2016’s Top five Advances in Oncology
- by Charles Bankhead Charles Bankhead,Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today December 27, 2016
MedPage Today asked specialists in oncology around the country to tell us what they thought were the most significant clinical developments in 2016. These were the five most commonly mentioned.
More than half of the oncologists who responded to our request cited one or more developments in immunotherapy/immuno-oncology. Some made general comments ("continued emergence and evolution of immunotherapy"), whereas other participants in the informal survey cited specific studies or other examples:
- Superiority of combination immunotherapy to a single agent for conditions other than melanoma (non-small cell lung cancer [NSCLC], for example)
- Fresh insights into the mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance
- Immunotherapy outperformed conventional chemotherapy as first- or second-line treatment for NSCLC
The story will proceed to unfold in the coming year.
"This year, we spotted several studies showcasing dramatic results for immunotherapy in strongly pretreated breast cancer patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer," said Anees Chagpar, MD, of Yale Cancer Center in Fresh Haven, Conn. "This has led to fresh clinical trials to evaluate immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with earlier-stage disease — stay tuned!"
As MedPage Today reported earlier this month, a positive multicenter trial demonstrated that the dramatic activity of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy seen in petite, single-center trials could be pulled off on a larger scale, involving centers and investigators with little or no prior practice with the technology. The success sets the stage for broader application and availability of the therapy.
"We have observed awesome responses with CAR T-cell immunotherapy in [hematologic malignancies] and now we are witnessing some activity in solid tumors," said Jonathan S. Berek, MD, of Stanford University in Stanford, Calif.
Trio. CDK4/6 Inhibitors for Breast Cancer
Results of latest trials of palbociclib (Ibrance) and ribociclib suggested that the CDK4/6-inhibitor class will have a practice-changing influence on the management hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.
Four. PARP Inhibitors for Ovarian Cancer
The FDA has approved two drugs in the class, and a recently finished trial of niraparib suggested the drugs might have broader activity in ovarian cancer than previously recognized.
Five. Lifestyle Interventions
Perhaps a surprising entry in this list of high-tech interventions; lifestyle and behavioral interventions have won more respect in the oncology field, as factors such as diet, physical activity, and obesity have emerged as significant contributors to cancer risk, including recurrence.
"Most clinicians, if not all, would agree that many of the illnesses we treat can be prevented or treated with lifestyle switches," said Candida D. Suffridge, MD, PhD, of Baylor Scott & White Health System in Georgetown, Texas.
