Cancer
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Second-line treatment options in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are limited. Axitinib, a selective potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) of vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF) receptors 1, 2, and 3, merits exploration in HCC. ⋯ With 42.3% tumor control at 16 weeks, primary endpoint was met. Axitinib has shown encouraging tolerable clinical activity in VEGF-pretreated HCC patients but further study should be in a selected population incorporating potential biomarkers of response.
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Lung cancer screening with annual chest computed tomography (CT) is recommended for current and former smokers with a ≥30-pack-year smoking history. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk of developing lung cancer and may benefit from screening at lower pack-year thresholds. ⋯ Current and former smokers with COPD may disproportionately benefit from lung cancer screening. A lower pack-year threshold for screening eligibility may benefit this high-risk patient population.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of oncology drug approval between Health Canada and the US Food and Drug Administration.
The drug approval timeline is a lengthy process that often varies between countries. The objective of this study was to delineate the Canadian drug approval timeline for oncology drugs and to compare the time to drug approval between Health Canada (HC) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ⋯ The time from HC submission to HC approval takes 3 months longer than the same time interval for the FDA. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first documentation of the time required to bring an oncology drug from HC submission to placement on a provincial drug formulary.
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Alterations in the retinoblastoma pathway in germ cell tumors (GCTs) have been described. In the phase 1 trials of the selective cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor palbociclib, 3 patients with unresectable, growing, mature teratoma syndrome achieved prolonged disease stabilization. The authors conducted an open-label, phase 2 study to determine the efficacy and safety of palbociclib in patients with incurable, refractory, retinoblastoma protein (pRB)-expressing GCTs. ⋯ Treatment with palbociclib was associated with a favorable 24-week PFS rate in patients with refractory, pRB-expressing GCTs. Benefit was mainly observed in patients who had unresectable teratomas and teratomas with malignant transformation.