FDA Investigating CAR-Related T-cell Malignancies
November 30
BCMA- and CD19-directed immunotherapies linked to serious adverse events.
Read Cancer Discovery News
… and keep up with the latest in cancer research, prevention, screening, and treatment
News
Tertiary Lymphoid Structures Validated as Biomarker
November 22
Intratumoral TLS positivity shows promise as a tissue-agnostic indicator of responsiveness to dual checkpoint–angiogenesis blockade.

Kidney Cancer Researcher Tapped as NCI Director
November 21
Vanderbilt’s W. Kimryn Rathmell to lead $7.3 billion agency.

Optimism Surrounds Claudin 18.2 ADC
November 17
CMG901 improves survival in gastric/GEJ cancers in Asian trial, but more study needed, researchers say.
Checkpoint Inhibitors Up Survival in Early-Stage Lung Cancer
November 16
Evidence mounts that neoadjuvant immunotherapy prolongs both EFS and OS in patients with NSCLC.

ARPA-H Funds Two “Manhattan Projects” for Cancer
November 13
Efforts tackle big goals for the oncology community.
In Vivo CAR Monocytes Show Efficacy in Mice
November 9
Direct reprogramming of cells in the body could help expand reach of myeloid cell therapies.
Culture Media Tweak Makes Heartier CAR T Cells
November 9
Adding inosine during the manufacturing process induces stemness features that help combat cell exhaustion.
Personalized DNA Vaccine Immunogenic Against Melanoma
November 8
EVX-02 elicits robust and lasting T-cell responses.
Combating KRASG12C Inhibitor Resistance
November 3
Dual KRASG12C–EGFR blockade boosts median PFS in colorectal cancer; joint SHP2 suppression also shows potential.
Urothelial Carcinoma Trials Get Standing Ovation
November 2
Enfortumab vedotin–pembrolizumab dramatically ups survival vs. chemo; nivolumab combo also demonstrates benefits.
Tumor-Agnostic Treatment Heading to the Clinic?
October 27
The approval of trastuzumab deruxtecan for variety of HER2-mutant or -expressing tumors now a step closer, trials suggest.
Noted This Week
November 17–30
AbbVie announced that it will buy ImmunoGen in a deal worth about $10.1 billion, acquiring ImmunoGen’s mirvetuximab soravtansine (Elahere), a first-in-class antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) approved for the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Mirvetuximab soravtansine binds to folate receptor alpha (FRα), delivering the microtubule-disrupting agent DM4 to cancer cells. ImmunoGen has other ADCs in its pipeline, including IMGN151, a next-generation anti-FRα ADC for ovarian cancer that could potentially treat other tumor types, and pivekimab sunirine, an anti-CD123 ADC targeting blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm, a rare blood cancer.
Gilead announced that its cell-therapy subsidiary Kite Pharma will lay off 7% of its 4,300-person workforce—although 90 jobs will be created as part of the restructuring, resulting in a net cut of 5%. Kite developed and sells the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) and brexucabtagene autoleucel (Tecartus) to treat certain leukemias and lymphomas.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal that would require the replacement of all lead water pipes across the country within 10 years to help prevent harmful health effects of lead exposure, including cancers. More than 9.2 million American households—typically in low-income areas and communities of color—connect to water through lead pipes, and there is no safe level of exposure to lead. The EPA’s proposal also calls for other lead-related measures, such as increases in tap water sampling.
The FDA approved AstraZeneca’s capivasertib (Truqap) plus fulvestrant to treat adults with certain hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative locally advance or metastatic breast cancers with at least one PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN alteration. The decision was based on the phase III CAPItello-291 trial, which found a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival between patients with PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN alterations who received capivasertib plus fulvestrant versus placebo plus fulvestrant—7.3 months and 3.1 months, respectively.
Also, Astellas Pharma announced that the agency approved enzalutamide (Xtandi) for patients with nonmetastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer with biochemical recurrence at high risk for metastasis. The decision was based on results of the phase III EMBARK trial, in which 1,068 patients received enzalutamide plus leuprolide, enzalutamide monotherapy, or placebo plus leuprolide, which inhibits gonadotropin secretion. Researchers found improvement in metastasis-free survival (MFS) of 58% with the enzalutamide combination—and an MFS improvement of 37% with enzalutamide alone—compared with placebo plus leuprolide.
Research Watch
The Extracellular Matrix Dictates Regional Differences in Tumor Initiation
December 1
Additivity Predicts the Clinical Efficacy of Approved Combination Therapies
December 1
Vitamin B5 Supports Oncogenic Metabolism in MYC-Driven Breast Cancer
November 22
Claudin-6 CAR T Cells Are Safe and Have Potential Clinical Activity
November 17
Cancer Cells Adapt to SWI/SNF Inhibition through Compensatory EP400 Function
November 17
Transposable Element Signatures Define Stages of T-cell Exhaustion
November 10
Toxic UDPGA Accumulation Is a Metabolic Vulnerability of Cancer Cells
November 10
Clinically Actionable Alterations Are Associated with African Ancestry
November 3
Tebotelimab Is Safe and Effective Across Multiple Cancer Types
November 3
Trending - Altmetric
The Twitter live feed is not currently active.
Keep up to date with Cancer Discovery
Advertisement