Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives

Tejas Patil, MD, assistant professor of medical oncology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, talks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, about new targeted therapies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly tepotinib (Tepmetko) for MET exon 14 and sotorasib (Lumakras) for KRAS G12C. The MET exon 14 skip mutation has attracted renewed attention because tepotinib and capmatinib (Tabrecta), which both target this mutation, recently received FDA approvals. But MET can be disrupted in other ways, as well. Listen as Dr. Patil discusses the different types of MET alterations, how to identify MET activation in patients, and best practices for using tepotinib to treat MET activation that arises as a resistance mechanism to the EGFR inhibitor osimertinib (Tagrisso).

Jonathan Cohen, MD, MS, Associate Professor, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, , joins OBR Editor-in-Chief Robert Figlin, MD, to talk about mantle cell lymphoma. Dr. Cohen describes the key to making a correct diagnosis and what the best frontline treatment approaches are for different patient groups. He also talks about how BTK inhibitors and CAR T-cell therapy are shifting the treatment landscape and what he’s anticipating will be presented at upcoming conferences. “One of the things I know I've learned about mantle cell lymphoma is that if you wait six months, something new will come down the come down the pipeline,” Dr Cohen said.

Bob Figlin, MD, and Toni Choueiri, MD, the director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discuss the early results from the COSMIC-313 trial, which Dr. Choueiri presented at ESMO 2022. The trial enrolled previously untreated patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell cancer who were classified as intermediate- to poor-risk. Standard of care doublet therapy, nivolumab (nivo) plus ipilimumab (ipi), was compared with triplet therapy, consisting of nivo-ipi plus cabozantinib. Triplet therapy improved progression-free survival compared with doublet therapy, specifically in the intermediate-risk group. Dr. Choueiri also discussed the complicated landscape in RCC and how practicing oncologists can evaluate patients for appropriate treatments as well as how to communicate effectively with patients about the factors that contribute to that decision.

Bob Figlin, MD, and Jamie Von Roenn, MD, discuss strategies for learning about the oncology specialty earlier in the training pipeline, particularly for under-represented groups. They also look at opportunities for oncology fellows to build skills in different career areas.

Gerald Hsu, MD, PhD, UCSF’s hematology/oncology fellowship program director, joins Robert Figlin, MD, to talk about what fellowship programs are looking for in applicants, how trainees can find programs that are a good fit, and why preparing for an interview improves the odds you land at the right spot for you.

Michael B. Atkins, MD, and Robert Figlin, MD, discuss results from the EVEREST clinical trial as well as new data on TKIs, immunotherapy, and HIF-2 inhibitors. They also discuss adjuvant therapy and how depth of response differs between immunotherapy and TKIs, and look ahead to what the future holds.

Danielle Brander, MD, talks with Robert Figlin, MD, about selecting frontline treatments for CLL and how she talks with patients about their treatment options. “What I think is unique about the last few years is we’ve seen multiple randomized trials in the frontline setting that have shown not only superior progression-free survival … but several of those randomized studies also showing improvement in overall survival versus chemoimmunotherapy,” Dr. Brander said. “I think it’s really important for us to be considering these novel treatment options.”

William Gradishar, MD, talks with Robert Figlin, MD, about breast cancer research highlights from the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, including results from DESTINY-Breast04 and new data on CDK4/6 inhibitors from the PALOMA-2 and MAINTAIN trials.

Michael B. Atkins, MD, talks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, about the importance of sequencing therapies for patients with BRAF-positive metastatic melanoma. Data from the DREAMSeq trial, which Dr Atkins updated at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, show a significant survival advantage at two years for patients who receive ipilimumab plus nivolumab prior to receiving a BRAF/MEK inhibitor. But not all patients fit that paradigm. Listen as Dr Atkins shares which patients he starts on immunotherapy and when he thinks is the best time for crossover to a targeted agent.

Listen in as Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, shares with Robert Figlin, MD, how he approaches treatment for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer after the ADAURA and CHECKMATE-816 trials. They discuss different factors that influence use of adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments, including stage, EGFR mutation status, and PD-L1 status.