OncLive® On Air

In Oncology Unplugged, a podcast series from MedNews Week, host Chandler Park, MD, a medical oncologist at the Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, talks through key updates in genitourinary cancer research from the 2024 ESMO Congress. In this episode, Dr Park highlights potentially practice-changing data in prostate, kidney, and bladder cancer; spotlights the potential clinical implications of findings with the intravesical therapy TAR-200 in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC); and zooms in on data from the phase 3 NIAGARA trial (NCT03732677) of durvalumab (Imfinzi) plus gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with MIBC.

In today’s episode, supported by Coherus Biosciences, we had the pleasure of speaking with Tarek Mekhail, MD, MSC, FRCSI, FRCSEd, about the use of toripalimab-tpzi (Loqtorz) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Dr Mekhail is the medical director of the Thoracic Cancer Program and the Associate Executive Director at the AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando, Florida.  In our exclusive interview, Dr Mekhail discussed the rationale for combining chemotherapy with the PD-1 inhibitor toripalimab in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, clinical successes with toripalimab in the first- and second-line nasopharyngeal carcinoma settings, and what the future looks like regarding immunotherapy in this disease.

In today’s episode, supported by Taiho Pharmaceutical, we had the pleasure of speaking with Joleen Hubbard, MD, about practice-changing updates to the colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment paradigm. Dr Hubbard is a medical oncologist at Allina Health Cancer Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In our exclusive interview, Dr Hubbard discussed key efficacy and safety findings from the phase 3 SUNLIGHT trial (NCT04737187) of trifluridine-tipiracil (Lonsurf) plus bevacizumab (Avastin) in patients with refractory metastatic CRC; quality of life outcomes from this trial; and the most practice-changing updates to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for CRC.

In this episode of the Oncology Unplugged series, Chandler Park, MD, a genitourinary medical oncologist at Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, hosted a conversation with Vivek Subbiah, MD, a medical oncologist and chief of Early-Phase Drug Development at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr Subbiah, an internationally recognized expert, discussed advancements in precision oncology, emphasizing the effects of next-generation sequencing and tissue-agnostic therapies on personalized cancer treatment. Dr Subbiah highlighted the transformation in genome sequencing that has taken place since the Human Genome Project, noting the reduction in sequencing costs from $3.3 billion to potentially $1 per genome. He explained how this evolution supports the expansion of precision oncology by making genomic testing accessible across diverse health care settings.

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with David R. Gandara, MD, about biomarker testing in lung cancer. Dr Gandara is the chief medical officer of the International Society of Liquid Biopsy, the co-director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics in Cancer, and the senior advisor to the director at the University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in Sacramento, and an adjunct clinical professor in the Translational and Clinical Research Program at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Honolulu.  In our exclusive interview, Dr Gandara discussed the optimal use of liquid biopsy for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the ins and outs of testing for KRAS mutations, and available treatment options for patients with KRAS-mutant NSCLC.

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Alan P. Venook, MD, about recent updates to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Clinical Practice Guidelines for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. Dr Venook holds the Madden Family Distinguished Professorship in Medical Oncology and Translational Research and is a professor in the Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology) at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). He is also the Shorenstein Associate Director for Program Development at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Samuel A. Kareff, MD, MPH, about the intersections between early-phase clinical research and meaningful mentorship experiences during oncology/hematology fellowship. Dr Kareff is a medical oncologist and hematologist at the Eugene M. and Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health, in Boca Raton, Florida. He formerly served as chief fellow during his hematology/medical oncology fellowship at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Florida. In our exclusive interview, Dr Kareff discussed the rationale for and design of a proposed phase 1 clinical trial investigating the oncolytic virus SVV-001 in combination with nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) in patients with neuroendocrine carcinoma or neuroendocrine tumors. He also shared advice from his fellowship experience and emphasized how seeking out effective mentors can prepare fellows for the next steps in their careers. 

In today’s episode, supported by Citius Pharmaceuticals, we had the pleasure of speaking with Francine Foss, MD, to discuss the FDA approval of denileukin diftitox-cxdl (Lymphir) for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) who have received 1 or more prior systemic therapies. Dr Foss is a professor of medicine (hematology) and dermatology and the director of the Multidisciplinary T Cell Lymphoma Program at the Yale School of Medicine, as well as the scientific leader of Lymphoma CRT at Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Connecticut.  On August 8, 2024, the FDA approved denileukin diftitox for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory CTCL who have received at least 1 prior systemic therapy. This regulatory decision was supported by findings from the phase 3 Study 302 (NCT01871727), in which patients who received the agent (n = 69) achieved an objective response rate of 36.2% (95% CI, 25.0%-48.7%) per independent review committee assessment, including a complete response rate of 8.7%. In our exclusive interview, Dr Foss discussed the significance of this approval, key efficacy and safety data from Study 302, and her excitement about reintroducing an agent to the CTCL treatment paradigm that can induce particularly robust responses.

Dr Patil emphasized the significance of the phase 3 CROWN trial (NCT03052608), which compared lorlatinib (Lorbrena) with crizotinib (Xalkori) in patients with ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC. With a hazard ratio of 0.19 (95% CI, 0.13-0.27) for progression-free survival, the trial demonstrated lorlatinib’s superior intracranial control and long-term efficacy compared with crizotinib, especially in patients with brain metastases. Drs Park and Patil also discussed challenges associated with managing lorlatinib-related toxicities, including mood changes, weight gain, and hyperlipidemia. Dr Patil suggested that starting at a lower dose and gradually escalating to the recommended dose could help mitigate some of these adverse effects and simultaneously maintain treatment efficacy. The conversation concluded with a shift towards the broader application of targeted therapies in earlier disease stages, drawing parallels between the phase 3 ALINA study (NCT03456076) in patients with ALK-positive

In today’s episode, supported by Sobi, we had the pleasure of speaking with Aaron T. Gerds, MD, MS, and James K. McCloskey, MD, about myelofibrosis treatment advances. Dr Gerds is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine in the School of Medicine, as well as a member of the Developmental Therapeutics Program at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He is also a physician in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Cleveland Clinic. Dr McCloskey is the interim chief of the Division of Leukemia at Hackensack John Theurer Cancer Center in New Jersey.  In our exclusive interview, Drs Gerds and McCloskey discussed factors that influence their choice between the variety of JAK inhibitors that are FDA approved for patients with myelofibrosis, tips for symptom management in this disease, and emerging myelofibrosis research to look out for.