Raquel

This phase II trial was designed to evaluate the benefit of daratumumab monotherapy for patients with intermediate-risk or high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma. The 24-month progression-free survival rate ranged from 75.3% to 89.9%, depending on dosing intensity. Phase III trials to evaluate daratumumab monotherapy in smoldering multiple myeloma are warranted. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41375-020-0718-z#citeas

A clinical trial published in The Lancet demonstrates the benefits of a new combination of drugs for the treatment of multiple myeloma. This new treatment “significantly improves the survival of newly diagnosed patients of this disease without the option of bone marrow transplantation.” The Alcyone study is a phase III clinical trial, conducted on 706

FDA approved on Thursday avapritinib (Ayvakit—Blueprint Medicines) for the treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) harboring a platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) exon 18 mutation. The approval includes GIST that includes a PDGFRA D842V mutation, the most common exon 18 mutation. “GIST harboring a PDGFRA exon 18 mutation do

The authors of this report provide data from a prospective trial to evaluate the benefit of vemurafenib monotherapy for non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with BRAF-V600 and non-V600 mutations. In the V600 cohort, 43 of 96 patients experienced an objective response, but there were no responses for those with non-V600 mutations. Vemurafenib monotherapy

For relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with mutations in the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 gene (FLT3), treatment with a selective FLT3 inhibitor, gilteritinib, results in significantly longer survival and a greater percentage of patients with remission than salvage chemotherapy, according to a study published in the Oct. 31 issue of the New England

The poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor veliparib plus platinum-based chemotherapy for induction therapy, followed by maintenance therapy with veliparib, improves progression-free survival (PFS) in the initial treatment of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, according to a study published online Sept. 28 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers found that among women with a BRCA mutation,

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted accelerated approval to Rozlytrek (entrectinib), a treatment for adult and adolescent patients whose cancers have the specific genetic defect, NTRK (neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase) gene fusion and for whom there are no effective treatments. This is the third time the agency has approved a cancer treatment based

In research settings, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) shows promise as a tumor-specific biomarker for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This study aims to perform analytical and clinical validation of a KRAS ctDNA assay in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and College of American Pathology (CAP) certified clinical laboratory. ctDNA was detected pre-operatively in 29 (49%)

This is a 5-year follow-up for the COMBI trials, which treated patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with dabrafenib (a BRAF inhibitor) and trametinib (a MEK inhibitor). Interim analyses have been published and all have shown significant overall and progression-free survivals. This study provides a critical follow-up point for combination BRAFi + MEKi, although the main

Xpovio (selinexor) tablets have been approved for use in combination with dexamethasone to treat adults with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last week. The drug combination was granted accelerated approval for patients whose disease remains resistant to other treatments, including at least two proteasome inhibitors, at least two immunomodulatory