Oncology

Yesterday

Patients with psoriasis appear to be at greater risk for developing colorectal cancer, suggests a recent study, noting how gastroenterology consultation and colonoscopic examination are indicated for such individuals presenting with bowel symptoms.

Lung cancer risk among nonsmoking Chinese women pinned to family history

Jairia Dela Cruz, 2 days ago

People who have never smoked in their lives still run the risk of developing lung cancer, and among Chinese women in Singapore, this risk is attributed to a history of lung cancer in the immediate family.

Obesity ups risk of early-onset colorectal cancer

Stephen Padilla, 5 days ago

Obese people are more likely to develop early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC), suggests a study, noting that the increasing prevalence of obesity in younger generations may significantly contribute to the increase in this disease.

Aspirin cuts HCC risk in CHB patients with heavy metabolic burden

Tristan Manalac, 6 days ago

Aspirin safely lowers the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients suffering from a heavy burden of metabolic risk, according to a study presented at The Liver Meeting Digital Experience 2021 of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD 2021).

Daratumumab-containing regimens safe, effective against multiple myeloma

21 Nov 2021

Adding daratumumab to backbone treatments against multiple myeloma (MM) yields high clinical efficacy and has an acceptable toxicity profile, a recent study has found. Such regimens are good treatment options for newly diagnosed (ND) and relapsed/refractory (RR) MM.

MRI/ultrasound fusion biopsy accurately detects PCa in men with intermediate PSA

19 Nov 2021

Fusion biopsy with magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography (MRI/US) is an efficient method of detecting clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) in biopsy-naïve men with prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels 4–10 ng/mL, a new study has found.

Improving survival outcomes with systemic therapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

02 Apr 2021

At the 3rd Bayer Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Masterclass, three distinguished speakers shared their insights into the management of intermediate and advanced HCC in Malaysia. Topics discussed include current treatment landscape and updates in disease management, as well as two case studies that highlighted the role of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in improving the overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced HCC.

New treatment option now available for patients with HR+/HER2- aBC/MBC, PIK3CA mutations

31 Mar 2021

At the recent webinar entitled Pik Me Up: Mutation Matters, Consultant Medical Oncologist Dr Senthil Rajappa discussed the role of PI3Kα-specific inhibitor alpelisib (TREZILENT^®, Novartis) in managing patients with HR+/HER2- aBC/MBC and PIK3CA mutations while Senior Consultant Pathologist Professor Dr Pathmanathan Rajadurai explained the process of detecting PIK3CA mutations in patients.

Management of MDROs in the ICU and the role of newer antimicrobial agents

Prof. David Paterson, 30 Mar 2021

Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are at risk of developing serious infections with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), which require appropriate and adequate antibiotic coverage. Early empirical coverage is pivotal in saving patients’ lives. At a recent webinar co-organized by the Society of Infectious Disease (Singapore) and Pfizer, renowned Professor David Paterson, Professor of Medicine and Director, The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, and Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, discussed the role of newer antimicrobial agents, including ceftazidime-avibactam (Zavicefta) in the management of MDROs in the ICU. Dr Wong Sin Yew, Infectious Disease Physician at Gleneagles Medical Centre and Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, Singapore, chaired the event.

The changing treatment landscape for premenopausal women with advanced breast cancer: Focus on ribociclib

Dr. Wong Seng Weng, Dr. Lee Guek Eng, 19 Mar 2021

In Singapore, advanced breast cancer (aBC) is the leading cause of cancer death in women 30–49 years of age. For premenopausal women diagnosed with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative BC, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors provide new hope. Currently, ribociclib is the only CDK4/6 inhibitor studied in the first-line setting for premenopausal women with HR+/HER2- aBC, in the phase III MONALEESA-7 trial. Two experts, Dr Wong Seng Weng, Medical Director & Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Cancer Centre, Paragon Medical & Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, and Dr Lee Guek Eng, Senior Consultant & Specialist in Medical Oncology at Icon Cancer Centre and Program Director of the Young Women Cancer Program, weigh in with their views on managing premenopausal women with aBC.

Optimizing metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer treatment in advanced prostate cancer

Assoc Prof. Darren Poon, Assoc Prof. Edmund Chiong, 14 Jan 2021

Metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) refers to the condition whereby patients have metastatic prostate cancer and no prior hormonal therapy or androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Typically, patients with mHSPC have been treated with ADT alone, following which, the overwhelming majority develop castration resistance over time and head towards eventual mortality. In recent years, the publication of various landmark trials has prompted dramatic changes in the mHSPC treatment landscape, and had favourably impacted overall survival (OS) in these patients. At a recent webinar, A/Prof Darren Poon, Honorary Consultant in Clinical Oncology, Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, and Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Oncology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, reviewed treatment options in mHSPC, while A/Prof Edmund Chiong, Head and Senior Consultant, Department of Urology, National University Hospital, Singapore, presented a case which was discussed by an esteemed panel of experts. This webinar was jointly organized by the Singapore Society of Oncology and the Singapore Urological Association, and supported by Astellas.

ALL treatment: Current settings, future goals

Roshini Claire Anthony, 08 Jan 2021

Significant advancements in the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) in children have improved their outcomes. However, ALL treatment and eradication remain a major challenge in adults. In a recent webinar, two specialists from the US discussed current ALL treatment strategies and goals of future regimens.

CheckMate 743: 3-year OS data confirm NIVO + IPI as standard of care for mesothelioma

NIVO + IPI survival benefit persists over 3 years in mesothelioma: CheckMate 743

Pearl Toh, 03 Nov 2021

The combination immunotherapy of nivolumab (NIVO) and ipilimumab (IPI) continues to provide durable survival benefit over chemotherapy in the first-line setting in patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), despite the patients having been off immunotherapy for 1 year, according to the 3-year data from the CheckMate 743 trial presented at ESMO 2021.

Pembrolizumab extends RFS in stage II melanoma

Roshini Claire Anthony, 01 Nov 2021

Pembrolizumab extended recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with high-risk stage II melanoma who had undergone complete resection, interim analysis results of the phase III KEYNOTE-716 trial showed.

Adjuvant atezolizumab improves DFS in early-stage NSCLC

Roshini Claire Anthony, 27 Oct 2021

In patients with completely resected stage II–IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had previously received adjuvant cisplatin chemotherapy, adjuvant atezolizumab extended disease-free survival (DFS), particularly in those with PD-L1 expression ≥1 percent on tumour cells, interim results of the phase III IMpower010 trial showed.

Durvalumab-tremelimumab-chemo combo a new first-line SoC for mNSCLC

Durvalumab + tremelimumab + chemo: A new first-line SoC for mNSCLC?

Roshini Claire Anthony, 26 Oct 2021

The combination of durvalumab, tremelimumab, and chemotherapy in the first-line setting improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC), according to results of the phase III POSEIDON trial.

KEYNOTE unlocks immunotherapy OS benefit in metastatic TNBC, effective in early disease

Natalia Reoutova, 14 Oct 2021

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is considered one of the highest-risk subtypes of breast cancer and has a dismal prognosis. However, immunotherapy survival benefits reported in KEYNOTE-522 and KEYNOTE-355 trials bring new hope for this indication. [Ann Oncol 2021;32:994-1004]

ADT-docetaxel-abiraterone: A winning combo for mCSPC

Roshini Claire Anthony, 07 Oct 2021

Triplet therapy combining androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), docetaxel, and abiraterone-prednisone improves overall survival (OS) in men with de novo metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC), according to results of the phase III PEACE-1 trial presented at ESMO 2021.

Pembro + chemo: ‘Practice-changing’ in advanced cervical cancer

Pearl Toh, 29 Sep 2021

Adding pembrolizumab to chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab significantly extends overall survival (OS) by 8 months in women with recurrent, persistent or metastatic cervical cancer, according to the KEYNOTE-826 study presented at ESMO 2021.