In this section of the BJMO, we provide a snapshot of pivotal studies published in recent issues of the most important international journals focusing on oncology. Importantly, the selection of the studies discussed here was made by Dr. Mario Dicato (Haematologist-Oncologist and Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg and member of the BJMO editorial board), based on the added value of the studies in daily clinical practice.
Neoadjuvant therapy superior to upfront surgery in pancreatic cancer
Until recently, the benefit of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in resectable and borderline resectable cancer over upfront surgery remained controversial. Long-term results of the phase III PREOPANC trial now demonstrated that neoadjuvant gemcitabine-based chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery and adjuvant gemcitabine improves OS compared with upfront surgery and adjuvant gemcitabine in resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer… Read more
Adjuvant capecitabine improves survival in patients with early breast cancer
Capecitabine is approved for the treatment of advanced breast cancer, but not for adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer. The randomised FinXX trial evaluated the addition of capecitabine to an adjuvant chemotherapy regimen consisting of docetaxel, followed by cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorouracil. After a median follow-up of 15 years, the capecitabine-containing regimen significantly improved overall survival compared with docetaxel-cyclophosphamide and epirubicin plus fluorouracil… Read more
Adding darolutamide to docetaxel plus ADT improves overall survival in metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer
Darolutamide, a potent androgen-receptor inhibitor, is associated with increased overall survival in non-metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. Whether a combination of darolutamide, androgen-deprivation therapy, and docetaxel would increase survival in patients with metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer was, until now, unknown. Results of the phase III ARASENS trial show that the addition of darolutamide improves overall survival, without an increase in adverse events… Read more
Promising anti-tumour activity with pembrolizumab in patients with Kaposi’s sarcoma
Chemotherapy or interferon a are used for patients with extensive cutaneous or visceral Kaposi’s sarcoma, but tolerance might be poor and long-term remission is rare. Therefore, a phase II study evaluated the activity of pembrolizumab in Kaposi’s sarcoma with cutaneous extension requiring treatment. Pembrolizumab demonstrated promising anti-tumour activity with an acceptable safety profile and has the potential to become part of the therapeutic armamentarium for patients with Kaposi’s sarcoma… Read more
Niraparib for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and DNA repair gene defects
Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers (mCRPC) are enriched for DNA repair gene defects (DRDs) that can be susceptible to synthetic lethality through the inhibition of PARP proteins. The phase II GALAHAD trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of the PARP-inhibitor niraparib in heavily pre-treated patients with mCRPC and DRDs who progressed on previous treatment. Niraparib was found to be tolerable and demonstrated promising anti-tumour activity, particularly in those with BRCA alterations… Read more
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