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Enhertu Gets Tumor-Agnostic FDA Approval for HER2-Positive Cancers

— About half of patients responded, duration of response as long as 19 months in three trials

April 5, 2024 9:00 am

By Charles Bankhead

The FDA granted tumor-agnostic accelerated approval to trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu) for previously treated unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive (immunohistochemistry [IHC] 3+) solid cancers.

The action represents the first tumor-agnostic approval for an antibody-drug conjugate targeting HER2-positive tumors. According … Read more

Stress-Induced Immune Changes May Help Cancer Spread

April 2, 2024 9:00 am

Clearity’s Perspective: This article highlights the importance of learning ways to cope with and manage stress after an ovarian cancer diagnosis. The study, performed only on mice, suggests that there may be a link between overproduction of stress hormones and … Read more

Women’s Cancers: Clinicians Research, Advise on Sexual Dysfunction

March 29, 2024 9:00 am

By Heidi Splete

Many women with cancer want advice for managing sexual function issues, and clinicians are tuning in, new studies suggest.

Decreased sexual function is a side effect of many types of cancer, notably uterine, cervical, ovarian, and breast … Read more

Combining Avutometinib With Defactinib Yields High Response Rates in LGSOC

March 22, 2024 9:00 am

By Ryan Scott

Patients who are heavily pretreated with recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) had high response rates, regardless of the number of prior lines of therapy received, when treated with avutometinib (previously VS-6766) plus defactinib, according to data … Read more

ctDNA Offers Potential Biomarker for PARP Inhibitor Maintenance Therapy in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

March 20, 2024 9:00 am

Clearity’s Perspective: At the SGO meeting several presentations described how circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may be a new, personalized, sensitive tool to help evaluate treatment de-escalation, monitor minimal residual disease (MRD), and track treatment response in ovarian cancer. The application … Read more

Rezatapopt Shows Preliminary Efficacy in TP53 Y220C–Mutated Advanced Ovarian Cancer

March 19, 2024 9:00 am

By Kristi Rosa

Rezatapopt (PC14586) elicited responses with a favorable toxicity profile in heavily pretreated patients with advanced ovarian cancer harboring TP53 Y220C mutations, according to data from the phase 1/2 PYNNACLE study (NCT04585750) presented at the 2024 SGO Annual … Read more

New microbiome insights could help boost immunotherapy for a range of rare cancers

March 1, 2024 9:00 am

Clearity’s Perspective: Previous research in different types of cancer has suggested that there is a relationship between a cancer patient’s gut microbiota (microorganisms that live in the digestive tract) composition and the response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy; however,

… Read more

Cancer Prevention Strategies Linked to Mortality Reduction in BRCA Carriers

February 29, 2024 9:00 am

By Mike Basset

Risk management strategies including bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) for ovarian cancer and MRI surveillance for breast cancer were associated with a significant reduction in mortality for women with BRCA1/2 sequence variations, according to results from two cohort studies … Read more

Study Shows Disparities in Psychosocial Outcomes Among Women With Ovarian Cancer in Rural vs Urban Areas

February 23, 2024 9:00 am

Clearity’s Perspective: Clearity offers emotional support to people with ovarian cancer and their caregivers through our Steps Through OC program. If you would like personal one-to-one assistance with the stress and challenges associated with an ovarian cancer diagnosis, our team … Read more

Ursula Matulonis, MD, on Concordance of CA-125 and Radiographic Progression in Ovarian Cancer

February 21, 2024 9:00 am

By Mark Fuerst

About half of patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer (PSROC) on maintenance poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) therapy who showed RECIST progression did not have cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) progression, challenging current guidelines, according to a new study.… Read more

This Could Be a Strong Weapon for Cancer Pain (or Any Pain)

February 21, 2024 9:00 am

By Courtney Southwick

Exercising for upwards of 30 minutes most days may help relieve pain in patients who’ve been diagnosed with cancer, according to a study of exercise and pain outcomes from more than 60,000 people, including 10,000 with a … Read more

Patients and Doctors Push Back Against the Harsh Side Effects of Cancer Drugs

— “If the patients are not taking the drug, then it’s not going to work”

February 6, 2024 10:30 am

By Associated Press.

For cancer patients, the harsh side effects of powerful drugs have long been the trade-off for living longer. Now, patients and doctors are questioning whether all that suffering is necessary.

They’ve ignited a movement to radically change … Read more

Priority Review Granted for Trastuzumab Deruxtecan; Would Be First Tumor-Agnostic ADC

A tumor-agnostic approval would be a significant development in the advance of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which are designed to deliver a potent, cancer-fighting payload into a tumor while sparing nearby tissues.

January 30, 2024 9:00 am

Clearity’s Perspective: Most drugs are tested and approved to treat cancers based on where in the body the cancer started and the type of tissue from which it developed. Enhertu (Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, T-Dxd), a HER2-targeted antibody drug conjugate (ADC), already … Read more

Lack of resource ‘equality’ means research of the deadliest cancers is often underfunded

January 26, 2024 9:00 am

By Josh Friedman

Key takeaways:

  • Breast cancer received 25% of cancer funding from 2015 to 2018.
  • Cancers with high mortality rates, such as colorectal and pancreatic cancer, are underfunded.

Cancer research and advocacy funding disproportionately skewed toward certain subtypes, leaving … Read more

Real-World Data Confirm the Incidence of ADC-Related Ocular Toxicities in Ovarian Cancer

January 26, 2024 9:00 am

By Ashling Wahner

Although the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx (Elahere) is associated with a high rate of ocular toxicity in patients with folate receptor α (FRα)-positive, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, the real-world incidence of this adverse effect (AE) in this … Read more

NCCN Guidelines Update Adds Mirvetuximab Soravtansine Plus Bevacizumab for FRα-Expressing, Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian Cancer

January 19, 2024 9:00 am

Clearity’s Perspective: In the January 17, 2024 update to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for ovarian cancer, several new therapies have been added to the list of acceptable regimens for recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. For example, trastuzumab deruxtecan … Read more

Life Experience of Survivors of Gynecologic Cancers: A Survey Conducted in Italy

January 11, 2024 9:00 am

Clearity offers emotional support to people diagnosed with ovarian cancer and their caregivers through our Steps Through OC program. If you would like personalized, one-to-one assistance with navigating the impact of an ovarian cancer diagnosis, our team of OC Counselors … Read more

Gynecologic cancer clinical trial enrollment lower for certain underrepresented groups

December 29, 2023 9:00 am

By Erin T. Welsh, MA

Key takeaways:

  • Clinical trial enrollment was lower for Asian, Black and Hispanic women vs. white women.
  • Asian and Hispanic women were underrepresented in endometrial, cervical and ovarian cancer trials.

Asian, Black and Hispanic women with … Read more

Trial Analyzing MEK Inhibitor Combo for Ovarian Cancer Subset Begins

December 21, 2023 9:00 am

By Ashley Chan

A treatment combination of avutometinib and defactinib is being evaluated in a new phase 3 trial for patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancer.

A phase 3 trial analyzing the treatment combination of avutometinib and defactinib compared with … Read more

Psilocybin May Help Ease Depression in Cancer Patients

In small trial, half had early remission of depressive symptoms after psilocybin-assisted therapy

December 18, 2023 9:00 am

By Diana Swift

Psilocybin-assisted therapy in a group setting was safe and appeared effective in patients with cancer and depression, according to a small, phase II, open‐label trial.

After one dose of psilocybin among 30 patients, depression severity scores dropped … Read more