Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is becoming an increasingly important part of the cancer treatment landscape, with a growing number of clinical trials investigating its use across a range of cancer types. To date, the FDA has approved six CAR T-cell therapies, all for hematological malignancies and all primarily used as treatments for patients…
Traditionally, early-stage clinical trials focus on toxicity assessment and dose selection. Today, a growing number of Phase 1/2a trials are designed to draw inference about preliminary response rates due, in part, to the use of biomarkers and adaptive design approaches that enhance the early detection of efficacy signals. These approaches may add to study complexity…
Cancer is one of the most scientifically complex and dynamic diseases. Even with significant advances in our understanding of the genetic and molecular mechanisms that lead to cancer, only 10 percent of approved oncology drugs demonstrate an overall survival benefit.1 In recent years, there has been a shift in how early-phase oncology studies are conducted…
Radiation therapy was first used to treat cancer more than a century ago, and nearly half of all cancer patients still receive it at some point during their treatment.1 Historically, most radiation therapy was given by delivering ionizing beams of radiation from outside the body, but with advances in the field of nuclear medicine, radionuclides…
In this era of precision medicine, biomarkers play a critical role in the rational development of novel therapies. With advances in both our understanding of cancer pathophysiology and tumor profiling technology, biomarkers can now be used to provide important insights at every stage of drug discovery and development. In this article, we explore the common…
Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers overall and the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men. The 2018 global estimate of new PC cases exceeded 1.2 million, and more than 350,000 men died from the disease worldwide.1 Over the last decade the emergence of new treatments, combined with better use of…
Advanced ovarian and endometrial carcinomas present the greatest challenge in treating gynecologic cancer and, among the five types of female cancers, are responsible for the most U.S. deaths annually.1 With a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation; patients can go into remission, but the majority will have a recurrence after several months or years. There…
Gynecologic cancers are comprised of five major types: ovarian, uterine, cervical, vaginal, and vulvar. All women are at risk for these, and risk increases with age. Specific risk factors include a family history, human papillomavirus (HPV) infections (cervical cancer), genetic mutations such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 (ovarian cancer or OC), and hormone replacement therapy. Early…
Minimizing the burden that trial participants experience is essential for successful recruitment and retention, especially in oncology studies, where patients may need to be followed for years after the treatment phase of the trial. For sponsors, the process of optimizing study outcomes involves a deep understanding of the patient’s care journey and a deliberate effort…
During the initial planning for clinical trial implementation, intense focus is placed on strategies for patient recruitment, while strategies for patient engagement and retention are often left until after the treatment phase. However, with many current protocol designs in oncology, trial endpoints require study participants to be followed for years to evaluate side effects and…
