Medical Oncology
Physician insights on cancer treatment protocols, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and clinical trial updates.
Recent Discussions
How do you decide about neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a women with both IDC and DCIS on biopsy when the tumor is ill defined on imaging?
In the clinical scenario of a palpable tumor and biopsy reflecting a mix of pre-invasive disease (DCIS) and proliferative cancer, the value of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is debatable. The optimal goal of NAC is to ameliorate long term outcome, that was documented with pCR, these quite low in original ...
Would detection of an adverse cytogenetic marker such as dup(1q) alone in the setting of MGUS satisfy criteria for a diagnosis of multiple myeloma?
Short answer, no.Longer answer -The important transition between MGUS/SMM to MM is CRAB criteria (hypercalcemia, renal disease, anemia, bone lesions), OR the development of a myeloma defining events -- >60% clonal plasma cells on bone marrow, multiple lesions on MRI, or FLC ratio > 100. These myelom...
What is your preferred chemotherapy regimen for a fit younger patient with mantle cell lymphoma?
For a young fit patient with mantle cell lymphoma not suitable for observation and in need of treatment, without contraindications to intensive therapy, my preferred approach is to use the MCL Younger strategy of alternating RCHOP and cytarabine-based therapy as induction. I will routinely substitut...
For patients receiving adjuvant trastuzumab for HER2+ positive breast cancer, if a patient misses a dose, do you make up that dose or stop at 1 year mark without making the dose up?
I would typically make up the dose. My reasoning is that the goal of treatment is to increase probability of cure. We know from prior adjuvant trials that decreasing the relative dose intensity (defined as the dose delivered over time divided by the standard, protocol-defined dose of regimen over ti...
How would you advise a pre-menopausal, HR-, HER2+ BC with treated brain metastases and NED while on trastuzumab/pertuzumab who wants to conceive?
I would advise against her carrying the pregnancy. Trastuzumab is associated with a high risk of oligohydraminos so she would need to come off therapy for about 10 months. That could cause any dormant micromets to get out of control during pregnancy and jeopardize the baby and the mother's health.
Would you consider adding atezolizumab to a different chemotherapy/platinum-doublet backbone from the IMpower 133 trial for a new ES-SCLC patient?
No I would not, primarily for these reasons: 1) There are no clinical data of which I am aware regarding the addition of atezolizumab to irinotecan and cisplatin for any tumor type. 2) Irinotecan/cisplatin is more toxic than etoposide/platinum regimens, with no improvement in efficacy in 1L extensiv...
What recommendations do you make regarding the use of biologics for uncontrolled Crohn's disease in patient's who have a history of DLBCL that developed while on infliximab and azathioprine and whose lymphoma is essentially cured?
This is a frequent question without a clear answer. There has not been a randomized study of anti-auto-immune therapy strategies to define the risk of a relapse or secondary lymphoma in patients with a clear need for treatment. I recommend the patient work with their rheumatologist to start a low i...
When do you recommend broader molecular testing for clinical trials in stage IV NSCLC patients who have negative initial molecular testing for FDA-approved targetable mutations?
How do you choose between regorafenib or TAS-102 in patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma that has progressed on all prior 5-FU based regimens and anti-EGFR therapy?
Despite their FDA approval, both TAS-102 and regorafenib are equally marginal drugs in terms of their efficacy. In the world of GI Oncology, there are those of us who do and do not treat HCC; those who do have experience with sorafenib and regorafenib and find both drugs to be "tolerable". On the ot...
How do you decide on the type of ovarian suppression (GnRH agonist vs. GnRH antagonist) in premenopausal patients treated with an AI?
Based on current available literature in Breast Cancer it is premature to change to GnRH antagonist such as Degarelix. While action of onset is more rapid with Degarelix (3 days) versus triptorelin (14days) (GnRH agonist) side effects are more pronounced and efficacy data is still lacking. In the re...