Future oncology
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Bone is a common site for malignant involvement, either as a site of metastasis, especially in breast or prostate cancer, or as a defining characteristic of the disease, as in multiple myeloma. Bone disease is a major source of morbidity, and half of patients with bone involvement develop skeletal-related events such as pathological fractures or cord compression requiring surgery and/or radiation. ⋯ Osteoclast inhibition with bisphosphonates such as zoledronic acid and recently denosumab has been a significant improvement for bone disease. This review will focus on denosumab in the treatment of bone metastases and highlight the recent findings in multiple myeloma.
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Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a key component of treating advanced cancer patients, principally antibodies against CTLA-4 and PD-1 or PD-L1. Durvalumab (MEDI4736) is a selective, high-affinity, human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that blocks PD-L1, which binds to PD-1 and CD80, but not to PD-L2. ⋯ Impressive activity has been recently reported after chemoradiation in locally advanced patients; promising activity was observed with other ICI combinations, and potentially with other drugs including platinum-based chemotherapy. In contrast, early data reveal lower response rates in EGFR and ALK-positive patients.
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To assess the association between tumor response and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma treated with the anti-PD-L1 avelumab. ⋯ In patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma, nonprogression during treatment with avelumab correlated with gains in HRQoL.