Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives

A recent study found a link between mRNA vaccination and improved cancer immunotherapy response. The preclinical data demonstrated impressive results, leading to big questions. “We believe that [vaccination] actually does generate and even converts the cold tumors to hot tumors,” Steven H. Lin, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist and radiation oncologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology.

Survival data from the KEYNOTE-905 trial and insights into the use of circulating tumor DNA to guide treatment decisions from IMvigor011 made big waves in bladder cancer care at the European Society of Medical Oncology Annual Congress. “Overall, this is going to change the standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer,” says Amanda Nizam, MD, a genitourinary medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute. She and Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, discuss how the findings are being incorporated into clinic and what questions remain. “I am continually surprised by the changes taking place in bladder cancer management,” notes Dr. Figlin. Dr. Nizam reported various financial relationships. Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.

Options for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are rapidly expanding, says Amir Fathi, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston and program director of the Center for Leukemia at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Over the course of the last 10 to 12 years, there have been a series of approvals, predominantly for targeted therapies,” he explains. Speaking with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, Dr. Fathi outlines how and when to look for mutations in AML and key considerations for various targeted therapies. He also shares what developments he is anticipating. “I’m most excited about where we’re moving in the upfront setting.” Dr. Fathi reported various financial relationships. Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.

The artificial sweetener sucralose may impair the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, according to a recent study published in Science. Although further research is needed before these findings can be translated into actionable information for patients, the investigation highlights that “the science of nutrition in cancer is actually quite poor,” says senior author Diwakar Davar, MD, associate professor and clinical director of the melanoma and skin cancer program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Hillman Cancer Center in Pennsylvania. Dr. Daver shared why he and his colleagues chose to explore the potential effects of sucralose on cancer treatment, and what research is next, with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair. “What I think we are hoping to try to do is actually just kickstart a movement to get people to focus on nutrition,” Dr. Daver explained. “We spend $1 billion to try to get a hazard ratio of 0.8, and here it appears that if you eat just a little less of this, you can maybe double your likelihoods of success.” Dr. Davar reported various financial relationships. Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.

New survival data from the FLAURA2 and MARIPOSA trials represent “a massive advance for our patients” in terms of frontline treatment for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer says Sandip P. Patel, MD, professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego. However, the findings have led to new questions about sequencing. “Just like in chess, when you make a move, you’re restricted in the moves that you can make afterward,” he explains to Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair. Discussions have become “much more nuanced,” and “thinking about the patient holistically becomes even more important in the setting of all these excellent treatment options for our patients,” Dr. Patel shares. Dr. Patel reported scientific advisory income from Amgen, AstraZeneca, BeiGene, Bristol Myers Squibb, Certis, Eli Lilly, Jazz, Genentech, Illumina, Merck, Pfizer, Natera, and Tempus. Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.