Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives

Shared Decision Making and Toxicity Management in EGFR- Mutated Advanced NSCLC

Combination regimens improve survival in advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC, but they also increase toxicity. Jorge Nieva, MD, shares how he talks with patients about potential adverse events. Hedescribes the options available for prophylaxis and how he treats the toxicities that do arise.

“Where the Real Answer Lies”: How CNS Disease Influences EGFR-Mutated NSCLC Treatment Decisions

Tackling central nervous system (CNS) disease in EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer “is a huge problem, both from a quality-of-life perspective for patients and also from a longevity perspective,” explains Sid Devarakonda, MD, director of thoracic medical oncology at Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle and clinical associate professor at Washington State University. He speaks with Aakash Desai, MD, MPH, associate director of the Phase 1 and Precision Oncology program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, about how CNS metastases inform choices between regimens. Dr. Devarakonda also discusses how the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of subcutaneous amivantamab (Rybrevant Faspro) may change his approach. “[Y]ou still need to be comfortable managing some of the toxicities that still persist, even with the subcutaneous formulation, but it's terribly convenient from a practical perspective,” he notes.
Dr. Desai and Dr. Devarakonda reported various financial relationships.

“Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?”: Treatment Intensification for Advanced EGFRm NSCLC

With multiple regimens available for advanced EGFRm NSCLC, selecting the best regimen for an individual patient is key. Jorge Nieva, MD, tells host Aakash Desai, MD, MPH, that the questionshouldn’t be about who needs more efficacy, but rather understanding a patient’s personality and goals.

As Terminal Patients Live Longer, How Can Oncologists Help Them Cope With Uncertainty?

Progress in cancer care means that millions of patients are living longer lives, albeit without hope of a cure. What role can oncologists and other physicians play in helping to navigate these uncertain futures? “What is our obligation to them? How do we understand them and their needs and respond to them?” asks Sunita Puri, MD, author of That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour and associate professor of medicine and director of the inpatient palliative care service at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine. She discusses how she uses “radical honesty” with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology. Dr. Puri explains how she admits her own limitations when helping patients who are grappling with questions about what treatments mean for quality vs quantity of life. “I want to be a resource to you, but I also want you to know I share in your uncertainty because I’m not sure what’s going to happen next.”
Dr. Puri reported no relevant financial relationships.
Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.

Should Patients With Cancer Receive mRNA Vaccines Alongside Immunotherapy?

A recent study found a link between mRNA vaccination and improved cancer immunotherapy response. The preclinical data demonstrated impressive results, leading to big questions.
“We believe that [vaccination] actually does generate and even converts the cold tumors to hot tumors,” Steven H. Lin, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist and radiation oncologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology.

Big News From ESMO 2025 Changes Practice in Bladder Cancer

Survival data from the KEYNOTE-905 trial and insights into the use of circulating tumor DNA to guide treatment decisions from IMvigor011 made big waves in bladder cancer care at the European Society of Medical Oncology Annual Congress. “Overall, this is going to change the standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer,” says Amanda Nizam, MD, a genitourinary medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute. She and Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, discuss how the findings are being incorporated into clinic and what questions remain. “I am continually surprised by the changes taking place in bladder cancer management,” notes Dr. Figlin.
Dr. Nizam reported various financial relationships.
Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.

Big Changes in AML Care as Targeted Therapy Options Expand

Options for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are rapidly expanding, says Amir Fathi, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston and program director of the Center for Leukemia at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Over the course of the last 10 to 12 years, there have been a series of approvals, predominantly for targeted therapies,” he explains. Speaking with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, Dr. Fathi outlines how and when to look for mutations in AML and key considerations for various targeted therapies. He also shares what developments he is anticipating. “I’m most excited about where we’re moving in the upfront setting.”
Dr. Fathi reported various financial relationships.
Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.

Artificial Sweetener May Impair Cancer Immunotherapy, Raising Broader Questions

The artificial sweetener sucralose may impair the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, according to a recent study published in Science. Although further research is needed before these findings can be translated into actionable information for patients, the investigation highlights that “the science of nutrition in cancer is actually quite poor,” says senior author Diwakar Davar, MD, associate professor and clinical director of the melanoma and skin cancer program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Hillman Cancer Center in Pennsylvania. Dr. Daver shared why he and his colleagues chose to explore the potential effects of sucralose on cancer treatment, and what research is next, with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair. “What I think we are hoping to try to do is actually just kickstart a movement to get people to focus on nutrition,” Dr. Daver explained. “We spend $1 billion to try to get a hazard ratio of 0.8, and here it appears that if you eat just a little less of this, you can maybe double your likelihoods of success.”
Dr. Davar reported various financial relationships.
Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.

“Massive Advance” Changes the Chessboard in EGFR-Mutated Metastatic NSCLC

New survival data from the FLAURA2 and MARIPOSA trials represent “a massive advance for our patients” in terms of frontline treatment for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer says Sandip P. Patel, MD, professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego. However, the findings have led to new questions about sequencing. “Just like in chess, when you make a move, you’re restricted in the moves that you can make afterward,” he explains to Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair. Discussions have become “much more nuanced,” and “thinking about the patient holistically becomes even more important in the setting of all these excellent treatment options for our patients,” Dr. Patel shares.
Dr. Patel reported scientific advisory income from Amgen, AstraZeneca, BeiGene, Bristol Myers Squibb, Certis, Eli Lilly, Jazz, Genentech, Illumina, Merck, Pfizer, Natera, and Tempus.
Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.

Are Oral SERDs About to Transform Breast Cancer Care?

The development of oral selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) represents substantial progress for patients with metastatic breast cancer who have ESR1 mutations. “I’m extremely excited because they’re the most effective form of endocrine therapy today,” says Wassim Mchayleh, MD, MBA, the clinical program director of the breast cancer program at AdventHealth Cancer Institute and associate professor of medicine at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He spoke with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the interim director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology about SERDs that are currently available and those in development. When it comes to weighing toxicity, “across the board, they are very well-tolerated endocrine therapies with a very low discontinuation rate,” Dr. Mchayleh noted. In addition to recent key clinical trial results, he also looked ahead to what data may help establish the drug class as a replacement for the current standard of care.
Dr. Mchayleh reported various financial relationships.
Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.