BJMO - volume 18, issue 7, november 2024
L. Decoster MD, PhD, K. Vekens MD
The introduction of targeted therapies has dramatically changed the outcome for patients with oncogenedriven non-small cell lung cancer. Recent advances have led to the introduction of targeted therapies in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, as well as the development of new strategies to overcome resistance. The current manuscript gives an update on targeted therapies in oncogene-driven non-small cell lung cancer.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(7):253–257)
Read moreBJMO - volume 18, issue 7, november 2024
C. Artigas MD, PhD, A.M. Bergman MD, PhD, M. Gizzi MD, I.J. de Jong MD, PhD, D.E. Oprea-Lager MD, PhD, W.J.G. Oyen MD, PhD, M. Strijbos MD, PhD
The life expectancy and quality of life of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) continue to improve with the registration of new therapies. However, for individual patients, the appropriateness and optimal sequence of taxanes, radium-223, androgen receptor pathway inhibitors and lutetium-177-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) remains to be determined. To assess the current positioning of radium-223 and lutetium-177-PSMA as treatments for mCRPC, a consensus meeting with a multidisciplinary panel of experts from the Netherlands and Belgium was held. This article summarises the panel’s guidance on preferred sequences and the discussions of that meeting.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(7):258–267)
Read moreBJMO - volume 18, issue 7, november 2024
D. Schrijvers MD, PhD
The need for organs for transplantation is growing, as is the incidence of people affected by cancer. Many cancer patients will be cured of their disease and might be eligible for organ transplantation. There is always a possibility for donor-transmitted cancer, and this is a potentially lethal condition. In this review, the factors that determine the eligibility of cancer patients as organ donors are discussed.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(7):268–270)
Read moreBJMO - volume 18, issue 6, october 2024
G. Desimpel MD, E. Seront MD, PhD
The year 2023 marked a significant revolution in urothelial cancer, introducing novel anticancer strategies. The synergy between antibody-drug conjugates and immune checkpoint inhibitors has led to a drastic improvement in patient outcomes. Using this combination in first-line metastatic urothelial carcinoma has achieved a median overall survival exceeding 30 months, a milestone in the field. This breakthrough not only paves the way for a deeper comprehension of the disease’s pathogenesis but also underscores the pivotal role of combinations in urothelial carcinoma, applicable not only in advanced stages but also in the localised setting. This review serves as a reminder of the novel mechanism of action of these drugs, alongside highlighting their safety profile. Additionally, we emphasise the critical importance of refining patient selection criteria, particularly in the context of immune checkpoint inhibitors and bladder sparing strategies.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(6):227-234)
Read moreBJMO - 2024, issue 4, june 2024
S. Lobo-Martins MD, L. Arecco MD, E. Agostinetto MD, E. de Azambuja MD, PhD
Five years used to be the standard duration for adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) for hormone receptor-positive early breast cancers, but the benefit of extending treatment duration beyond this period to reduce the risk of disease recurrence has been investigated in several randomised trials, mostly including postmenopausal patients and investigating the extension of aromatase inhibitors as part of the ET. Premenopausal patients represent, to date, a small proportion of the population in a few trials, and the options for extending adjuvant ET, especially in those patients receiving ovarian function suppression (OFS), are underexplored yet. For post-menopausal women, numerous sequences and durations have been proposed, but the optimal duration of extended adjuvant ET remains controversial. Distinct aspects influence this choice, such as the patient’s menopausal status, risk of recurrence, toxicity profile and patient’s preference. Furthermore, the introduction of new targeted agents into the adjuvant setting has brought new uncertainty regarding the ideal length of ET.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(4):124–31)
Read moreBJMO - 2024, issue 4, june 2024
A. Janssens MD, PhD, C. Lambert MD, PhD
Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is a common complication of cancer treatment that poses a severe clinical burden to patients with solid or haematologic malignancies. As this thrombocytopenia can present a barrier to continue chemotherapy at full dose and on schedule, it can hamper the patient’s longterm oncologic outcomes. Despite the clinical challenges related to CIT, there are currently no available agents approved by the FDA or EMA for the treatment or prevention of CIT. However, treatment with thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) may increase platelet counts and benefit the safe administration of full-dose chemotherapy without dose delays. This not only reduces the patient’s bleeding risks, but also benefits the long-term oncologic outcomes. To date, most evidence for the use of TPO-RAs in the setting of CIT come from trials with romiplostim.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(4):132–40)
Read moreBJMO - 2024, issue 4, june 2024
K. Punie MD, G. Jerusalem MD, PhD, I. Deleu MD, A. Gombos MD, T. Feys MBA, MSc, F.P. Duhoux MD, PhD
HER2 overexpression has been a therapeutic target in breast cancer (BC) for many years and the development of anti-HER2 therapies has markedly improved the outcome of patients exhibiting high levels of HER2 expression. In this, the HER2 status of patients was traditionally defined in a binary fashion, in which patients with high levels of HER2 expression were classified as HER2-positive, while all the rest were denominated as HER2-negative. Despite being classified as HER2-negative; the majority of these BCs do express some level of HER2. Until recently, however, these low levels of HER2 expression did not have any therapeutic implications. This has changed with the publication of the DESTINY-Breast04 (DB-04) study in which trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) was shown to significantly improve the progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients with HER2-low metastatic BC. These findings require a recalibration of the treatment paradigm for patients with advanced BC. Furthermore, the increased interest in HER2-low BC led to questions on the biology, epidemiology, heterogeneity, and prognostic relevance of HER2-low disease and confronts physicians with the challenge of incorporating the treatment of HER2-low disease in the rapidly evolving treatment landscape for patients with hormone-receptor-positive (HR+) and triple-negative BC (TNBC).
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(4):141–51)
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