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The Promising Effects of Patient-Reported Symptom Data on Survival and Well-Being: A Conversation With Dr. Kelly Brassil
Selma Khenissi, MPS
Expert Analysis
  Selma Khenissi, MPS: Hello. Welcome to Oncology Data Advisor, your leading source for oncology news. I am Selma Khenissi from i3 Health. We are here today with Dr. Kelly Brassil, PhD, RN, Advanced Practice Nurse at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She'll be discussing patient-reported symptom data and its positive effect on...
Challenges and New Developments in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer With Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD
Keira Smith
Expert Analysis
Despite the many obstacles associated with treating and managing patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, the ongoing study of several novel agents has the potential to significantly improve the outcomes of these patients in the coming years. In this interview, Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Pho...
Exploring Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Shailender Bhatia, MD, and Ciara Kelly, MBBCh, BAO
Selma Khenissi, MPS
Expert Analysis
Merkel cell carcinoma is a skin cancer where the Merkel cells grow out of control. In this excerpt of the transcript from their continuing medical education/nursing continuing professional development (CME/NCPD)–approved activity, Update on Immunotherapeutic Strategies for Advanced Merkel Cell Carcinoma, Shailender Bhatia, MD, Associate Professor a...
Identifying Novel Therapies for Multiple Myeloma: Paul Richardson, MD
Elizabeth Heller, PhD
Expert Analysis
In the following interview, Dr. Paul Richardson, the Clinical Program Leader and Director of Clinical Research of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses some important factors in the development of drugs to target "the queen of immunological cancers," multiple myeloma, and why this disease is diffic...
Personalized Care Plans for Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma: Dr. Loretta J. Nastoupil, MD
Kristin Wright, PharmD
Expert Analysis
Follicular lymphoma is a disease that affects 2.7 per 100,000 individuals each year, with a five-year survival rate of 89.7%. It is the most common subtype of indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; about 22% of newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases are follicular lymphoma. The development of novel therapies offers new treatment options for patients ...
Exploring Treatment Options for Patients With Renal Cell Carcinoma: Bradley McGregor, MD, and Robert Motzer, MD
Selma Khenissi, MPS
Expert Analysis
In 2021, an estimated 76,080 new cases of kidney cancer will be diagnosed. Among those cases, the majority will be renal cell carcinomas (RCC). In this excerpt of the transcript from their continuing medical education/nursing continuing professional development (CME/NCPD)–approved activity, Expert Guidance on New Advances in Renal Cell Carcinoma, B...
Caring for Patients With Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Maria R. Badillo, MSN, RN, OCN®, CCRP
Selma Khenissi, MPS
Expert Analysis
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is one of the most common cancers, comprising 4% of all cancers in the United States. Although non-Hodgkin lymphoma can occur at any age, more than half of all patients are 65 years old or older. Efforts are ongoing to find new and better ways to treat non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In this interview, Maria Badillo, MSN, RN, OCN®,...
Treatment Options for Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Jaffer A. Ajani, MD
Selma Khenissi, MPS
Expert Analysis
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the United States. Each year, there are 149,500 new cases of colorectal cancer, and 52,980 people die from the disease. Treatment choice depends on many factors, including patient characteristics, tumor characteristics, molecular characteristics, and patient prefere...
Applying Patient-Centered Management Strategies to Immune Thrombocytopenia: Allison Miller Imahiyerobo, APN
Selma Khenissi, MPS
Expert Analysis
Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired immune-mediated disorder defined as a peripheral blood platelet count <100 x 109/L with no known cause. In this excerpt of the transcript from her nursing continuing professional development (NCPD)–approved activity, Immune Thrombocytopenia: Evolving Treatment Paradigms and Patient-Centered Care, Alli...
Sacituzumab Govitecan for Advanced Urothelial Cancer: Petros Grivas, MD, PhD
Keira Smith
FDA Updates
Recently, the FDA granted accelerated approval to sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy®, Immunomedics), an antibody-drug conjugate, for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer whose disease progressed following treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy and a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand-1 (P...
Camrelizumab for Advanced Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma: Caicun Zhou, MD, PhD
Kristin Wright, PharmD
Expert Analysis
Recently, the results of a phase 3 trial on camrelizumab were published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology and presented at the European Lung Cancer Virtual Congress 2021. Camrelizumab was studied in the randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial as a treatment for advanced squamous non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Patients with stages IIIB...
Idecabtagene Vicleucel for Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma: Nina Shah, MD
Kristin Wright, PharmD
Featured Exclusive
Recently, the FDA approved idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma®, Bristol Myers Squibb) for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have already been treated with four or more lines of therapy, including an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. The approval was based on KarMMa, a phase 2 t...
Sacituzumab Govitecan for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Aditya Bardia, MD
Kristin Wright, PharmD
Expert Analysis
Recently, the FDA granted regular approval to sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy®, Immunomedics, Inc.) for patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who have previously been treated with two or more systemic therapies, at least one of them for metastatic disease. The FDA had previously granted accel...
Melphalan Flufenamide for Multiple Myeloma: Paul Richardson, MD
Elizabeth Heller, PhD
Featured Exclusive
Melphalan flufenamide, a newly approved peptide-drug conjugate for multiple myeloma, specifically targets chemotherapy to tumor cells like a warhead on a guided missile. In the following interview, Dr. Paul Richardson, the Clinical Program Leader and Director of Clinical Research of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at the Dana-Farber Cance...
Pembrolizumab for Esophageal or Gastroesophageal Junction Carcinoma: Ken Kato, MD, PhD
Kristin Wright, PharmD
Expert Analysis
Recently, the FDA approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda®, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.) in combination with platinum/fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy for patients with metastatic or locally advanced esophageal or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) carcinoma who do not qualify for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation. The approval was based o...
Breast Cancer Metastases and Survival Outcomes: Wenbin Zhou, MD, PhD
Keira Smith
Expert Analysis
Approximately 3%–8% of patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer have synchronous distant metastases, which are associated with a poor prognosis. Because therapeutic strategies are guided by the status of lymph node metastases, accurate assessment is necessary in order to select the appropriate treatment for different patients. In a study recentl...
Nivolumab/Cabozantinib for Renal Cell Carcinoma: David Braun, MD, PhD, and Wenxin (Vincent) Xu, MD
Kristin Wright, PharmD
Expert Analysis
Recently, the results of a phase 3 trial on nivolumab/cabozantinib were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study (CheckMate 9ER) compared the efficacy and safety of nivolumab/cabozantinib with those of sunitinib in adult patients with previously untreated advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The trial results demonstra...
Lorlatinib for Metastatic ALK-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Todd Bauer, MD
Elizabeth Heller, PhD
Expert Analysis
Recently, the FDA granted approval to lorlatinib (Lorbrena®, Pfizer, Inc.) for the treatment of patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)–positive non-small cell lung cancer. This subset of lung cancers defined by their chromosomal rearrangements of the ALK gene are highly sensitive to small-molecule ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Lorl...
Acupuncture for Managing Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Cancer Survivors: Jun Mao, MD, MSCE
Keira Smith
Expert Analysis
Nearly 50% of cancer survivors are undertreated for chronic pain, a condition which negatively impacts cancer-related outcomes, physical function, and quality of life. Due to the challenges of the opioid crisis, non-pharmacologic alternatives for pain management in cancer survivors are greatly needed. In the randomized PEACE trial, results of which...
Diagnosing Myelodysplastic Syndromes With David Steensma, MD, FACP; Reza Nejati, MD; and Ilene Galinsky, BSN, MSN, ANP-C
Keira Smith
Expert Analysis
A complex group of heterogenous hematopoietic disorders, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) often go unrecognized and undiagnosed. Accurate diagnosis and risk assessment for this condition require a myriad of tests and an in-depth evaluation of symptoms. In this excerpt from their continuing medical education (CME)/nursing continuing professional deve...