2015 ASCO Annual Meeting

Dr Wolchok talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about results from a randomised phase III trial which indicate that initial therapy with nivolumab alone or in combination with ipilimumab is significantly more effective than ipilimumab alone. These results represent yet another major step forward in tackling melanoma.

Dr Spicer talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015, about the progress of recent drug development in lung cancer treatments.

Prof Gnant talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about the use of adjuvant denosumab to reduce bone problems in postmenopausal women with breast cancer receiving treatment with aromatase inhibitors. Adjuvant endocrine therapy compromises bone health in patients with breast cancer, causing osteopaenia, osteoporosis, and fractures - but the addition of adjuvant denosumab to the treatment plan reduces patients' risk of clinical fractures.

Dr Harrington talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about a phase III randomised trial of pembrolizumab (MK-3475) versus standard treatment in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer.

Dr Larkin talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about an update on a phase III study of cobimetinib plus vemurafenib in advanced BRAF-mutated melanoma: Progression-free survival and correlative biomarker analysis from the coBRIM trial. Longer follow-up has confirmed the clinical benefit of vemurafenib and cobimetinib in patients with advanced BRAF V600-mutated melanoma. Co-existence of BRAF V600 and baseline activating RAS/RAF/RTK mutations do not seem to affect disease progression or rate of response to the treatment.

Dr Larkin talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about the results of a randomised phase II trial of kinase inhibitor lenvatinib used in combination with everolimus in renal cell carcinoma, which saw significant improvements in progression free survival compared with everolimus alone.

Prof Moreau (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France) chairs a discussion for ecancertv with Prof Lonial (Emory University, Atlanta, USA) and Prof Dimopoulos (University of Athens, Athens, Greece) about the latest in multiple myeloma, including data presented at ASCO 2015. They discuss the latest in protease inhibitors and immunotherapy with particular reference to carfilzomib, bortezomib, and elotuzumab.

Dr Francesco talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about the data from a study of 720 patient metastatic melanoma patients using ipilimumab 3 mg/kg within the Italian expanded access programme. By analysing a large cohort of ipilimumab-treated advanced melanoma patients, he identified a subpopulation of patients that is very unlikely to benefit from this treatment. Based on these data, responders could be easily selected from general population, allowing for upfront screening that could spare toxicity to non-responders.

Dr Doroshow (National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, USA), Dr Flaherty (Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA) and Dr Conley (Division of Cancer Treatment & Diagnosis, NCI , USA) present, at a press conference at ASCO 2015, about the trial: NCI-Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (NCI-MATCH) A clinical trial that will analyse patients’ tumours to determine whether they contain genetic abnormalities for which a targeted drug exists (that is, “actionable mutations”) and assign treatment based on the abnormality.

Dr Comis talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about a National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsored cancer clinical trial for under-represented populations that aims to refine the calculation of accrual targets.

Prof Wu talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about EGFR inhibition in lung cancer.

Dr Schilsky presents, at a press conference at ASCO 2015, the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR). It is the first ASCO-led clinical trial, which will offer patients with advanced cancer access to molecularly-targeted cancer drugs and collect "real-world" data on clinical outcomes to help learn the best uses of these drugs outside of indications.

Dr Chowdhury talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about the results of the TERRAIN study which looked at the use of 160 mg of enzalutamide taken orally once daily versus bicalutamide at a dose of 50mg taken once daily in combination with an LHRH analogue in patients with metastatic prostate cancer whose disease had progressed despite treatment with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogue therapy or surgical castration. Results showed median progression free survival was 15.7 months in the enzalutamide arm compared to 5.8 months in the bicalutamide plus LHRH analogue arm (HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.34-0.57; p

Prof Stilgenbauer (Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Germany) and Dr Jacqueline Barrientos (LIJ Medical Center, New York, USA) discuss the latest in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). They consider novel agents and treatment strategies, with a particular focus on new data arising from ASCO 2015. In particular, they discuss chemo combinations with immunology drugs such as rituximab and the use of single agents such as ibrutinib and idelalisib. They note the possible side effects associated with these new agents but ultimately recognise their positive activity, especially in 17p deletion patients.

Dr Schwartz gives an expert commentary on data presented at ASCO 2015. 452 patients with advanced leiomyosarcoma or adipocytic sarcoma, which is also called liposarcoma, were randomly assigned to treatment with eribulin or dacarbazine until disease progression. The median overall survival was 13.5 months in the eribulin group and 11.5 months in the dacarbazine group. Dr Schwartz looks at the implications of this and gives some background on the difficulty of treating sarcomas.

Dr Calvo talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about data from a Phase 1b study of the transcriptional inhibitor PM1183 in combination with doxorubicin in second line therapy in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) The treatment induced objective responses in 67% of the patients, including 10% of them where all signs of cancer disappeared. Every patient with SCLC denominated primary chemotherapy-sensitive (their chemotherapy-free interval is more than 90 days) responded to treatment, including 18% of complete responses. In primary chemotherapy-resistant patients, where cancer was progressing within 90 days or less of previous chemotherapy, a remarkable 30% achieved a response. Notably, the treatment resulted in durable responses, with an overall progression-free survival of 4.6 months, which was 3.6 months in resistant patients. The most common adverse drug reaction was reversible myelosuppresion but no cardiotoxicity or drug-related deaths were observed.

Dr Lichter presents, at a press conference at ASCO 2015, a new intelligence network called CancerLinQ. CancerLinQ is assembling vast amounts of usable, searchable, real-world cancer information into a powerful database. This data supports efforts to improve quality of care and hasten development of new medicines.

Dr Baumert talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about the results of her subgroup analysis of molecular markers of a randomised phase III study in patients with a high risk low-grade glioma. The analysis investigated how primary chemotherapy using temozolomide compares to standard radiotherapy, if it prolongs progression-free and overall survival, and whether prognostic molecular factors could be defined.

Prof Dimopoulos talks to ecancertv about the results from the phase III 'ENDEAVOR' study which looked at carfilzomib and dexamethasone (Kd) versus bortezomib and dexamethasone (Vd) in patients (pts) with relapsed multiple myeloma (RMM).

Prof Chan talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015, discusses adjuvant targeted therapy for HER2-positive early breast cancer, evaluating the effects of neratinib after adjuvant trastuzumab.

Dr Hudis presents, at a press conference at ASCO 2015, three key initiatives designed to advance precision medicine: The National Cancer Institute-MATCH (NCI-MATCH) trial, co-led by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, which is designed to seek evidence that treating patients based on their tumours' molecular profile, rather than by tumour type, may have clinical benefit The Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry (TAPUR), the first ASCO-led clinical trial, which will offer patients with advanced cancer access to molecularly-targeted cancer drugs and collect "real-world" data on clinical outcomes to help learn the best uses of these drugs outside of indications approved by the Food and Drug Administration CancerLinQ, ASCO's groundbreaking health information technology initiative to achieve higher quality, higher value

Prof Sternberg (San Camillo and Forlanini Hospitals, Rome, Italy) chairs a discussion at ASCO 2015 for ecancertv with Prof Clarke (The Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK), Prof Efstathiou (MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA), and Prof Fizazi (Institut Gustave Roussy, Paris, France) about the latest in novel agents and treatment strategies for prostate cancer. They consider the evolving landscape of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) treatment and give insight into potential treatments for use in late-stage disease, with a particular focus on new data that has arisen from the ASCO 2015 conference. In particular, they discuss the docetaxel chemo combination that has seen significant survival benefits, the merits of androgen deprivation therapy in early versus late stage disease, and the need for genomic molecular classifications that move beyond the Gleason score.

Dr Tanguy Seiwert talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about a 132-patient study indicates that pembrolizumab immunotherapy is effective for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer (HNC).

Dr Slayton talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015, about the outcomes of Children's Oncology Group trial AALL0622 in patients 1-30 years old. Treating with dasatinib plus intensive chemotherapy versus stem cell transplant (SCT) for Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Results showed dasatinib with intensive chemotherapy was well tolerated; subjects with rapid response had excellent outcomes without SCT. Further follow-up and additional trials are necessary to define the relative role of dasatinib and imatinib in promoting long-term survival in paediatric Ph positive ALL.

Dr Ferrucci talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about the results of a phase III trial comparing nivolumab (NIVO) alone or in combination with ipilimumab (IPI) versus IPI alone in treatment-naive patients with advanced melanoma. The results showed NIVO alone had superior clinical activity versus IP alone. The results with NIVO plus IPI and NIVO alone further suggest complementary activity of the two agents.

Dr Camidge talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about new treatments for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive lung cancer, including alectinib and brigatinib.

Dr Zdenkowski talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about the final analysis of a randomised comparison of letrozole versus observation as late reintroduction of adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive breast cancer after completion of prior AET. The results show that in postmenopausal women who had completed four or more years of AET for hormone receptor positive breast cancer showed significantly reduced the incidence of late invasive breast cancer events.

Dr Han talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about a multicentre retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy of combination therapy over transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) alone. The study compared the overall survival between patients with ≥ grade 2 sorafenib-related dermatologic adverse events in the combination therapy group and patients treated with TACE alone.

Dr Steven O'Day talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about the findings from a randomised phase III trial which indicate that initial therapy with nivolumab alone or in combination with ipilimumab is significantly more effective than ipilimumab alone.

Dr Sehn talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about a phase III study that finds that adding the new anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody obinutuzumab to standard bendamustine chemotherapy significantly delays progression of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Dr Wickerham talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about final updated results of the NRG Oncology/NSABP Protocol P-2: Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR) looking at preventing breast cancer. Raloxifene has retained approximately 81% of the effectiveness of tamoxifen in preventing invasive breast cancer and continued to grow closer to tamoxifen in preventing noninvasive breast cancer. Raloxifene has also maintained a better profile with respect to uterine disease, thromboembolic events, and death.

Dr Buckner talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about a federally funded phase III trial that is providing additional information regarding a long-standing discussion about the impact of adjuvant whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) on cognitive function.

Dr Mesa talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about findings from the PERSIST-1 study of patients with myelofibrosis that suggest that pacritinib is significantly more effective than best available therapy (BAT), which includes a range of off-label treatments.

Dr Wolchok presents, at a press conference at ASCO 2015, findings from a randomised phase III trial indicate that initial therapy with nivolumab alone or in combination with ipilimumab is significantly more effective than ipilimumab alone.

Dr Buckner presents, at a press conference at ASCO 2015, a federally funded phase III trial that is providing additional information regarding a long-standing discussion about the impact of adjuvant whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) on cognitive function.

Dr Markham gives an expert commentary at ASCO 2015 on immunotherapy data presented on the second day: - A phase II trial that suggests that anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab is effective as a standalone therapy for heavily treated multiple myeloma. - 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). - A phase II study that has identified the first genomic marker mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency to predict response to the anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab. - A PERSIST-1 study of patients with myelofibrosis that suggest that pacritinib is significantly more effective than best available therapy (BAT), which includes a range of off-label treatments.

Dr D’Cruz talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about a randomised phase III study which resolves long-standing questions about the optimal timing of neck lymph node surgery for patients with early-stage oral cancer.

Dr D’Cruz presents, at a press conference at ASCO 2015, a randomised phase III study which resolves long-standing questions about the optimal timing of neck lymph node surgery for patients with early-stage oral cancer.

Dr Armstrong presents, at a press conference at ASCO 2015, an analysis of over 34,000 participants in the federally funded Childhood Cancer Survivor Study showing improvement in late mortality achieved over three decades.

Dr Schöffski talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about the findings of a randomised phase III trial that point to eribulin as a promising new therapy for patients with advanced intermediate or high grade liposarcoma or leiomyosarcoma whose disease worsened after two or more lines of initial therapies.

Prof Garbe talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about a randomised study which found that surgical removal of the lymph nodes surrounding a melanoma tumour after a positive lymph node biopsy (melanoma found in node) does not improve survival.

Dr Usmani talks to ecancertv at ASCO 2015 about a phase II trial that suggests that anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab is effective as a standalone therapy for heavily treated multiple myeloma.