OncLive® On Air

In today’s episode, filmed live at the 43rd Annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium, lung cancer expert Benjamin P. Levy, MD, hosted a cross-specialty discussion with genitourinary (GU) cancer expert Scott T. Tagawa, MD, MS, FACP, FASCO, about the rapidly evolving treatment paradigms for prostate and kidney cancer. Dr Levy is the clinical director of medical oncology at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital and an associate professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. Dr Tagawa is a professor of medicine and urology at Weill Cornell Medicine, as well as an attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian – Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, New York. Their conversation began with a focus on prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)–positive prostate cancer. Dr Tagawa explained that PSMA is a cell surface protein, and that PSMA imaging agents are commonly used to assess biochemical recurrence and perform initial disease staging. He noted that therapy-related adverse effects are often site-specific, including dry mouth/change in taste, and myelosuppression from the radiation payload. For monitoring long-term safety, Dr Tagawa emphasized that renal function must be tracked. Beyond PSMA, other prostate cancer targets include TROP-2, B7-H3, and markers specific to aggressive or neuroendocrine variants, such as DLL3, he reported. In advanced GU cancers, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing is increasingly important, Dr Tagawa highlighted. In prostate cancer, ctDNA testing is used to assess homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) status and BRCA expression, he said, explaining that evidence for the use of ctDNA testing in GU cancers stems from findings with this type of assay to evaluate minimal residual disease levels in urothelial cancer. He noted that studies show that if patients with urothelial cancer become ctDNA positive within the first year of receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, they benefit from treatment with atezolizumab (Tecentriq). Similarly, he stated that patients with previously untreated HRD-positive metastatic prostate cancer also see a progression-free survival benefit when a PARP inhibitor is added to an androgen deprivation therapy/androgen receptor pathway inhibitor backbone. Shifting the conversation to the management of frontline advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the experts reviewed standard approaches, which involve an immune-oncology (IO) agent plus either a CTLA-4 inhibitor or a VEGF TKI. Tagawa noted that IO/VEGF TKI combinations may be preferred for symptomatic patients needing a rapid response, whereas IO/IO combinations may offer greater potential for treatment cessation. He brought up a key distinction in RCC, which is that re-instituting PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition upon progression in the metastatic setting has generally shown no benefit. Dr Levy brought a broad scope to the GU cancer discussion through his lung cancer expertise, introducing parallels between the treatment paradigms. The interview provided an opportunity to show the importance of creating connections across oncology specialties to bring nuanced perspectives to future advances in clinical research and patient care.

From Discovery to Delivery: Charting Progress in Gynecologic Oncology, hosted by Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, brings expert insights into the most recent breakthroughs, evolving standards, and emerging therapies across gynecologic cancers. Dr Matulonis is chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology and the Brock-Wilcon Family Chair at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, Massachusetts. In this inaugural episode, Dr Matulonis welcomed guest Taymaa May, MD, MSc, to discuss advances in gynecologic cancer surgery. Dr May is the director of Ovarian Cancer Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, as well as an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. One of the biggest transformative changes in the field has been the introduction of minimally invasive surgery using laparoscopic and robotic platforms, Dr May emphasized. This allows for precise cancer staging surgery and faster patient recovery without compromising cancer outcomes, she noted. Complementing this has been the innovation of sentinel lymph node mapping, which uses technology, such as an infrared dye, to precisely identify and remove only the necessary lymph nodes. This offers equal staging precision and reduces patient morbidity with lower extremity lymphedema, a common adverse effect associated with older, extensive lymph node dissections, according to Dr May. The experts stressed the importance of consulting a gynecologic oncology surgeon, as national studies indicate that patients assessed and operated on by these specialists achieve the most optimal clinical outcomes. For advanced ovarian cancer, which often requires complex multivisceral resection to achieve optimal tumor removal, Dr May explained that surgical innovations are used to enhance recovery. For example, she noted that fluorescence angiography assesses blood flow in fresh bowel sutures intraoperatively, which helps ensure proper healing and minimizes complications. In cervical cancer, Dr May said that radical trachelectomy offers a safe, fertility-preserving option for young patients with suitable tumors. Furthermore, when determining treatment for patients with advanced ovarian cancer, she emphasized that personalization is key. Ultimately, Drs Matulonis and May reported that integrating surgical innovation into gynecologic cancer treatment protocols ensures optimal recovery, which is critical for patients to start subsequent treatments, like chemotherapy, on time.

Dr. Martha Terris dives into the unique challenges women face with bladder cancer, highlighting significant gender disparities in diagnosis and treatment. Women often present with more advanced cancer, leading to poorer surgical outcomes after cystectomy. Immunotherapy poses additional hurdles, with females experiencing higher discontinuation rates and less effectiveness. Terris emphasizes the need for better awareness and aggressive treatment approaches to improve outcomes. The discussion reveals complexities in the tumor environment that contribute to these disparities.

Two Onc Docs, hosted by Samantha A. Armstrong, MD, and Karine Tawagi, MD, is a podcast dedicated to providing current and future oncologists and hematologists with the knowledge they need to ace their boards and deliver quality patient care. Dr Armstrong is a hematologist/oncologist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis. Dr Tawagi is a hematologist/oncologist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago. In this episode, OncLive On Air® partnered with Two Onc Docs to review exciting updates from the 2025 ESMO Congress about bladder cancer management that have the potential to change guidelines. In non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), 2 trials added immunotherapy to BCG. The phase 3 POTOMAC trial (NCT03528694) combining durvalumab (Imfinzi) with BCG for high-risk, BCG-naive NMIBC was positive, demonstrating improved disease-free survival with the combination. This regimen might become a new standard of care and could reduce the need for early radical cystectomy, the experts highlighted. For muscle-invasive bladder cancer, the phase 3 KEYNOTE-905 study (NCT03924895) combined perioperative enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (Padcev) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for cisplatin-ineligible patients. This positive trial demonstrated strong event-free survival and overall survival (OS) with the combination. Furthermore, the phase 3 IMvigor011 trial (NCT04660344) provided data on a risk-adapted approach using adjuvant atezolizumab (Tecentriq) for post-cystectomy patients with circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)–positive disease. For these patients, atezolizumab generated benefits in disease-free survival and OS, supporting the future use of ctDNA for personalized therapy. Updates in metastatic bladder cancer emphasized the importance of testing for FGFR alterations and HER2 expression in the second-line setting, Armstrong and Tawagi explained. The phase 1 FORAGER-1 study (NCT05614739) showed the efficacy of an oral FGFR3 inhibitor in heavily pretreated patients and showed lower rates of hypophosphatemia with the agent compared with erdafitinib (Balversa). Overall, the conference yielded many new and exciting data points for the treatment of patients with bladder cancer.

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Kalinsky, MD, MS, FASCO, about the evolving treatment paradigm for hormone receptor (HR)–positive breast cancer post-CDK4/6 inhibition, as well as the need for more advanced therapies to improve patient outcomes in this setting. Dr Kalinsky is a professor and director in the Division of Medical Oncology of the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine, as well as the director of the Glenn Family Breast Center and the Louisa and Rand Glenn Family Chair in Breast Cancer Research at Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta, Georgia.In our exclusive interview, Dr Kalinsky discussed combination therapies that have shown promise for the management of HR-positive breast cancer following endocrine therapy, factors influencing treatment selection for patients who have received prior CDK4/6 inhibition, best practices for genomic testing in this population, and breast cancer research highlights from the 2025 ESMO Congress.

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Stephen Liu, MD, about the potential role for zidesamtinib (NVL-520) for the treatment of patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring ROS1 rearrangements. Dr Liu is an associate professor of medicine at Georgetown University, as well as the director of Thoracic Oncology and head of Developmental Therapeutics at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, DC. In our exclusive interview, Dr Liu discussed the current standards and challenges for treating patients with ROS1-positive disease, the unique mechanism of action of zidesamtinib, and how positive findings from the phase 1/2 ARROS-1 trial (NCT05118789) may help position this agent in the ROS1-positive NSCLC treatment paradigm.

Dr Mian discussed why frailty should be understood as a dynamic, evolving clinical state rather than a fixed baseline characteristic

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Sikander Ailawadhi, MD, and Beth Faiman, PhD, MS, APN-BC, BMTCN, AOCN, FAAN, FAPO, about the potential clinical implications of the phase 3 IRAKLIA (NCT05405166) and phase 2 IZALCO (NCT05704049) studies, which investigated the use of isatuximab-irfc (Sarclisa) administered via an on-body delivery system in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Ailawadhi is a consultant in the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Internal Medicine, a consultant in the Department of Cancer Biology, and a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Faiman is a nurse practitioner in the Multiple Myeloma Program at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. In our exclusive interview, Ailawadhi and Faiman discussed the rationale for efforts to bring isatuximab on-body injectors into the clinic, key patient-reported outcome findings from these studies, and how these findings may one day influence therapy administration across the broader multiple myeloma treatment paradigm.

Closing the Gap: Understanding Gender Disparities in Bladder Cancer Care, hosted by Martha K. Terris, MD, FACS, is a limited series spotlighting unique considerations for bladder cancer diagnosis and treatment among women. Dr Terris is department chair and a professor in the Department of Urology, the Witherington Distinguished Chair in Urology, and co-director of the Cancer Center at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.  In part 1 of this 3-part series, Dr Terris discussed the prevalence of bladder cancer in women, as well as reasons for diagnostic disparities that contribute to poor treatment outcomes. She noted that this disease is often diagnosed at later stages in women than in men, often resulting in diagnoses of more advanced disease and translating to poorer outcomes. She added that although female patients represent a minority of those with urothelial carcinoma, retrospective data indicate that women tend to be diagnosed at later stages and consequently experience worse survival rates, regardless of the disease stage. Dr Terris identified several theories explaining why this diagnosis delay occurs. One possible reason is patient-related: women may be less likely than men to consult a physician when they notice blood in their urine because they may be conditioned to dismiss blood if they experience menstrual bleeding. However, physician behavior and bias also contribute to diagnostic disparities, Terris said. Women with suspected hematuria typically receive fewer imaging tests, she continued. Additionally, physicians may be biased, attributing hematuria to uterine bleeding, menstruation, or other benign causes.  Overall, Terris emphasized that early detection is key. If there is any suspicion of a malignancy, patients should be referred directly to a urologist, she stated. Urologists should be willing to work up cases that might ultimately be recurrent urinary tract infections or radiation cystitis to avoid undiagnosed cases of bladder cancer in women, she concluded.

At the 2025 ESMO Congress, leading oncologists reflected on data expected to redefine practice across breast, genitourinary, and gynecologic malignancies.