OncLive® On Air

In today’s episode, supported by Takeda, we had the pleasure of speaking with Mark B. Geyer, MD, and Elias Jabbour, MD, about updates in the management of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Dr Geyer is the Adolescent and Young Adult Program leader and the Adult Lymphoblastic Leukemia Program leader in the Leukemia Service, as well as the chair of Quality Assessment in the Cellular Therapy Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York. Dr Jabbour is a professor in the Department of Leukemia in the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

In our exclusive interview, Drs Geyer and Jabbour discussed the use of ponatinib (Iclusig) in patients with Ph-positive ALL as evidenced by key findings from research such as the pivotal phase 3 PhALLCON trial (NCT03589326). They also highlighted the potential efficacy of this agent in combination with blinatumomab (Blincyto) and shared insights on how the safety profile of this agent affects its clinical use.

In today’s episode, supported by Revolution Medicines, we had the pleasure of speaking with Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, about RAS mutations in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Dr Lenz is a professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), as well as the J. Terrence Lanni Chair in Gastrointestinal Cancer Research, co-director of the USC Center for Molecular Pathway and Drug Discovery, and co-director of the USC Norris Center for Cancer Drug Development in Los Angeles.

In our exclusive interview, Dr Lenz discussed the prevalence of RAS mutations in PDAC, the importance of biomarker testing, current treatment strategies for patients with RAS-mutant PDAC, and potential future treatment advances for patients with this disease.

Drs Camidge and Eisen discussed Dr Eisen's dual career in academia and industry. Growing up in London, he pursued medicine, excelling in cell pathology at University College London, and later specialized in oncology at Cambridge. He joined Roche in 2020. Dr Eisen emphasized the importance of aligning academic and clinical strengths, advocating for industry experience to enhance drug development. He aims to foster interfaces between academia and industry, ensuring sustainable health research and training the next generation of drug developers.

In today’s episode, supported by Ascentage Pharma, we had the pleasure of speaking with Elias Jabbour, MD, a professor in the Department of Leukemia in the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

In our exclusive interview, Dr Jabbour discussed the 1.5-year follow-up data from a phase 1b trial (NCT04260022) investigating olverembatinib (HQP1351) in patients with heavily pretreated chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), enrollment considerations for the registrational phase 3 POLARIS-2 trial (NCT06423911) that is further evaluating the agent in this population, and potential future research directions in CML.

Drs Dahiya and Patel discussed the pathobiology of SPCs that develop after CAR T-cell therapy, potential SPC prevention strategies, and how SPC research may help optimize CAR T-cell product development in the future.

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with David Gerber, MD, a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, a member of its Division of Hematology/Oncology, and co-director of Education and Training for the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center in Dallas.

In our exclusive interview, Dr Gerber discussed the evolving role of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), focusing on findings from key clinical trials. He highlighted results from the phase 3 TROPION-Lung01 trial (NCT04656652), which demonstrated a modest improvement in progression-free survival with datopotamab deruxtecan-dlnk (Datroway), a TROP2-directed ADC, compared with docetaxel in patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC. He also emphasized the toxicity profile of TROP2-directed ADCs, particularly gastrointestinal toxicities and myelosuppression.

Dr Gerber also reviewed the phase 2 HERTHENA-Lung01 trial (NCT04619004) evaluating patritumab deruxtecan in patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC and the phase 2 DESTINY-Lung02 trial (NCT04644237) assessing fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) in those with HER2-mutant NSCLC. Dr Gerber reflected on the shared DXd payload of these ADCs, highlighting its implications for toxicity and efficacy, as well as open questions regarding treatment sequencing and resistance mechanisms.

In today’s episode, supported by Amgen, we had the pleasure of speaking with Ryan Cassaday, MD, an associate professor in the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and an associate professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington. 

In our exclusive interview, Dr Cassaday discussed insights from several trials investigating blinatumomab (Blincyto) in patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) that were reported at the 2024 ASH Annual Meeting, including subgroup analyses of the phase 3 ECOG-ACRIN E1910 trial (NCT02003222). He also shared how findings from the phase 3 AALL1731 trial (NCT03914625) of blinatumomab plus chemotherapy in children with newly diagnosed B-ALL may be extrapolated to the adult B-ALL patient population. 

In today’s episode, supported by Bristol Myers Squibb, we had the pleasure of speaking with Roxana S. Dronca, MD, about the FDA approval of subcutaneous nivolumab and hyaluronidase-nvhy (Opdivo Qvantig; subcutaneous nivolumab) for advanced or metastatic solid tumors. Dr Dronca is a professor of oncology, a consultant in the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Internal Medicine, and director of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Jacksonville, Florida.

On December 27, 2024, the FDA approved subcutaneous nivolumab across approved adult, solid tumor nivolumab indications, including as monotherapy, monotherapy maintenance after completion of nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab (Yervoy), or in combination with cabozantinib (Cabometyx) or chemotherapy. This regulatory decision was backed by findings from the phase 3 CheckMate-67T trial (NCT04810078) and includes indications for melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, non–small cell lung cancer, urothelial carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, colorectal cancer, esophageal carcinoma, esophageal adenocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, and gastroesophageal junction cancer.

In our exclusive interview, Dr Dronca discussed the significance of this FDA approval across multiple solid tumor indications, pivotal findings from the CheckMate-67T trial, and how this approval represents a paradigm shift in modern cancer care delivery.

In this episode of Oncology Unplugged, a podcast series from OncLive and MedNews Week, podcast host Chandler Park, MD, a medical oncologist at Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, and Yan Leyfman, MD, a resident physician at Mount Sinai in New York, New York, discussed the origins and mission of MedNews Week, a global platform designed to combat health care misinformation and advance medical education. Conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic, MedNews Week was created in response to widespread misinformation and a need for accessible, evidence-based information. Over the past 2 and a half years, the platform has expanded to reach over 100 countries, focusing on underserved regions and amplifying the voices of both established oncology leaders and early-career researchers.

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Alec Watson, MD, a thoracic oncology fellow in the School of Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.

In our exclusive interview, Dr Watson discussed the rationale for and key findings from a retrospective analysis examining the ways that oncogene overlap could identify clinically relevant thresholds for MET, KRAS, and HER2 gene copy number gain in non–small cell lung cancer; next steps for this research; and the future implications of these findings.