Medical Oncology
Physician insights on cancer treatment protocols, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and clinical trial updates.
Recent Discussions
What is your approach to utilizing MRD-guided therapy in previously untreated CLL, particularly in choosing between continuous versus time-limited treatment?
The question of what to do relative to a patient receiving therapy for CLL in first line and being MRD negative in blood/bone marrow with a reliable test (NGS sequencing or high sensitivity flow cytometry) and also no enlarged lymph nodes on CT/exam greater than 1.5 cm is challenging. For ibrutinib ...
How do you reconcile data from the PATINA trial and DESTINY-Breast09 with respect to CDK4/6 inhibitor maintenance in metastatic ER+ HER2+ breast cancer?
We don't have data on using T-DXd with palbociclib concurrently, but the data from DB09 and PATINA does lead to questions about the optimal 1st line approach in ER+HER2+ metastatic disease. DB09 allowed for concurrent endocrine therapy with T-DXd + P, and the ADC was continued until intolerance or p...
Which patients, if any, do you revert back to ultrasound screening for HCC after prior diagnosis/definitive treatment of HCC?
I don't revert back to U/S for these patients ever. It's not dissimilar from colorectal cancer screening - once you have colon cancer, it's not appropriate to use iFOBT or stool DNA screening anymore - it's lifelong colonoscopy screening. Likewise, for HCC, I continue to use AFP plus cross-sectional...
Is it acceptable to treat newly diagnosed small cell lung cancer with limited brain metastasis with upfront SRS?
First, to be clear, there's not good evidence regarding the role of radiosurgery in small cell patients who have not had WBRT or PCI. In patients without brain metastases, there's a clearly defined and clinically significant survival benefit, which seems to result from both control of existing metas...
For iron deficiency anemia due to heavy menstrual bleeding, what is your preferred method of controlling heavy menses?
I definitely loop in my GYN friends for this one! According to ACOG: "Heavy menstrual bleeding is defined as excessive menstrual blood loss that interferes with a woman's physical, social, emotional, or material quality of life." The consequences of HMB are substantial and multifaceted, and, as we f...
Would you continue or stop anticoagulation for a DVT/PE in a patient with active cancer who has completed 6 months of therapy?
This is an important question that we didn’t really have a clear answer for… until this year when an NEJM RCT was published! Mahé et al., PMID 40162636 In this RCT, patients with cancer-associated VTE who completed 6 months of full-dose apixaban were randomized to half-dose apixaban vs. full-dos...
How do you manage erythrocytosis secondary to sotatercept for patients with PAH?
I have not done that yet, but I have let Hgb drift up to 18-19 and monitor the patient closely. I lower the dose to 0.5 or even 0.3, if Hgb is high at baseline, then start and stay at 0.3 before I increase. I will consider phlebotomy if the above options are not available.
How do you manage erythrocytosis secondary to sotatercept for patients with PAH?
I have not done that yet, but I have let Hgb drift up to 18-19 and monitor the patient closely. I lower the dose to 0.5 or even 0.3, if Hgb is high at baseline, then start and stay at 0.3 before I increase. I will consider phlebotomy if the above options are not available.
Do you routinely evaluate patients with collagen disorders or Ehlers-Danlos for platelet defects?
Yes, I routinely carry out a full hemostasis evaluation, including platelet aggregation and release studies, in patients referred to me with easy bruising and hypermobility with an increased Beighton score suggesting EDS and in those already diagnosed genetically with EDS. EDS patients typically hav...
Assuming approval, in which patients would you choose Belzutifan + Lenvatinib (LITESPARK-011) for advanced RCC, with progression after IO therapy?
LITESPARK-011 is an interesting study as it relates to current standard practice. Presently, lenvatinib/everolimus is a well-established and potent treatment option. Each clearly contributes towards the clinical benefit observed in most patients. For instance, in the study NCT01136733 (Motzer et al....