“Don't Just Throw Drugs Together”: How to Best Approach ESR1 Mutations in Breast Cancer
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Release Date: 06/20/2023
Oncologist Shortage “Has Gotten to the Crisis Level”
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Especially in rural areas, the growing oncologist shortage has “gotten to crisis level,” says Harsha Vyas, MD, president and founding partner of Cancer Center of Middle Georgia in Dublin. “We just don’t have enough supply of medical oncologists/hematologists,” he tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Vyas puts forth his ideas for potential solutions, ranging from medical school debt repayment to congressional intervention. As Dr. Figlin notes, “we need to rethink” current...
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“Monster Improvements” in CLL Care Prompt Questions About BTK Inhibitor Use
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
The development of noncovalent Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors and other advances in chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment signify that the “future is really exciting,” says Jennifer A. Woyach, MD, professor in the Division of Hematology at The Ohio State University in Columbus. Dr. Woyach speaks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, about the potential of moving these new drugs into the frontline setting and other questions related to BTK inhibitor resistance. Dr. Woyach reported...
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“Better to Have Choices”: How New Data Transform EGFR-Mutated NSCLC Care
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Given recent data, how should oncologists choose a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and when should chemotherapy be introduced? “It’s better to have choices than not,” explains , the Dudley Chair in Cancer Research at the University of Colorado in Aurora. Dr. Bunn discusses how recent trials influence treatment decisions in NSCLC with , the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Bunn stresses why molecular testing is so crucial and previews what...
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Practice-Changing Data Introduce “Whole New Challenge” in Prostate Cancer
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
The treatment of biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer “is set for rapid development over the next few years,” says , medical director of the Center for Uro-Oncology Research Excellence at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Data from the recent EMBARK trial have changed practice for the treatment of men with high-risk features. Dr. Posadas discusses these findings and related advances with , the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. They also consider how the growing role of...
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FDA Approval for TIL Therapy “Real Milestone” That Has Been “Long Time Coming”
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent accelerated approval of a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy in metastatic melanoma “is a real milestone,” after the approach was “pending for decades,” explains , deputy director at the NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center. Dr. Weber, who was part of the team to first work with the treatment in the late 1980s, discusses the breakthrough with , the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. They examine what this accelerated approval means for practice and consider the...
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From “Fairytale” to Reality? Paradigm Shift in Bladder Cancer Care
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Recent advances in metastatic urothelial carcinoma have meant that optimistic outcomes are “not as much of a fairytale,” says Robert Dreicer, MD, deputy director of the UVA Cancer Center and professor of medicine and urology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville. From the recent approval of enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab to other key findings recently presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, Dr. Dreicer discusses “paradigm-shifting” advances with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair...
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FDA Approvals, Pivotal Trial Data Change Approach to Breast Cancer Progression
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Recent approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and findings from pivotal clinical trials have changed care for patients with breast cancer that has progressed after frontline hormone therapy. , chair of medicine and Charles H. Dewey Professor at the University of Rochester in New York, highlights which recent developments regarding second- and third-line treatments are most essential. She and , the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss which newly approved drugs are making a difference in patients with...
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Controversies, Difficult Questions Arise in NSCLC Amid New Data
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Recent data on the use of immunotherapy and targeted treatments in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have introduced a myriad of questions. These include controversial topics and difficult decisions, like when to incorporate CTLA-4 inhibition and what patients can expect from immuno-oncology monotherapy in the metastatic setting. , professor in the department of medicine in hematology/oncology and director of the thoracic oncology program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California Los Angeles, discusses key challenges in NSCLC care with ,...
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What FDA Approval of Belzutifan Means for Kidney Cancer Care
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Belzutifan was by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in previously treated adults with advanced renal cell carcinoma. How should this drug best be incorporated into practice? , professor in the Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and , the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss how the medication might be used in clinic. Dr. Jonasch also provides insight into the , which led to the FDA approval, as well as other ongoing trials that may...
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Despite Lack of Head-to-Head Trials, Practice Patterns Shifting in Breast Cancer
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
CDK4/6 inhibitors “have really been a game changer” in metastatic breast cancer, according to , clinical director for early drug development and section head for endocrine therapy research at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City. However, optimal treatment strategies have been complicated by a lack of head-to-head trials. Dr. Jhaveri speaks with , the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, about how “practice patterns have slightly shifted” despite challenges in assessing efficacy across regimens and approaches. Dr....
info_outlineHow should community oncologists best approach ESR1 mutations in breast cancer, given the latest findings? Recent data presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and elsewhere have shed light on issues related to ESR1 testing and treatment selection. Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, speaks with Hope Rugo, MD, professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology, department of medicine, and director of breast oncology and clinical trials education at the University of California San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, about how to put new findings into practice. Dr. Rugo provides key recommendations, as she explains that “It’s really important that we don’t just throw drugs together in clinical practice.”