NEWS & VIEWS FEBRUARY 1, 2019

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Versus Upfront Debulking ELOQUENT-3: Addition of Elotuzumab to Pomalidomide and Surgery in Advanced Tubo-Ovarian Cancer Dexamethasone in Previously Treated Multiple Myeloma As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Vergote et al,1 a pooled analysis of As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Dimopoulos individual patient data in long-term follow-ups of the phase III EORTC et al,7 the phase II ELOQUENT-3 trial has shown that the addition of 55971 and CHORUS trials indicated that overall survival is similar with elotuzumab to pomalidomide and dexamethasone significantly neoadjuvant therapy versus upfront debulking surgery in advanced prolonged progression-free survival in patients with relapsed and/or tubo-ovarian cancer. Neoadjuvant therapy was associated with better refractory multiple myeloma who previously received treatment with outcomes in stage IV disease. lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor. Multimodality Therapy and Lateral Local Recurrence in Radiotherapy With Cisplatin or Cetuximab in Low-Risk, Rectal Cancer HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ogura et al2 found In the phase III De-ESCALaTE trial reported in The Lancet, Mehanna that lateral lymph node dissection reduced the risk of lateral local et al8 found no difference in severe toxicity with cisplatin versus recurrence in patients with lateral nodes $ 7 mm undergoing cetuximab plus radiotherapy in low-risk human papillomavirus neoadjuvant chemoradiation or radiation in addition to total mesorectal (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer. Cetuximab was associated excision in clinical stage T3 or T4 low rectal cancer. with poorer recurrence and survival outcomes. Azacitidine Plus Nivolumab in Relapsed or Refractory AML Many Patients Do Not Receive Surveillance Colonoscopies A combination of the chemotherapy drug azacitidine with the immune Following a Diagnosis of High-Risk Adenomas checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab demonstrated an encouraging response A population-based study examining patient receipt of a surveillance rate and overall survival in patients with relapsed or refractory acute colonoscopy 3 years after the removal of high-risk adeonomatous polyps myeloid leukemia (AML), according to findings from a phase II study has found that the procedure was underutilized and varied by health- 3 published by Daver et al in Cancer Discovery. care system, patient age, and number of adenomas found. The study by Undertreatment of High-Risk Prostate Cancer in Chubak et al9 was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, & Latino Men Prevention. New research by Lichtensztajn et al4 in JNCCN—Journal of the National REFERENCES Comprehensive Cancer Network found that in a population in California, 1. Vergote I, Coens C, Nankivell M, et al: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy versus debulking surgery Latino men were less likely to receive definitive treatment for high-risk in tubo-ovarian cancers: Pooled analysis of individual patient data from the EORTC 55971 and CHORUS trials. Lancet Oncol 19:1680-1687, 2018 localized prostate cancer than non-Latino white men. 2. Ogura A, Konishi T, Cunningham C, et al: Neoadjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy with total NTRK mesorectal excision only is not sufficient to prevent lateral local recurrence in enlarged FDA Approves Larotrectinib for Solid Tumors With nodes: Results of the multicenter lateral node study of patients with low cT3/4 rectal cancer. Gene Fusions J Clin Oncol doi: 10.1200/JCO/18.00032 fi On November 26, 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)5 3. Daver N, Garcia-Manero G, Basu S, et al: Ef cacy, safety, and biomarkers of response to azacitidine and nivolumab in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia: A non-randomized, granted accelerated approval to larotrectinib (Vitrakvi) for adult and open-label, phase 2 study. Cancer Disc doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-18-0774 pediatric patients with solid tumors that have a neurotrophic receptor 4. Lichtensztajn DY, Leppert JT, Brooks JD, et al: Undertreatment of high-risk localized prostate cancer in the California Latino population. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 16:1353-1360, tyrosine kinase (NTRK) gene fusion without a known acquired resistance 2018 mutation, whose disease is either metastatic or in those where surgical 5. US Food and Drug Administration: FDA approves an oncology drug that targets a key resection is likely to result in severe morbidity, and who have no genetic driver of cancer, rather than a specific type of tumor. https://www.fda.gov/ NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm626710.htm satisfactory alternative treatments or whose cancer has progressed 6. Ramirez PT, Frumovitz, M, Pareja R, et al: Minimally Invasive versus abdominal radical following treatment. hysterectomy for cervical cancer. N Engl J Med 379:1895-1904, 2018 7. Dimopoulos, MA, Dytfeld D, Grosicki S, et al: Elotuzumab plus pomalidomide and dexa- Phase III Trial of Minimally Invasive Versus Open Abdominal methasone for multiple myeloma. N Engl J Med 379:1811-1822, 2018 Radical Hysterectomy in Early Cervical Cancer 8. Mehanna H, Robinson M, Hartley A, et al: Radiotherapy plus cisplatin or cetuximab in low- In a phase III trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, risk human papillomavirus-postive oropharyngeal cancer (De-ESCALaTE HPV): An open- label controlled randomised phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. https://www.thelancet.com/ 6 Ramirez et al found that minimally invasive radical hysterectomy was journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)32752-1/fulltext associated with poorer disease-free and overall survival versus open 9. Chubak J, McLerran D, Zheng Y, et al: Receipt of colonoscopy following diagnosis of abdominal radical hysterectomy in women with early-stage cervical advanced adenomas: An analysis within integrated healthcare delivery systems. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2018/11/12/1055- cancer. 9965.EPI-18-0452