Podcasts about egfr

Good morning from Pharma Daily: the podcast that brings you the most important developments in the pharmaceutical and biotech world. Today, we're diving into some fascinating updates that are shaping the future of medicine and healthcare.Let's start with a groundbreaking development in cancer treatment. Researchers have announced significant progress in a novel therapy targeting a specific mutation often found in non-small cell lung cancer. This mutation, known as EGFR exon 20 insertion, has historically been resistant to standard treatments. The new therapy employs a targeted approach that precisely inhibits the mutant protein while sparing normal cells. Early-phase clinical trials have shown promising results, with substantial tumor shrinkage observed in participants. This could potentially redefine treatment protocols for patients who previously had limited options and improve their overall survival rates. As the study progresses into later phases, the industry is watching closely to see if these initial successes translate into long-term benefits.In another significant development, we're seeing advancements in gene therapy for inherited retinal diseases. A recent study has highlighted a novel gene-editing technique that promises to restore vision in patients with certain genetic forms of blindness. By utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 technology, scientists have been able to directly correct mutations in retinal cells. The preclinical models have shown restored function and improved visual responses, paving the way for human trials. This breakthrough is not just a beacon of hope for those affected by genetic blindness but also underscores the transformative potential of gene-editing technologies in treating complex diseases.Moving on to regulatory news, there's an update on new drug approvals that could have widespread implications for public health. The FDA has recently approved a first-in-class drug for the treatment of severe migraines. This medication represents a novel mechanism of action by targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) pathway, which plays a crucial role in migraine pathophysiology. Clinical trials indicated that it significantly reduces the frequency and severity of migraine attacks compared to existing treatments. For millions of sufferers worldwide, this approval offers a new avenue for relief and highlights the importance of continued innovation in chronic pain management.Shifting gears to vaccine development, there's exciting progress in the fight against infectious diseases. A new vaccine candidate for malaria has shown an unprecedented level of efficacy in trial settings. This vaccine utilizes a protein-based approach that targets multiple stages of the parasite's lifecycle, thereby enhancing its protective effects. Given malaria's devastating impact globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, this development is being hailed as a potential game-changer in global health efforts. As further studies and real-world evaluations unfold, this vaccine could become a cornerstone tool in reducing malaria's burden.Now turning our attention to industry trends, there's growing momentum around personalized medicine and its integration into mainstream healthcare systems. Personalized medicine tailors treatment strategies to individual patient profiles based on genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Recent advances in genomics and data analytics have accelerated this shift, allowing for more precise and effective interventions. For healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies alike, this trend necessitates rethinking traditional drug development models and embracing collaborative approaches to harness big data effectively.Finally, let's look at an intriguing development in neurodegenerative disease research. Scientists are exploring a new class of drugs designed to target protein misfolding—an underlying cause of conditions Support the show

This week, we share advances in treatment for EGFR-mutated lung cancer, a brain-penetrant enzyme therapy for a rare pediatric disorder, and dual targeting of extramedullary myeloma. We review cardiogenic shock, work through a challenging diagnostic puzzle in a young woman with recurrent illness, and explore Perspectives on corporatized care, vaccine policy, AI in medicine, and where clinicians carry grief.

Drs. Yu and Herzberg discuss recent developments in HER2- and EGFR-targeted therapies for lung cancer, focusing on clinical trial results at ESMO 2025. Key highlights include promising response rates, toxicity profiles, and the potential for these targeted therapies to treat patients with specific genetic mutations, particularly those with CNS metastases.

"They [monoclonal antibodies] are able to cause tumor cell death by binding to and blocking to necessary growth factor signaling pathways for tumor cell survival. That's going to be dependent on the target of the antibody, but I'll give an example of epidermal growth factor, or EGFR. This is overexpressed in several different kinds of cancers where activation of this growth factor increases the amount of proliferation and migration of cancer cells. So, if we bind to it and block to it, then that would help halt these pathways and stop cancer cell growth," Carissa Ganihong, PharmD, BCOP, oncology and bone marrow transplantation clinical pharmacist at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BS, AOCNS®, manager of oncology nursing practice at ONS, during a conversation about monoclonal antibodies. Music Credit: "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0  Earn 0.75 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) (including 45 minutes of pharmacotherapeutic content) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at courses.ons.org by December 26, 2026. The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Learning outcome: Learners will report an increase in knowledge in the history of, the mechanism of action of, and the use of monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of cancer.  Episode Notes  Complete this evaluation for free NCPD. ONS Podcast™ episodes: Pharmacology 101 series Episode 391: Pharmacology 101: Antibody–Drug Conjugates Episode 383: Pharmacology 101: Bispecific Antibodies Episode 375: Pharmacology 101: VEGF Inhibitors Episode 338: High-Volume Subcutaneous Injections: The Oncology Nurse's Role Episode 283: Desensitization Strategies to Reintroduce Treatment After an Infusion-Related Reaction Episode 275: Bispecific Monoclonal Antibodies in Hematologic Cancers and Solid Tumors ONS Voice articles: An Oncology Nursing Overview of Biosimilars Make Subcutaneous Administration More Comfortable for Your Patients Oncology Nurses' Role in Translating Biomarker Testing Results Reduce Chair Time by as Much as 16 Minutes by Priming IVs With Drug Shorter Administration Times Still Require High-Acuity Care The Names of Targeted Therapies Give Clues to How They Work ONS Voice drug reference sheets: Datopotamab deruxtecan-dlnk Enfortumab vedotin Margetuximab-cmkb Mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx Nivolumab and hyaluronidase-nvhy Nivolumab and relatlimab-rmbw Pembrolizumab and berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph Retifanlimab-dlwr ONS book: Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy Guidelines and Recommendations for Practice (second edition) ONS course: ONS Fundamentals of Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy Administration™ Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles: Bolusing IV Administration Sets With Monoclonal Antibodies Reduces Cost and Chair Time: A Randomized Controlled Trial Management of Immunotherapy Infusion Reactions Nurse-Led Grading of Antineoplastic Infusion-Related Reactions: A Call to Action Safety and Adverse Event Management of VEGFR-TKIs in Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Oncology Nursing Forum articles: Administration of Subcutaneous Monoclonal Antibodies in Patients With Cancer Depressive Symptoms and Quality of Life Associated With the Use of Monoclonal Antibodies in Breast Cancer Treatment ONS huddle cards: Bispecifics Checkpoint Inhibitors Monoclonal Antibodies Other ONS resources: Biomarker Database Bispecific Antibodies video Patient Education Sheets Antibodies article: A Comprehensive Review About the Use of Monoclonal Antibodies in Cancer Therapy Cureus article:  A Comprehensive Review of Monoclonal Antibodies in Modern Medicine: Tracing the Evolution of a Revolutionary Therapeutic Approach Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) homepage Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy article: Therapeutic Antibodies in Oncology: An Immunopharmacological Overview Drugs@FDA package inserts Future Oncology article: Biosimilars: What the Oncologist Should Know Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association homepage National Comprehensive Cancer Network homepage Network for Collaborative Oncology Development and Advancement (NCODA) subcutaneous therapy article Oncolink: Side Effects of Immunotherapy World Health Organization: New International Nonproprietary Names (INN) Monoclonal Antibody Nomenclature Scheme To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities.  To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library. To provide feedback or otherwise reach ONS about the podcast, email pubONSVoice@ons.org. Highlights From This Episode "Prior to monoclonal antibodies, all we really had were these toxic chemotherapies or toxic radiation, so it was recognized how great it would be if we could have a treatment that was much more specific to the tumor cells and have agents that have less toxicities. These advancements in monoclonal antibody production began in the 1980s. ... Eventually, we had the first monoclonal antibody that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an oncologic indication, rituximab." TS 4:14  "Nowadays, we do have treatments that are also considered tumor-agnostic. This is when a patient has a certain biomarker, then that treatment can be given and FDA approval was given, regardless what type of tumor the patient has. We typically see these kinds of tumor-agnostic therapies more so in patients who have recurrent or advanced diseases in solid tumors. One monoclonal antibody example that comes to mind is dostarlimab. That's a checkpoint inhibitor that's approved for patients who are deficient in mismatch repair mechanism." TS 23:48 "Our immune system constantly has this surveillance system and it's able to recognize foreign pathogens, abnormal cells, and even precancerous cells. And they're able to eliminate them before they become cancerous. But on the flip side, one of the regulatory mechanisms that we have so our immune system doesn't attack itself is the presence of checkpoints. When these checkpoints bind to their ligands, this can then act as an off switch so that, again, our immune system is not going to attack itself. But then the tumor cells can take advantage of this and actually use this mechanism to evade the immune system. So, when we're giving a checkpoint inhibitor, now we're removing that off switch. As a consequence, common adverse effects can include things like immune mediated adverse events. These most commonly affect the skin, gastrointestinal tract, and liver. Essentially, this can cause any '-itis' you can think of." TS 26:36 "Looking at strategies to prevent infusion reactions, one example is the use of premedication. If premedication is recommended, this typically includes any combination of antipyretics, which is typically acetaminophen. Antihistamine, which is typically an H1 antagonist like diphenhydramine. Although, there could be cases where we want to substitute this agent because maybe the patient has been tolerating therapy okay, and they're having a lot of side effects. So, we might use a second-generation antihistamine in some cases. The premedication may be given with or without some kind of steroid, whether that's methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone, or dexamethasone." TS 29:53 "We tend to think of monoclonal antibody usage to be primary oncology, but that's not really the case. The first monoclonal antibodies that were developed were not for oncologic indications, they were for transplant indication for cardiac indication. So, they're really diversely utilized across all specialties and medicines. We have monoclonal antibodies for hyperlipidemia, for neurology, for rheumatology, so the uses are so very expansive across all specialties." TS 41:01

CardioNerds (Dr. Colin Blumenthal, Dr. Kelly Arps, and Dr. Natalie Marrero) discuss anti-arrhythmic drugs in the management of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter with electrophysiologist Dr. Andrew Epstein. We discuss two major classes of anti-arrhythmic drugs, class IC and class III, as well as digoxin. Dr. Epstein explains their mechanisms of action, indications and specific patient populations in which they would be particularly helpful, efficacy, adverse side effects, contraindications, and key drug-drug interactions. We also elaborate on defining clinical trials and their clinical implications. Given the large burden of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter in our patient population and the high prevalence of anti-arrhythmic drug use, this episode is sure to be applicable to many practicing physicians and trainees. Audio editing by CardioNerds academy intern, Grace Qiu.  Enjoy this Circulation 2022 Paths to Discovery article to learn about the CardioNerds story, mission, and values. CardioNerds Atrial Fibrillation PageCardioNerds Episode PageCardioNerds AcademyCardionerds Healy Honor Roll CardioNerds Journal ClubSubscribe to The Heartbeat Newsletter!Check out CardioNerds SWAG!Become a CardioNerds Patron! Pearls Anti-arrhythmic drugs should not be thought of as an alternative to ablation but, instead, should be considered an adjunct to catheter ablation.   Class IC anti-arrhythmic drugs, flecainide and propafenone, are highly efficacious for acute cardioversion and a great option for patients with infrequent episodes of AF who do not have a history of ischemic heart disease.    Class III anti-arrhythmic drugs like ibutilide, sotalol, and dofetilide, are highly effective for acute conversion; however, they require hospitalization for close monitoring during initiation and dose titration given the risk of prolonged QT.   Amiodarone should not be used as a first line agent given its toxicities, prolonged half-life, large volume of distribution, and drug-drug interactions.   Dr. Epstein notes that, “All drugs are poisons with a few beneficial side effects,” when highlighting the many adverse side effects of anti-arrhythmic drugs, particularly amiodarone, and the importance of balancing their benefit in rhythm control with their side effect profile.   Notes Notes: Notes drafted by Dr. Natalie Marrero. What are the Class IC anti-arrhythmic drugs and what indications exist for their use?   Class IC anti-arrhythmic drugs are anti-arrhythmic drugs that work by blocking sodium channels and, thereby, prolonging depolarizing.   Class IC anti-arrhythmic drugs include flecainide and propafenone.   Class IC anti-arrhythmic drugs are good agents to use in patients that have infrequent episodes of AF and do not want daily dosing as these agents can be used by patients when they feel palpitations and desire acute conversion back to sinus rhythm (“pill in the pocket” approach).    What are the adverse consequences and/or contraindications to using a class IC agent?  Class IC anti-arrhythmic agents are contraindicated in patients with a history of ischemic heart disease based on increased mortality associated with their use in these patients in the CAST trial.   Given the results of the CAST trial, providers should screen annually for ischemia via a functional stress test in patients on these drugs at risk for coronary disease.   These drugs can increase 1:1 conduction of atrial flutter and, therefore, require concomitant use of a beta blocker.   These agents are generally well-tolerated without any organ toxicities; however, they can precipitate heart failure in patients with cardiomyopathies, cause sinus node depression, and unmask genetic arrythmias such as a Brugada pattern.   What are the class III agents and what are indications for their use?   Class III agents are drugs that block the potassium channel, prolonging the QT, and include Ibutilide, Sotalol, and Dofetilide.    Class III agents can be considered in patients with or without a history of ischemic heart disease that desire effective acute chemical cardioversion and are willing to go to the hospital for close monitoring during dose initiation and titration.   Other specific circumstances in which one can use these agents, specifically Ibutilide, are in patients with recurrent atrial fibrillation and Wolf Parkinson White (due to slowed conduction via the accessory pathway).  What are the adverse consequences and/or contraindications to using a class III agent?  Ibutilide, Sotalol, and Dofetilide prolong the QT and increase the risk of torsade de pointes, which is why they require ECG monitoring in-patient during drug initiation and dose titration.    These agents are generally well-tolerated.   Sotalol should be avoided or used cautiously in patients with left ventricular dysfunction, while dofetilide can be used and has dose-response beneficial effects in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.   Both sotalol and dofetilide are renally cleared with specific creatinine clearance cutoffs (CrCl < 20 for dofetilide and CrCl

In this episode, Dr John Heymach and Dr Solange Peters discuss key data presented at the IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer including first-line maintenance in ES-SCLC (IMforte and DeLLphi-303 trials) and targeted treatment for NSCLC (FLAURA2, Beamion LUNG-1, and ARROS-1 trials).Presenters:John Heymach, MD, PhDChair and ProfessorDepartment of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical OncologyRuth Legett Jones Distinguished ChairMD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, TexasSolange Peters, MD, PhD Professor and Director of Medical OncologyDepartment of OncologyUniversity Hospital of LausanneLausanne, SwitzerlandContent based on an online CME program supported by independent educational grants from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Link to full program: https://bit.ly/3L1eksIGet access to all of our new podcasts by subscribing to the CCO Infectious Disease Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, or Spotify. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Guest: Gerard A. Silvestri MD, MS, Master FCCP Guest: Mariam Alexander, MD, PhD Guest: Jessica S. Donington, MD, MSCR The 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress and World Conference on Lung Cancer revealed significant updates in non-small cell lung cancer care. Learn more as Drs. Gerard Silvestri, Mariam Alexander, and Jessica Donington review new data on EGFR- and ROS1-targeted therapies, perioperative immunotherapy, and multidisciplinary strategies to expand resectability in stage III non-small cell lung cancer. Dr. Silvestri is a pulmonologist and the Hillenbrand Professor of Thoracic Oncology at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Alexander is an Assistant Professor of Medical Oncology at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Donington is a Professor in Surgery and Chief of the Section of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Chicago. This program is produced in partnership with the American College of Chest Physicians and is sponsored by AstraZeneca.

How well are you managing patients on EGFR inhibitor therapies in your clinical practice? Credit available for this activity expires: 12/18/26 Earn Credit / Learning Objectives & Disclosures: https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/person-centered-care-egfr-mutated-advanced-nsclc-optimizing-2025a1000xxa?ecd=bdc_podcast_libsyn_mscpedu

Tackling central nervous system (CNS) disease in EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer “is a huge problem, both from a quality-of-life perspective for patients and also from a longevity perspective,” explains Sid Devarakonda, MD, director of thoracic medical oncology at Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle and clinical associate professor at Washington State University. He speaks with Aakash Desai, MD, MPH, associate director of the Phase 1 and Precision Oncology program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, about how CNS metastases inform choices between regimens. Dr. Devarakonda also discusses how the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of subcutaneous amivantamab (Rybrevant Faspro) may change his approach. “[Y]ou still need to be comfortable managing some of the toxicities that still persist, even with the subcutaneous formulation, but it's terribly convenient from a practical perspective,” he notes. Dr. Desai and Dr. Devarakonda reported various financial relationships.

Combination regimens improve survival in advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC, but they also increase toxicity. Jorge Nieva, MD, shares how he talks with patients about potential adverse events. He describes the options available for prophylaxis and how he treats the toxicities that do arise.

Featuring perspectives from Dr Justin F Gainor, Dr Corey J Langer and Dr Misty Dawn Shields, moderated by Dr Stephen "Fred" Divers, including the following topics:  Introduction (0:00) Targeted Therapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) — Dr Gainor, MD (5:32) Case: A woman in her mid 60s with ALK-mutant metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung (PD-L1 TPS 70%) — Zanetta S Lamar, MD (17:59) Case: A woman in her mid 80s with EGFR exon 19-deleted adenocarcinoma of the lung with recurrence after 4 years of osimertinib — Jennifer Yannucci, MD (27:53) Case: A woman in her late 60s with HER2-mutant metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung — Brian P Mulherin, MD (39:41) Case: A man in his early 70s with locally recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and a MET exon 14 skipping mutation — Sean Warsch, MD (46:39) Case: A woman in her early 70s with ROS1-mutant metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung that responds to entrectinib and then to pembrolizumab/carboplatin/pemetrexed administered upon disease progression — Dr Yannucci (52:44) Nontargeted Therapy for NSCLC; Small Cell Lung Cancer — Dr Langer (58:16) Neoadjuvant, Perioperative and Adjuvant Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 Antibody-Based Approaches for Patients with Localized NSCLC — Dr Shields (1:14:14) Case: A man in his mid 60s with localized adenocarcinoma of the lung who receives neoadjuvant cisplatin/pemetrexed/pembrolizumab and achieves a pathologic complete response — Dr Mulherin (1:23:19) Case: A man in his early 60s with metastatic mixed adenosquamous NSCLC (PD-L1 TPS 50%) — Sunil Babu, MD (1:30:04) Case: A man in his late 50s diagnosed with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer who receives carboplatin/etoposide/durvalumab — Dr Warsch (1:34:07) CE information and select publications

  Chronic kidney disease now affects nearly 850 million people worldwide, yet early detection and simple, evidence-based interventions can dramatically change the trajectory of both kidney and cardiovascular health.

El Dr. Mauricio Lema, hemato-oncólogo adscrito a la Clínica de Oncología Astorga en Medellín, Colombia, presentó una actualización integral sobre los avances más relevantes en oncología para 2025, con énfasis en cáncer de mama y cáncer de pulmón. Su intervención destacó los resultados de los estudios DESTINY-Breast09, DESTINY-Breast05 y DESTINY-Breast11 en enfermedad HER2 positiva, así como los avances en enfermedad luminal con biomarcación por ESR1 y el papel emergente de camizestrant y nuevos SERD. En cáncer de pulmón de células no pequeñas, subrayó la madurez del CheckMate 816 con beneficio claro en supervivencia global a 5 años, además de los resultados de supervivencia global de los estudios FLAURA2 y MARIPOSA en EGFR mutado, y el impacto de nuevas terapias dirigidas como sacituzumab tiromutecán, cefavertinib y zongertinib. Finalmente, abordó la revolución terapéutica en cáncer de pulmón de células pequeñas con el estudio DeLLphi-304 y el uso de tarlatamab, así como datos preliminares del estudio IMforte. Su intervención se llevó a cabo durante el 9° Congreso Nacional de Actualización en Hematología y Oncología de la ACHO, realizado del 14 al 16 de noviembre de 2025 en Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.Fecha de grabación: 15 de noviembre de 2025Referencia:Este contenido se basa en la interpretación crítica de la evidencia científica disponible, así como en la experiencia clínica del o los ponentes como profesionales de la salud en instituciones de referencia.Para profundizar en los conceptos discutidos, se recomienda al profesional de la salud consultar literatura científica vigente, guías clínicas internacionales y la normatividad aplicable en su país.

In this episode of Lung Cancer Considered, host Dr. Stephen Liu speaks with Prof. Li Zhang and Dr. Elaine Shum about recent progress in antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) for EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). They discuss new approvals of datopotamab deruxtecan (in the United States) and sacituzumab tirumotecan (in China), key findings from the TROPION and OptiTROP trials, and emerging agents. The conversation highlights the advances in efficacy, safety, and combination strategies that are shaping the evolving treatment landscape for patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC. Guest: Li Zhang, MD Professor, Medical Oncology Department Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center No Social Guest: Elaine Shum, MD Assistant Professor Director of Cancer Screening Programs New York University Perlmutter Cancer Center

"Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) have three basic parts: the antibody part, the cytotoxic chemo, and the linker that connects the two. First, the antibody part binds to the target on the surface of the cell. Antibodies can be designed to bind to proteins with a very high level of specificity. That's what gives it the targeted portion. Then the whole thing gets taken up by the cell and broken down, which releases the chemotherapy part. Some sources will call this the 'payload' or the 'warhead.'  That's the part that's attached to the 'heat-seeking' part, and that's what causes the cell death," Kenneth Tham, PharmD, BCOP, clinical pharmacist in general oncology at the University of Washington Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, WA, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BS, AOCNS®, manager of oncology nursing practice at ONS, during a conversation about antibody–drug conjugates. Music Credit: "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0  Earn 0.5 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at courses.ons.org by November 28, 2026. The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Learning outcome: Learners will report an increase in knowledge related to the mechanism of action of antibody–drug conjugates. Episode Notes  Complete this evaluation for free NCPD. ONS Podcast™ episodes: Pharmacology 101 series Episode 303: Cancer Symptom Management Basics: Ocular Toxicities Episode 283: Desensitization Strategies to Reintroduce Treatment After an Infusion-Related Reaction ONS Voice articles: An Oncology Nurse's Guide to Cancer-Related Ocular Toxicities Antibody–Drug Conjugates Join the Best of Two Worlds Into One New Treatment Nursing Management of Adverse Events From Enfortumab Vedotin Therapy for Urothelial Cancer Oncology Nurses' Role in Translating Biomarker Testing Results The Pharmacist's Role in Combination Cancer Treatments ONS Voice drug reference sheets: Belantamab mafodotin-blmf Datopotamab deruxtecan-dlnk Enfortumab vedotin Fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki ONS book: Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy Guidelines and Recommendations for Practice (second edition) ONS course: ONS Fundamentals of Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy Administration™ Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles: Antibody–Drug Conjugates and Ocular Toxicity: Nursing, Patient, and Organizational Implications for Care Nurse-Led Grading of Antineoplastic Infusion-Related Reactions: A Call to Action Other ONS resources: Antineoplastic Administration Huddle Card Biomarker Database Chemotherapy Huddle Card Monoclonal Antibodies Huddle Card Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) antibody–drug conjugates page Drugs@FDA Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) National Cancer Institute cancer drugs page Network for Collaborative Oncology Development and Advancement (NCODA) clinical resource library ACCC/HOPA/NCODA/ONS Patient Education Sheets website To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities.  To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library. To provide feedback or otherwise reach ONS about the podcast, email pubONSVoice@ons.org Highlights From This Episode "The mechanism of action of the chemo itself depends on what agent or what 'warhead' is attached. Generally, [ADCs] have some kind of cytotoxic mechanism related to many of the chemotherapies that we use in practice, without attachment to the antibody. Some of them can be microtubule inhibitors, vinca alkaloids like vincristine. Some of them can be topoisomerase I (TOP1) inhibitors like irinotecan. Some can be alkylating agents that cause DNA breaks. So, again, looking back at the arsenal we have of cytotoxic chemo, these can all be incorporated into the ADCs." TS 5:54 "I want to talk about a case where the biomarker is being tested, but the biomarker isn't the target that you're looking for. One good case of this is a newer agent that was approved called datopotamab deruxtecan. The datopotamab portion is specific to a target called 'trophoblast cell surface antigen 2' (TROP2), which is expressed on the surface of many epithelial cancers. This agent was first approved in hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, and received accelerated approval in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an EGFR mutation. ... The antibody looks for a target, TROP2. But in both of these cases—in the breast cancer and the NSCLC—you're testing for expression of different mutations or lack thereof. You're not looking for expression of TROP2. There's more research that needs to be done about the relationship between TROP2 expression and the presence or absence of these other biomarkers, but until we know more, we're actually testing for biomarkers that aren't the target of the ADC." TS 10:22 "There are common adverse advents to antibodies and chemo in general. Because we have both of these components, we want to watch out for the adverse effects of both of them. Antibodies, as with most proteins, can trigger an immune response or an infusion reaction. So, many ADCs can also cause hypersensitivity or infusion reactions. The rates of that are really variable and depend on the actual antibodies themselves. Then you have the cytotoxic component, the chemotherapy component, which has its own characteristic side effects. So, if we think of general chemo side effects—fatigue, nausea, bone marrow suppression, alopecia—these can [occur] with a lot of ADCs as well." TS 15:34 "The rate of ocular toxicity in [mirvetuximab soravtansine] is quite high. The manufacturer reports that this can occur in up to 60% of patients. With rates so high, the manufacturer recommends a preventive strategy. For this particular agent, [they] recommend patients have required eyecare. ... This ocular toxicity is something we do see in other ADCs that don't have the same target and don't necessarily have the same payload component. For example, tisotumab vedotin and again, datopotamab deruxtecan, can both cause ocular toxicities and both would have required ocular supportive care." TS 20:08 "Overall, I feel like the future is incredibly bright for these agents. There have only been around a dozen therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) despite this idea—the first agent came out in 2000. So, 25 years later, there are only around a dozen FDA-approved treatments. But there are so many more that are coming through the pipeline. And as we're discovering more biomarkers and developing more specialized antibodies, it's only natural that more ADCs will follow." TS 26:50

In this episode, Dr. Paul Wheatley-Price is back for our annual recap of the IASLC 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), which took place in Barcelona, Spain in early September. He is joined by two special guests, Dr. Barbara Melosky, Professor of Medicine at UBC and Medical Oncologist at BC Cancer, and Dr. Peter Ellis, Professor of Oncology at McMaster University and Medical Oncologist at Juravinski Cancer Center. They chat about all the updates for treatments like osimertinib for EGFR+ lung cancer, immunotherapy for small-cell lung cancer, and promising new treatments like for HER2 and ADCs coming down the pipeline.

Dans ce nouvel épisode du Club des Cinq du GFPC, nous retrouvons Julie Lasvernias, cheffe de clinique en pneumologie au CHI de Créteil. Avec elle, nous explorons un sujet universel en médecine : le doute. Comment ce questionnement constant influence-t-il les décisions médicales ? Comment rester transparent avec les patients tout en gérant l'incertitude ?Dans une seconde partie, Julie revient sur le sujet qu'elle a suivi au congrès de l'ASCO 2025 : les mutations du gène EGFR et les nouvelles options thérapeutiques pour ces patients, entre espoirs et limites.Une réflexion sincère et éclairante sur les défis du quotidien en pneumocancérologie et sur ce que signifie « soigner » avec humanité et rigueur.À très vite pour la suite de cette quatrième saison !Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

In this episode, Benjamin Levy, MD, FASCO, and Alex Spira, MD, PhD, FASCO, discuss the latest developments in targeting TROP2 and TIGIT for the treatment of lung cancer, including:TROP2-targeting ADCs: datopotamab deruxtecan, sacituzumab govitecan, sacituzumab tirumotecan TROP2 ADCS for patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLCTIGIT-targeting agents: domvanalimab, rilvegostomigPresenters:Benjamin Levy, MD, FASCOAssociate ProfessorJohns Hopkins School of MedicineClinical DirectorJohns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, National Capitol Region (NCR)Washington, DCAlex Spira, MD, PhD, FASCODirector Clinical ResearchVirginia Cancer SpecialistsCEO NEXT Oncology VirginiaFairfax, VirginiaContent based on an online CME program supported by an independent educational grant from Gilead Sciences, Inc.Link to full program:https://bit.ly/4qZLR6B Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"It's critical to identify those mutations found that are driving the cancer's growth and guide the personalized treatment based on those results. And important to remember, too, early testing is crucial for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In studies, it has been found to be associated with improved survival outcomes and reduced mortality," ONS member Vicki Doctor, MS, BSN, BSW, RN, OCN®, precision medicine director at the City of Hope Atlanta, GA, Chicago, IL, and Phoenix, AZ, locations, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BS, AOCNS®, manager of oncology nursing practice at ONS, during a conversation about the oncology nurse's role in NSCLC biomarker testing. Music Credit: "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0  This podcast is sponsored by Lilly Oncology and is not eligible for NCPD contact hours. ONS is solely responsible for the criteria, objectives, content, quality, and scientific integrity of its programs and publications. Episode Notes  This episode is not eligible for NCPD. ONS Podcast™ episodes: Episode 363: Lung Cancer Treatment Considerations for Nurses Episode 359: Lung Cancer Screening, Early Detection, and Disparities Episode 238: Cancer Genomics for Every Oncology Nurse Episode 157: Biomarker Testing Improves Outcomes for Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer ONS Voice articles: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Prevention, Screening, Diagnosis, Treatment, Side Effects, and Survivorship Only a Third of Patients With Advanced Cancer Get Biomarker Testing, Limiting Use of Potentially Effective Precision Therapies Precision Medicine in Lung Cancer: How Comprehensive Testing Optimizes Patient Outcomes Targeted Therapies Are Transforming the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer ONS book: Guide to Cancer Immunotherapy (second edition) ONS course: Genomic Foundations for Precision Oncology Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing article: Using Nurse Navigators to Improve Timeliness of Biomarker Testing for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Oncology Nursing Forum article: Precision Medicine Testing and Disparities in Health Care for Individuals With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Narrative Review Other ONS resources: Best Practices for Biomarker Testing in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Study Genomics and Precision Oncology Learning Library Genomics Case Study: Precision Medicine in the Setting of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Biomarker Database (refine by non-small cell lung cancer) Genomic Biomarkers Huddle Card Targeted Therapy Huddle Card National Comprehensive Cancer Network homepage To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities.  To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library. To provide feedback or otherwise reach ONS about the podcast, email pubONSVoice@ons.org Highlights From This Episode "These biomarkers are used to provide information about cancer's characteristics or behavior. In oncology precision medicine specifically, molecular tests can help with diagnosing a cancer that is maybe an unknown primary. It can help with monitoring response to therapy, detect recurrence of disease before other tests can find that, predict prognosis or how aggressive the cancer may be, and guide treatment decisions for targeted therapies." TS 3:14 "Some of the key biomarkers recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) to be tested in patients who have NSCLC are EGFR, ALK, KRAS, BRAF, MET exon 14 skipping mutation, HER2 which is a protein expression from an ErbB protein, PD-L1 which is a protein expression that's used to guide immunotherapy choices, and then finally there are three fusions: ROS1, RET, and NTRK. [These] are pretty rare but really important to be tested for in patients who have NSCLC." TS 3:46 "Another important challenge for nurses related to this topic is that these results may not reveal a targeted mutation for the patient and that could be very disappointing. So, being able to provide that emotional support to a patient if they have that result … you can actually reinforce with them that if [they] go onto another treatment that the physician decides to put [them] on, the tumor can change. New pathogenic variants can develop based on the treatment that they're getting, and another test can be done. And maybe at that time—a new biomarker that could be targeted—we'd be seeing on the new test." TS 7:32  "Another circumstance we didn't talk about yet is that maybe the result came back saying that the quality was not sufficient. And sometimes that happens, but that doesn't mean that we're at the end of the road, necessarily. So, you could explain to the patient that that may mean that possibly, a new biopsy would be ordered by the physician. Or if a new biopsy or another tissue sample is not available, then maybe the physician would pivot to sending a blood specimen for the molecular testing. So that would definitely be a way [nurses] could support their patients." TS 11:52 "In the case of patients with NSCLC, early testing is so important. So, advocating for that prompt biomarker testing to be done, making sure that it's comprehensive, that it's actually looking for all of those—I think it was 12 biomarkers—that I mentioned earlier. That this testing is done as soon as possible after diagnosis or progression. Something that I talk about all the time—personalized care, precision medicine—really matters. So, tailoring treatments for patients based on the biology of the tumor that's driving the cancer's growth is really crucial if you're going to be working as an oncology nurse. Another crucial thing, because it's changing so quickly, is to stay informed." TS 16:23

In today's episode, filmed live at the 43rd Annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium, lung cancer expert Benjamin P. Levy, MD, hosted an in-depth discussion with Jonathan W. Lee, MD, MSc, on the evolving therapeutic landscape for EGFR-mutant and HER2-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Dr Levy is the clinical director of medical oncology at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital and an associate professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. Dr Lee is the chief oncology/hematology fellow at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, New York.

Send us a textGood morning from Pharma Daily: the podcast that brings you the most important developments in the pharmaceutical and biotech world. Today, we're diving into a series of groundbreaking developments that are reshaping the landscape of drug development and patient care. These stories highlight the dynamic nature of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, where scientific advancements and regulatory changes are driving significant shifts.We begin with a crucial milestone in oncology treatment. The FDA has granted approval to Johnson & Johnson's Darzalex Faspro for patients with high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma. This approval is particularly significant as it provides a new therapeutic pathway for individuals with this precursor condition to active multiple myeloma, which previously had few treatment options. The drug works by targeting CD38 proteins on myeloma cells, representing a leap forward in monoclonal antibody treatments for cancer. This decision underscores the FDA's ongoing commitment to expanding treatment options for conditions with high unmet needs, potentially setting a precedent for future approvals in early-stage malignancies.Meanwhile, Gilead Sciences encountered challenges with its oncology pipeline as Trodelvy failed to meet its primary endpoint in a Phase 3 trial for first-line HR+/HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. This outcome highlights the complexities of oncology drug development, despite previous successes in other indications. Such setbacks remind us of the inherent risks involved in bringing innovative therapies to market.In contrast, Akeso has announced positive data for ivonescimab, a PD-(L)1xVEGF bispecific antibody. The drug demonstrated significant overall survival benefits in patients with previously treated EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. This advancement underscores the therapeutic potential of bispecific antibodies in cancer immunotherapy, which continue to gain traction as they target multiple pathways involved in tumor growth and immune evasion.Regulatory incentives have also been making waves. The FDA's rollout of the second round of "national priority" voucher winners aims to accelerate drug development timelines, particularly in critical areas such as obesity. Companies like Lilly and Novo Nordisk have been recognized for their efforts, highlighting a broader strategy to bring transformative therapies to market more swiftly.On the corporate front, Bayer's proposed private equity buyout fell through due to insufficient shareholder support, reflecting ongoing financial volatility and strategic recalibrations within biotech firms. Meanwhile, CMS's introduction of a new Medicaid pricing model aims to implement "most-favored nation" pricing strategies to control drug costs, signaling potential shifts in how pharmaceutical companies approach pricing negotiations and reimbursement strategies.Technological advancements are also at the forefront of innovation. Eli Lilly has expanded its AI-driven drug discovery partnership with XtalPi, focusing on antibody development. This collaboration exemplifies how AI is increasingly being integrated into pharmaceutical research to enhance drug discovery processes.Furthermore, China's decision to lift its ban on Illumina's DNA sequencers is expected to facilitate greater access to advanced genomic technologies within the region, fostering innovation in precision medicine.Leadership changes continue to shape industry dynamics. For instance, Recursion Pharmaceuticals is undergoing executive restructuring to better align with evolving market needs and innovation strategies. These changes are crucial for maintaining competitiveness and fostering an environment conducive to scientific breakthroughs.The industry is also witnessing strategic realignmenSupport the show

Featuring an interview with Dr Aaron Lisberg, including the following topics: Prevention and Management of Adverse Events of Special Interest with Datopotamab Deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) (0:00) Rugo H et al. US expert Delphi consensus on the prevention and management of stomatitis in patients treated with datopotamab deruxtecan. Support Care Cancer 2025;33(9):756. Abstract Lisberg A et al. Datopotamab deruxtecan-associated select adverse events: Clinical practices and institutional protocols on prophylaxis, monitoring, and management. Oncologist 2025;[Online ahead of print]. Abstract Meric-Bernstam F et al. Prophylaxis, clinical management, and monitoring of datopotamab deruxtecan-associated oral mucositis/stomatitis. Oncologist 2025;30(3). Abstract Novel Strategies Combining Dato-DXd with Osimertinib (10:44) Lu S et al. TROPION-Lung14: A phase 3 study of osimertinib ± datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) as first-line (1L) treatment for patients with EGFR-mutated locally advanced or metastatic (LA/M) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ASCO 2025;Abstract TPS8647. Nadal E et al. TROPION-Lung15: A phase III study of datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) ± osimertinib vs platinum doublet chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and disease progression on prior osimertinib. ELCC 2025;Abstract 124TiP. Intracranial Activity Observed with TROP2-Targeting Antibody-Drug Conjugates (15:14) Felip E et al. Brain metastases and actionable genetic alterations with sacituzumab govitecan versus docetaxel in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: Subgroups of the phase III EVOKE-01 trial. ELCC 2025;Abstract 13P. Lisberg A et al. Intracranial efficacy of datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) in patients (pts) with previously treated advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (a/m NSCLC) with actionable genomic alterations (AGA): Results from TROPION-Lung05. ASCO 2024;Abstract 8593. Pons-Tostivint E et al. Intracranial efficacy of datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato- DXd) in patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC in TROPION-Lung01. WCLC 2025;Abstract OA10.01. CME information and select publications

Welcome to another episode of the Oncology Brothers podcast! In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Rami Manochakian from the Mayo Clinic to discuss the latest practice-changing studies presented at ESMO 2025, focusing on lung cancer. Episode Highlights: MDT-BRIDGE: Trial for resectable and borderline resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stressing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach. FLAURA2 Update: showcasing the overall survival benefits of osimertinib combined with chemotherapy for EGFR-positive NSCLC. SOHO-01 & Beamion LUNG-1: emerging HER2-positive NSCLC treatments, Zongertinib and Sevabertinib. Discussion on the significance of NGS testing in identifying mutations and tailoring treatment options for patients. Join us as we explore these important studies and their implications for improving patient outcomes in lung cancer care.  Follow us on social media: ⁠X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/oncbrothers ⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oncbrothers Website: https://oncbrothers.com/ Don't forget to subscribe for more updates on practice-changing research and major conference highlights! #ESMO2025 #LungCancer #NSCLC #MDT #Zongertinib #Sevabertinib #Osimertinib #OncologyBrothers

CME credits: 0.50 Valid until: 05-11-2026 Claim your CME credit at https://reachmd.com/programs/cme/the-hidden-threat-transforming-ckd-care-across-the-diabetes-spectrum/36523/ Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common complication in type 2 diabetes that is closely linked to cardiovascular risk and often diagnosed late. Early detection with UACR and eGFR, plus treatment with therapies such as SGLT2 inhibitors, finerenone, and GLP-1 receptor agonists, has transformed treatment and guideline recommendations. Attention is now shifting to CKD in type 1 diabetes. Ongoing trials, such as FINE-ONE with finerenone, may soon expand therapeutic options and ensure no patient is left behind. =

Good morning from Pharma Daily: the podcast that brings you the most important developments in the pharmaceutical and biotech world. Today, we're diving into a series of fascinating advancements and strategic movements that are shaping the landscape of drug development and patient care.Starting with a significant milestone in precision oncology, China has approved its first EGFR-targeted antibody-drug conjugate. This approval marks a pivotal moment in the industry's shift towards targeted therapies, which promise more precise treatment options with potentially fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy. Targeted therapies are at the forefront of personalized medicine, where treatments are tailored to individual genetic profiles, offering hope for more effective cancer care.In the realm of HIV prevention, Gilead Sciences has reported impressive sales for its new long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis medication, Yetztugo. Since its launch in June 2025, Yetztugo has generated $54 million in U.S. sales, underscoring the demand for long-term HIV prevention solutions. This development is part of Gilead's broader strategy to strengthen its HIV franchise as it advances its pipeline with promising candidates like GS-3242 alongside lenacapavir. The aim is to develop treatments that require less frequent dosing, which could significantly improve patient adherence and outcomes. Despite challenges within its HIV portfolio and declining Veklury sales, Gilead Sciences is actively seeking growth opportunities through strategic partnerships and pipeline advancements—an essential approach for navigating patent cliffs while sustaining long-term growth.On the financial front, AbbVie has increased its revenue forecast by $400 million to a staggering $60.9 billion, driven by robust sales from its immunology drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq. These treatments address chronic inflammatory conditions like psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, reflecting AbbVie's strong positioning in this therapeutic area despite competitive pressures. AbbVie continues to report strong earnings from Skyrizi and Rinvoq, reinforcing its dominance in the immunology market and highlighting the profitable nature of successful biologics in treating chronic inflammatory diseases.Biogen continues to bolster its multiple sclerosis franchise by focusing on both legacy treatments and new product launches. This strategy highlights the importance of balancing innovation with lifecycle management to maintain market strength against generic competition—a common challenge in the industry.Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics has taken a cautious stance by not endorsing leucovorin for autism treatment due to insufficient evidence. This decision emphasizes the critical need for rigorous, evidence-based practices in developing clinical guidelines for complex disorders like autism.Internationally, CSL Seqirus has partnered with Saudi Arabia to supply cell-based influenza vaccines and support local production capabilities. This move aligns with global efforts to enhance pandemic preparedness and healthcare resilience through local manufacturing initiatives.The volatile nature of the biotech sector is evident with reports of 16 companies ceasing operations in 2025 due to high R&D costs and regulatory challenges. Despite these closures, such volatility opens doors for new innovations that could address unmet medical needs.Turning our attention to obesity treatment, Eli Lilly stands at a crucial juncture with its novel obesity medication, orforglipron. The company aims to make this weight loss pill accessible while maintaining financial viability for future R&D—a balancing act faced by many pharmaceutical companies as they strive to deliver affordable yet innovative treatments amid growing global health concerns. However, not all R&D efforts reach fruition. Eli Lilly has decided to discontinue its mid-stage program Support the show

In this episode, Dr. Kharrazian is joined by renowned physician Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, a pioneering voice in environmental medicine and toxicology. Together, they dive into the hidden world of environmental toxins—discussing the staggering number of chemicals we're exposed to every day, why testing for toxins can be more complex than most realize, and which common exposures may be silently sabotaging our health.Dr. Pizzorno reveals the challenges in accurately measuring toxic load, the wide differences in our bodies' abilities to detoxify, and why focusing on exposure and biological damage is often more useful than hunting for specific chemicals in the blood or urine. You'll learn about practical strategies for identifying and reducing toxin exposure, the synergistic effects of multiple chemicals, and simple steps you can take to support your body's natural defenses.For patient-oriented functional medicine courses, visit https://drknews.com/online-courses/For practitioner functional medicine certification courses, visit https://kharrazianinstitute.com/For Certified Functional Nutrition education for both practitioners and lay people, visit https://afnlm.com/00:00 Assessing Exposure and Detox Challenges03:37 "Assessing Synergistic Environmental Toxins"07:09 "Toxic Load vs. Disease Correlation"11:24 Tea Habits and Water Concentration16:24 Chemical Impact on Neurological Health17:48 Persistent Human-Made Molecules23:20 Bisphenols Lowering Children's IQ26:18 Chemical Food Sources & Glyphosate Exposure28:26 Cerrillini's Impact on Glyphosate Regulation32:50 "Assessing Kidney Toxicity via EGFR"36:44 "Enhancing Body Detoxification"37:42 "Detox Strategy: Sweat and Monitor"Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/solving-the-puzzle-with-dr-datis-kharrazian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast, experts Tina Cascone, MD, PhD; Christina Baik, MD, MPH; and David Planchard, MD, PhD discuss data-driven treatment for EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.

Join us for another insightful episode of The Oncology Brothers as we dive into the Challenging Case Series! In this episode, we were joined by Dr. Eric Singhi, a thoracic medical oncologist from MD Anderson, to discuss the complexities of treating EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We explored the latest treatment options, including: •⁠  ⁠Osimertinib •⁠  ⁠Amivantamab plus Lazertinib (based on the MARIPOSA trial) •⁠  ⁠Osimertinib plus chemotherapy (from the FLAURA2 trial) Listen in as we analyze real-life patient cases, focusing on a 58-year-old gentleman with CNS involvement and a 66-year-old woman experiencing disease progression after initial treatment. Dr. Singhi shared valuable insights on the importance of supportive care, the impact of treatment combinations, and the significance of repeat tissue profiling. Key topics covered: •⁠  ⁠The latest data from the MARIPOSA and FLAURA2 trials •⁠  ⁠Strategies for managing side effects and improving patient quality of life •⁠  ⁠The role of multidisciplinary teams in treatment planning •⁠  ⁠The importance of understanding resistance patterns in treatment decisions Whether you're a healthcare professional or simply interested in oncology, this episode is packed with essential information and expert perspectives.  Follow us on social media: •⁠  ⁠X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/oncbrothers •⁠  ⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oncbrothers •⁠  Website: https://oncbrothers.com/ Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more episodes from The Oncology Brothers! #EGFRNSCLC #Mariposa #Amivantamab #Osimertinib #FLAURA2 #OncologyBrothers #LungCancer

Featuring an interview with Dr Aaron Lisberg, including the following topics: Efficacy and Safety of Datopotamab Deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) for Patients with Previously Treated EGFR-Mutated Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): A Pooled Analysis of the TROPION-Lung01 and TROPION-Lung05 Trials (0:00) Ahn M-J et al. Efficacy and safety of datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) in patients (pts) with previously-treated EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): A pooled analysis of TROPION-Lung01 and TROPION-Lung05. ESMO Asia 2024;Abstract LBA7 Ahn M-J et al. A pooled analysis of datopotamab deruxtecan in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC. J Thorac Oncol 2025;[Online ahead of print]. Abstract Sacituzumab Tirumotecan for Previously Treated Advanced EGFR-Mutated NSCLC: Results from the Randomized OptiTROP-Lung03 Study (7:08) Fang W et al. Sacituzumab tirumotecan versus docetaxel for previously treated EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer: Multicentre, open label, randomised controlled trial. BMJ 2025;389:e085680. Abstract Zhang L et al. Sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT) in patients (pts) with previously treated advanced EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Results from the randomized OptiTROP-Lung03 study. ASCO 2025;Abstract 8507. Combination of Dato-DXd and Immunotherapy as First-Line Therapy for Patients with Advanced NSCLC (13:12) Cuppens K et al. First-line (1L) datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) + durvalumab ± carboplatin in advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (a/mNSCLC): Results from TROPION-Lung04 (cohorts 2 and 4). ESMO Targeted Anticancer Therapies Congress 2025;Abstract 8O. Okamoto I et al. TROPION-Lung07: Phase III study of Dato-DXd + pembrolizumab ± platinum-based chemotherapy as 1L therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Future Oncol 2024;20(37):2927-36. Abstract Levy BP et al. TROPION-Lung08: Phase III study of datopotamab deruxtecan plus pembrolizumab as first-line therapy for advanced NSCLC. Future Oncol 2023;19(21):1461-72. Abstract Aggarwal C et al. AVANZAR: Phase III study of datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) + durvalumab + carboplatin as 1L treatment of advanced/mNSCLC. World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) 2023;Abstract P2.04-02. TROP2-Targeting Antibody-Drug Conjugates as Neoadjuvant and/or Adjuvant Therapy for Patients with Resectable NSCLC (19:08) A phase III, randomised, open-label, global study of adjuvant datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd) in combination with rilvegostomig or rilvegostomig monotherapy versus standard of care, following complete tumour resection, in participants with Stage I adenocarcinoma non-small cell lung cancer who are ctDNA-positive or have high-risk pathological features (TROPION-Lung12). NCT06564844 Cascone T et al. Perioperative durvalumab plus chemotherapy plus new agents for resectable non-small-cell lung cancer: The platform phase 2 NeoCOAST-2 trial. Nat Med 2025;31(8):2788-96. Abstract CME information and select publications

Good morning from Pharma Daily: the podcast that brings you the most important developments in the pharmaceutical and biotech world. Let's dive into the latest news shaping this dynamic industry.Bristol Myers Squibb recently made headlines with their acquisition of Orbital Therapeutics for a remarkable $1.5 billion. This strategic move is aimed at enhancing their in vivo cell therapy capabilities, particularly in treating autoimmune disorders. In vivo cell therapy is a pioneering approach that allows genetic modifications directly within a patient's body, potentially revolutionizing the treatment landscape for numerous conditions. This acquisition underscores Bristol Myers Squibb's commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovative cell therapy technologies and reflects a broader trend in the industry towards personalized medicine.In another significant development, AstraZeneca has aligned with the Trump administration's Most Favored Nation pricing program, agreeing to provide Medicaid drugs at prices competitive on a global scale. This decision marks a strategic shift towards cost reduction, especially in chronic disease management and respiratory therapeutics. The move is indicative of AstraZeneca's efforts to adapt to regulatory pressures and evolving policies that emphasize value-based healthcare delivery.Meanwhile, Ypsomed has announced plans to invest $248 million in establishing a manufacturing facility in North Carolina. This facility will focus on producing auto-injectors, essential for treating diabetes and metabolic disorders. The investment signifies a strategic operational expansion aimed at meeting rising demand in North America, highlighting the growing importance of drug delivery devices in the therapeutic landscape.Turning to clinical trials, Regeneron has unveiled promising Phase 1/2 data for its DB-OTO gene therapy targeting genetic hearing loss in children. By using AAV vectors to address DFNB9-related synaptic transmission deficits, this therapy could mark a breakthrough for those suffering from hereditary hearing conditions. Satellos has also presented encouraging Phase 1 results for SAT-3247, an oral small molecule targeting AAK1 in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, with plans to proceed to Phase 2 trials focused on muscle regeneration.In oncology, Taiho and Cullinan's Phase 2 data on zipalertinib showed efficacy against EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastases. This advancement highlights the potential of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in precision oncology. Similarly, Arcus Biosciences reported a median survival of 26.7 months for its combination therapy with domvanalimab and zimberelimab in gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma trials, underscoring the promise of TIGIT-targeted therapies.Assembly Biosciences has shared promising Phase 1b results for its ABI-5366 helicase-primase inhibitor, achieving an impressive 94% reduction in herpes simplex virus shedding. OS Therapies reported significant survival improvement with its OST-HER2 vaccine in recurrent pulmonary metastatic osteosarcoma patients, positioning HER2-targeting immunotherapies as promising cancer treatment interventions.Cabaletta Bio has made strides with its resecabtagene autoleucel CAR-T therapy, demonstrating B cell elimination without preconditioning in pemphigus vulgaris trials. This innovation opens new doors for autoimmune disease management through advanced cell therapies.On the business development front, Roche's out-licensing of its GLP-1/GIP agonist CT-388 to Chugai for diabetes and obesity treatment exemplifies strategic partnerships focused on addressing metabolic disorders through novel small molecules.The sector is also witnessing significant financial activities with Evommune filing an IPO to advance treatments for inflammatory conditions. Meanwhile, Quoin Pharmaceuticals raised $104.5 million through private placement to concentrate on rare disSupport the show

In today's episode, leading experts across oncology specialties previewed the key studies and data they are most anticipating ahead of the 2025 ESMO Congress. Dana M. Chase, MD, a professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at UCLA, discussed her excitement to see findings from a phase 1 trial (NCT05403554) investigating NI-1801 in patients with heavily pretreated, mesothelin-expressing platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer. Premal H. Thaker, MD, MS, the David G. and Lynn Mutch Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Research at Siteman Cancer Center in Saint Louis, Missouri, discussed the anticipation for findings from a multi-omic analysis of the phase 3 AtTEnd/ENGOT-EN7 trial (NCT03603184) of atezolizumab in patients with endometrial cancer and data demonstrating that the WES-derived Aneuploidy Score may identify patients with mismatch repair–deficient endometrial cancer who derive reduced benefit from immunotherapy. Zev Wainberg, MD, the Estelle, Abe, and Marjorie Sanders Chair in Cancer Research at UCLA, shared his anticipation for new data in gastrointestinal oncology, particularly the overall survival results from the phase 3 MATTERHORN trial (NCT04592913) of durvalumab plus fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel in patients with resectable gastric and gastroesophageal cancer, which are expected to provide pivotal updates following previously reported event-free survival outcomes. Sagus Sampath, MD, an associate clinical professor and medical director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope in Duarte, California, highlighted the phase 2 NorthStar trial (NCT03410043) evaluating osimertinib (Tagrisso) with or without local consolidative therapy in patients with metastatic EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

On this week's episode, Josh and Michael exchange the established treatment landscape of EGFR and ALK mutant NSCLC for the developing management of disease harbouring KRAS and MET mutations. The most common mutation meets one of the least common in this battle of therapeutic tenacity.Studies discussed in this episode:INSIGHT-2KRYSTAL-12For more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit www.inquisitiveonc.comPlease find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at inquisitiveonc@gmail.comArt courtesy of Taryn SilverMusic courtesy of AlisiaBeats: https://pixabay.com/users/alisiabeats-39461785/Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind is recorded with the support of education grants from our foundation partners Pfizer, Gilead Pharmaceuticals and Merck Pharmaceuticals. Our partners have access to the episode at the same time you do and have no editorial control over the content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

JCO PO author Dr. Asaf Maoz at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute shares insights into article, “Causes of Death Among Individuals with Lynch Syndrome in the Immunotherapy Era.” Host Dr. Rafeh Naqash and Dr. Maoz discuss the causes of death in individuals with LS and the evolving role of immunotherapy. TRANSCRIPT Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Hello, and welcome to JCO Precision Oncology Conversations, where we bring you engaging conversations with authors of clinically relevant and highly significant JCOPO articles. I'm your host, Dr. Rafeh Naqash, podcast editor for JCO Precision Oncology and Associate Professor Medicine, at the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. Today, I'm super thrilled to be joined by Dr. Asaf Maoz, Medical Oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and faculty at the Harvard Medical School, and also lead author on the JCO Precision Oncology article entitled "Causes of Death Among Individuals with Lynch Syndrome in the Immunotherapy Era." This publication will be a concurrent publication with an oral presentation at the annual CGA meeting. At the time of this recording, our guest's disclosures will be linked in the transcript. Asaf, I'm excited to welcome you on this podcast. Thank you for joining us today. Dr. Asaf Maoz: Thank you so much for highlighting our paper. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Absolutely. And I was just talking to you that we met several years back when you were a trainee, and it looks like you've worked a lot in this field now, and it's very exciting to see that you consider JCOPO as a relevant home for some of your work. And the topic that you have published on is of significant interest to trainees from a precision medicine standpoint, to oncologists in general, covers a lot of aspects of immunotherapy. So, I'm really excited to talk to you about all of this. Dr. Asaf Maoz: Me too, me too. And yeah, I think JCOPO has great content in the area of cancer genetics and has done a lot to disseminate the knowledge in that area. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Wonderful. So, let's get started and start off, given that we have hosts of different kinds of individuals who listen to this podcast, especially when driving from home to work or back, for the sake of making everything simple, can we start by asking you what is Lynch syndrome? How is it diagnosed? What are some of the main things to consider when you're trying to talk an individual where you suspect Lynch syndrome? Dr. Asaf Maoz: Lynch syndrome is an inherited predisposition to cancer, and it is common. So, we used to think that, or there's a general notion in the medical community that it is a rare condition, but we actually know now from multiple studies, including studies that look at the general population and do genetic testing regardless of any clinical phenotype, that Lynch syndrome is found in about 1 in 300 people in the general population. If you think about it in the United States, that means that there are over a million people living with Lynch syndrome in the United States. Unfortunately, most individuals with Lynch syndrome don't know they have Lynch syndrome at the current time, and that's where a lot of the efforts in the community are being made to help detect more individuals who have Lynch syndrome. Lynch syndrome is caused by pathogenic germline variants in mismatch repair genes, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, or PMS2, or as a result of pathogenic variants in EPCAM that cause silencing of the MSH2 gene. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Excellent. Thank you for that explanation. Now, one of the other things I also realized, similar to BRCA germline mutations, where you require a second hit for individuals with Lynch syndrome to have mismatch repair deficient cancers, you also require a second hit to have that second hit result in an MSI-high cancer. Could you help us understand the difference of these two concepts where generally Lynch syndrome is thought of to be cancers that are mismatch repair deficient, but that's not necessarily true for all cases as we see in your paper. Can you tease this out for us a little bit more? Dr. Asaf Maoz: Of course, of course. So, the germline defect is in one of the mismatch repair genes, and these genes are responsible for DNA mismatch repair, as their name implies. Now, in a normal cell, we think that one working copy is generally enough to maintain the mismatch repair machinery intact. What happens in tumors, as you alluded to, is that there is a second hit in the same mismatch repair gene that has the pathogenic germline variant, and that causes the mismatch repair machinery not to work anymore. And so what happens is that there is formation of mutations in the cancer cell that are not present in other cells in the body. And we know that there are specific types of mutations that are associated with defects in mismatch repair mechanisms, and those are associated a lot of times with frameshift mutations. And we have termed them ‘microsatellites'. So there are areas in the genome that have repeats, for example, you know, if you have AAAA or GAGA, and those areas are particularly susceptible to mutations when the mismatch repair machinery is not working. And so we can measure that with DNA microsatellite instability testing. But we can also get a sense of whether the mismatch repair machinery is functioning by looking at protein expression on the surface of cancer cells and by doing immunohistochemistry. More recently, we're also able to infer whether the mismatch repair machinery is working by doing next-generation sequencing and looking at many, many microsatellites and whether they have this DNA instability in the microsatellites. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Excellent explanation. As a segue to what you just mentioned, and this reminds me of some work that one of my good friends, collaborators, Amin Nassar, whom you also know, I believe, had done a year and a half back, was published in Cancer Cell as a brief report, I believe, where the concept was that when you look at these mismatch repair deficient cancers, there is a difference between NGS testing, IHC testing, and maybe to some extent, PCR testing, where you can have discordances. Have you seen that in your clinical experience? What are some of your thoughts there? And if a trainee were to ask, what would be the gold standard to test individuals where you suspect mismatch repair deficient-related Lynch syndrome cancers? How would you test those individuals? Dr. Asaf Maoz: We do sometimes see discordance, you know, from large series, the concordance rate is very high, and in most series it's over 95%. And so from a practical perspective, if we're thinking about the recommendation to screen all colorectal cancer and all endometrial cancer for mismatch repair deficiency, I think either PCR-based testing or immunohistochemistry is acceptable because the concordance rate is very high. There are rare cases where it is not concordant, doing multiple of the tests makes sense at that time. If you think about the difference between the tests, the immunohistochemistry looks at protein expression, which is a surrogate for whether there is mismatch repair deficiency or not, right? Because ultimately, the mismatch repair deficiency is manifested in the mutations. So if the PCR does not show microsatellite instability and now NGS does not show microsatellite instability, the IHC may be a false positive. At the end of the day, the functional analysis of whether there are actually unstable microsatellites either by PCR or by NGS is what I would consider more informative. But IHC again is an excellent test and concordant with those results in over 95% of cases. Now there is also an issue of sampling. It's possible that there's heterogeneity within the tumor. We published a case in JCOPO about heterogeneity of the mismatch repair status, and that was both by immunohistochemistry, but also by PCR. So there are some caveats and interpreting these tests does require some expertise, and I'm always happy to chat with trainees or whoever has an interesting or challenging case. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Thanks again for that very easy to understand explanation. Now going to management strategies, could you elaborate a little bit upon the neo-adjuvant data currently, or the metastatic data which I think more people are familiar with for immunotherapy in individuals with MSI-high cancers? Dr. Asaf Maoz: Yeah, that's an excellent question and obviously a very broad topic. Individuals with Lynch syndrome typically develop tumors that are mismatch repair deficient or microsatellite unstable. And we have seen over the last 15 years or so that these tumors, because they have a lot of mutations and because these mutations are very immunogenic, we have seen that they respond very well to immunotherapy. And this has been shown across disease sites and has been shown across disease settings. And for that reason, immunotherapy was approved for MSI-high or mismatch repair deficient cancer regardless of the anatomic site. It was the first tissue-agnostic approval by the FDA in 2017. And so there are exciting studies both in the metastatic setting where we see individuals who respond to immunotherapy for many years, and one could wonder whether their cancer is going to come back or not. And also in the earlier setting, for example, the Cercek et al. study in the New England Journal from Sloan Kettering, where they showed that neoadjuvant immunotherapy can cause durable responses for rectal cancer that is mismatch repair deficient. And in that series, the patients did not require surgery or radiation, which is standard of care for rectal cancer otherwise. And there's also exciting data in the adjuvant space, as was presented in ASCO by Dr. Sinicrope, the ATOMIC study, and many more efforts to bring immunotherapy into the treatment landscape for individuals with MSI-high cancer, including individuals with Lynch syndrome. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: A lot of activity, especially in the neo-adjuvant and adjuvant space over the last two years or so. Now going to the actual reason why we are here is your study. Could you tell us why you looked at this idea of patients who had Lynch syndrome and died, and the reasons for their death? What was the thought that triggered this project? Dr. Asaf Maoz: As we were talking about, we now know that immunotherapy really has changed the treatment landscape for individuals with Lynch syndrome, and that most cancers that individuals with Lynch syndrome do have this mismatch repair deficiency. But we also know that individuals with Lynch syndrome can develop tumors that do not have mismatch repair deficiency, and we call them mismatch repair proficient or microsatellite stable. And there was a series from Memorial Sloan Kettering showing that in colorectal cancer, about 10% of the tumors that individuals with Lynch syndrome developed did not have mismatch repair deficiency. In addition to that, we anecdotally saw that some of our patients with Lynch syndrome died of causes that were not mismatch repair deficient tumors. We wanted to see how that has changed since immunotherapy was approved in a tissue-agnostic manner, meaning that we could look at this regardless of where the cancer started, because we would anticipate that if the tumor was mismatch repair deficient, the patient would be able to access immunotherapy as standard of care. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Thank you. And then you looked at different aspects of correlations with regards to individuals that had an MSI-high cancer with Lynch syndrome or an MSS cancer with Lynch syndrome. Could you elaborate on some of the important findings that you identified as well as some of the unusual findings that perhaps we did not know about, even though the sample size is limited, but what were some of the unique things that you did identify through this project? Dr. Asaf Maoz: The first question was what cause is leading to death in individuals with Lynch syndrome? And we had 54 patients that we identified that had died since the approval of immunotherapy in 2017, 44 of which died of cancer-related causes. And when we looked at cancer-related causes of death, we wanted to know how many of those were due to mismatch repair deficient tumors versus mismatch repair proficient tumors or MS-stable tumors. And we found, somewhat surprisingly, that 43% of patients in our cohort actually died of tumors that were microsatellite stable or mismatch repair proficient, meaning of tumors that are not typically associated with Lynch syndrome. This is not entirely surprising as a cause of death because we know that immunotherapy does not typically work for tumors that are microsatellite stable. And so in the metastatic setting, there are much less cases of durable remissions with treatment. But it was helpful to have that figure as an important benchmark. There are previous studies about causes of death in Lynch syndrome, and particularly from the Prospective Lynch Syndrome Database in Europe. Those have provided really important information about cause of death by cancer site, but they typically don't have mismatch repair status and are more difficult to interpret in that regard. They also don't include a large number of individuals who have PMS2 Lynch syndrome, which is the most common, but least penetrant form of Lynch syndrome. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: As far as the subtype of pathogenic germline variants is concerned, did you notice anything unusual? And I've always had this question, and you may know more about this data, is: In the bigger context of immunotherapy, does the type of the pathogenic germline variant for Lynch syndrome associated MSI-high cancers, does that impact or have an association with the kind of outcomes, how soon a cancer progresses or how many exceptional responders perhaps with MSI-high cancers actually have a certain specific pathogenic germline variant? Dr. Asaf Maoz: That's an excellent question, and certainly we need more data in that space. We know that the type of germline mutation, or the gene in which there is a germline pathogenic variant, determines to a large degree the cancer risk, right? So we know that individuals who have germline pathogenic variants in MLH1 or MSH2 have a much higher colorectal cancer risk than, for example, PMS2. We know that for PMS2, the risks are more limited to colorectal and endometrial, and may be lower risk of other cancers. We also know that, you know, the spectrum of disease may change based on the pathogenic germline variants. For example, individuals who have MSH2 associated Lynch syndrome have more risk of additional cancers in other organs like the urinary tract and other less common Lynch-associated tumors. The question about response to therapy is one where we have much less information. There are studies that are trying to assess this, but I don't think the answer is there yet. Some of the non-clinical data looks at how many mutations there are based on the pathogenic variant and what the nature of those mutations are, whether they're more frameshift or others. But I think we still need more clinical data to understand whether the response to immunotherapy differs. It's also complicated by the fact that the immunotherapy landscape is changing, especially in the metastatic setting, now with the approval of combination ipilimumab and nivolumab for first-line treatment of colorectal cancer that is microsatellite unstable. But in our study, we did find that, as you would expect, there is an enrichment in MS-stable cancers among those with PMS2 Lynch syndrome. Again, our denominator is those who died, right? So this is not the best way to look at the question whether this is overall true, that is more addressed by the study that Sloan Kettering published. But we do see, as we would anticipate, that there are more microsatellite stable cancers among those with PMS2 Lynch syndrome that died. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: A lot to uncover there for sure. This study and perhaps some of the other work that you're doing is slowly advancing our understanding of some of these concepts. So I'd like to shift gears to a couple of provocative questions that I generally like to ask. The first is, in your opinion, and you may or may not have data to back this up, which is okay, and that's why we're having a conversation about it. In your opinion, do you think the type or the quality of the neoantigen is different based on the pathogenic germline variant and a Lynch syndrome associated MSI-high cancer? Dr. Asaf Maoz: I think there are some data out there that, you know, I can't cite off the top of my mind, but there are some data out there that suggest that that may be the case. I think the key question is the quality, right? I think that whether these differences that are found on a molecular level also translate to a clinical difference in response is something that is unknown at this moment. Some people hypothesize that if the tumor has less neoantigens, there's less of a response to immunotherapy. But I think we really need to be careful before making those assertions on a clinical level. I do think it's a really important question that needs to be answered, among others because, you know, in the colorectal space, for example, where we have both the option of doing ipilimumab with nivolumab and the option of doing pembrolizumab, we don't really know which patients need the CTLA-4 blockade versus which patients can receive PD-1 blockade alone and avoid the potential excess toxicity of the CTLA-4 blockade. There are a lot of interesting questions there that still need to be answered. And of course, individuals with Lynch syndrome are just a fraction of those individuals who have MSI-high cancer. So there's also the question about whether non-Lynch syndrome associated MSI-high cancer responds differently to immunotherapy than Lynch syndrome associated MSI-high cancer. A lot of very interesting questions in the field for sure. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Absolutely. My second question is more about trying to understand the role of ctDNA, MRD monitoring in individuals with Lynch syndrome. If somebody has a germline, you know, Lynch syndrome MSI-high cancer, when you do a tumor-informed ctDNA assessment, what do you capture generally there? Because, and this question stems from a discussion I've had with somebody regarding EGFR lung cancer, since I treat individuals with lung cancer, and the concept generally is that even if the tissue showed EGFR, but for MRD monitoring, when you do a barcoded sequence of different tumor specific mutations, it's not actually the EGFR that they track in the blood when they do ctDNA assessment. But from a Lynch syndrome standpoint, if you have a germline, right, which is the first hit, and then you have the somatic in the tumor, which is the second hit, are you aware or have you tried to look into this where what is exactly being followed if one had to follow MRD in a Lynch syndrome MSI-high colorectal cancer? Dr. Asaf Maoz: I think a lot of the MRD assays are proprietary, and so we don't receive information about what the mutations that are being tracked are. In general, the idea is to track mutations that we would not expect to disappear as part of resistant mechanisms. We want these to be truncal mutations. We want these to be mutations in which resistance is not expected to result in reversion mutations. But what specifically is being tracked is something that I don't know because these assays, the tumor-informed ones, are proprietary, and we don't get the results regarding specific mutations. When it's circulating tumor DNA that is not necessarily tumor-informed, we do get those results, but that is less so about the specific selection of mutations. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Thank you for clarifying that question to some extent, of course, as you said, we don't know a lot, and we don't know what we don't know. That's the most important thing that I've learned in the process of understanding precision medicine and genomics, and it's a very fast-paced evolving field. Last question related to your project, what is the next step? Are you planning any next steps as a bigger multicenter study or validation of some sort? Dr. Asaf Maoz: There are two big questions that this study raises. One, is this true across multiple other sites, right? Because this is a single center study, and we really need additional centers to look at their data and validate whether they are also seeing that a substantial portion of deaths in individuals with Lynch syndrome are attributable to mismatch repair proficient cancer. The other question is whether we can look at specifically MSI-high cancer versus MS-stable cancer and understand what the mortality rate for each of those are. From a clinical perspective, it's important to counsel individuals with Lynch syndrome about general cancer screening outside of mismatch repair deficient tumors and to understand that there is also a risk of mismatch repair proficient tumors and that treatment for those tumors would be different. There's a lot of work to be done in the future. Another major area of need is to see whether tumors that are microsatellite stable can be sensitized to immunotherapy, and that is beyond the Lynch syndrome field, but that is something that certainly would benefit these individuals with Lynch syndrome who develop mismatch repair proficient cancer. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: That's very interesting to hear, and we'll look forward to seeing some of those developments shape in the next few years. Now, I'd like to spend a minute, minute and a half on you specifically as a researcher, clinician, scientist. Could you briefly highlight - because I remember meeting you several years back as a trainee, with your interest in genomics, computational research - could you briefly tell us what led you to hereditary cancer syndromes based on your research and work? What are some of the things that you learned along the way that other early career investigators can perhaps take lessons from? Dr. Asaf Maoz: Big questions there, thanks for asking. I got interested in the field of hereditary cancer syndromes when I came to the United States and started doing lab research in Stephen Gruber's lab at the time at USC. He's now at City of Hope. And my interest was originally looking at immunotherapy and immunology, but I went to the case conferences where we were learning about individuals with hereditary cancer, and those were kind of earlier days where we were still trying to figure out how to test and what the implications for these individuals would be. And through fellowship, I was also very interested in that, and I did my senior fellowship years with Dr. Yurgelun here at Dana-Farber, who is the director of the Lynch Syndrome Center. And I I think it's the combination between being able to treat individuals based on precision medicine and what the germline mutation is, but also the ability to prevent cancer and to develop strategies to intercept cancer early that is really appealing to me in this field. It's also a great field to be in because it's a small field. If you come to the CGA-IGC meeting, you'll be able to interact with everyone. Everyone is super collaborative, super nice, and I really recommend it to trainees. The CGA-IGC annual meeting is really a great opportunity to learn more and experience some of the advancement specifically in the GI hereditary space. Lessons for trainees. I think there are a lot of lessons that I could think about, but I think finding strong and supportive mentors is one of the things that has helped me most. I think that just having close relationship with your mentor, having frequent discussions and honest discussions about what is feasible, what is going to make a difference for your patients and your research and what you want to focus on is really important. And so I think if I had to choose one thing, I would say choose a mentor that you trust, that you feel you have a good relationship with, and that has the availability to support you. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Thank you so much for those insightful comments, and thank you for sharing with us your journey, your project, and some of your interesting thoughts on this concept of hereditary cancers. Hopefully, we'll see more of this work being published in JCOPO through your lab or work from others. Dr. Asaf Maoz: Thank you so much. I appreciate the opportunity to be here. Dr. Rafeh Naqash: Thank you for listening to JCO Precision Oncology Conversations. Don't forget to give us a rating or review and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find all ASCO shows at ASCO.org/podcasts. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.

In today's episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Lyudmila Bazhenova, MD, about the FDA approval of sunvozertinib (Zegfrovy) for patients with EGFR-mutated metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Dr Bazhenova is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego (UCSD); as well as a medical oncologist at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center. In our exclusive interview, Dr Bazhenova discussed the significance of this approval, key efficacy and safety data from the pivotal the phase 1/2 WU-KONG1B trial (NCT03974022), and how the use of sunvozertinib in the NSCLC treatment paradigm may propel future possibilities for the use of EGFR-directed agents in this disease.

In this episode, Michael and Josh take a dive into the world of driver mutations, looking at two of the most clinically consequential: EGFR and ALK mutations. The work done in these areas has led to treatments that represent incredible advances over chemotherapy. How incredible? You'll just have to listen and find out.Studies discussed in this episode:MARIPOSACROWNFor more episodes, resources and blog posts, visit www.inquisitiveonc.comPlease find us on Twitter @InquisitiveOnc!If you want us to look at a specific trial or subject, email us at inquisitiveonc@gmail.comArt courtesy of Taryn SilverMusic courtesy of AlisiaBeats: https://pixabay.com/users/alisiabeats-39461785/Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. If you are unwell, seek medical advice.Oncology for the Inquisitive Mind is recorded with the support of education grants from our foundation partners Pfizer, Gilead Pharmaceuticals and Merck Pharmaceuticals. Our partners have access to the episode at the same time you do and have no editorial control over the content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lung Cancer Considered: Targeting EGFR NSCLC by IASLC

As part of IASLC's ongoing series of Lung Cancer Considered podcasts in world languages, Dr. Lizza Hendriks moderates a discussion in Dutch with Dr. Marthe Paats and Dr. Gerrina Ruiter on the treatment of EGFR non-small cell lung cancer.

In this episode, we explore the evolving role of surrogate endpoints in the management of IgA nephropathy (IgAN), with a particular focus on the significance of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Of the completed Phase 3 trials in IgAN, one used time-weighted average eGFR, an area under the curve-based measure that reflects the average change in eGFR from baseline over a specified period, in this case, over the full 2-year study period. The other trial used total eGFR slope to describe the overall rate of change over 2 years. But what do these endpoints mean outside the setting of a clinical trial? Expert insights shed light on how proteinuria and eGFR trends can inform prognosis and guide treatment decisions in clinical practice over the long term. Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of how to interpret eGFR changes over time and apply this knowledge to optimize patient care. Designed for nephrology professionals, this episode offers practical, evidence-based perspectives on integrating these surrogate endpoints into the care of patients with IgAN. Supported by Calliditas Therapeutics Upon completion of the podcast, please take a moment to complete a brief survey: https://kidneyforms.tfaforms.net/4728109

Good morning from Pharma and Biotech Daily: the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in Pharma and Biotech world.Genmab has acquired Merus, a rising star in the field of oncology, for $8 billion. The acquisition includes Merus' bispecific antibody, petosemtamab, which targets EGFR and LGR5 and has shown potential for head-and-neck cancer. In other news, GSK CEO Emma Walmsley is stepping down after nine years, with Chief Commercial Officer Luke Miels set to replace her next year. The FDA's decision to disclose complete response letters in real-time has raised questions about transparency and the agency's role. Additionally, Biogen has shuffled staff after ending work on AAV, while Heidelberg has cut 75% of its staff after missed royalty payments.The FDA's real-time disclosure of complete response letters benefits investors by providing greater visibility into regulatory decisions. In September, the FDA's actions included boosting Keytruda while rejecting two spinal muscular atrophy therapies due to manufacturing issues. A judge's ruling on the FDA's authority over laboratory-developed tests reflects the impact of a recent Supreme Court decision. Six FDA decisions to watch for in Q4 could have significant implications for the biopharma industry and patients. Recent developments include positive results for an immuneering asset in pancreatic cancer, FDA approval for Lilly's oral SERD for breast cancer, and positive outcomes for uniQure's Huntington's therapy. Additionally, the FDA is streamlining development of cell, gene, and regenerative therapies. Other news includes the revival of a dormant drug as a potential autism treatment, setbacks in obesity studies, and unexpected rejections for certain therapies. Upcoming webinars and job opportunities are also highlighted.Listeners are encouraged to provide feedback on topics they would like to see covered in future episodes.

The first growth factors identified and studied during the early 1970s were Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) and Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). It was soon demonstrated that EGF and NGF mediate their cellular and physiological effects by binding to specific cell membrane receptors: the EGF receptor (EGFR) and the NGF receptor (NGFR), respectively. The mechanisms of activation and signaling of these receptors were compared to those of insulin and IGF1, which bind and activate the Insulin Receptor (IR) and IGF1 Receptor (IGF1R). These comparisons gained further significance with the discovery that EGFR, NGFR, IR, IGF1R, and many other membrane receptors belong to the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family of cell signaling molecules. Early insights into the activation and signaling mechanisms of EGFR revealed that ligand binding to its extracellular domain induces and stabilizes the formation of EGFR dimers. This dimerization plays a critical role in activating the receptor's intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity. Through an intermolecular process, this activation leads to the autophosphorylation of multiple tyrosine residues in the C-terminal tail of EGFR. The cytoplasmic domain of EGFR serves not only as an enzyme that phosphorylates various substrates but also as a scaffold that recruits and regulates multiple signaling proteins through complex formation. While different ligands induce RTK dimerization and activation through variations on a shared theme, this paradigm is universal among all RTKs and is similarly observed in the activation of other surface receptors. Further important discoveries regarding the mode of action of EGFR and other RTKs made during the 1970s and 1980s include the following: Signaling Modules: Molecules containing SH2, SH3, and other small protein modules were found to play key roles in mediating cellular activities downstream of RTKs and many other signaling molecules. Ligand-Dependent Endocytosis: Ligand binding to the extracellular domain of RTKs stimulates receptor-mediated endocytosis and intracellular trafficking ,which are essential for proper signal transduction. Oncogenic Mutations: A variety of gain-of-function oncogenic mutations were identified in EGFR and other RTKs. These mutations were shown to be critical drivers of many human cancers. These early discoveries, along with others made during the 1980s, laid the conceptual groundwork for the development of targeted therapies. They paved the way for the discovery and clinical application of more than 50 targeted small-molecule cancer drugs and therapeutic antibodies, which have significantly improved patient outcomes in oncology.

In this episode, Dr. Paul Wheatley-Price is back for another update into all the newest highlights from recent clinical trials for EGFR-positive lung cancer treatments. Dr. Stephen Liu is the Director of Thoracic Oncology and Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and he co-hosts his own podcast with the IASLC, "Lung Cancer Considered". They are also joined by Emi Bossio, a passionate patient advocate who lives with EGFR+ lung cancer and has a number of roles, including as a member on LCC's Board of Directors.

Join us in this episode of the Oncology Brothers podcast as we dive into the highlights from the World Conference on Lung Cancer 2025! We are joined by Dr. Balazs Halmos, a thoracic medical oncologist at the Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center, to discuss three pivotal studies that are shaping the future of lung cancer treatment. In this episode, we covered: •⁠  ⁠FLAURA2 Trial: Discover the significant overall survival benefits of combining osimertinib with chemotherapy for patients with EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer, and how it compares to single-agent osimertinib. •⁠  ⁠HARMONi Trial: Explore the intriguing yet complex findings of a new bi-specific antibody targeting PD-1 and VEGF in patients with progressive EGFR-mutated disease, and the implications of its current negative results. •⁠  ⁠ALCHEMIST Trial: Learn about the role of crizotinib in the adjuvant setting for ALK-positive lung cancer and why it reinforces alectinib as the standard of care. Tune in for an insightful discussion on the latest advancements in precision medicine, the importance of ctDNA, and the evolving landscape of lung cancer treatment.  Follow us on social media: •⁠  ⁠X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/oncbrothers •⁠  ⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oncbrothers •⁠  Website: https://oncbrothers.com/ Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more updates from the Oncology Brothers!

Today, I'm joined by the remarkable Dr. Robin Rose—a pioneering physician, author, and survivor who refused to accept a devastating kidney disease diagnosis as her fate. Instead of waiting for dialysis, Robin dove deep into the world of diet, detoxification, peptides, and bioregulators, turning her health crisis into a calling and culminating in her groundbreaking new book on chronic kidney disease. In our conversation, Robin shares why kidneys are often the “forgotten organ,” the real reasons so many cases of kidney decline go undetected, and how lifestyle choices—from protein intake to environmental toxins—can be both the problem and the path to healing. We get personal about the subtle symptoms, practical lab markers, and actionable steps you can take right now to protect your kidney health for the long term.   FREE GIFT: I made a free gift to thank you for listening: a quick list of my Top 5 Peptides. Grab yours here natniddam.com/top5. Episode Timestamps: Robin Rose's kidney journey ... 00:02:00 Kidney disease often missed ... 00:04:00 Early detection & eGFR ... 00:10:00 High protein diet caution ... 00:16:00 Kidney-friendly diet basics ... 00:25:00 Gut toxins & kidney health ... 00:27:00 Potassium, phosphorus labs ... 00:37:00 Mindset in recovery ... 00:39:00 Top kidney supplements ... 00:43:00 Peptides & bioregulators intro ... 00:47:00 Bioregulator dosing & cycling ... 00:52:00 Clotho & aging ... 00:57:00 Book & hopeful takeaway ... 01:04:00   Our Amazing Sponsors: Qualia Senolytic - A cutting-edge formula designed to help your body eliminate senescent cells, also known as “zombie cells.” Go to qualialife.com/NATHALIE  and use promo code NATHALIE to get 15% off—and try it risk-free with their 100-day money-back guarantee.   NEW Timeline Gummies: Urolithin A supports muscle strength and cellular energy. It's about improving how your body functions at the source. Mitopure is the only clinically proven Urolithin A, giving you 6 times more than you'd get from a glass of pomegranate juice. Visit Timeline.com/nat20 and use code nat20 for 20% off your purchase.   Ultimate GI Repair by LVLUP Health - Whether you're struggling with digestive discomfort or want to strengthen your gut health, Ultimate GI Repair provides the comprehensive support your body needs to restore balance. The ingredients are unmatched! Visit https://lvluphealth.com/ and use code NAT at checkout for 20 % off.   Nat's Links:  YouTube Channel Join My Membership Community Sign up for My Newsletter  Instagram  Facebook Group

The 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer just concluded, and there are several notable updates concerning treatment of EGFR-mutated NSCLC. 1. The COMPEL study tries to find the value of continuing osimertinib (with the addition of chemotherapy) after progression on osimertinib. The results are, well, compelling! 2/3. We now have updates on the OS benefits of osimertinib + chemotherapy (FLAURA2) and amivantamab + lazertinib (MARIPOSA) compared to osimertinib monotherapy in initial treatment of metastatic disease. 4. NEOADAURA tries to determine if neoadjuvant osimertinib has value, but longer follow-up will be needed to assess this practice.

In this special WCLC 2025 episode of Lung Cancer Considered, hosts Dr. Narjust Florez and Dr. Stephen Liu discuss highlights from the conference. Dr. Susan Scott discusses EGFR mutant NSCLC and results from PALOMA-2 and subcutaneous amivantamab. Dr. Wenfeng Fang discusses Iza-Bren (BL-D01D1), a first-in-class EGFR x HER-3 biospecific ADC linked to a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor payload, with promising preliminary activity in EGFR positive previously treated NSCLC. Dr. Biagio Ricciuti shares his insights from WCLC 2025, including the FLAURA-2 OS readout, the HARMONi trial in EGFR positive NSCLC, and his research in the use of immunotherapy in early-stage lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. While the development of targeted therapies has improved outcomes for many patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC, those with rare EGFR variants often face limited treatment options, especially when the disease involves the central nervous system (CNS). A recent research paper, titled “Durable complete response in leptomeningeal disease of EGFR mutated non-small cell lung cancer to amivantamab, an EGFR-MET receptor bispecific antibody, after progressing on osimertinib” published in Volume 16 of Oncotarget, describes a patient with NSCLC harboring two uncommon EGFR mutations—G719A and A289V—who experienced a prolonged and clinically significant response to amivantamab monotherapy, after prior treatments had failed. Full blog - https://www.oncotarget.org/2025/08/26/amivantamab-monotherapy-in-rare-egfr-mutated-advanced-nsclc/ Paper DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28730 Correspondence to - Young Kwang Chae - young.chae@northwestern.edu Video short - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEiCz834a8c Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28730 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/ Keywords - cancer, amivantamab, monotherapy, rare EGFR mutation, NSCLC, leptomeningeal disease About Oncotarget Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science. Oncotarget is indexed and archived by PubMed/Medline, PubMed Central, Scopus, EMBASE, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science). To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/ X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

In this episode of the Oncology Brothers podcast, Drs. Rohit & Rahul Gosain welcome Dr. Jacob Sands, a thoracic medical oncologist from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, to discuss the recent FDA approval of Dato-DXD (datopotamab deruxtecan) for previously treated EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Key Topics: •⁠  ⁠Overview of Dato-DXd and its FDA approval •⁠  ⁠Mechanism of action and study design of the TROPION Lung trials •⁠  ⁠Efficacy and safety profile of Dato-DXd •⁠  ⁠Management of side effects and clinical pearls •⁠  ⁠Treatment sequencing for EGFR-mutated NSCLC Join us as we dive into the details of the TROPION Lung trials that led to this significant approval, the mechanism of action of Dato-DXd, and the implications for patients with various EGFR mutations.  Dr. Sands shared insights on the study design, efficacy, and tolerability of this new antibody-drug conjugate, as well as important clinical pearls for managing side effects such as stomatitis, dry eyes, and interstitial lung disease (ILD). We also explored the current treatment landscape for EGFR-mutated NSCLC, including the sequencing of therapies and the potential role of Dato-DXd in clinical practice. Tune in for an informative discussion that highlights the exciting advancements in oncology and the hope they bring to patients. Follow us on social media: •⁠  ⁠X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/oncbrothers •⁠  ⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oncbrothers •⁠  Website: https://oncbrothers.com/ Don't forget to like, subscribe, and check out our other episodes for more insights into the world of oncology!

“Colorectal cancer treatment is not just about eliminating a disease. It's about preserving life quality and empowering patients through every phase. So I think nurses are really at the forefront that we can do that in the oncology nursing space. So from early detection to survivorship, the journey is deeply personal. Precision medicine, compassionate care, and informed decision-making are reshaping outcomes. Treatment's just not about protocols. It's about people,” ONS member Kris Mathey, DNP, APRN-CNP, AOCNP®, gastrointestinal medical oncology nurse practitioner at The James Cancer Hospital of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BS, AOCNS®, manager of oncology nursing practice at ONS, during a conversation about colorectal cancer treatment.  Music Credit: “Fireflies and Stardust” by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0  Earn 1.0 contact hour of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at courses.ons.org by August 1, 2026. The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Learning outcome: Learner will report an increase in knowledge related to the treatment of colorectal cancer. Episode Notes  Complete this evaluation for free NCPD. ONS Podcast™ episodes: Episode 370: Colorectal Cancer Screening, Early Detection, and Disparities Episode 153: Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Has More Treatment Options Than Ever Before ONS Voice articles: Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Screening, Treatment, and Survivorship Recommendations Genetic Disorder Reference Sheet: Lynch Syndrome (Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer) How Liquid Biopsies Are Used in Cancer Treatment Selection Oncology Drug Reference Sheet: 5-Fluorouracil Oncology Drug Reference Sheet: Oxaliplatin What Is a Liquid Biopsy? Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing article: Colorectal Cancer in Young Adults: Considerations for Oncology Nurses Oncology Nursing Forum article: Neurotoxic Side Effects Early in the Oxaliplatin Treatment Period in Patients With Colorectal Cancer ONS Colorectal Cancer Learning Library ONS Biomarker Database (filtered by colorectal cancer) ONS Peripheral Neuropathy Symptom Interventions American Cancer Society colorectal cancer resources CancerCare Colorectal Cancer Alliance Colorectal Cancer Resource and Action Network Fight Colorectal Cancer National Comprehensive Cancer Network To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities.  To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library. To provide feedback or otherwise reach ONS about the podcast, email pubONSVoice@ons.org. Highlights From This Episode “Colorectal cancer has several different types, but there is one that dominates the landscape, and that is adenocarcinoma. So I think most of us have heard that. It's fairly common, and it accounts for about 95% of all colorectal cancers. It begins in the glandular cells lining the colon or rectum and often develops from polyps, in particular adenomatous polyps.” TS 1:41 “One of the biomarkers that we'll most commonly hear about is KRAS or NRAS mutations. This indicates tumor genetics, and these mutations suggest resistance to our EGFR inhibitors such as cetuximab. BRAF mutation or V600E is a more aggressive tumor subtype, and those may respond to our BRAF targeted therapy. … And then our MSI-high or MMR-deficient—microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiency—that really predicts an immunotherapy response and may indicate Lynch syndrome, which is a huge genetic component that takes a whole other level of counseling and genetic testing with our patients as well.” TS 6:02 “Polypectomy or a local excision—that removes our small tumors or polyps during that colonoscopy. And that's what's used for those stage 0 or early stage I cancers. A colectomy removes part or all of the colon. This may be open or laparoscopic. It can include a hemicolectomy, a segmental resection, or a total colectomy, so where you take out the entire part of the colon. A proctectomy removes part or all of the rectum. This may include a low anterior resection, also known as an LAR … or an abdominal perineal resection, which is an APR. … Colostomy or ileostomy—that diverts the stool to an external bag via stoma. Sometimes this is temporary or permanent depending on the type of surgery.” TS 14:11 “We'll have our patients say, ‘Hey, I want immunotherapy therapy. I see commercials on it that it works so well.' We have to make sure that these patients are good candidates for it, also that we're treating them adequately. We need to make sure that they have those biomarkers, so as I mentioned, the MSI-high or MMR tumors. Our MSS-stable tumors—they may benefit from newer combinations or clinical trials. Metastatic disease—immunotherapy may be used alone or with other treatments. And then in the neoadjuvant setting, some trials are really showing promising results using immunotherapy prior to surgery.” TS 25:38 “Antibody-drug conjugates are really an exciting frontier in all cancer treatments as well as colorectal cancer treatment. This is used mainly for patients with advanced or treatment-resistant disease, and these therapies combine the targeted power of monoclonal antibodies with the cell-killing ability of potent chemotherapy agents. They're still on the horizon for the most part in colorectal cancer. However, there is only one approved antibody-drug conjugate, or ADC, at this time, and that's trastuzumab deruxtecan, or Enhertu. That's approved for any solid tumor, such as colorectal cancer with HER2 IHC 3+. So again, looking back at that pathology in those markers, making sure that you have that HER2 mutation and that IHC.” TS 35:00 “There are a few myths going around about colorectal cancer treatment that can lead to confusion or even delayed care. One myth is only older men get colorectal cancer. As you heard me talk in my previous podcast on screening, unfortunately, this isn't necessarily true. Colorectal cancer affects both men and women and our cases in the younger population are rising. So our screening guidelines have changed to age 45 because we are seeing it in the younger population.” TS 45:54

In this episode, we discuss the evidence, safety, and place in therapy of Journavx® (suzetrigine), a newly approved analgesic with a unique non-opioid mechanism of action and additional considerations for its use. Key Concepts Suzetrigine is a first in its class NaV1.8 sodium channel blocker approved for short-term (14 days or less) pain relief in adults with moderate-to-severe pain. Unlike opioids, suzetrigine is non-sedating and non-dependence forming. Suzetrigine is taken as a whole pill without cutting, crushing, or chewing following a particular dosing schedule where the first dose is taken on an empty-stomach.  The most common side effects of suzetrigine include pruritus, muscle spasms, increased CPK, rash, and transient (reversible) eGFR decrease. Suzetrigine goes through CYP3A metabolism and therefore has significant interactions with CYP3A inducers and inhibitors. Use with strong inhibitors and moderate to strong inducers is not recommended. Dose reduction of suzetrigine is required if used with moderate inhibitors of CYP3A.  Although not formally adopted in a guideline recommendation, suzetrigine's current place in therapy can be moderate-to-severe acute pain relief in adult patients after NSAIDs/APAP options are exhausted, but before or in place of opioid therapy.  References Bertoch T, D'Aunno D, McCoun J, et al. Suzetrigine, a Nonopioid Na V 1.8 Inhibitor for Treatment of Moderate-to-severe Acute Pain: Two Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trials. Anesthesiology. 2025;142(6):1085-1099. doi:10.1097/ALN.0000000000005460