This week, we’ll review two late-breaking abstracts from the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program that reported negative results. Both were presented during the plenary program.

This week, we’ll be hearing from the authors of three late-breaking abstracts presented in the Plenary program at the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program. Their findings highlight significant advances in lung cancer, bladder cancer, and colorectal cancer.

In part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Syed Abutalib, Associate Director of the Hematology and Cellular Therapy Program and Director of the Clinical Apheresis Program at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Zion, Illinois; Associate Professor at the Roseland Franklin University of Medicine and Science; and Founder and Co-Editor of Advances in Cell and Gene Therapy, Dr. Abutalib outlines methods of treatment and prevention for coagulation issues in patients with COVID-19, and summarizes the hematologic consequences of the virus.

This week, we spoke with Dr. Syed Abutalib, Associate Director of the Hematology and Cellular Therapy Program and Director of the Clinical Apheresis Program at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Zion, Illinois; Associate Professor at the Roseland Franklin University of Medicine and Science; and Founder and Co-Editor of Advances in Cell and Gene Therapy. Dr. Abutalib outlines recent data on coagulation issues seen in patients with COVID-19.

This week, we’ll be featuring some research highlights from the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting, including data on a triplet regimen for women with high-risk, HER2-negative breast cancer; findings on immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy for patients with BRAF V600-mutated melanoma; and a paper on trends in the locations of tobacco and vape shops.

This week, we’ll start off with a report that showed that ibrutinib may help to protect patients infected with COVID-19 from pulmonary injury due to the disease. Next, we’ll move onto a report from the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting on talazoparib in patients with locally advanced or metastatic HER2-negative germline BRCA­-mutated breast cancer. Lastly, we’ll review the FDA’s approval of niraparib for patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

Coverage of stories discussed this week on ascopost.com:

Potential Protective Effect of Ibrutinib Against Pulmonary Injury in Patients With COVID-19

AACR 2020: Final Overall Survival Results From the Phase III EMBRACA Trial

FDA Approves Niraparib as Maintenance Therapy for Advanced Ovarian Cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had a very busy 10 or so days, so this week, we’ll go over five recent oncology and hematology approvals the Agency issued, in bladder cancer, breast cancer, bile duct cancer, and leukemia.

Coverage of stories discussed this week on ascopost.com:

FDA Approves Mitomycin for Low-Grade Upper Tract Urothelial Cancer

FDA Approves Tucatinib in Combination With Trastuzumab/Capecitabine for Advanced Unresectable or Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

FDA Approves Pemigatinib for Patients With Cholangiocarcinoma and an FGFR2 Rearrangement or Fusion

FDA Approves Ibrutinib/Rituximab for CLL/SLL

FDA Approves Sacituzumab Govitecan-hziy for Patients With Previously Treated Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

To begin this week, we’ll discuss a report that focused on the characteristics and outcomes of patients with both COVID-19 and cancer in Wuhan, China. Next, we’ll turn to a paper on the efficacy of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy in men with oligometastatic prostate cancer. Lastly, we’ll talk about the FDA’s approval of encorafenib plus cetuximab in patients with BRAF  V600E–mutated colorectal cancer.

Coverage of stories discussed this week on ascopost.com:

Outcomes of COVID-19 Infection in Patients With Cancer in Wuhan, China

Stereotactic Ablative Radiation vs Observation in Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer: ORIOLE Trial

FDA Approves Encorafenib/Cetuximab for BRAF V600E–Mutated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

We begin with an interview with Dr. William A. Wood of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Wood is current Chair of the ASH Research Collaborative’s Data Hub Oversight Group, and he spoke with us about the new COVID-19 Registry for Malignant Hematology. Next, we’ll move onto a report on the relationship between breastfeeding and reduced risk of invasive ovarian cancer. And to round out this week’s episode, we’ll go over the FDA’s approval of lustpatercept-aamt for anemia in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

Coverage of stories discussed this week on ascopost.com:

ASH Research Collaborative's Data Hub Creates International Data Registry for Patients With Blood Cancers and COVID-19

Does Breastfeeding Affect Invasive Ovarian Cancer Risk?

FDA Approves Luspatercept-aamt for Second-Line Treatment of Anemia in Adult Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndromes

This week, we’ll start with a report on end-of-trial findings with a triplet combination treatment for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Then, we’ll hear from the director of a comprehensive cancer center on how her institution is handling the coronavirus outbreak. Lastly, we’ll discuss the FDA’s approval of durvalumab in small cell lung cancer.

Coverage of stories discussed this week on ascopost.com:

End-of-Study Results From CLEOPATRA: Pertuzumab, Trastuzumab, and Docetaxel in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer

FDA Approves Durvalumab as Part of a First-Line Combination Regimen for Extensive-Stage SCLC