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Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Important Milestone”: Perioperative Durvalumab Improves Event-Free Survival in Gastric CancerThe addition of perioperative durvalumab in gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer improved event-free survival, according to findings from the MATTERHORN study. “This trial will be an important milestone,” said Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD, chief of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, who presented the findings at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. She spoke with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, about the significance of the data. “We demonstrated improvement in event-free survival, and this is the...2025-06-1709 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Important Milestone”: Perioperative Durvalumab Improves Event-Free Survival in Gastric CancerThe addition of perioperative durvalumab in gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer improved event-free survival, according to findings from the MATTERHORN study. “This trial will be an important milestone,” said Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD, chief of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, who presented the findings at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. She spoke with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, about the significance of the data. “We demonstrated improvement in event-free survival, and this is the...2025-06-1709 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhat Does the Biggest News in Breast Cancer From ASCO 2025 Mean for Practice Right Now?Data from the SERENA-6 trial, presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, have the potential to dramatically change advanced estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer care, says William J Gradishar, MD, the Betsy Bramsen Professor of Breast Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. The study showed benefit in switching therapies based on circulating tumor DNA evidence of ESR1 mutation, ahead of disease progression. “If we find that the magnitude of benefit seems to be as meaningful as it’s been reported to be, then I think what we will find in practi...2025-06-1212 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhat Does the Biggest News in Breast Cancer From ASCO 2025 Mean for Practice Right Now?Data from the SERENA-6 trial, presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, have the potential to dramatically change advanced estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer care, says William J Gradishar, MD, the Betsy Bramsen Professor of Breast Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. The study showed benefit in switching therapies based on circulating tumor DNA evidence of ESR1 mutation, ahead of disease progression. “If we find that the magnitude of benefit seems to be as meaningful as it’s been reported to be, then I think what we will find in practi...2025-06-1212 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesPractice-Changing “Inflection Point” Coming in ESR1-Positive Breast Cancer Care?Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded shortly before the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.
Big questions associated with ESR1 mutations in patients with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer may soon have answers. New data are “going to take the whole breast oncology field from one place and put it in a different place. It’s going to be an inflection point in our history of treating breast cancer,” says Jason Aboudi Mouabbi, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Breast Medical at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Speaking with Robert A...2025-05-3009 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesPractice-Changing “Inflection Point” Coming in ESR1-Positive Breast Cancer Care?Editor’s Note: This interview was recorded shortly before the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.
Big questions associated with ESR1 mutations in patients with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer may soon have answers. New data are “going to take the whole breast oncology field from one place and put it in a different place. It’s going to be an inflection point in our history of treating breast cancer,” says Jason Aboudi Mouabbi, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Breast Medical at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Speaking with Robert A...2025-05-3009 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhen ESR1 Mutations Arise in Breast Cancer Patients With PIK3CA Mutations: What Next?The approach to ESR1 and PIK3CA mutations in patients with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer continues to evolve. What role does circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) play in treatment decisions? How should oncologists best approach patients with PIK3CA mutations who subsequently develop ESR1 mutations? VK Gadi, MD, PhD, professor and director of medical oncology and deputy director of the University of Illinois Cancer Center in Chicago, discusses with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, how recent data are informing care for patients with com...2025-05-0610 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhen ESR1 Mutations Arise in Breast Cancer Patients With PIK3CA Mutations: What Next?The approach to ESR1 and PIK3CA mutations in patients with hormone receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer continues to evolve. What role does circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) play in treatment decisions? How should oncologists best approach patients with PIK3CA mutations who subsequently develop ESR1 mutations? VK Gadi, MD, PhD, professor and director of medical oncology and deputy director of the University of Illinois Cancer Center in Chicago, discusses with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, how recent data are informing care for patients with com...2025-05-0610 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesHow “Remarkable Change” in EGFR-Mutated NSCLC Care Is Making a Difference for PatientsThe last few years have seen “a remarkable change in both our approach and management of EGFR lung cancer,” says Shirish M. Gadgeel, MD, division head for hematology/oncology and associate director of Patient Experience and Clinical Care at the Henry Ford Cancer Institute in Detroit. He discusses key considerations for managing EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Gadgeel describes considerations for leptomeningeal metastases, important treatment toxicities, and exciting advances on the horizon.
Dr. Gadgeel repo...2025-04-2112 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesHow “Remarkable Change” in EGFR-Mutated NSCLC Care Is Making a Difference for PatientsThe last few years have seen “a remarkable change in both our approach and management of EGFR lung cancer,” says Shirish M. Gadgeel, MD, division head for hematology/oncology and associate director of Patient Experience and Clinical Care at the Henry Ford Cancer Institute in Detroit. He discusses key considerations for managing EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Gadgeel describes considerations for leptomeningeal metastases, important treatment toxicities, and exciting advances on the horizon.
Dr. Gadgeel repo...2025-04-2112 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesOncologists Urged to Discuss Fertility With Patients, as ASCO Updates GuidelinesWhen it comes to tackling fertility issues associated with cancer, “oncology clinicians are often reluctant to talk about this because it is really not our wheelhouse,” says Alison Wakoff Loren, MD, MSCE, chief of the Division of Hematology Oncology, director of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation, and the C. Willard Robinson Professor of Hematology-Oncology at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Loren and colleagues recently updated American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines for fertility preservation in people with cancer. She discusses the key changes with Robert Figlin, MD, interim director at Cedars Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles and the Stev...2025-04-1710 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesOncologists Urged to Discuss Fertility With Patients, as ASCO Updates GuidelinesWhen it comes to tackling fertility issues associated with cancer, “oncology clinicians are often reluctant to talk about this because it is really not our wheelhouse,” says Alison Wakoff Loren, MD, MSCE, chief of the Division of Hematology Oncology, director of Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation, and the C. Willard Robinson Professor of Hematology-Oncology at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Loren and colleagues recently updated American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines for fertility preservation in people with cancer. She discusses the key changes with Robert Figlin, MD, interim director at Cedars Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles and the Stev...2025-04-1710 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Second-Line ER-Positive Breast Cancer Has Just Become Very Complicated”“Second-line [estrogen receptor (ER)]-positive breast cancer has just become very complicated,” says Erika P. Hamilton, MD, the director of breast cancer and gynecologic cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville. She discusses the role of ESR1 mutations in selecting appropriate treatments and combination regimens for patients with ER-positive breast cancer who have disease progression with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology. From when and how best to assess for ESR1 mutations to which trials inform current treatment options in clinic, Dr. Hamilton walk...2025-04-1514 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Second-Line ER-Positive Breast Cancer Has Just Become Very Complicated”“Second-line [estrogen receptor (ER)]-positive breast cancer has just become very complicated,” says Erika P. Hamilton, MD, the director of breast cancer and gynecologic cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville. She discusses the role of ESR1 mutations in selecting appropriate treatments and combination regimens for patients with ER-positive breast cancer who have disease progression with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology. From when and how best to assess for ESR1 mutations to which trials inform current treatment options in clinic, Dr. Hamilton walk...2025-04-1514 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWill Generational Divide Among Oncologists Affect How AI Changes Cancer Care?Burnout among oncologists is a serious concern, and artificial intelligence (AI) represents a potential solution, says Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, a practicing oncologist and breast cancer specialist in Austin, Texas, who also serves as the chair of the AI task force for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Technological advances are poised to improve cancer care while reducing the documentation burden for oncologists, she tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology. Dr. Patt describes the various practical ways in which AI is already changing on...2025-04-0714 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWill Generational Divide Among Oncologists Affect How AI Changes Cancer Care?Burnout among oncologists is a serious concern, and artificial intelligence (AI) represents a potential solution, says Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, a practicing oncologist and breast cancer specialist in Austin, Texas, who also serves as the chair of the AI task force for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Technological advances are poised to improve cancer care while reducing the documentation burden for oncologists, she tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology. Dr. Patt describes the various practical ways in which AI is already changing on...2025-04-0714 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Time to Move On”: How Targeted Therapies Are Transforming AML CareThe standard approach of “7 + 3” chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment has been in place for 50 years. But that may soon change, says Maximilian Stahl, MD, a member of the Adult Leukemia Group at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and a member of the faculty at Harvard University. “My prediction is that in 10 years, you will not see much 7 + 3 anymore. Maybe not even 10 years, maybe five years,” he tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Stahl describes how targeted therapies such as menin...2025-03-3110 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Time to Move On”: How Targeted Therapies Are Transforming AML CareThe standard approach of “7 + 3” chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment has been in place for 50 years. But that may soon change, says Maximilian Stahl, MD, a member of the Adult Leukemia Group at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and a member of the faculty at Harvard University. “My prediction is that in 10 years, you will not see much 7 + 3 anymore. Maybe not even 10 years, maybe five years,” he tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Stahl describes how targeted therapies such as menin...2025-03-3110 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesASCO President Speaks Out on “Huge Problem” of Oncologist BurnoutOncologist burnout and career dissatisfaction are a “huge problem,” says Robin T. Zon, MD, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Dr. Zon sits down with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, to discuss revelations from a recent ASCO report. “ASCO recognizes that if, in fact, we are going to accomplish our mission, we have to pay very close attention to what is happening to the workforce and the burnout that is associated with that,” Dr. Zon explains. She shares insights into common underlying causes a...2025-02-2714 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesOncologists Overtreat Patients at End of LifeWhen it comes to end-of-life care for patients with cancer, “I think that there is a real deficit in
our training,” says Nathan I. Cherny, MD, director of the Cancer Pain and Palliative Medicine
Service at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Cherney and colleagues
recently examined factors contributing to oncologists overtreating patients at the end of life. He
discusses key findings and ways to address this continued problem with Robert A. Figlin, MD,
the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center
in Los Angeles. “When one reads...2025-01-2910 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesFDA Approvals Change Practice for Metastatic Breast Cancer With PIK3CA MutationsRecent advances in hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer have led to questions about the timing of genetic testing and the optimal treatment choices for patients. “I, like many others, have changed my personal practice,” says Azka Ali, MD, a medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute in Ohio. She and Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss what newly approved medications for patients with PIK3CA mutations mean for oncologists. “I think the breast cancer landscape is changing faster than we can all...2024-12-1611 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesTo Help Oncologists’ Burnout, Should Primary Care Take on More Burden?The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Resilience Task Force recently released
recommendations intended to reduce burnout in oncology worldwide. One of the task force’s members, Konstantinos Kamposioras, MD, PhD, a consultant in medical oncology at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester in the United Kingdom, explains to Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, how those recommendations came to be and what institutions should do to help care for cancer care providers. They discuss differences between young oncologists and late-career specialists and consider solutions be...2024-11-1311 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesChoosing Between an “Old Friend” and New Ones in EGFR-Mutated Metastatic NSCLCWhen it comes to the treatment of EGFR-mutated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), osimertinib (Tagrisso) is an “old friend,” says Kamya Sankar, MD, assistant professor and co–medical director of the Thoracic Disease Research Group at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Recent approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have introduced several “new friends,” in the form of amivantamab (Rybrevant) and lazertinib (Lazcluze). Dr. Sankar talks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology also at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center, about how to choose among osimertinib monotherapy, osimertinib plus chemotherapy, or amivantamab plus lazer...2024-11-0812 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesPrivatization of Cancer Clinical Research Raises Concerns for Practice“Cancer clinical research has been largely privatized,” explains Joseph Unger, PhD, MS, associate
professor in the cancer prevention program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. Dr. Unger and colleagues recently assessed patient enrollment in industry-sponsored and federally sponsored clinical trials. They found an 8:1 ratio favoring participation in research backed by industry. This raises significant concerns, he tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Unger explains what he sees as the root causes for the current imbalance, potential negative effects, and possible solutions for...2024-11-0413 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhat 3 Big Trials Mean for Breast Cancer PracticeTreatment approaches for patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer have rapidly evolved, thanks in part to data from three key studies. Erin Frances Cobain, MD, associate professor at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, explains how findings from the KEYNOTE-756, monarchE, and NATALEE clinical trials are influencing decision-making for these patients. She and Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss the evolving role of immunotherapy and how to choose between CDK4/6 inhibitors, given the recent U.S. Food a...2024-10-2812 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Confusing for All of Us”: Questions Arise Over ADCs, HER2 in Metastatic Breast CancerApprovals of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for metastatic breast cancer have introduced complex questions about HER2 expression. “It’s certainly been a changing landscape, which has been confusing for all of us,” explains Ian Krop, MD, PhD, director of the clinical trials office, chief clinical research officer, and associate director for clinical sciences at Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Connecticut. He and Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss how oncologists should best approach HER2 testing, ADC sequencing, and toxicity concerns. When it comes to answering key qu...2024-10-2114 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives”Where Do We Go From Here?” Targeted Therapies Lead to Challenging Choices in Breast CancerNewly approved targeted therapies for patients with advanced hormone
receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer are changing care. “We
have an abundance of opportunities, but challenges with having to choose
the right opportunity at the right time,” says Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven
Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Figlin discusses how to navigate new options with
Manali Bhave, MD, a breast medical oncologist and assistant professor at the
Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Dr. Bhave stresses that
disease prog...2024-09-2711 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesAfter Practice Change in Unresectable Stage III NSCLC, Questions RemainData on the use of durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy transformed the standard of care for patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). “This is a real practice-changing observation from the PACIFIC trial,” said Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. He recently spoke with Meghan Mooradian, MD, an instructor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, about her team’s recent research assessing the protocol established by the PACIFIC study. “We really are hoping for a cure,” she said in describing how she makes decisions related to the tim...2024-08-3010 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhat ”Incredibly Dramatic” Data on Osimertinib in NSCLC Mean for PracticeResults of the phase 3 LAURA clinical trial, presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, showed that osimertinib significantly improves progression-free survival in patients with unresectable stage III EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after chemoradiotherapy. “The benefits of osimertinib in this patient population when compared to placebo are just incredibly dramatic,” noted Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. He spoke with lead study author Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, the Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research and the executive director at the Wins...2024-08-2909 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Smart Bombs” Upend Breast Cancer Care: What Oncologists May Not Know About Antibody-Drug Conjugates“I think the antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for physicians, and certainly patients too, are a little bit tough to wrap your head around,” says Erika P. Hamilton, MD, the director of breast cancer and gynecologic cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville. She discusses how TROP2-targeting ADCs currently fit into practice with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. From how to “choose the right patient for the right treatment at the right time” to important toxicity concerns, Dr. Hamilton shares her
“elevator pitch” to patients...2024-08-2210 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesOncology Must Do More for Long-Term Cancer Survivors, Expert SaysVarious survivorship guidelines for pediatric patients have been established, but “such guidelines do not exist in the adult world,” says Smita Bhatia, MD, MPH, director of the Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship and the Gay and Bew White Endowed Professor in Pediatric Oncology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. With the number of adult cancer survivors rapidly rising, the time is now for major oncology societies to help create long-term health recommendations, she tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Bhatia and Dr. Figl...2024-08-1411 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“A Good, Peaceful Death” From Cancer: Oncologists Must Be Part of “National Dialogue”Obstacles to “achieving a good, peaceful death” prevent many patients with cancer from the “dignified end” that they deserve, says Sunita Puri, MD, a palliative care physician and author. She and Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss frustrations and concerns about systemic failures in cancer care when it comes to death and dying. “We need to have this national dialogue around this topic,” argues Dr. Figlin. “It can’t be under the covers, where we don’t talk about it.”
Dr. Puri reported no relevant...2024-07-3112 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesFDA Approvals in Relapsed/Refractory CLL Set up ”Difficult Choice”When it comes to the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), "within the last eight months or so, we have had some exciting new events," says Daniel A. Ermann, MD, a hematologist-oncologist and assistant professor at the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved pirtobrutinib for previously treated CLL in December 2023 and approved the CAR-T therapy lisocabtagene ciloleucel for relapsed/refractory disease in March 2024. These new options for patients with unmet needs present "a difficult choice, and it is a little bit of a balan...2024-07-2409 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesOncologists Struggling With Cancer Deaths Among Millennial PatientsOncologists are struggling with the rising cancer mortality rate among millennial patients. "I think treating people our own age is definitely a trigger for a lot of people," said Sunita Puri, MD, a palliative-care physician and author. She spoke with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, about her recent article in The Atlantic, "The Silence Doctors Are Keeping About Millennial Deaths." Dr. Puri explained how age bias and other factors have led to challenges in providing the care that younger adults with terminal cancer both want...2024-07-2411 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesTop Lung Cancer Data From ASCO 2024 Should Change Practice “Immediately,” Experts AgreeThoracic oncology was a major focus of the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, says Sandip P. Patel, MD, a medical oncologist and professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego. Practice-changing data were presented in both non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC), Dr. Patel told Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles.
2024-07-0812 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhat Were the Biggest Data at ASCO 2024 in Kidney Cancer?The biggest data at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in kidney cancer focused on biomarkers, says Brian I. Rini, MD, chief of clinical trials and the Ingram Professor of Cancer Research at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. He discussed data from KEYNOTE-426 and several other key trials with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles.
2024-07-0511 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhat New “Elephant in the Room” Means for Bladder Cancer CareEnfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab (EV/pembro) has “become the elephant in the room” when it comes to bladder cancer care, says Jonathan E. Rosenberg, MD, chief of genitourinary oncology service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. At the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, he discussed recent key advances in urothelial carcinoma treatment with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles.
2024-07-0314 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesImmunotherapy in “Hardest Stage” of NSCLC: Putting Recent Advances Into PracticeImmunotherapy in “Hardest Stage” of NSCLC: Putting Recent Advances Into Practice
Our host, Robert A. Figlin, MD, FACP, welcomes Melissa L. Johnson, MD, as a guest 2024-07-0212 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives”We’re Past the Inflection Point,” as ”Massive Change” Hits Breast Cancer CareFrom ASCO 2024.
When it comes to the use of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in breast cancer care, "we're past the inflection point," says Hope S. Rugo, MD, a breast cancer oncologist and professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of California San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
2024-07-0113 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesTo Get Better Cancer Drugs Faster, Is It Time for an “International FDA”?From ASCO 2024
The time it takes for a novel cancer therapy to go from investigational new drug application to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval is typically longer than a decade. “There has to be a better way,” says Bob T. Li, MD, PhD, MPH, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and associate professor of medicine at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
2024-06-2613 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives”Very Important” Myeloma Data: ASCO Highlights, Smoldering Challenges, and MoreFrom ASCO 2024, Dr. Robert Figlin speaks with Dr. Samer Al Hadadi from University of Arkansas.
"Very Important" Myeloma Data: ASCO Highlights, Smoldering Challenges, and More.
2024-06-2012 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesDurvalumab’s Benefit in SCLC ”Beyond What We Might Have Expected”From ASCO 2024, Dr. Robert Figlin talks with Dr. Lauren Averett Byers from MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Durvalumab's Benefit in SCLC "Beyond What We Might Have Expected"
2024-06-1710 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesNew Standard of Care in Melanoma? Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Offers ”Fantastic” Potential, Expert SaysFrom ASCO 2024
New Standard of Care in Melanoma? Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Offers "Fantastic" Potential, Expert Says.
Dr. Robert Figlin speaks with Dr. Christian Blank from Leiden University
2024-06-1325 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesShould All Breast Cancer Patients Get T-DXd? ”Results of DESTINY-Breast06 Do Suggest That”From ASCO 2024, Dr. Robert Figlin welcomes Dr. Aditya Bardia from UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Should All Breast Cancer Patients Get T-DXd? "Results of DESTINY-Breast06 Do Suggest That"
2024-06-1010 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesOncologist Shortage “Has Gotten to the Crisis Level”Especially in rural areas, the growing oncologist shortage has “gotten to crisis level,” says Harsha Vyas, MD, president and founding partner of Cancer Center of Middle Georgia in Dublin. “We just don’t have enough supply of medical oncologists/hematologists,” he tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Vyas puts forth his ideas for potential solutions, ranging from medical school debt repayment to congressional intervention. As Dr. Figlin notes, “we need to rethink” current approaches because there’s a “storm” on the horizon and “we’re all seeing it coming...2024-05-0610 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Monster Improvements” in CLL Care Prompt Questions About BTK Inhibitor UseThe development of noncovalent Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors and other advances in chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment signify that the “future is really exciting,” says Jennifer A. Woyach, MD, professor in the Division of Hematology at The Ohio State University in Columbus. Dr. Woyach speaks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, about the potential of moving these new drugs into the frontline setting and other questions related to BTK inhibitor resistance.
Dr. Woyach reported various financial relationships.
Dr. Figlin reported various fina...2024-04-1609 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Better to Have Choices”: How New Data Transform EGFR-Mutated NSCLC CareGiven recent data, how should oncologists choose a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and when should chemotherapy be introduced? “It’s better to have choices than not,” explains Paul Bunn, MD, the Dudley Chair in Cancer Research at the University of Colorado in Aurora. Dr. Bunn discusses how recent trials influence treatment decisions in NSCLC with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Bunn stresses why molecular testing is so crucial and previews what additional findings are likely to further...2024-03-2911 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesPractice-Changing Data Introduce “Whole New Challenge” in Prostate CancerThe treatment of biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer “is set for rapid development over the next few years,” says Edwin M. Posadas, MD, medical director of the Center for Uro-Oncology Research Excellence at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Data from the recent EMBARK trial have changed practice for the treatment of men with high-risk features. Dr. Posadas discusses these findings and related advances with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. They also consider how the growing role of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PMSA) posi...2024-03-2611 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesFDA Approval for TIL Therapy “Real Milestone” That Has Been “Long Time Coming”The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent accelerated approval of a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy in metastatic melanoma “is a real milestone,” after the approach was “pending for decades,” explains Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, deputy director at the NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center. Dr. Weber, who was part of the team to first work with the treatment in the late 1980s, discusses the breakthrough with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. They examine what this accelerated approval means for practice and consider the "incredibly expensive cost” asso...2024-03-2111 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesFrom “Fairytale” to Reality? Paradigm Shift in Bladder Cancer CareRecent advances in metastatic urothelial carcinoma have meant that optimistic outcomes are “not as much of a fairytale,” says Robert Dreicer, MD, deputy director of the UVA Cancer Center and professor of medicine and urology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville. From the recent approval of enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab to other key findings recently presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, Dr. Dreicer discusses “paradigm-shifting” advances with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Dreicer explains the “deal-breaker” that renders...2024-03-0810 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesFDA Approvals, Pivotal Trial Data Change Approach to Breast Cancer ProgressionRecent approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and findings from pivotal clinical trials have changed care for patients with breast cancer that has progressed after frontline hormone therapy. Ruth M. O’Regan, MD, chair of medicine and Charles H. Dewey Professor at the University of Rochester in New York, highlights which recent developments regarding second- and third-line treatments are most essential. She and Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss which newly approved drugs are making a difference in patients with actionable mutations, as...2024-02-1411 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesControversies, Difficult Questions Arise in NSCLC Amid New DataRecent data on the use of immunotherapy and targeted treatments in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have introduced a myriad of questions. These include controversial topics and difficult decisions, like when to incorporate CTLA-4 inhibition and what patients can expect from immuno-oncology monotherapy in the metastatic setting. Edward B. Garon, MD, MS, professor in the department of medicine in hematology/oncology and director of the thoracic oncology program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California Los Angeles, discusses key challenges in NSCLC care with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family...2024-02-1211 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhat FDA Approval of Belzutifan Means for Kidney Cancer CareBelzutifan was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in previously treated adults with advanced renal cell carcinoma. How should this drug best be incorporated into practice? Eric Jonasch, MD, professor in the Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss how the medication might be used in clinic. Dr. Jonasch also provides insight into the LITESPARK-005 study, which led to the FDA approval, as...2024-02-0510 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesDespite Lack of Head-to-Head Trials, Practice Patterns Shifting in Breast CancerCDK4/6 inhibitors “have really been a game changer” in metastatic breast cancer, according to Komal Jhaveri, MD, clinical director for early drug development and section head for endocrine therapy research at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City. However, optimal treatment strategies have been complicated by a lack of head-to-head trials. Dr. Jhaveri speaks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, about how “practice patterns have slightly shifted” despite challenges in assessing efficacy across regimens and approaches. Dr. Jhaveri also discusses her work on the INAVO120 study, which fo...2024-02-0112 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhich FDA Approvals, Other Advances Changed ER-Positive Breast Cancer Care in 2023?From compelling data presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium to the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of capivasertib, 2023 saw numerous key advances in breast cancer care. Aditya Bardia, MD, MPH, director of the breast cancer research program at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, and Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology-oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss how several notable developments are already impacting practice. Dr. Bardia explains why genotyping is essential, provided it is available and affordable, and what recent...2023-12-1810 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“New Disruptor” in Prostate Cancer: PSMA PET and Other Treatment AdvancesFrom the use of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron-emission tomography (PET) to advancements in targeted treatments, prostate cancer care is quickly evolving. Edwin M. Posadas, MD, director of the Experimental Therapeutics Program and director of the Center for Urologic Oncology Research Excellence at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, speaks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai, about how he is already implementing promising new data into practice. Although Dr. Posadas notes that although immunotherapy approaches in prostate cancer have been “a bit of a disappointment” so far, he sees “a lot of exciting resear...2023-12-1511 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesPractice-Changing Results in Prostate Cancer, as Enzalutamide Regimens Show Strong BenefitResults of the recent EMBARK study show that both enzalutamide plus leuprolide and enzalutamide monotherapy significantly improved metastasis-free survival compared with leuprolide alone in patients with prostate cancer who have high-risk biochemical recurrence. Lead author Stephen Freedland, MD, associate director for education and training and director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, speaks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai, about how these findings should be applied in practice. Although the data represent a significant advance, Dr. Freedland suggests even more...2023-12-1411 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesER-Positive Breast Cancer Advances and Other Eagerly Anticipated Data at SABCS 2023Studies involving high-risk, early-stage ER-positive breast cancer are among the most eagerly anticipated at this year’s San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), to be held Dec. 5-9. Virginia Kaklamani, MD, professor of medicine in the division of hematology and medical oncology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center San Antonio and leader of the breast cancer program at the Mays Cancer Center, discusses which data she thinks has the best chance of changing practice soon. She also speaks with Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology-oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, about ke...2023-11-2011 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesInside ODAC’s Vote on Sotorasib in Advanced and Metastatic NSCLC: Lessons LearnedLast month, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) determined that progression-free survival (PFS) could not be reliably interpreted in a confirmatory clinical trial for sotorasib (Lumakras) used to treat KRAS G12C–mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Ravi A. Madan, MD, senior clinician at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research and chair of the ODAC, speaks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, about broader implications from the 2-10 vote against the sotor...2023-11-1513 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesFirst-Line Osimertinib Plus Chemo in NSCLC: How to Weigh Toxicity vs. EfficacyHow should results of the FLAURA2 clinical trial be applied in practice? The study examined the use of osimertinib plus chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with osimertinib alone and found that progression-free survival was significantly improved with the combination treatment. Pasi A. Jänne, MD, PhD, director of three cancer centers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, including the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, shares his team’s findings with Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology-oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. They discuss toxic...2023-11-0709 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhat Recent “Outstanding Results” in MCL Mean for Practice“Therapies are improving dramatically” in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL),
according to Michael Wang, MD, professor in the department of
lymphoma/myeloma, division of cancer medicine at the University of Texas
MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Dr. Wang presented updates on
major advances in MCL at the recent Society of Hematologic Oncology
(SOHO) annual meeting. Here, he speaks with Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven
Spielberg family chair in hematology-oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center
in Los Angeles, about which promising regimens from recent studies are
most appropriate for certain age groups. Dr. Wang...2023-10-2711 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesThe Quest to Cure CLL: “Remarkable” Results With New StrategyRecent advances have provided new options for when and how best to treat patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Trials of combination strategies have shown promise in providing patients the potential for unmaintained remissions. Marco Ruella, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in hematology-oncology at the Perlman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and scientific director of the lymphoma program, speaks with Robert Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology-oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, about the current state of CLL care and what changes are likely in the near future. Although satisfied i...2023-09-0616 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWhich Data From the 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer Are Most Likely to Change Practice?The World Conference on Lung Cancer (World Lung) will be held in Singapore, September 9–12. The current president of International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), Heather A. Wakelee, MD, division chief of medical oncology at the Stanford Cancer Institute in California, shares which presentations and findings she is most looking forward to at this year’s event. She speaks with Robert Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology-oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, about steps being taken to ensure that key information from the conference is communicated quickly, clearly, and effectively to community onco...2023-08-1514 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Really Impactful” New Guidelines for Stage IV NSCLC With Driver AlterationsUpdates to the American Society for Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO’s) living guidelines for therapy in patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with driver alterations were recently released. Dwight H. Owen, MD, MS, from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James, examines the new recommendations that he and his team introduced with Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg family chair in hematology-oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. They discuss how the living guidelines are updated and the rationale for what gets included, a process Dr. Figlin notes is “critical to the practicing oncologist.” Dr. Owen d...2023-08-0315 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesMore “Cage Rattling,” Less Talking: Susan Love’s Lessons for OncologistsIn early July, beloved surgeon and breast cancer advocate Susan Love, MD, MBA, died at age 75 years, after a recurrence of leukemia. Dr. Love’s legacy extends beyond the lives of her patients and into the approaches and attitudes of her fellow physicians. Stephanie Graff, MD, medical advisor to the Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research and director of breast oncology at the Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, shares memories and insights about Dr. Love with Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology-oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles. Th...2023-07-1813 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesWill HER3 Targeting Change Breast Cancer Care?HER2 inhibitors dramatically changed care for many breast cancers; however, less is known about HER3, which acts in concert with HER2. Does HER3 have the same potential to reshape treatment strategies? Erika Hamilton, MD, director of breast cancer and gynecologic cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, talks with Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg family chair in hematology-oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, about HER3, how it works, and how new antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that target HER3 are already showing activity in hard-to-treat disease. She also explains how sequencing ADC therapies may work and...2023-06-2712 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Practice-Expanding” Data on Adjuvant Osimertinib in NSCLC: Steps to Take Now Although findings have suggested that adjuvant osimertinib is beneficial in early-stage non-smallcell lung cancer (NSCLC), some concerns have persisted. Balazs Halmos, MD, MS, associate director of clinical science, and director of both thoracic oncology and clinical cancer genomics at Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center in New York, says that “all these doubts have been shifted away,” given recent data presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. Dr. Halmos speaks with Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, about data from the ADAURA trial and other studies. Dr. Halmos says...2023-06-2713 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Don’t Just Throw Drugs Together”: How to Best Approach ESR1 Mutations in Breast CancerHow should community oncologists best approach ESR1 mutations in breast cancer, given the latest findings? Recent data presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and elsewhere have shed light on issues related to ESR1 testing and treatment selection. Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, speaks with Hope Rugo, MD, professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology, department of medicine, and director of breast oncology and clinical trials education at the University of California San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center...2023-06-2013 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesmRNA Cancer Vaccines: When to Expect FDA Approval, and What’s Next?Recent results demonstrated that mRNA vaccination improved recurrence-free survival among patients with melanoma. This has led to questions about what’s next for this promising intervention. Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology-oncology at Cedars Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, welcomes Jeffrey Weber, MD, PhD, deputy director, professor, and co-director of the melanoma research program at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, todiscuss potential timing for FDA approval and additional cancers that may see benefit from a vaccine strategy.
2023-05-1711 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Major Wins” in Lung Cancer Treatment: How “Explosion of Data” Is Changing Practice Within the last few years, an “explosion of data” regarding adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatment for resectable lung cancer has contained “major wins” for patient care. Although exciting, the rapid advancement has led to questions about when chemotherapy and chemoimmunotherapy should be adopted or avoided. Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology-oncology at Cedars Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, and Charu Aggarwal, MD, MPH, the Leslye M. Heisler Associate Professor for Lung Cancer Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia, discuss how to apply key recent findings. They also share “the special sauce” that...2023-05-0911 minOncology News Central Peer-Spectives“Great Therapies for All-Comers” in CLL: How Can Oncologists “Pick and Choose?”As treatment options increase for patients with CLL, so do questions about which interventions, if any, are right for which patients and when. Bob Figlin, MD, and Nicole Lamanna, MD, discuss key considerations, ranging from cardiac toxicity to why Dr. Lamanna “won't just treat for a symptom.”
2023-04-1814 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesPragmatica-Lung Tests a Treatment and a New Approach to TrialsThe newly opened Pragmatica-Lung trial compares ramucirumab plus pembrolizumab versus usual care for treatment of stage IV or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer. The trial is designed to ease enrollment requirements and data collection needs, focusing on the key endpoint of overall survival. Listen as study lead Karen Reckamp, MD, professor and division director for Cedar Sinai Cancer and Medical Oncology, and Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology oncology at Cedar Sinai Cancer, talk about how the trial came about and why it could change how future studies are done across cancer types
2023-03-1709 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesThe Best First Step in Metastatic NSCLC CareWith more than 10 known driver mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), testing is ever more critical, says Heather Wakelee, MD, division chief of medical oncology at Stanford University and president of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Listen as she and Peer-Spectives host Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, talk about how she manages patients with metastatic disease or those who need adjuvant treatment, when she starts targeted therapy or immunotherapy, and more. “We can drastically change the course of disease for a patient by giving them th...2023-03-1009 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesNeo- and Adjuvant Treatments Are Changing Care in Early NSCLCTreatment options are expanding quickly in early non-small cell lung cancer. Listen as Heather Wakelee, MD, division chief of Medical Oncology at Stanford University and president of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, describes how she’s using new agents and incorporating trial findings into practice. She and host Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, explore the growing roles for neo- and adjuvant therapy and how to select patients for each therapeutic approach.
2023-03-0611 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesNALIRIFOX Changes Care in Pancreatic Cancer: Here’s HowAfter a decade of limited gains in metastatic pancreatic cancer, Zev Wainberg, MD, professor of medicine and co-director of the GI oncology program at the University of California, Los Angeles, presented the results of the NAPOLI-3 trial at the ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium last month. The data showed an improvement in overall survival and usher in a new standard for the hard-to-treat disease. Listen as Dr. Wainberg talks with Bob Figlin, MD,Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, and host of OBR’s Peer-Spectives podcast, about those data and which patients should receive the regimen. They also ta...2023-02-1610 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesMatching Breast Cancer Patients to Therapies: Here’s How The landscape for breast cancer treatment is shifting quickly, with an ever-increasingemphasis on targeted and hormonal therapies. Listen as Virginia Kaklamani,MD, professor of medicine in the division of hematology oncology at UT Health San Antonio, and medical directorof the breast oncologyprogram at UT Health San Antonio, MD Anderson Cancer Center,talks with Bob Figlin, MD, Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-OncologyatCedars-Sinai Cancer,about key findings coming out of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. She shares how she’ll use elacestrant following updated results from the EMERALD trial, how to select patients for ovarian suppression, and the expanding role of...2022-12-1610 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesMyelofibrosis Remains Tough to Treat, But New Drugs Are Paving the WayListen as Gabriela Hobbs, MD, clinical director of the leukemia atMass General, talks with Bob Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles, about the latest progress in the treatment of myelofibrosisand how she both assesses new patients and plans their treatment. New agents, including JAK2 inhibitors,are not curative but can have substantial effects on patients and open up further treatment options. Dr. Hobbs also talks about new drug classes on the horizon and what to expect at the upcoming ASH meeting.
2022-11-1113 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesKRAS Inhibition in NSCLC: When, How, and Why?Melissa Johnson, MD,a medical oncologist with Tennessee Oncology and Director of Lung Cancer Research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville,joins host Robert Figlin, MD, Steven Spielberg Family Chair in HematologyOncologyat Cedars-Sinai Cancer, to talk about KRAS G12C inhibition in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)treatment. She talks about how she uses sotorasib (Lumakras), which is U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)approved for second-line treatment, why plasma-based genetic testing is so important, and how she explains to patients that even though she can’t start them off with this drug in the first-line, having it in...2022-11-1114 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesStrategies for Navigating a Hematology/Oncology FellowshipThe key steps to launching a successful and professionally fulfilling hematology/oncology fellowship is to “reflect, project, and adapt,” according to Gerald Hsu, MD, PhD, associate clinical professor of medicine and director of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program at UCSF. Dr. Hsu spoke with Robert Figlin, MD, to discuss how new fellows can best navigate the opportunities they’re presented with. Dr. Hsu recommends reflecting on your areas of passion and interest, projecting what you’ll need 10 years down the road, and adapting your goals as your priorities and interests evolve.
2022-11-0414 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesTaking Aim at MET and KRAS in NSCLCTejas Patil, MD, assistant professor of medical oncology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, talks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, about new targeted therapies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly tepotinib (Tepmetko) for MET exon 14 and sotorasib (Lumakras) for KRAS G12C. The MET exon 14 skip mutation has attracted renewed attention because tepotinib and capmatinib (Tabrecta), which both target this mutation, recently received FDA approvals. But MET can be disrupted in other ways, as well. Listen as Dr. Patil discusses the different types of MET alterations, how to identify MET activation in patients, and best practices for...2022-10-2912 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesMantle Cell Lymphoma: Optimizing Current Therapies
Jonathan Cohen, MD, MS, Associate Professor, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, , joins OBR Editor-in-Chief Robert Figlin, MD, to talk about mantle cell lymphoma. Dr. Cohen describes the key to making a correct diagnosis and what the best frontline treatment approaches are for different patient groups. He also talks about how BTK inhibitors and CAR T-cell therapy are shifting the treatment landscape and what he’s anticipating will be presented at upcoming conferences. “One of the things I know I've learned about mantle cell lymphoma is that if you wait six months, something new will...2022-10-2812 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesCOSMIC-313 trial and the Complex Treatment Landscape for Metastatic Renal Cell Cancer: How Do You Decide?Bob Figlin, MD, and Toni Choueiri, MD, the director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discuss the early results from the COSMIC-313 trial, which Dr. Choueiri presented at ESMO 2022. The trial enrolled previously untreated patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell cancer who were classified as intermediate- to poor-risk. Standard of care doublet therapy, nivolumab (nivo) plus ipilimumab (ipi), was compared with triplet therapy, consisting of nivo-ipi plus cabozantinib. Triplet therapy improved progression-free survival compared with doublet therapy, specifically in the intermediate-risk group. Dr. Choueiri also discussed the complicated landscape in RCC and how...2022-10-1912 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesFinding Joy in Work: ASCO’s Career Development Resources Help Trainees Choose Their Path Bob Figlin, MD, and Jamie Von Roenn, MD, discuss strategies for learning about the oncology specialty earlier in the training pipeline, particularly for under-represented groups. They also look at opportunities for oncology fellows to build skills in different career areas.
2022-10-0414 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesConsidering an Oncology Fellowship? Listen to This FirstGerald Hsu, MD, PhD, UCSF’s hematology/oncology fellowship program director, joins Robert Figlin, MD, to talk about what fellowship programs are looking for in applicants, how trainees can find programs that are a good fit, and why preparing for an interview improves the odds you land at the right spot for you.
2022-09-0617 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesKidney Cancer at a Crossroads: What New Trial Results Could Mean for Patients Michael B. Atkins, MD, and Robert Figlin, MD, discuss results from the EVEREST clinical trial as well as new data on TKIs, immunotherapy, and HIF-2 inhibitors. They also discuss adjuvant therapy and how depth of response differs between immunotherapy and TKIs, and look ahead to what the future holds.
2022-08-1913 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesHow to Choose CLL Treatments in the Frontline Setting Danielle Brander, MD, talks with Robert Figlin, MD, about selecting frontline treatments for CLL and how she talks with patients about their treatment options. “What I think is unique about the last few years is we’ve seen multiple randomized trials in the frontline setting that have shown not only superior progression-free survival … but several of those randomized studies also showing improvement in overall survival versus chemoimmunotherapy,” Dr. Brander said. “I think it’s really important for us to be considering these novel treatment options.”
2022-07-0811 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesRethinking HER2-Targeted Therapy After DESTINY-04 William Gradishar, MD, talks with Robert Figlin, MD, about breast cancer research highlights from the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, including results from DESTINY-Breast04 and new data on CDK4/6 inhibitors from the PALOMA-2 and MAINTAIN trials.
2022-07-0711 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesMost Patients with BRAF-mutant Metastatic Melanoma Benefit from First-line ImmunotherapyMichael B. Atkins, MD, talks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, about the importance of sequencing therapies for patients with BRAF-positive metastatic melanoma. Data from the DREAMSeq trial, which Dr Atkins updated at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, show a significant survival advantage at two years for patients who receive ipilimumab plus nivolumab prior to receiving a BRAF/MEK inhibitor. But not all patients fit that paradigm. Listen as Dr Atkins shares which patients he starts on immunotherapy and when he thinks is the best time for crossover to a targeted agent.
2022-06-1612 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesAdjuvant and Neoadjuvant Therapy for NSCLC: Who to Treat and With What AgentListen in as Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, shares with Robert Figlin, MD, how he approaches treatment for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer after the ADAURA and CHECKMATE-816 trials. They discuss different factors that influence use of adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments, including stage, EGFR mutation status, and PD-L1 status.
2022-05-0512 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesThe Complex Decisions in CLL Treatment Today: Clarifying the ChoicesLori Leslie, MD, and Robert Figlin, MD, discuss the latest drugs and clinical trial data on CLL treatment. Dr. Leslie shares her strategy for sequencing agents, including various BTK inhibitors and venetoclax, and how she decides on treatment in patients whose disease progresses or are refractory.
2022-04-1313 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesDREAMseq Trial: What It Means for Metastatic Melanoma TreatmentSapna Patel, MD, Associate Professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Robert Figlin, MD, Deputy Director at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, discuss the clinical implications of the DREAMseq trial, showing patients with BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma live longer if they receive first-line ipilimumab plus nivolumab.
2022-03-2911 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesThe Latest Thinking Regarding Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Renal Cell Carcinoma Post-ASCO GU ‘22Rana McKay, MD, Allan Pantuck, MD, and Robert Figlin, MD, discuss the recent update to the Keynote-564 study investigating adjuvant pembrolizumab in RCC and the impact on high-, medium-, and low-risk patients. They also talk about the Disease-Free Survival (DFS) endpoint, discussing the study with patients, and the recent NCCN guidelines update.
2022-03-1121 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesPost ASCO GU ’22 – Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer, EV-103, Enfortumab Vedotin, and the Clinical Progress Being Made Managing MIBC PatientsDaniel Petrylak, MD, Professor of Medicine at the Yale Cancer Center, and Robert Figlin, MD, of Cedars-Sinai Cancer discuss recent developments at ASCO GU in muscle-invasive bladder cancer and in particular the EV-103 clinical study while also discussing the future of MIBC treatment.
2022-03-0709 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesThe HIMALAYA Study Presented at ASCO GI ’22: An Update on the State of Liver Cancer Treatment TodayGhassan Abou-Alfa, MD and Robert Figlin, MD, discuss the presentation of the HIMLAYA clinical study at ASCO GI ’22 and how this regimen may fit in the liver cancer treatment landscape
2022-01-2610 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesFrederick Locke, MD of Moffit Cancer Center and Robert Figlin, MD of Cedars-Sinai discuss ZUMA-7, the role of CAR-T in the management of relapsed/refr...Frederick Locke, MD and Robert Figlin, MD discuss ZUMA-7 and when to start thinking about integrating CAR-T into B-cell lymphoma treatment algorithms, the role of BMT in these patients, and how recent data presented at ASH ’21 shows that CAR-T cell therapies can work well in relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoma.
2021-12-2211 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesFrom SABCS ’21: Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy and the Use of the 21-Gene Signature TestLajos Pusztai, MD, and Robert Figlin, MD, discuss the practicality of neoadjuvant I-O as demonstrated in KEYNOTE-522 and the application of the Oncotype DX 21-gene signature test in the RxPONDER study, both presented at the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
2021-12-1411 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesTargeted Therapy and Venclexta Combinations for AML and a Look Ahead to ASH ’21Naval Daver, MD, and Robert Figlin, MD, discuss FLT3, TP53, and venetoclax combinations in the management of AML patients and what to look forward to at ASH 2021.
2021-12-0211 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesAfter CodeBreaK100:Kathryn Arbour, MD, joins host Robert Figlin, MD, to discuss the importance of the KRAS-targeted drug, sotorasib, in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
Kathryn Arbour, MD, joins host Robert Figlin, MD, to discuss the role next-generation sequencing plays in lung cancer care, the responses seen with the KRAS-targeted drug, sotorasib, in CodeBreaK100, and what optimal use of the drug will look like down the road.
2021-11-2011 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesESMO ’21: The ARCHES Study and Progress in Metastatic (and Non-Metastatic) Hormone-Sensitive Prostate CancerAndrew Armstrong, MD and Robert Figlin, MD discuss the ARCHES study investigating the role of enzalutamide in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, followed by a discussion of the latest treatment trends in non-metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.
2021-09-2209 minOncology News Central Peer-SpectivesRecent Clinical Progress in Ovarian CancerRobert Coleman, MD and Robert Figlin, MD, discuss the evolving role of bevacizumab in ovarian cancer, recently presented clinical studies such as BOOST and EFFORT, and the challenge of treating the PARP-refractory setting in advanced ovarian cancer.
2021-07-1611 min