JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network– introduced new associate editors, who reflect the journal's growing focus on original research designed to improve the quality of cancer care delivery, worldwide. The expanding focus on original research is led by editor-in-chief Margaret Tempero, professor of medicine and Director of the UCSF Pancreas Center at UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
John Mendelsohn has retired from MD Anderson Cancer Center, which he served as president for 15 years, from 1996 to 2011.
A working group formed by NCI Director Ned Sharpless has recommended that the institute devote additional funds informatics researchers could use to harmonize existing cancer datasets.
FDA approved Azedra (iobenguane I 131) injection for intravenous use for the treatment of adults and adolescents age 12 and older with pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma that cannot be surgically removed, have spread beyond the original tumor site and require systemic anticancer therapy.
TheraBionic GmbH, a German company co-founded by Boris Pasche, director of the Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Alexandre Barbault, co-inventor of the TheraBionic technology, has received European regulatory approval for its TheraBionic P1 medical device for use in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Merck said the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of Keytruda, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, in combination with pemetrexed (Alimta) and platinum chemotherapy (cisplatin or carboplatin) for the first-line treatment of metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer in adults whose tumors have no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations, regardless of PD-L1 expression.
Novartis said the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of Tafinlar (dabrafenib) in combination with Mekinist (trametinib) for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with stage III melanoma with a BRAF V600 mutation, following complete resection.
Eisai Co. Ltd. and Merck said FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for Lenvima (lenvatinib), the orally available kinase inhibitor discovered by Eisai, in combination with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for the potential treatment of patients with advanced and/or metastatic non-microsatellite instability high/proficient mismatch repair endometrial carcinoma who have progressed following at least one prior systemic therapy.
Trazimera, a biosimilar to Herceptin (trastuzumab), for the treatment of human epidermal growth factor overexpressing breast cancer and HER2 overexpressing metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, received European Commission approval.
