Medical Oncology
Physician insights on cancer treatment protocols, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and clinical trial updates.
Recent Discussions
Is there any role for prophylactic DMARD therapy to prevent immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors?
Excellent and timely question!There are no good studies-- but I truly believe this is where we are heading for cellular therapies and IO. I am unsure if it will be DMARDs, as lung cancer patients get premetrexed with IO and still develop irAEs-- it will more likely be bDMARDs.The reason, I believe, ...
Do you modify dosing and monitoring of Lu-177–PSMA therapy for patients with prior large-field RT involving substantial active marrow compared with patients who only had focal bone SBRT?
No, we do not modify dosing and monitoring of PSMA therapy with prior large-field RT. In the VISION trial, the vast majority of patients were heavily pre-treated, presumably many with pelvic radiation for definitive treatment or treatment for bCR prior to metastasis. Assuming that the patient had ap...
Can you give Pluvicto with concurrent palliative EBRT?
Short answer: Yes, you can, and I do not modify my dose. I have no issues with this and have done it multiple times for patients who need more immediate symptom relief (pain, bleeding, etc.).Why? Because Pluvicto is a medium energy isotope with a relatively short path length of around 2 mm. Even nea...
In mCRPC patients who had an initial response to Pluvicto but progress within 12 months, where do you position PSMA radioligand retreatment relative to other next-line systemic options in your sequencing strategy?
After Lu-PSMA therapy, we may consider taxane chemotherapy, Ra-223, ARPI, or clinical trials in addition to Lu-PSMA retreatment. Retreatment may be more heavily considered in patients with prior deep response to Lu-PSMA, high avidity on a repeat PSMA PET, and/or limited candidacy for other treatment...
What approaches can we take to initiate therapy and improve survival rates in patients with HLH?
At our institution, we have comprised a multidisciplinary team to help treat these patients. The team or "HLH task force" as we like to call ourselves is comprised of a clinical immunologist, rheumatologist, dermatologist, critical care physician, hepatologist, BMT attending/hematologist, infectious...
Does postpartum status impact your choice of chemotherapy regimen for young women with a HR+/HER2- invasive ductal carcinoma with 1-3 positive lymph nodes?
No, the postpartum state would not affect my choice of adjuvant chemotherapy in a node-positive patient with HR+/HER2- breast cancer. Would submit tissue for Oncotype analysis to determine if the regimen should include an anthracycline (for Oncotype >30); if not, would favor TC x6 with concurrent ov...
Should we delay adjuvant breast radiotherapy for early stage breast cancers as the COVID-19 situation evolves?
This is a very tough question given the unprecedented nature of this pandemic and the fact that its duration is unknown. Recommendations will likely vary based on the density of cases in a specific geographic location and will undoubtedly change frequently given the rapidly evolving nature of this s...
How should you manage a coronavirus infected/suspected patient who is receiving radiotherapy and cannot interrupt or delay their cancer treatment?
Hi Everyone, I agree with all the comments—this is certainly a fluid situation. We have not had a confirmed COVID-19 case, but we have developed a plan. If it is deemed a known COVID-19 patient, and it is elected to continue treatment by the treating physician, the treatment will happen at the end o...
Has precision medicine changed how you consent patients for treatment?
The use of precision oncology technology and genetics has changed the ability to provide informed consent. In general, the riskier or less standard of care a therapeutic intervention might be, the greater the need for informed consent. In this way, precision oncology has pushed the envelope especial...
Should we be utilizing prophylactic G-CSF in our patients with intermediate risk of febrile neutropenia due to the COVID-19 pandemic?
There are many functions of G-CSF, including repression of T-cell and NK cell function. Unless you are certain that growth factors are not modifying the immune network to the detriment of viral clearance—there is no data that growth factors help clear viral infections.