News

An update on immunotherapies and the potential impact of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells on oncology care.

A small study found that it is feasible to detect BRCA1/2 reversion mutations in circulating cell-free DNA in patients with recurrent high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Those reversion mutations can help predict poor response to therapy in these patients.

After demonstrating early success in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, CAR T-cell therapies are now expanding into all areas of hematologic malignancies, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Treatment with concurrent ibrutinib improves expansion of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells and could subsequently improve response in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to a study presented during the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting.

A study presented at the 2016 ASH Annual Meeting identified potential biomarkers of response to anti-CD19 CAR T-cell treatment in patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Stem cells that give rise to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) express higher levels of the CD99 cell surface protein-sugar molecule than normal stem cells.

Stem cell therapy gets dramatic results in MS study.

CML patients who have high expression of the T-cell inhibitory receptor (CTLA-4)-ligand CD86 on plasmacytoid dendritic cells have a higher risk of relapsing after discontinuing therapy with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

Novel combination approaches are being explored that hope to capitalize on the high rates of complete remissions seen with CAR T-cell therapies for patients with hematologic malignancies.

The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended approval of lenalidomide as a maintenance therapy following autologous stem cell transplant for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

The American Journal of Managed Care® presents its annual special issue of Evidence-Based Oncologyâ„¢ featuring full coverage of the 58th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. CAR T-cell treatments gained notice, as did sessions on patients’ improving quality of life and addressing the high costs of new therapies.

“Off-the-shelf” chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, also known as universal donor cells, were used in 2 young infants with relapsed, refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia resulted in molecular remission in 28 days in both infants.

The improved expansion of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells indicates a deeper clinical response.

A study in a mouse model found that mice receiving chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T immunotherapy plus ibrutinib demonstrated longer overall survival and reduced cytokine production than the mice not treated with ibrutinib.

At the 58th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition, Jan Joseph Melenhorst, PhD, presented results of a study evaluating biomarkers of response to anti-CD19 CAR T-cell treatment in patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

In high-risk patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells of defined composition can be administered with an acceptable early toxicity.

KTE-C19, an investigational CAR T-cell therapy, recently demonstrated positive results for patients with chemorefractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

A new single-patient case study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has raised the possibility of using CAR-T cells in the treatment of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain tumor.

JCAR017 has received an FDA breakthrough therapy designation for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory, aggressive large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Frontline therapy for patients with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer is poised to change in the coming years, as researchers continue to explore agents beyond crizotinib.

The landscape of mantle cell lymphoma is clearly evolving, due to the availability of new treatment options incorporating novel biologic agents. To optimize therapy, we should build on what has been accomplished over the last 3 decades.

The use of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells induced a nearly sixfold higher rate of complete response compared with historical outcomes in patients with refractory, aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

For the first time, a study shows that using an immunomodulatory agent as maintenance therapy prolongs progression-free survival for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after first-line treatment with rituximab plus CHOP.

Tepotinib, an investigational small molecule that targets a recently identified aberration in the MET gene, is moving forward rapidly in clinical development for patients with non–small cell lung cancer who harbor the mutation, raising hopes that a more specific attack on the signaling pathway will lead to a new therapy for a significant subgroup of individuals with the disease.

The CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy JCAR017 demonstrated a 60% complete response rate in patients with relapsed or refractory CD19-positive non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

According to the results of the phase III StaMINA trial evaluating posttransplant therapy in multiple myeloma, a second a round of chemotherapy or stem cell transplant does not improve progression-free survival or overall survival compared with the current standard course of treatment alone.

Almost 80% of patients with treatment-refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma had objective responses following treatment with KTE-C19, a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy targeting CD19.

Osimertinib (Tagrisso) reduced the risk of disease progression by 70% compared with a chemotherapy doublet in patients with EGFR T790M-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who progressed after first-line targeted therapy.