Articles

On April 29, 2020, the FDA accelerated the approval of the oral poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor niraparib (Zejula; GlaxoSmithKline) as the first and only drug approved for first-line maintenance therapy of all patients with advanced ovarian cancer—including epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer—who have had a complete or partial response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Read More ›

The Association for Value-Based Cancer Care held a webcast with healthcare experts representing major industry stakeholders to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on oncology delivery systems and the management of patients with cancer. Read More ›

On April 28, 2020, the FDA accelerated the approval of a new dosing regimen—400 mg every 6 weeks—for pembrolizumab (Keytruda; Merck) for all the 15 indications currently approved by the FDA for adults using this PD-1 inhibitor. The new dosing regimen is a new option in addition to the current dosing regimen of 200 mg every 3 weeks. This is great news for patients, as well as for oncology providers. Read More ›

In the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) webcast, titled Wholesale Supply Channels: COVID-19 Impact on Cancer Care and Road to Recovery, a panel of healthcare experts discussed issues related to wholesale supply channels for the distribution of drugs and medical/surgical supplies to community oncology care providers. Read More ›

Mitomycin gel (Jelmyto), an alkylating drug, is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for patients with low-grade upper-tract urothelial cancer (UTUC), a rare cancer that affects the lining of the urinary system, and offers a nonsurgical treatment alternative for patients with this rare disease. Although the majority of urothelial cancers occur in the bladder, UTUC is part of a group of urothelial cancers that arise in the lining of the kidney or the ureter. Read More ›

The Oncology Nurse-APN/PA spoke with Lisa Senerchia, RN, BSN, OCN, about her roles and responsibilities at the University of Chicago Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital, New Lenox, IL, and how a team-based treatment approach can improve the lives of patients with cancer. Read More ›

San Francisco, CA—Second-line treatment with a 3-drug regimen that included the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo), the VEGF receptor antagonist ramucirumab (Cyramza), and chemotherapy with the taxane paclitaxel, showed durable and impressive response rates, regardless of PD-L1 expression, in patients with advanced gastric cancers. Read More ›

San Francisco, CA—Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning targeted to detect prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is poised to overtake conventional imaging, according to presentations at the 2020 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. Read More ›