Oncology

Lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel, Breyanzi; Bristol Myers Squibb) approved for the second-line treatment of patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified, high-grade B-cell lymphoma, primary mediastinal LBCL, and follicular lymphoma grade 3B.

Breast cancer screening guidelines using mammography vary among guiding bodies, including the American Cancer Society and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Abemaciclib (Verzenio; Eli Lilly and Company) is an FDA-approved kinase inhibitor being investigated for new indications in individuals with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer and castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Combination therapy with both nivolumab and relatlimab leads to increased T-cell activation compared with monotherapy with either agent alone.

Andrea Iannucci, PharmD, BCOP, member of the Board of Directors of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA), discusses how HOPA works within and its impact on hematology/oncology pharmacy practice management.

Capecitabine (Xeloda) is indicated for adjuvant colon cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, and metastatic breast cancer.

Simplifying processes reduces errors in compounding, IV pump programming, and physician order entry.

Treatment identifies patients with ROS1 fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer or those with NTRK fusion-positive solid tumors for whom treatment with Rozlytrek may be appropriate.

In clinical trials, dabrafenib and trametinib showed meaningful efficacy in multiple BRAF-positive tumor types, including in patients with rare cancers who have no other treatment options available.

PAPs can significantly reduce OOP costs for patients.

Imlunestrant is currently under investigation as monotherapy or in combination with other anticancer therapies for patients with estrogen receptor-positive, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and endometrial cancer.

The treatment landscape for relapsed/refractory MZL and follicular lymphoma (FL) is shifting from intravenous chemotherapy and monoclonal antibodies to oral oncolytic therapy or CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

New study results show longer follow-up from phase ½ MajesTEC-1 study evaluating BCMAxCD3 bispecific antibody, including progression-free survival and subgroup analyses.

Individuals randomized to receive dabrafenib and trametinib had a statistically significant overall response rate of 47% compared with 11% for those who received chemotherapy.

The use of the treatment results in promising a response rate in patients with heavily pretreated RRMM, according to a presentation at the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting.

A patient with CLL relies on his pharmacy team for support.

Hispanic and individuals with lower incomes experienced sharper drops, reflecting emerging barriers and exacerbation of long-standing hurdles, analysis results indicate.

Social determinants of health (SDOH), which include social, economic, and physical conditions, have a major impact on people’s health, wellbeing, and quality of life.

Glycosite-specific antibody‒drug conjugates (gsADCs), harnessing Asn297 N-glycan of IgG Fc as the conjugation site for drug payloads, usually require multi-step glycoengineering with 2 or more enzymes, which limits the substrate diversification and complicates the preparation process.

The ATHENA-MONO trial is investigating the use of rucaparib as front line maintenance treatment in ovarian cancer.

Biosimilar therapeutic interchange processes can mitigate high costs of cancer drugs.

Selpercatinib (Retevmo, Loxo Oncology) is FDA-approved to treat 3 types of tumors—metastatic RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer, advanced medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) or MTC that has spread, and advanced RET fusion-positive thyroid cancer.

Expanded glomerular filtration rate (GFR) testing in the United States could be one step toward minimizing disparities in renal formulas, Beumer said.

Pembrolizumab is an anti-PD-1 therapy that works by increasing the ability of the immune system to detect and fight tumor cells.

Fentanyl citrate (Actiq) is an opioid agonist indicated for the management of breakthrough pain in cancer patients.

The step-up dosing approach with glofitamab in a phase 1 trial enabled researchers to minimize cytokine release syndrome while maximizing outcomes.

As best practices are established throughout the specialty pharmacy’s entire network, better patient outcomes become possible.

Expert notes that any unease around the use of radiopharmaceuticals is just due to a lack of familiarity with the field.

Training pharmacy technicians to evaluate tasks such as appropriate site of care and plan benefits can reduce the workload for the pharmacist.

Nicholas Robert, MD, chief medical officer at Ontada, discussed disparities in biomarker testing and how they are being addressed.