BJMO - 2024, issue Special, februari 2024
T. Feys MBA, MSc
While the 2023 annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) did not bring practice-changing data for to the treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), the general sessions did feature three interesting studies in this breast cancer subtype. First, a 5-year update of KEYNOTE-522 further solidified the clinical benefit of perioperative pembrolizumab in patients with early-stage TNBC.1 In contrast, the phase III Alexandra/IMpassion030 study failed to show a clinical benefit from the addition of atezolizumab to adjuvant chemotherapy in this setting.2 In the advanced setting, the phase II KEYLYNK trial yielded promising results with a combination of pembrolizumab and olaparib following induction therapy with pembrolizumab and chemotherapy in patients with BRCA-mutant, locally advanced, or metastatic TNBC.3
Read moreBJMO - 2024, issue Special, februari 2024
T. Feys MBA, MSc
The role of axillary surgery for patients with early breast cancer has evolved significantly over the past few decades. A number of studies presented at SABCS again showed that de-escalation of axillary surgery has little to no effect on oncologic outcomes and can reduce lymphedema and other unwelcome outcomes for low-risk breast cancer patients.
Read moreBJMO - 2024, issue Special, februari 2024
T. Feys MBA, MSc
Several trials presented during SABCS 2023 showed that more patient friendly approaches to radiotherapy can lead to similar oncologic outcomes and a lower toxicity compared to more aggressive radiotherapy regimens. Two of these studies will be summarized here.1,2
Read moreBJMO - 2023, issue Special, july 2023
A. Enguita PhD, J. Blokken PhD, PharmD
The 2023 annual European Association of Dermato-Oncology (EADO) congress featured exciting developments in melanoma research. In the adjuvant setting, discussions centred around new biomarkers for treatment response, the role of radiotherapy and new approaches in immunotherapy. Interesting updates were also presented for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, including triple combinations of BRAF plus MEK inhibitors (BRAFi/MEKi) with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), an IDO/PD-L1-targeting peptide vaccine with nivolumab, and AS01B with myeloid dendritic cells and ICIs.
Read moreBJMO - 2023, issue Special, july 2023
J. Blokken PhD, PharmD
Melanoma is the third cause of central nervous system (CNS) metastases and roughly 40–50% of advanced melanoma patients will develop CNS metastases. Importantly, the incidence of brain metastases may rise even further as systemic treatment of stage IV melanoma improves. In addition, CNS metastases are more frequent in BRAF-mutated melanoma. Finally, as responses in intracranial vs. extracranial sites may be heterogeneous, the efficacy of systemic therapy on brain metastases may be difficult to predict.1–4 Although the clinical survival outcomes of melanoma patients with brain metastases have been significantly improved due to major advances in systemic therapy, there still remain to be many challenges.
Read moreBJMO - 2023, issue Special, july 2023
J. Blokken PhD, PharmD
Besides interesting data on novel treatment options for melanoma patients, the 19th European Association of Dermato-Oncology (EADO) congress featured several sessions on non-melanoma skin cancer. Below, we give an overview of recent advances in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC), as well as some promising new treatment strategies and combinations.
Read moreBJMO - 2023, issue Lung Cancer Special, june 2023
J. Blokken PhD, PharmD, T. Feys MBA, MSc
Over the past years, immune checkpoint inhibition has caused a dramatic therapeutic shift in the first-line treatment of patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). After more than three decades without meaningful improvements in the treatment paradigm for these patients, combinations of platinum-etoposide with either durvalumab, or atezolizumab finally resulted in improved survival outcomes. Notwithstanding the convincing results with these innovative regimens in their respective clinical trials, real-world data on the safety and efficacy of chemo-immunotherapy in patients with ES-SCLC are still relatively scarce. Reassuringly, however, all the available data continue to point towards a clinical benefit of PD-L1 inhibitors in combination with platinum-etoposide vs. chemotherapy alone in this setting. Importantly, this benefit was also observed in patients who would not have been eligible for the pivotal clinical trials evaluating these regimens, including patients with a poor performance status.
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