Recently, the FDA granted approval to tebentafusp for the treatment of patients with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*02:01–positive unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma, marking the first agent to be approved for this rare ocular malignancy. In this interview, Dr. Richard Carvajal, Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and editorial board member of Oncology Data Advisor, discusses the practice-changing significance of the approval of tebentafusp and delves further into future directions in the development of treatments for uveal melanoma.  

Oncology Data Advisor™ · The Roles of Etiology and Biopsy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Augusto Villanueva, MD, PhD At the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, Dr. Augusto Villanueva, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, discussed the role of the four main etiologies of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the response that patients may experience to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this interview, Dr. Villanueva delves further into the question of whether etiology should play a part in immune-based treatment selection, as well as the role of liquid biopsy for patients newly diagnosed with HCC.  

In this interview in honor of Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month, Dr. Rahul Banerjee, an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and member of the Oncology Data Advisor Editorial Board, speaks with Dr. Manni Mohyuddin about the importance of designing clinically relevant end points for clinical trials in multiple myeloma. 

At the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, Dr. Augusto Villanueva, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, discussed the role of the four main etiologies of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the response that patients may experience to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this interview, Dr. Villanueva delves further into the question of whether etiology should play a part in immune-based treatment selection, as well as the role of liquid biopsy for patients newly diagnosed with HCC. 

Oncology Data Advisor™ · Rare Disease Day With Amy DeZern, MD, MHS: Making Progress in Myelodysplastic Syndromes In honor of Rare Disease Day on February 28, Oncology Data Advisor spoke with Amy DeZern, MD, MHS, Director of the Bone Marrow Failure and Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Program at Johns Hopkins Medicine and member of the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation (AAMDSIF) medical advisory board. In this interview, Dr. DeZern explains the challenges of treating such a rare disease and shares some of recent promising updates in novel treatments for patients with MDS.  

Michael Bishop, MD. In the phase 3 BELINDA trial, a team of researchers led by Dr. Michael Bishop, Director of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation at the University of Chicago Medicine, investigated tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel), a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, as second-line treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The investigators found that tisa-cel did not improve event-free survival compared with the standard of care, which consisted of platinum-based chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant in responders. Dr. Bishop recently presented the results of the trial at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. In this interview with Oncology Data Advisor, he explains how these results should be interpreted and their significance for the future of CAR T-cell therapy.  

Amy DeZern, MD, MHS. In honor of Rare Disease Day on February 28, Oncology Data Advisor spoke with Amy DeZern, MD, MHS, Director of the Bone Marrow Failure and Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) Program at Johns Hopkins Medicine and member of the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation (AAMDSIF) medical advisory board. In this interview, Dr. DeZern explains the challenges of treating such a rare disease and shares some of recent promising updates in novel treatments for patients with MDS. This interview has been conducted in partnership with AAMDSIF, the world's leading nonprofit health organization dedicated to supporting patients and families living with aplastic anemia, MDS, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, and related bone marrow failure diseases. The Foundation provides answers, support, and hope to thousands of patients and their families around the world.

For patients with gastric and gastroesophageal cancers, questions remain in the optimal approaches to treatment and surgery. At the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, Ryan Fields, MD, Chief of the Section of Surgical Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine and the Alvin J. Siteman Ca...

Oncology Data Advisor™ · World Cancer Day With Thomas Abrams, MD; Ulka Vaishampayan, MD; and Beth Sandy, MSN, CRNP In honor of World Cancer Day, members of the Oncology Data Advisor (ODA) editorial board gathered to discuss the latest advances and future directions in oncology research. Dr. Thomas Abrams, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School shared recent progress in the field of gastrointestinal cancers; Dr. Ulka Vaishampayan, a Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center provided insights into current trends in genitourinary cancer research; and Beth Sandy, MSN, CRNP, an outpatient thoracic oncology nurse practitioner at the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center, discussed recent and future treatment advances in the field of lung cancer.  

Oncology Data Advisor™ · Can Digital Life Coaching Improve Quality of Life in Transplant? Rahul Banerjee and Kelly Brassil Patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) for multiple myeloma face significant challenges in quality of life, including anxiety, acute symptom burden, and decreased physical function. At the recent 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Rahul Banerjee and Dr. Kelly Brassil presented their research regarding digital life coaching for this patient population. In this interview with Oncology Data Advisor, Dr. Banerjee and Dr. Brassil discuss their results from a prior pilot study on this topic, the design of an ongoing phase 2 trial to continue the research, and its implications for improving the quality of life for patients undergoing ASCT for multiple myeloma.  

In honor of World Cancer Day, members of the Oncology Data Advisor (ODA) editorial board gathered to discuss the latest advances and future directions in oncology research. Dr. Thomas Abrams, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School shared recent progress in the field of gastrointestinal cancers; Dr. Ulka Vaishampayan, a Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center provided insights into current trends in genitourinary cancer research; and Beth Sandy, MSN, CRNP, an outpatient thoracic oncology nurse practitioner at the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center, discussed recent and future treatment advances in the field of lung cancer.  

Oncology Data Advisor™ · Cabozantinib/Atezolizumab for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Thomas Abrams, MD Treatment options are limited for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have microsatellite-stable disease, which renders them ineligible for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. In a cohort of the COSMIC-021 trial, a team of researchers led by Dr. Thomas Abrams, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, investigated the efficacy of cabozantinib plus atezolizumab for this patient population. Dr. Abrams recently presented the trial's results at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. In this interview, he discusses the role that cabozantinib/atezolizumab may play for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, particularly those with RAS wild-type disease, in the coming years.  

Oncology Data Advisor™ · Optimizing Management of Metastatic Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Squamous cell lung carcinoma is a distinct histologic subtype of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that accounts for approximately 25% to 30% of all NSCLC cases and is associated with approximately 30% shorter survival compared with other ...

Rahul Banerjee, MD, and Kelly Brassil, PhD, RN, FAAN. Patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) for multiple myeloma face significant challenges in quality of life, including anxiety, acute symptom burden, and decreased physical function. At the recent 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Rahul Banerjee and Dr. Kelly Brassil presented their research regarding digital life coaching for this patient population. In this interview with Oncology Data Advisor, Dr. Banerjee and Dr. Brassil discuss their results from a prior pilot study on this topic, the design of an ongoing phase 2 trial to continue the research, and its implications for improving the quality of life for patients undergoing ASCT for multiple myeloma.  

Oncology Data Advisor™ · Targeting p53 in the Treatment of Hematologic Malignancies With Matthew Davids, MD, MMSc Tumor suppressor gene p53 is the most frequently mutated gene in human malignancy. Through a complex series of molecular events, p53 leads to malignant cell proliferation and plays a significant role in tumor formation. In the Presidential Symposium at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Matthew Davids of Harvard Medical School discussed the current therapeutic strategies used to inhibit or reactivate mutant p53 in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. In this interview with Oncology Data Advisor, Dr. Davids delves further into the latest research in p53-directed therapeutic strategies and the future of targeting this specific mutation.  

Oncology Data Advisor™ · The Call to Understand Racial Disparities in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Sumit Gupta, MD Although survival in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has improved over the years, there remains a need to identify racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities that contribute to poor outcomes. In a study recently presented at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, a team of researchers led by Dr. Sumit Gupta of the University of Toronto investigated the impact of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status among young patients with ALL enrolled in Children's Oncology Group studies between 2004 and 2019. The investigators identified significant disparities in survival outcomes in association with these factors. In this interview, Dr. Gupta explains the importance of recognizing health disparities among pediatric patients with ALL and the changes that can be implemented to address them.  

Treatment options are limited for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have microsatellite-stable disease, which renders them ineligible for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. In a cohort of the COSMIC-021 trial, a team of researchers led by Dr. Thomas Abrams, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, investigated the efficacy of cabozantinib plus atezolizumab for this patient population. Dr. Abrams recently presented the trial's results at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. In this interview, he discusses the role that cabozantinib/atezolizumab may play for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, particularly those with RAS wild-type disease, in the coming years.  

Matthew Davids, MD, MMSc. Tumor suppressor gene p53 is the most frequently mutated gene in human malignancy. Through a complex series of molecular events, p53 leads to malignant cell proliferation and plays a significant role in tumor formation. In the Presidential Symposium at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Matthew Davids of Harvard Medical School discussed the current therapeutic strategies used to inhibit or reactivate mutant p53 in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. In this interview with Oncology Data Advisor, Dr. Davids delves further into the latest research in p53-directed therapeutic strategies and the future of targeting this specific mutation.  

Although survival in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has improved over the years, there remains a need to identify racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities that contribute to poor outcomes. In a study recently presented at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, a team of researchers l...

For patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), cytotoxic chemotherapy remains a mainstay of treatment. However, myelosuppressive hematologic adverse events such as anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia pose a significant challenge to care. In a study recently presented at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Me...