Cancer

Fianlimab plus cemiplimab demonstrated modest clinical efficacy with an acceptable safety profile in patients with advanced malignancies across several tumor types mostly in treatment-naive patients. Further investigation is warranted.

Poverty in the surrounding counties has a greater impact on mortality among survivors than residential county poverty alone. Incorporating poverty levels from both residential and surrounding counties can improve definitions of high- and low-risk regions after a breast cancer diagnosis.

Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03297034).

IDH2 and TP53 mutations are enriched in dedifferentiated CS and are significant, independent predictors of adverse survival, regardless of tumor grade. These findings support IDH2 mutation status as clinically meaningful prognostic biomarker that may allow risk stratification and clinical decision-making in CS patients.

Guideline‐concordant care in triple‐negative breast cancer was associated with improved survival, including from nonbreast cancer causes. This editorial explores what broader patient and health system influences, beyond treatment, are captured by guideline concordance.

Larger baseline tumor burden was associated with worse OS, but not PFS, and was not predictive of tumor regression after dual ICI therapy in a large cohort with rare cancer types.

WVT078 administered with and without WHG626 showed a manageable safety profile. Preliminary activity was observed in patients with r/r MM. The addition of WHG626 numerically improved response over WVT078 monotherapy. Findings from this study support further evaluation of WHG626 as a combination partner of BCMA-targeting agents for r/r MM treatment.

For most types of cancer, psychosocial factors (measured at a single point in time) were not associated with increased risk. PSS, currently not in a relationship, and loss were associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, although most effects attenuated when adjusting for several known risk factors.

The CMOP regimen demonstrates a favorable PK profile, a manageable safety profile, and encouraging preliminary antitumor activity.

In the IMAGE (Integrative Molecular And Genetic Epidemiology study) data set, men with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma had a higher burden of disease, more end‐organ damage, and were less likely to have light chain–only disease and osteopenia than women. Interactions between sex and age regarding a free light chain ratio ≥100 and copy number alterations suggest a potential role for sex hormones …

The trial registration is ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04773639.

This news section offers Cancer readers timely information on events, public policy analysis, and topical issues. In this issue, according to results of the phase 3 MajesTEC‐3 trial, the combination of teclistamab plus daratumumab in patients with early relapsed myeloma significantly improved progression‐free survival and led to an overall survival advantage in comparison with the standard of car…

Gnathic osteosarcoma may vary from appendicular osteosarcoma in terms of the general systemic therapy approach. Consensus guidelines highlighting literature‐based recommendations allow for care recommendations and set a research direction as the field starts to approach methods to reveal osteosarcoma subtypes and improve outcomes.

Neoadjuvant treatment for skin cancer refers to treatment given to resectable tumors before surgery with the primary aim of improving prognostic outcomes. In addition, it may downstage the tumor to decrease surgical morbidity, and may de-escalate adjuvant therapies in cases of complete response. This in-depth review discusses the principles of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for cutaneous melanoma and …

The eligibility criteria in phase 3 RCTs in metastatic NSCLC continue to be strict. In some trials, judicious modifications of these criteria should be considered to improve the enrollment of clinically relevant populations of patients, especially older adults, individuals with an ECOG score of 2, and those with selected comorbidities.

Increased social vulnerability was associated with a less favorable gut microbiome composition but not worse OS among melanoma and sarcoma patients treated with ICB. Consistent with prior findings, high dietary fiber intake emerged as a potentially modifiable pathway to improve outcomes in patients initiating ICB, particularly those with increased SVI.