OncLive® On Air

In today’s episode, Neil Iyengar, MD, moderated an OncLive Insights discussion about adverse effect management when using breast cancer therapies targeting the PI3K, AKT, and mTOR pathways. Dr Iyengar is an associate professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology and co-director of Breast Medical Oncology in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine; as well as director of Survivorship Services at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He was joined by Heather Moore, CPP, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist practitioner at the Duke Cancer Center Breast Clinic in Durham, North Carolina; and Sarah Donahue, MPH, NP, a nurse practitioner at the University of California San Francisco Health.  

In our exclusive discussion, the experts highlighted the importance of early and comprehensive testing (using both tissue and liquid biopsies) for genetic alterations to guide treatment decisions. They also noted strategies for managing diarrhea, including patient education on diet, proactive use of loperamide, and regular monitoring. They also explained that hyperglycemia management should hinge on prophylactic use of metformin or SGLT2 inhibitors, dietary restrictions, and frequent glucose monitoring. Their conversation on rash management included insights about prophylactic antihistamines, patient education on skin care, and involving dermatology for severe cases. Overall, the experts spotlighted the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and proactive patient education when treating patients with breast cancer.

In today’s episode, the discussion features Aditya Bardia, MD, MPH, FASCO. Dr Bardia is a professor in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, the director of Translational Research Integration, and a member of Signal Transduction and Therapeutics at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles, California.

In the exclusive interview, Dr Bardia discussed the rationale and design of the phase 3 ELEGANT study (NCT06492616), which is evaluating elacestrant (Orserdu) compared with standard endocrine therapy in patients with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer at high risk of disease recurrence.

Welcome to OncLive On Air®! 

OncLive On Air is a podcast from OncLive®, which provides oncology professionals with the resources and information they need to provide the best patient care. In both digital and print formats, OncLive covers every angle of oncology practice, from new technology to treatment advances to important regulatory decisions.

In today’s episode, we welcomed John O. Mascarenhas, MD, a member of The Tisch Cancer Institute, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine, and director of the Center of Excellence for Blood Cancers and Myeloid Disorders at Mount Sinai in New York, New York.

In the exclusive interview, Dr Mascarenhas explored novel targeted therapeutic approaches being evaluated in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms, including myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera. He outlined key reasons for investigating non–JAK inhibitor agents within this treatment paradigm; outlined data from a pair of phase 1 trials (NCT05936359; NCT06034002) evaluating the INCA033989 as monotherapy or in combination with ruxolitinib (Jakafi) in patients with CALR exon 9–mutated myelofibrosis; detailed another ongoing phase 1 study (NCT06313593) looking at INCB160058 in patients with MPNs; and explained how investigational targeted therapies could ultimately impact the MPN treatment paradigm.

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, as well as a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, Massachusetts.

In this episode, Dr Matulonis sat down with guest Rebecca Porter, MD, PhD. Dr Porter is a physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Drs Matulonis and Porter discussed the evolving role of immunotherapy in gynecologic cancer management, focusing on recent clinical breakthroughs and future directions. They noted that although high-grade serous ovarian cancer has historically been refractory to immunotherapy, the phase 3 KEYNOTE-B96 trial (NCT05116189) demonstrated an efficacy benefit with the addition of pembrolizumab to weekly paclitaxel for patients with platinum-resistant disease. In particular, improvements in overall survival were noted in the PD-L1–positive patient population. Dr Porter attributed this success to the metronomic weekly dosing of paclitaxel, which may increase neoantigen levels and favorably alter the tumor microenvironment (TME).

Moreover, the experts highlighted how immunotherapy has already become the standard of care for patients with mismatch repair–deficient advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. However, they explained that for the mismatch repair–proficient population, this benefit is less clear and appears most significant in patients with measurable disease or specific molecular subtypes. They added that although circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assay results correlate with treatment outcomes, ctDNA is currently not an actionable biomarker for determining treatment duration or selection.

Lastly, Drs Matulonis and Porter reported that the field of gynecologic oncology is shifting toward combination therapies and novel platforms beyond standard checkpoint inhibitors. Treatment advances include bispecific and trispecific antibodies that engage multiple cell types or signals; as well as adoptive cellular therapies, such as CAR T-cell and CAR natural killer–cell therapies. Ultimately, the experts concluded that the goal of managing challenging-to-treat diseases like ovarian cancer is to use combinatorial approaches—incorporating vaccines, anti-angiogenic therapies, and chemotherapy—to overcome the immunosuppressive nature of the TME.

In today’s episode, the discussion features Guillermo Garcia-Manero, MD, who reviewed the clinical rationale for targeting BCL-2 in higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and outlined the phase 3 GLORA-4 trial (NCT06641414) evaluating lisaftoclax (APG-2575) plus azacitidine (Vidaza) in this population. Dr Garcia-Manero is the chair ad interim in the Department of Leukemia in the Division of Cancer Medicine, as well as leader of the MDS/AML Moon Shot Program, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

In the exclusive interview, Dr Garcia-Manero contextualized lisaftoclax as a next-generation BCL-2 inhibitor being advanced as a hypomethylating agent (HMA) partner strategy intended to improve on outcomes historically achieved with azacitidine alone in higher-risk MDS. He emphasized that GLORA-4 is designed as a registrational, randomized trial to rigorously assess whether adding BCL-2 inhibition to standard HMAs can meaningfully deepen responses and translate into clinically relevant benefit. He also characterized the regimen’s tolerability profile in a population that often requires careful supportive care and dose management.