I study of carfilzomib, lenalidomide, vorinostat, and dexamethasone (QUAD) in relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (MM) Carfilzomib in combination with an immunomodulatory agent has proven efficacy in NDMM and RRMM. There is also synergistic activity of the combination of a proteasome inhibitor and a histone-deacetylase inhibitor Methods: To determine the toxicity and activity of the quadruplet using carfilzomib with lenalidomide, vorinostat and dexamethasone. The primary objectives were to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and the safety/tolerability of QUAD. Secondary objectives included ORR, DOR, TTP and TTNT.…

David Siegel, MD John Theurer Cancer Center Hackesack, New Jersey, USA Phase 1-2 open-label, multiple-dose, dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of intravenous infusion of SNS01-T, a first-in-class modulator of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A) in patients (pts) with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies eIF5A has been implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation. It is the only known protein to be modified by hypusination, and is highly conserved across species and is active in plants and animals. Hypusinated eIF5A, the predominant form in normal and cancer cells, is involved in cell survival and…

Torben Plesner, MD Department of Hematology, Vejle Hospital Vejle, Denmark Daratumumab (DARA) (HuMax-CD38), a human IgG1? monoclonal antibody effectively mediates destruction of CD38-expressing malignant plasma cells. In the first-in-human dose-escalation study, 42% of heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or relapsed, refractory (RR) multiple myeloma (MM) treated with DARA alone (?4mg/kg) achieved partial response (PR) and 25% had minimal response (MR) (modified IMWG guidelines). In preclinical studies, DARA + lenalidomide (LEN) enhanced killing of MM cells in vitro.We evaluated safety, pharmacokinetics (PK) and efficacy of DARA + LEN + dexamethasone (DEX) in patients with relapsed or RR MM. Visit our website…

Matthias Weiss, MD Marshfield Clinic Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA ECOG multiple myeloma (MM) clinical trial (CT) accrual performance evaluation utilizing the NCI–Trial Complexity and Elements Scoring (NCI-TCES) and the NCI Myeloma Steering Committee Accrual Working Group (NCI MYSC AWG) scoring models. Accrual to NCI CTs is often slower than planned and at times mandating premature closure resulting in loss of valuable resources and delay of scientific progress. The NCI MYSC AWG identified 10 barriers to accrual (BtA) to MM CTs (reimbursement, competing treatment options, treatment at NCI designated sites only, etc.). The NCI-TCES was created to objectively assess CT complexity (study…

Jeremy Larsen, MD Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota, USA Free light chain assay and cytogenetic abnormalities for identification of high-risk smoldering myeloma Translocation (4;14) and deletion 17p in smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) have been identified as high risk cytogenetic abnormalities (CAs). Risk stratification incorporating CAs and biomarkers are needed to identify high risk SMM patients. The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of the free light chain (FLC) assay in combination with high-risk CAs. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Paul Richardson, MD Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, Massachusetts, USA Panorama 1: A randomized, double-blind, phase 3 study of panobinostat or placebo plus bortezomib and dexamethasone in relapsed or relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma Panobinostat (PAN) is a potent pan-deacetylase inhibitor that demonstrates synergistic antimyeloma activity when combined with bortezomib (BTZ) + dexamethasone (Dex). Early studies demonstrated durable responses in patients (pts) with relapsed (Rel) and relapsed/refractory (RR) multiple myeloma (MM) treated with PAN + BTZ + Dex. This initiated the PANORAMA 1 study, presented herein. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Paul Richardson, MD Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, Massachusetts, USA MM-005: Phase 1 trial of pomalidomide (POM), bortezomib (BORT), and low-dose dexamethasone (LoDEX [PVD]) in lenalidomide (LEN)-refractory and proteasome inhibitor (PI)-exposed myeloma. Combination treatment (Tx) with IMiDs immunomodulatory agents and PIs demonstrated substantial efficacy in myeloma patients (pts) (Richardson, Blood, 2010). MM-005 was designed to identify the optimal PVD dose for a phase 3 trial (MM-007) comparing PVD vs. BORT + LoDEX in RRMM pts. A secondary objective examined subcutaneous (SC) BORT as part of PVD Tx. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Paul Richardson, MD Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, Massachusetts, USA Preliminary safety and efficacy of TH-302, an investigational hypoxia-targeted drug, and dexamethasone (dex) in patients (pts) with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RR MM) While alkylators, IMiDs and proteasome inhibitors are current standard treatment for pts with MM, the presence of hypoxia in the diseased bone marrow (Colla, Leukemia 2010) presents a new therapeutic target for MM. TH-302 is a novel 2-nitroimidazole prodrug of the DNA alkylator bromo-isophosphoramide mustard that is selectively activated under hypoxia. Synergistic induction of apoptosis in MM cells by TH-302 and bortezomib was shown in MM models in vivo…

Paul Richardson, MD Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, Massachusetts, USA DETERMINATION trial: A phase III multi-center study examining the timing of stem cell transplant for MM The DETERMINATION study will have 1300 patients (700 in France and over 600 in the US) to determine when transplant is best used in newly diagnosed myeloma patients now that newer therapies are available. The study will also look at how the Revlimid/Velcade/Dex combo works as initial treatment and how lenalidomide affects progression as maintenance therapy. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Charlotte Pawlyn, MD Institute of Cancer Research Sutton, United Kingdom Pomalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone (POM plus LoDEX) versus high-dose dexamethasone (HiDEX) for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM): Overall survival (OS) results of MM-003 after adjustment for crossover Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Charlotte Pawlyn, MD Institute of Cancer Research Sutton, United Kingdom Pomalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone (POM plus LoDEX) versus high-dose dexamethasone (HiDEX) for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM): Overall survival (OS) results of MM-003 after adjustment for crossover Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Charlotte Pawlyn, MD Institute of Cancer Research Sutton, United Kingdom Treatment with immunomodulatory agents (IMiDs) and proteasome inhibitors (PIs) has dramatically increased response rates and survival for myeloma patients over the last decade. Triplet drug combinations are more effective than doublets or single agents. The more recently developed IMiD lenalidomide, with a different spectrum of effects to thalidomide, is an excellent option for induction therapy due to its oral administration and lack of significant peripheral neuropathy (PN) when compared with bortezomib and thalidomide. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Angela Dispenzieri, MD Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota, USA Remission of Disseminated Cancer After Systemic Oncolytic Virotherapy (n.b., using modified measles vaccine) Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Xin Shelley Wang, MD MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, Texas, USA Prevalence of high symptom burden and its impact on functioning and quality of life in patients with multiple myeloma 3-9 months following autologous transplant Although multiple myeloma (MM) patients are expected to have lower disease burden post autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AuSCT), symptom burden and its impact on patient’s quality of life (QoL) have not been prospectively studied in this time period, when maintenance therapy may be implemented. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Mohammed Jaloudi, MD, of Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, discusses the value of genomic profiling for individualising and improving adjuvant therapy for breast cancer patients. More recently, multigene assays, such as the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay, are being considered in addition to classic clinicopathological tools to guide treatment decisions for breast cancer patients. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Saad Z. Usmani, MD Levine Cancer Institute – Morehead Charlotte, North Carolina, USA Continuous lenalidomide (LEN) therapy versus observation following nonimmunomodulatory compound-based induction therapy in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM): MM-027 trial Several recent trials have shown improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) with continuous LEN treatment (Tx) in NDMM patients (pts). PFS was 45%-59% higher using LEN therapy vs. control arm and rates of overall survival (OS) were consistently improved (Attal, NEJM 2012; Facon, ASH 2013, McCarthy, NEJM 2012; Palumbo, NEJM 2012, Palumbo ASCO 2013). Therefore an effective strategy of continuous Tx is of great importance to outcomes. Visit our…

Thomas G. Martin, MD University of California SF San Francisco, California, USA A phase Ib dose escalation trial of SAR650984 (Anti-CD-38 mAb) in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma SAR650984 (SAR) is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds selectively to a unique epitope on human CD38 receptor. SAR kills tumor cells via antibody-dependent cellular-mediated cytotoxicity, complement-dependent cytotoxicity, direct apoptosis induction without secondary crosslinking and allosteric inhibition on CD38 enzymatic activity. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

James R. Berenson, MD Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research West Hollywood, California, USA Results of the dose-escalation portion of a phase 1/2 study (CHAMPION-1) investigating weekly carfilzomib in combination with dexamethasone for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma Carfilzomib (CFZ) is a selective proteasome inhibitor approved in the US for the treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (MM). This multicenter, single-arm phase 1/2 study (NCT01677858) is evaluating the safety and efficacy of once-weekly CFZ with dexamethasone (DEX). Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Thomas G. Martin, MD University of California SF San Francisco, California, USA A phase I trial of SAR650984, a CD38 monoclonal antibody, in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma SAR650984 (SAR) is a naked humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds to the CD38 receptor. SAR kills tumor cells via ADCC, CDC, direct apoptosis without secondary crosslinking and allosteric inhibition on CD38 enzymatic activity. Data on relapsed /refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients (pts) in the dose escalation phase of the study are reported. (NCT01084252). Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Antonio Palumbo, MD University of Torino Torino Italy Continuous treatment (CT) versus fixed duration of therapy (FDT) in newly diagnosed myeloma patients: PFS1, PFS2, OS endpoints Continuous therapy significantly prolongs remission duration, resistant relapse may reduce the duration of subsequent remission which can negatively impact on OS. PFS1 defines the time from start of therapy to the occurrence of 1st relapse. PFS2 is defined as per EMA as the time from start of therapy to the occurrence of 2nd relapse, incorporating the duration of both 1st and 2nd remission. We evaluated PFS1, PFS2 and OS in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma…

Keith K. Stewart, MB ChB Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, Arizona, USA E1A06: A phase III trial comparing melphalan, prednisone, and thalidomide (MPT) versus melphalan, prednisone, and lenalidomide (MPR) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) Melphalan, prednisone and thalidomide (MPT) is an accepted regimen in newly diagnosed MM. Early studies suggested that lenalidomide (R) might be substituted for thalidomide (T) with equal efficacy and less toxicity. We present E1A06, a randomized, multicenter phase 3 trial comparing MPT vs. MPR in pts with untreated, symptomatic, transplant ineligible MM. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

Mark A. Fiala, BS, CCRN Washington University School of Medicine Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine Saint Louis, MO, USA The Impact of Race and Socio-Economic Status on Survival in Multiple Myeloma Advances in multiple myeloma (MM) therapies have improved overall survival (OS), however, not all population subgroups have benefited equally from these advances. Population-based studies suggest that black patients (pts) with MM have a much higher mortality rate than white pts, however, in several studies, after controlling for treatment, OS was similar or superior for black pts. This discrepancy suggests that the poorer outcomes observed in black pts are…

Dr. Paul Richardson Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, Massachusetts, USA Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Hope S. Rugo, MD, of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA, explains that the use of genomic tests for breast cancer patients in clinical practice is affected by numerous factors, including the ability of the test to predict response to treatment and the ability of the test to provide meaningful prognostic information in addition to the information provided by classic clinicopathologic tools. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Dr. Durie talks about the Black Swan Research Initiative Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

Dr. Durie talks about the Black Swan Research Initiative Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

Dr. Durie talks about the Black Swan Research Initiative Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

Dr. Durie talks about the Black Swan Research Initiative Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

Dr. Durie talks about the Black Swan Research Initiative Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

Dr. Durie talks about the Black Swan Research Initiative Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

Dr. Durie talks about the Black Swan Research Initiative Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

Dr. Durie talks about the Black Swan Research Initiative Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

Nurse Leadership Board Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

Nurse Leadership Board #1 Cont. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

Nurse Leadership Board Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Joseph Gligorov, MD, PhD, of Sorbonne Université, Paris, France, discusses the use of genomic tests as predictive tools for adjuvant chemotherapy benefit in the management of patients with breast cancer. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, explains the development of multigene tests, such as the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay and the PAM50 test, for classifying breast cancer into different subtypes. Luminal A and B subtypes of breast cancer may have important predictive value in the clinic. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Paolo A. Ascierto, MD, of Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy, discusses CheckMate 067, a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial of nivolumab monotherapy or nivolumab combined with ipilimumab versus ipilimumab monotherapy in patients with previously untreated unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

Since 2003, the IMF has honored an outstanding physician each year with the Robert A. Kyle Lifetime Achievement Award. The award, named for its first recipient, is presented to an individual whose body of work in the field of myeloma has made significant advances in research, treatment and care of myeloma patients. Our honorees work reflects the words of Dr. William Mayo, founder of Mayo Clinic, who challenged the nature of patient care nearly a century ago when he said The needs of the patient are the only needs to be considered. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online:…

The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) and the EuroFlow consortium introduce a new automated and highly sensitive flow cytometry method for standardized detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in myeloma patients.

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Neal Shore, MD, FACS, of Atlantic Urology Clinics, Myrtle Beach, SC, discusses the interim analysis of PROCEDE?1000, a prospective registry evaluating the impact of Prolaris®, a cell cycle progression (CCP) test, on personalising treatment decisions following biopsy in newly diagnosed patients with prostate cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Sumanta K. Pal, MD, of City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, discusses the results of a randomised, phase 2, three-arm trial of lenvatinib, everolimus, and lenvatinib combined with everolimus in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

BRCA1 and 2 mutation carriers: breast cancer and more. Dr Shani Paluch-Shimon (Israel) discusses the topic with Dr Fedro A. Peccatori (Italy)

HPV vaccination for cervical cancer: times they are a-changing. Dr Xavier Bosch (Spain) explains the effectiveness of HPV vaccination. Discussion is lead by Dr Fedro A. Peccatori (Italy)

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Karim Fizazi, MD, PhD, of the Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, reviews the clinical development of new chemotherapy-based approaches for the management of patients with advanced prostate cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Keith Kerr, BSc, MB, ChB, FRCPath, FRCPE, of the University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, reviews the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) signalling pathway and the identification of predictive biomarkers of response to immunotherapies for the management of patients with lung cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, of Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, considers the impact of available and emerging targeted therapies and immunotherapies on the current treatment landscape in melanoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

IMWG Myeloma Experts debate the latest trends in treatment June 10, 2015 Vienna Austria Drs. Brian Durie, Joseph Mikhael, Ola Landgren, and Paul Richardson discusses the following topics: Diagnostic Criteria Revised ISS staging and personalized medicine MRD testing/response criteria The challenge of double refractory disease Drug costs and access: 2015 and beyond Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

IMWG Myeloma Experts debate the latest trends in treatment June 10, 2015 Vienna Austria Drs. Brian Durie, Joseph Mikhael, Ola Landgren, and Paul Richardson discusses the following topics: Diagnostic Criteria Revised ISS staging and personalized medicine MRD testing/response criteria The challenge of double refractory disease Drug costs and access: 2015 and beyond Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

IMWG Myeloma Experts debate the latest trends in treatment June 10, 2015 Vienna Austria Drs. Brian Durie, Joseph Mikhael, Ola Landgren, and Paul Richardson discusses the following topics: Diagnostic Criteria Revised ISS staging and personalized medicine MRD testing/response criteria The challenge of double refractory disease Drug costs and access: 2015 and beyond Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

IMWG Myeloma Experts debate the latest trends in treatment June 10, 2015 Vienna Austria Drs. Brian Durie, Joseph Mikhael, Ola Landgren, and Paul Richardson discusses the following topics: Diagnostic Criteria Revised ISS staging and personalized medicine MRD testing/response criteria The challenge of double refractory disease Drug costs and access: 2015 and beyond Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd) Support the IMF! http://bit.ly/WskQHC

IMWG Myeloma Experts debate the latest trends in treatment June 10, 2015 Vienna Austria Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd) Support the IMF! http://bit.ly/WskQHC

In this week’s video, Dr. Brian Durie discusses Selinexor, a novel, orally administered drug that is currently ongoing clinical trials. Bottom Line: Selinexor is a promising new type of drug that can make a difference for myeloma patients. Visit our website at: http://www.myeloma.org Find us online: Facebook: http://facebook.com/myeloma Google+: http://gplus.to/imfmyeloma IMF on twitter: @IMFMyeloma (http://twitter.com/imfmyeloma) Dr. Durie on twitter: @BrianDurieMD (http://twitter.com/brianduriemd)

In this weeks video, Dr. Brian Durie gives an update on the IMFs signature research project, Black Swan Research Initative. Bottom Line: The BSRI team is expanding worldwide and exciting progress is being made.

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Jacqueline Barrientos, MD, discusses the interim analysis of the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 HELIOS trial, which evaluated ibrutinib, a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, combined with bendamustine and rituximab (BR) versus vs BR plus placebo in patients with previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Joseph R. Mikhael, MD, of Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, discusses the results of ENDEAVOR, a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial comparing carfilzomib plus dexamethasone versus bortezomib plus dexamethasone in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Neal Shore, MD, FACS, of Atlantic Urology Clinics, Myrtle Beach, SC, provides an update on IMAAGEN, a multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase 2 trial evaluating the effect of abiraterone acetate plus prednisone on prostate specific antigen and radiographic disease progression in patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer without radiographic evidence of metastatic disease. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, discusses ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation, which was set up to improve cancer care by funding research, sharing knowledge worldwide and supporting access to treatments. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Jacqueline Barrientos, MD, discusses the results of an analysis that evaluated the effect of a once-daily 420 mg dose of ibrutinib, a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, on progression-free survival in patients with previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia from the phase 3 RESONATE trial. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Hendrik-Tobias Arkenau, MD, PhD, of Sarah Cannon Research Institute, London, UK, explains that the development of immunotherapies for a variety of cancer types and specific cancer proteins is a very active area of research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Georgina Long, BSc, PhD, MBBS, FRACP, of the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, discusses current research into treatments that target mechanistic events in the development of melanoma, and how the results of such research can be applied in the clinic. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Learn more about current trends in myeloma treatment and research with this update from three major medical meetings held in June 2015. Dr. Brian G.M. Durie will explain what’s new and exciting from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the European Hematology Association (EHA), and the International Myeloma Working Group Summit (IMWG). Go to www.2015ASCOrecap.myeloma.org to download the slides used in the teleconference.

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Hyman Muss, MD, of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, provides an update on the CALGB/CTSU/Alliance 49907 trial, which compared capecitabine with standard chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer who were at least 65 years old. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Marek Trn?ný, MD, PhD, of Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, discusses new data that support earlier treatment of patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), including the results of an investigation of a bortezomib-based regimen as frontline therapy for patients with newly diagnosed MCL. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Eleni Efstathiou, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, reviews the progress of biomarker discovery and validation for informing clinical decision-making in the management of patients with prostate cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 14th St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference 2015, Masakazu Toi, MD, PhD, of Kyoto University, Japan, explains that there are still only limited data available regarding the genomic profile of breast tumours in Japanese patients. Information gained from pathological assessment and multigene assays, such as the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay and MammaPrint, needs to be compiled to further understand breast cancer as a disease and to determine how molecular profiling can be applied in the clinic. In Japan, multigene assays for breast cancer are not currently part of the healthcare system. However, Dr Toi believes that these…

Dr. Boccia talks about the importance of controlling costs in the current environment and how the bioT3 testing approach can help compared to other options. For more information, visit: http://www.cancertypeid.com

Dr Stephen C. Malamud and Dr Susan K. Boolbol discuss payer adoption of the Breast Cancer IndexSM (BCI) to ensure patient access and cost reimbursement. For more information, visit: http://www.breastcancerindex.com http://www.answersbeyond5.com http://www.twitter.com/answersbyond5 http://www.facebook.com/answersbeyond5

At the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Andrew Davies, BSc (Hons), BM (Hons), MRCP, PhD, of the University of Southampton, Southampton, UK, discusses clinical trials of new treatments for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Topics of interest include bendamustine-containing regimen (BeGEV) as induction chemotherapy prior to autologous stem cell transplantation for patients with relapsed or refractory HL and the phase 1 trial of doxorubicin, vinblastine, dacarbazine, and lenalidomide (AVD-Rev) for elderly patients with HL. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Sagar Lonial, MD, of the Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, discusses promising monoclonal antibodies in clinical development for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma. Prof Lonial focuses on the basic and clinical aspects of several novel monoclonal antibodies, including daratumumab, which targets CD38, and elotuzumab, which targets signalling lymphocytic activation molecule-F7 (SLAMF7). European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Kidney Test

Dr. Geo Espinosa of NYU Langone Medical Center talks about the holistic approach in patient care in Integrative Urology which combines traditional therapies and complementary medicine for maximum patient benefit.

Dr Stephen C. Malamud and Dr Susan K. Boolbol discuss the importance of using a clinically validated test such as the Breast Cancer Index (BCI) and its impact on patient confidence in their treatment plan. For more information, visit: http://www.breastcancerindex.com http://www.answersbeyond5.com http://www.twitter.com/answersbyond5 http://www.facebook.com/answersbeyond5

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Sumanta K. Pal, MD, of City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, discusses the results of the randomised controlled phase 2 Borealis-1 trial, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine and cisplatin with and without apatorsen, a novel antisense oligonucleotide that inhibits heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) production, in patients with metastatic bladder cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Ruben A. Mesa, MD, of Mayo Clinic, Arizona, TX, discusses the ongoing PERSIST-2 trial, which is a multicentre, randomised phase 3 trial comparing the efficacy and safety of pacritinib versus best available therapy in patients with primary myelofibrosis, post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis, or post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Thomas Powles. MBBS, MRCP, MD, of Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK, provides an overview of promising novel immunotherapeutic strategies that are currently under investigation for the treatment of patients with kidney cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Hendrik-Tobias Arkenau, MD, PhD, of Sarah Cannon Research Institute, London, UK, discusses the results of the phase 3 COMBI-d trial, which compared the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib with dabrafenib and placebo as first-line therapy in patients with unresectable or metastatic BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive cutaneous melanoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Karim Fizazi, MD, PhD, of the Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, discusses the ongoing phase 3 ARAMIS trial, which is evaluating the efficacy and safety of the novel androgen receptor inhibitor, ODM-201, in men with high-risk non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Jacqueline Barrientos, MD, discusses the results of a phase 1b trial that evaluated the safety and efficacy of the PI3K? inhibitor, idelalisib, in combination with chemoimmunotherapy for patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Investigated combinations include idelalisib in combination with rituximab; ofatumumab; bendamustine and rituximab; fludarabine; and chlorambucil. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Lisa A. Carey, MD, of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, discusses the results of the double-blind, phase 3 PALOMA-3 trial of fulvestrant with or without palbociclib in pre- and post-menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer that progressed on prior endocrine therapy. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Liquid biopsies (also called serum testing) is a practice already approved in Europe for EGFR lung cancer patients. Drawing blood to test for acquired resistance is easier and quicker than needle biopsies. How long until it is standard practice in the US?

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Jeremy S. Abramson, MD, of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA, discusses a multicentre phase 2 study, which is evaluating brentuximab vedotin plus adriamycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (AVD) for patients with non-bulky limited-stage Hodgkin lymphoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Joseph R. Mikhael, MD, of Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, discusses the results of the phase 3 ELOQUENT-2 trial of lenalidomide and dexamethasone with or without elotuzumab in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, elected ASCO President for the 20152016 term, Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, summarises the concept of precision medicine in cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Neal Shore, MD, FACS, of Atlantic Urology Clinics, Myrtle Beach, SC, discusses the immune responses and clinical outcomes in STAND, a randomised phase 2 study evaluating the optimal sequencing of sipuleucel-T and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in men with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer after local therapy failure. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Lodovico Balducci, MD, of Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, explains the current landscape and unmet clinical needs in geriatric oncology. Older patients have highly variable physiologic ages, so there is an increasing emphasis on individualising treatment to optimise clinical outcomes. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Paolo A. Ascierto, MD, of Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy, discusses the median progression-free survival (PFS) evaluation and correlative biomarker analysis from coBRIM, a phase 3 study of cobimetinib plus vemurafenib in patients with advanced BRAF-mutated melanoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Hyman Muss, MD, of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, discusses the increasing focus on physiological factors in preference to chronological age in determining optimal treatment decisions in older patients with breast cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Thomas Powles. MBBS, MRCP, MD, of Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK, discusses the results of a phase 2/3 trial, which evaluated if maintenance therapy with lapatinib, a dual inhibitor of EGFR and HER2 tyrosine kinase, after first-line chemotherapy is associated with clinical benefit in patients with HER1/2-positive metastatic transitional cell carcinoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

The results of the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay are reported as a Recurrence Score® a number ranging from 0 to 100. This number indicates the likelihood that a woman’s breast cancer will spread to another area of her body within 10 years of her initial diagnosis. The lower the score is, the lower the chances are that the woman’s breast cancer will come back. The higher the score is, the greater the chances that the breast cancer will come back. Hope S. Rugo, MD, of UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA, discusses how the Recurrence…

Dr Susan K. Boolbol talks about the importance of objective evidence provided by the Breast Cancer Index (BCI) in treatment decision making. For more information, visit: http://www.breastcancerindex.com http://www.answersbeyond5.com http://www.twitter.com/answersbyond5 http://www.facebook.com/answersbeyond5

Dr. Boccia describes cases in which he uses CancerTYPE ID in his clinical practice. For more information, visit: http://www.cancertypeid.com

At the 9th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC), Matti Aapro, MD, of Clinique de Genolier, Genolier, Switzerland, and Daniel Rea, MBBS, BSc, PhD, FRCP, of the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom, UK, discuss the molecular diversity of breast cancer. They explain that patients with breast cancer can be categorised using molecular tools to help guide clinical decision-making. Focusing on giving clinicians practical advice for the consultation room, they review the results of the Multidisciplinary Application of Genomics in Clinical Practice (MAGIC) survey, which evaluated patient attributes and clinician attitudes considered for decision-making with regard to adjuvant chemotherapy in early…

Hendrik-Tobias Arkenau, MD, PhD, of Sarah Cannon Research Institute, UK, disusses the results of the CheckMate 067 trial, a phase 3 trial of nivolumab (NIVO) alone or combined with ipilimumab (IPI) versus IPI alone in treatment-naïve patients with advanced melanoma. NIVO combined with IPI and NIVO alone had superior clinical activity versus IPI alone. The results with NIVO combined with IPI and NIVO alone further suggest complementary activity of the two agents. There were no new safety signals or drug-related deaths observed with the combination. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Eleni Efstathiou, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, discusses the results of a study that evaluated the clinical and biological heterogeneity of response and resistance to neoadjuvant abiraterone acetate, a prodrug of abiraterone, a CYP17 inhibitor that lowers serum testosterone, plus leuprolide acetate, a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist (LHRHa), versus LHRHa in patients with localised high-risk prostate cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Hope S. Rugo, MD, of UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA, explains the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay and how it is performed, detailing the specificities of the test and how the Recurrence Score® result is reported. She highlights how her multidisciplinary team chooses to use a genomic test, such as the Oncotype DX assay, to guide adjuvant chemotherapy decisions in luminal breast cancers. She comments on the use of the Oncotype DX assay with traditional markers and other markers such as ER, PR or HER2. The Recurrence Score result is complementary for select patients. Her…

Anne Armstrong, MRCP, PhD, MB ChB, BSc(Hons), of The Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK, and Nigel Bundred, MD, FRCS, of The University of Manchester, UK, discuss genomic profiling for patients with breast cancer and the Oncotype DX® Breast Cancer Assay. This content is supported by Genomic Health, Inc. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Hope S. Rugo, MD, of UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA, shares her experience on the recommended treatment approach for oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer patients. Prof Rugo comments on the expected benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy and endocrine therapy in luminal breast cancers and mentions that one of the greatest challenges is to understand the heterogeneity of the tumour. She also comments on the use of criteria, such as tumour grade and size, to select patients for adjuvant chemotherapy as well as the usage of immunohistochemistry (IHC) markers, such as hormone receptor markers, to identify…

Dr. Boccia compares CancerTYPE ID to other gene expression tests and reviews studies validating its accuracy and clinical utility. For more information, visit: http://www.cancertypeid.com

Dr Stephen C. Malamud and Dr Susan K. Boolbol consider the clinical utility of the Breast Cancer Index (BCI) as a test that separates those patients who are more likely to benefit from those who are unlikely to benefit from extended endocrine therapy. For more information, visit: http://www.breastcancerindex.com http://www.answersbeyond5.com http://www.twitter.com/answersbyond5 http://www.facebook.com/answersbeyond5

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Nicholas Turner, MD, PhD, of the Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK, discusses the results of the double-blind, phase 3 PALOMA3 trial of fulvestrant with or without the novel cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor, palbociclib, in pre- and post-menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who progressed on prior endocrine therapy. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Sumanta K. Pal, MD, of City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, discusses the recent progress in understanding clinically relevant genomic alterations in kidney cancer. Genomic profiling of collecting duct carcinomas, a rare kidney cancer subtype, revealed a high frequency of NF2 genomic alterations, which may represent opportunities for the application of targeted therapies. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, discusses the recent development of molecularly targeted therapies in the management of haematological malignancies. Emerging targeted agents include monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule F7 (SLAMF7), elotuzumab, for multiple myeloma; anti-CD38 mAb, daratumumab, for multiple myeloma; anti-CD20 mAb, obinutuzumab, for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL); and ibrutinib plus bendamustine for CLL. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Ola Landgren, MD, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, reviews the new data presented at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting on new treatments for patients with multiple myeloma. Topics of interest include chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, the anti-CS1 humanised monoclonal antibody, elotuzumab, lenalidomide maintenance therapy, first-line treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma using lenalidomide plus dexamethasone, and the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, panobinostat. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Neal Shore, MD, FACS, of Atlantic Urology Clinics, Myrtle Beach, SC, discusses the immune response from STRIDE, a randomised, phase 2, open-label trial of sipuleucel-T with concurrent versus sequential enzalutamide administration in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, elected ASCO President for the 20152016 term, Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, describes ASCO’s initiatives for the upcoming year. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Dr Stephen C. Malamud and Dr Susan K. Boolbol discuss the circumstances in which they would use the Breast Cancer Index (BCI) to assist in determining whether to extend the adjuvant therapy of women with breast cancer beyond 5 years. For more information, visit: http://www.breastcancerindex.com http://www.answersbeyond5.com http://www.twitter.com/answersbyond5 http://www.facebook.com/answersbeyond5

Dr. Boccia describes the components of the bioT3 platform and its clinical utility in identifying tumor type and actionable targets for therapy. For more information, visit: http://www.cancertypeid.com

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Caroline Robert, MD, PhD, of Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, reviews the results of the phase 3 CheckMate 067 trial of nivolumab in treatment-naive patients with advanced melanoma, and the phase 3 COMBI-d trial, which compared the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib versus dabrafenib and placebo as first-line therapy in patients with unresectable or metastatic BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive melanoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Jacqueline Barrientos, MD, summarises recent progress in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Axel Hauschild, MD, of University of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany, reviews the clinical trial data for new treatments in melanoma presented at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. He highlights trials on combined BRAF and MEK inhibition versus BRAF inhibition alone, and immunotherapy drug combinations. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, discusses the phase 3 CheckMate 067 trial of nivolumab alone or combined with ipilimumab versus ipilimumab alone in treatment-naive patients with advanced melanoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Georgina Long, BSc, PhD, MBBS, FRACP, of the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, discusses the results of the randomised, double-blinded, phase 3 COMBI-d trial, which compared the combination of dabrafenib (BRAF inhibitor) and trametinib (MEK inhibitor) versus dabrafenib and placebo as first-line therapy in patients with unresectable or metastatic BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive cutaneous melanoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Andrew B. Lassman, MD, of Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, discusses the results of the randomised phase 3 NCCTG N0574 (Alliance) trial of whole brain radiation therapy in addition to stereotactic radiosurgery in patients with 1 to 3 brain metastases. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, James Larkin, FRCP, PhD, of The Royal Marsden, London, UK, provides an overview of the current unmet needs in the treatment of metastatic kidney cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Patrick Schöffski, MD, of University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium, discusses the results of a randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 3 trial of the microtubule dynamics inhibitor, eribulin, versus dacarbazine for the treatment of patients with advanced liposarcoma or leiomyosarcoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Michael J. Mauro, MD, provides a summary of the SIMPLICITY trial. For more information, tools, resources and CE activities please http://managingcml.com/ Managing CML is an educational online community for health care professionals who provide care to patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML. Our mission is to provide ongoing evidence-based scientific data and the most up-to-date information, tools, and resources for treating this hematologic malignancy in your clinical practice.

Stuart L. Goldberg, MD provides CML meeting highlights live from the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting that significantly impact practice. For additional meeting highlights from other congresses, http://managingcml.com/con-ed-cml/annual-meeting-highlights-cml For more information, tools, resources and CE activities please http://managingcml.com/ Managing CML is an educational online community for health care professionals who provide care to patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML. Our mission is to provide ongoing evidence-based scientific data and the most up-to-date information, tools, and resources for treating this hematologic malignancy in your clinical practice.

Dr. Karen Seiter discusses the efficacy and safety considerations in using ponatinib. For more information, tools, resources and CE activities please http://managingcml.com/ Managing CML is an educational online community for health care professionals who provide care to patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML. Our mission is to provide ongoing evidence-based scientific data and the most up-to-date information, tools, and resources for treating this hematologic malignancy in your clinical practice.

Dr. Karen Seiter discusses the most common reasons for treatment failur For more information, tools, resources and CE activities please http://managingcml.com/ Managing CML is an educational online community for health care professionals who provide care to patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML. Our mission is to provide ongoing evidence-based scientific data and the most up-to-date information, tools, and resources for treating this hematologic malignancy in your clinical practice.

Dr. Karen Seiter discusses using second-generation TKIs as a first-line approach. For more information, tools, resources and CE activities please http://managingcml.com/ Managing CML is an educational online community for health care professionals who provide care to patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML. Our mission is to provide ongoing evidence-based scientific data and the most up-to-date information, tools, and resources for treating this hematologic malignancy in your clinical practice.

Dr. Karen Seiter explains how to recognize treatment failure or treatment resistance in CML patients. For more information, tools, resources and CE activities please http://managingcml.com/ Managing CML is an educational online community for health care professionals who provide care to patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML. Our mission is to provide ongoing evidence-based scientific data and the most up-to-date information, tools, and resources for treating this hematologic malignancy in your clinical practice.

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, James Larkin, FRCP, PhD, of The Royal Marsden, London, UK, discusses the results of a phase 2, three-arm trial of lenvatinib, everolimus, and lenvatinib plus everolimus in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Lenvatinib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor of the VEGFR13, FGFR14, PDGFR?, RET, and KIT signaling networks. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Geoffrey R. Oxnard, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, discusses the preliminary results of the multi-arm phase 1 TATTON trial, which evaluated the mutant-selective EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, AZD9291, combined with MEDI4736 (anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody), savolitinib (MET inhibitor) or selumetinib (MEK1/2 inhibitor) in patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancer. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Is there a role for second-line therapy in advanced pancreatic cancer? For more information, tools, resources and CE activities please http://partnersinpancreaticcancer.com/ Partners in Pancreatic Cancer is an educational online community for health care professionals who provide care to patients with pancreatic cancer. Our mission is to provide ongoing evidence-based scientific data and the most up-to-date information, tools, and resources for treating this devastating disease in your clinical practice.

Dr. Koushik Das discusses the type of patients that would benefit from pancreatic cancer screening. For more information, tools, resources and CE activities please http://partnersinpancreaticcancer.com/ Partners in Pancreatic Cancer is an educational online community for health care professionals who provide care to patients with pancreatic cancer. Our mission is to provide ongoing evidence-based scientific data and the most up-to-date information, tools, and resources for treating this devastating disease in your clinical practice.

Dr. Koushik Das discusses screening tests and predictive biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. For more information, tools, resources and CE activities please http://partnersinpancreaticcancer.com/ Partners in Pancreatic Cancer is an educational online community for health care professionals who provide care to patients with pancreatic cancer. Our mission is to provide ongoing evidence-based scientific data and the most up-to-date information, tools, and resources for treating this devastating disease in your clinical practice.

Dr. Jill Lacy discusses radiotherapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, how its role is evolving in specific settings, and when and how to use radiotherapy in pancreatic cancer. For more information, tools, resources and CE activities please partnersinpancreaticcancer.com Partners in Pancreatic Cancer is an educational online community for health care professionals who provide care to patients with pancreatic cancer. Our mission is to provide ongoing evidence-based scientific data and the most up-to-date information, tools, and resources for treating this devastating disease in your clinical practice.

Dr. Jill Lacy discusses the development of immune therapies for pancreas cancer, the progress that is being made, and provides an update on CRS-207 and GVAX.

At the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Andrew Davies, BSc (Hons), BM (Hons), MRCP, PhD, of the University of Southampton, Southampton, UK, provides an update on the safety results of the phase 3 SABRINA study, which is comparing subcutaneous and intravenous rituximab in the maintenance setting of patients with follicular lymphoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Marek Trn?ný, MD, PhD, of Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, discusses the results of the subgroup analysis of the phase 2 multicentre, randomised, open-label MCL-002 (SPRINT) trial of lenalidomide, an immunomodulator with antineoplastic and antiproliferative effects, versus investigators choice (chlorambucil, cytarabine, fludarabine, gemcitabine, or rituximab) in patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Barbara Eichhorst, MD, of the University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany, discusses ongoing clinical studies by the German CLL Study Group (GCLLSG) that are investigating new therapies for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), including obinutuzumab in combination with chlorambucil; a watch-and-wait strategy; and a four-arm study comparing standard chemotherapy versus non-chemotherapy-containing regimens. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Paula Cramer, MD, of the University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany, discusses the first results from the phase 3 HELIOS trial, which evaluated the first-in-class, oral covalent Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, ibrutinib, in combination with bendamustine and rituximab (BR) versus BR plus placebo in patients with previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Jesús F. San Miguel, MD, of the Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Navarra, Spain, discusses the results of the multicentre, open-label, randomised phase 3 ENDEAVOR study of carfilzomib and dexamethasone versus bortezomib and dexamethasone in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Claire Harrison, MD, DM, FRCP, FRCPath, of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, discusses the results of the Evaluation of Xagrid Efficacy and Long-term Safety (EXELS) study. EXELS study is an observational phase 4 study that compared safety, pregnancy outcomes, and efficacy (measured by incidence of thrombohaemorrhagic events and platelet reduction) of anagrelide compared with other cytoreductive therapies in high-risk patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET). European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Breast Cancer Index (BCI) is a molecular, gene expression-based test uniquely positioned to identify patients best suited for extended endocrine treatment. It is the only validated, commercially available test that provides prognostic risk of late recurrence (5-10 years post-diagnosis), as well as prediction of extended endocrine therapy benefit. The breakthrough test helps oncologists and patients navigate the difficult trade-off between wanting to take steps to prevent recurrence of their disease and facing significant side effects and safety challenges related to extended endocrine therapy. Breast Cancer Index (BCI) was granted Medicare coverage in October 2014. For more information, visit: http://www.breastcancerindex.com http://www.answersbeyond5.com…

Dr. Boccia addresses the problem of unclear diagnoses affecting approximately 15% of newly diagnosed patients with metastatic disease each year and the importance of an accurate diagnosis of tumor type in selecting the proper site-specific therapies. For more information, visit: http://www.cancertypeid.com

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Ruben A. Mesa, MD, Chair of Hematology at Mayo Clinic, Arizona, TX, discusses the trial design and results of the phase 3 PERSIST-1 trial of pacritinib, versus best available therapy in patients with primary myelofibrosis, post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis, or post-essential thrombocythemia-myelofibrosis. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Jean-Jacques Kiladjian, MD, PhD, of Saint-Louis Hospital & Université Paris Diderot Paris, France, discusses follow-up data of the RESPONSE trial, which is a multicentre, open-label phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of ruxolitinib compared with best available therapy in patients with polycythemia vera resistant to or intolerant of hydroxyurea. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, María-Victoria Mateos, MD, PhD, of the University Hospital of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain, discusses the results of the phase 2 MMY2002 trial of the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, daratumumab, in patients with at least 3 lines of prior therapy or double refractory multiple myeloma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Sagar Lonial, MD, of the Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, discusses the results of the randomised, open-label phase 3 ELOQUENT-2 trial of lenalidomide and dexamethasone with or without elotuzumab in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Joseph R. Mikhael, MD, of Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, discusses the results of the phase 2 54767414MMY2002 (Sirius) trial of daratumumab monotherapy in patients with at least 3 lines of prior therapy or double refractory multiple myeloma. Daratumumab is a novel therapeutic human CD38 monoclonal antibody. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Jean-Jacques Kiladjian, MD, PhD, of Saint-Louis Hospital & Université Paris Diderot Paris, France, discusses the results of the phase 3 PERSIST-1 trial of the selective inhibitor of Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2) and Fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase-3, pacritinib, versus best available therapy in patients with primary myelofibrosis, post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis, or post-essential thrombocythemia-myelofibrosis. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Patrick I. Borgen, M.D, of the Brooklyn Breast Cancer Center talks about reducing opioids in breast cancer surgery using Bupivacaine

Charles L. Loprinzi, MD, of the Mayo Clinic discusses the management of Hot Flashes using SSRI, Gabapentin, Venlafaxine in patients with breast cancer

Charles L. Loprinzi, MD, of the Mayo Clinic reviews how Olanzapine Decreases Nausea and Vomiting in Patients With Esophageal, Head and Neck Cancer

Charles L. Loprinzi, MD, of the Mayo Clinic talks about scrambler therapy for the treatment of chemotherapy- induced peripheral neuropathy

Hope S. Rugo, MD of the UCSF Medical Center talks about the I-SPY 2 Trial and MK-2206 which shows benefit for breast cancer patients

Hope S. Rugo, MD of the UCSF Medical Center discusses numerous trials associated with checkpoint inhibitors in triple negative breast cancer

Hope S. Rugo, MD of the UCSF Medical Center discusses the state of CDK 4/6 Inhibitors for Patients with HR+/HER- Breast Cancer

Hope S. Rugo, MD of the UCSF Medical Center discusses scalp cooling system which prevented significant hair loss in 70.3% of patients with breast cancer receiving adjuvant CTX

Multivariate analysis of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) at day 28 in clinical or pathologic complete remission showed that DNMT3A R882 mutations were associated with an increased risk of minimal residue disease (MRD) at the time of complete remission. DNMT3A R882 mutations may therefore be important in chemoresistance in AML. A novel genetic mouse model was used to study the role of DNMT3A R882 mutations in AML pathogenesis and chemoresistance. Presented by Olga Guryanova, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, at the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/…

Maha Hussain, MD of University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center discusses Phase II Androgen Deprivation Therapy with Palbociclib

Maha Hussain, MD of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center discusses ETS Gene Fusions as a Predictive Biomarker in Prostate Cancer

Robert J. Mayer, MD of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute discusses the results of the TAS-102 Trial for Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

HOWARD A. “SKIP” BURRIS, III, MD of Sarah Canon discusses the PD-1 Benefit in Progression Free Survival for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD or the University of Illinois discusses the expanded access of Radium-223 for prostate cancer patients

Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD of the University of Illinois discusses second line bladder cancer and PD-L1 antibody

Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD of the University of Illinois discusses a new trial Sunitinib v. PD-L1 with Bevacizumab

Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD of the University of Illinois discusses the state of kidney cancer June 2015

Jason Luke, MD of the University of Chicago discusses Phase III Trial Pembrolizumab is Better Than Ipilimumab for Advanced Melanoma

Jason Luke, MD of the University of Chicago discusses gene expression profiling and immune signatures

Jason Luke, MD, of the University of Chicago discusses the Ipilimumab and Nivolumab Combination Study

The randomised, controlled phase 2 SORAML trial showed that the addition of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, sorafenib, to chemotherapy improved event-free survival and relapse-free survival in younger patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Presented by Gerhard Ehninger, MD, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany, at the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

The identification of eight new Growth Factor Independence 1B (GFI1B) variants in families with bleeding and platelet disorders may result in the identification of therapeutic targets for these bleeding disorders. Half of the patients had thrombocytopaenia. Several patients showed similar platelet abnormalities as the earlier reported patients with the GFI1B defect, such as decreased ?-granule numbers and/or platelet CD34 expression. The GFI1B protein is known to regulate gene expression. Almost all GFI1B variants were still active, while one had lost this function in transcription repression assays. If the new GFI1B variants are disease-causing, this would indicate a distinct molecular mechanism…

The phase 3 PERSIST-1 study showed that pacritinib, a selective inhibitor of Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2) and Fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase-3 (FLT3), is more effective than the best available therapy (BAT) at improving disease symptoms and quality of life (QoL) for patients with myelofibrosis. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), which have become important for approval of new therapies, was also measured to determine whether pacritinib reduced patients symptom burden and helped them feel better. Presented by Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, at the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

The European Treatment Outcome Study (EUTOS) investigated the treatment and treatment outcome of patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Data of 2904 newly diagnosed CML patients in 20 countries or prespecified regions of Europe were recorded in a web-based registry. 94% of patients were diagnosed in early stage of disease and received treatment with imatinib according to the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) recommendations. Newer treatment options were used by patients in clinical trials or with chromosomal abnormalities. Sub-standard treatments were used rarely, but mainly in older patients. Patient survival probabilities were similar to clinical trial results after adjusting to risk profile.…

In a phase 1b, open-label, dose-escalation, multicentre study of patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), the combination of the BCL-2 inhibitor, venetoclax (ABT-199/GDC-0199), and monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody, rituximab, showed a tolerable safety profile and induced deep and durable responses, with 41% of patients achieving complete response (CR). Presented by Andrew Roberts, MB BS, PhD, FRCPA, FRACP, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, at the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

ELOQUENT-2, a phase 3, randomised, open-label study of lenalidomide and dexamethasone with or without elotuzumab in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, met its primary endpoints of progression-free survival and overall response rate. The two-year progression-free survival rate was 41% in the elotuzumab group versus 27% in the control group. The overall response rate in the elotuzumab group was 79% versus 66% in the control group. Presented by Meletios Dimopoulos, MD, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece, at the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews…

At the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, James Larkin, FRCP, PhD, Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden, London, UK, discusses the phase 3 CheckMate 067 trial. The results of this trial demonstrate a superior progression-free survival of nivolumab (a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor) and ipilimumab (a CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor) regimen or nivolumab monotherapy versus ipilimumab monotherapy in previously untreated advanced melanoma. European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

RAMASWAMY GOVINDAN, MD of the Washington University School of Medicine discusses Novel immune checkpoint inhibitors

SURESH RAMALINGAM, MD of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University talks about the CheckMate 057 trial in non-squamous and the CheckMate 017 trial in squamous cell NSCLC of nivolumab versus docetaxel

SURESH RAMALINGAM, MD of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University discusses MET exon 14 splice variants is the oncogenic driver to target

SURESH RAMALINGAM, MD of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University discusses the Future for PD pathway inhibitors in NSCLC

SURESH RAMALINGAM, MD of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University discusses AZD9291 for T790M mutant EGFR is well tolerated.

LECIA SEQUIST, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses TIGER X – Rociletinib for T790M EGFR mutations.

LECIA SEQUIST, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital answers the question How does Rociletinib differ from 1st generations EGFR TKIs?

LECIA SEQUIST, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses ALK inhibitor Alectinib for NSCLC

This was my interview with Dr. Petros Grivas, GU medical oncologist from the Cleveland Clinic at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting. We discussed his work on clinical trials in GU oncology. Website for Dr. Grivas at Cleveland Clinic: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/staff_directory/staff_display?doctorid=18967

In the phase 3 NCCTG N0574 (Alliance) trial, patients with 1 to 3 small brain metastases were randomised to receive stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) alone or SRS followed by whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT). The primary endpoint of the trial was to determine the impact of SRS alone or with SRS combined with WBRT on cognitive progression. At 3 months, cognitive decline in the combination arm was 91.7% compared with 63.5% in the SRS-alone arm (P = .0007). Presented by Jan Buckner, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, at ASCO 2015 European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

A phase 3, randomised controlled trial showed that elective neck dissection improved overall survival by 12.5% and reduced risk of death by 36% when compared with a wait-and-watch approach for therapeutic neck dissection in early, node-negative, oral squamous cell carcinoma. Presented by Anil K. D’Cruz, MS, DNB, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India, at ASCO 2015 European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS), a retrospective cohort study of children diagnosed with cancer from 19701999 at 31 participating institutions, suggests the strategy of modifying therapy to reduce the occurrence of late effects, and promotion of early detection, is significantly reducing the observed late mortality in this population. Presented by Gregory T. Armstrong, MD, MSCE, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, at ASCO 2015 European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

The randomised, double-blind, phase 3 CheckMate 067 trial showed that nivolumab alone or nivolumab plus ipilimumab significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic melanoma compared with ipilimumab alone. The median PFS in the group treated with the combination therapy was 11.5 months compared with 6.9 months in the nivolumab monotherapy group and 2.9 months in the ipilimumab monotherapy group. Presented by Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, at ASCO 2015 European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

LECIA SEQUIST, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses LUX-Lung 8 trial and the role of EGFR inhibitors in Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

RAMASWAMY GOVINDAN, MD of the Washington University School of Medicine answers the question Will immunotherapy combination regimens be both beneficial and safe for patients?

RAMASWAMY GOVINDAN, MD of the Washington University School of Medicine discusses the role of systemic adjuvant therapy for resected T2N0 NSCLC

DAVID ROSS CAMIDGE, MD, PHD discusses what causes mechanism resistance to Rociletinib and AZD929

A phase II trial suggests that anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab is effective as a standalone therapy for heavily treated multiple myeloma. In a group of 106 patients whose disease worsened after at least three prior treatments, nearly one in three responded to daratumumab, and disease progression was delayed by 3.7 months, on average. The estimated one-year overall survival rate was 65%. Presented by Saad Zafar Usmani, MD, Levine Cancer Institute, Carolinas Healthcare System, Charlotte, NC, at ASCO 2015 European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Interim analysis of a phase III study finds that adding the new anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody obinutuzumab to standard bendamustine chemotherapy significantly delays progression of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Among patients for whom rituximab therapy no longer provided benefit, the average duration of remission was 29.2 months after receiving the new combination vs. 14 months after bendamustine alone. The trial was stopped early based on these encouraging results. Presented by Laurie Helen Sehn, MDCM, MPH, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada, at ASCO 2015 European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Findings from the PERSIST-1 study of patients with myelofibrosis suggest that pacritinib is significantly more effective than best available therapy (BAT), which includes a range of off-label treatments. At 24 weeks of treatment, 19.1% of patients on the pacritinib arm experienced spleen shrinkage, compared to only 4.7% of patients on the BAT arm. Presented by Ruben A. Mesa, MD, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Scottsdale, AZ, at ASCO 2015 European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

An interim analysis of a large phase III study suggests that the combination of ibrutinib and bendamustine/rituximab (BR) improves outcomes for patients with chronic-lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) that worsened despite prior therapy. At a median follow-up of 17 months, patients who received ibrutinib and BR had an 80% lower risk of disease progression or death than those who received placebo and BR. Based on this striking benefit, patients were permitted to cross over from the placebo group to receive ibrutinib. Presented by Asher Alban Akmal Chanan-Khan, MD, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, at ASCO 2015 European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews…

DAVID ROSS CAMIDGE, MD, PHD, of the University of Colorado Denver answers the question what is the future for PD pathway inhibitors in combination with platinum-based doublets as frontline therapy for advanced NSCLC?

DAVID ROSS CAMIDGE, MD, PHD, of the University of Colorado Denver discusses the novel investigational agents for crizotinib resistant ALK-positive NSCLC.

DAVID ROSS CAMIDGE, MD, PHD, of University of Colorado Denver discusses the role of T790M mutations in resistance to first generation EGFR TKIs and what role agents such as Rociletinib may have in the future.

This was my discussion at the ASCO Annual Meeting June 1, 2015 with Dr. Petros Grivas, medical oncologist specializing in prostate and bladder cancers at the Cleveland Clinic. He discusses his work in translating genomic profiling to the clinic through clinical trials. http://my.clevelandclinic.org/staff_directory/staff_display?doctorid=18967

Findings from a phase I/II study suggest that nivolumab is safe and effective in advanced liver cancer. Based on the results of the phase I part of the study, eight (19%) of the 42 evaluable patients responded to the anti-PD-1 antibody with tumour reduction beyond 30%. More importantly, the responses have been durable and surpassed 12 months in four patients. The overall survival rate at 12 months was 62%. Presented by Anthony B. El-Khoueiry, MD, University of Southern California Norris, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA at ASCO 2015, Chicago, IL European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Findings from a randomised phase III study indicate that PD-1 immunotherapy is an effective treatment option for patients with non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Among patients with advanced disease that worsened after receiving platinum-based chemotherapy, those treated with nivolumab lived on average three months longer than those treated with docetaxel chemotherapy. Presented at ASCO 2015, Chicago, IL by Professor Luis Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain European Medical Journal Website: http://emjreviews.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EMJReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emjreviews

Dr. Mark Kris, MD of Memorial Sloan Kettering discusses the role of MET in NSCLC and why earlier TKIs and antibodies have been disappointing.

Dr. Mark Kris of Memorial Sloan Kettering discusses phase II study of cabozantinib in RET rearranged NSCLC at the annual meeting in Chicago

This was my interview with Dr. Alok Khorana of the Cleveland Clinic at the ASCO Annual Meeting on May 30, 2015. Earlier that day, there was a presentation demonstrating significant benefit using pembrolizumab in patients with microsatellite unstable (MSI) tumors.

This is my conversation with Dr. Alok Khorana, Director of the GI Malignancy Program at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Khorana will be presenting an abstract Saturday, May 30, 2015 at the ASCO Annual Meeting on this research. He discusses incorporation of global oncology approaches to trials studying venous thrombemboli in GI cancers, and upcoming trials in this area.