December 2023, Vol 13, No 12

Madrid, Spain—A perioperative regimen of neoadjuvant nivolumab (Opdivo) plus chemotherapy followed by surgery and adjuvant nivolumab demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in event-free survival versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus placebo followed by surgery and adjuvant placebo in patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer. Read More ›

Beware of a new model that at least one, if not more, of the BlueCross BlueShield plans are offering to their self-insured employer customers as a way to compete with the alternate funding programs that have been pushed heavily onto those same employers in recent years. Neither model is conducive to good patient care, and both place private profits ahead of the needs of patients and their health. Read More ›

Treating cancer is not cheap, and navigating the complex world of health insurance and financial assistance can be incredibly daunting for patients facing cancer diagnoses. By assisting patients in optimizing their insurance coverage and finding external assistance programs, financial navigators can help to alleviate the financial burden of treatment; as a result, they have undoubtedly become a central component to the delivery of quality cancer care. Read More ›

Madrid, Spain—Treatment with selpercatinib (Retevmo), a highly selective and potent RET inhibitor, resulted in a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival compared with the multikinase inhibitors cabozantinib (Cabometyx) or vandetanib (Caprelsa) in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic RET mutation–positive medullary thyroid cancer. Read More ›

Madrid, Spain—Results from 3 phase 3 clinical trials demonstrated the superiority of targeted therapies over conventional chemotherapy in patients with oncogene-addicted non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including ALK-positive advanced NSCLC; EGFR exon 20 insertion-mutation–positive, newly diagnosed or advanced NSCLC; and advanced RET fusion–positive NSCLC. These findings were reported during the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2023. Read More ›

As leaders in healthcare, these moments of exhaustion may be a regular occurrence for us and members of our team. With the year wrapping up and the busy holiday season upon us, their frequency often increases. Fortunately, there are effective strategies we can use to help reduce their impact. Read More ›

The following clinical trials represent a selection of key studies currently recruiting patients with bladder cancer for inclusion in investigations of new therapies and new regimens of existing treatments for the disease. Each clinical trial description includes the NLM Identifier to be used as a reference with ClinicalTrials.gov. This information can help oncology practice managers and providers direct eligible patients to one of these clinical trials. Read More ›

On November 8, 2023, the FDA approved fruquintinib (Fruzaqla; Takeda Pharmaceuticals), an inhibitor of VEGFR-1, -2, and -3, for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer in adults who received previous fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, an anti-VEGF therapy, and, if RAS wild-type and medically appropriate, an anti-EGFR therapy. The FDA granted fruquintinib priority review for this indication. Read More ›

On October 27, 2023, the FDA approved toripalimab-tpzi (Loqtorzi; Coherus BioSciences), a PD-1 monoclonal antibody, in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of adults with metastatic or recurrent, locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and as a single agent for adults with recurrent, unresectable, or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma that progressed during or after treatment with a platinum-containing chemotherapy. Read More ›

On November 16, 2023, the FDA approved the use of pembrolizumab (Keytruda; Merck) with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adults with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. The FDA granted pembrolizumab an orphan drug designation for this indication. Read More ›

On October 24, 2023, the FDA approved ivosidenib (Tibsovo; Servier Pharmaceuticals), an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory myelodysplastic syndromes in adults with a susceptible IDH1 mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test. Ivosidenib was granted priority review and received breakthrough therapy and orphan drug designations for this indication. Read More ›