Divarasib improved survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

In a phase III trial, people with previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer lived 17.7 months with divarasib, compared with 12 months with sotorasib or adagrasib.

“These results establish divarasib as a new standard of care and offer hope for patients whose treatment options have been limited after their cancer progresses.”

What this means. A large, final-stage trial in lung cancer. This is the kind of result regulators use when deciding whether to approve a treatment.

Sacituzumab tirumotecan improved survival in advanced womb cancer

In a phase III trial of 776 people with advanced or recurrent womb cancer, sacituzumab tirumotecan kept cancer from growing longer and helped people live longer than standard chemotherapy.

What this means. A large, final-stage trial in womb cancer. This is the kind of result regulators use when deciding whether to approve a treatment.

Pembrolizumab added no benefit in early non-small cell lung cancer

In 448 adults with inoperable or surgery-refusing stage I or II non-small cell lung cancer, adding pembrolizumab to radiation did not improve time without an event: 31.2 months versus 28.3 with radiation alone. The trial stopped early.

“The addition of pembrolizumab to SBRT did not improve event-free survival and was associated with a higher incidence of treatment-related adverse events compared with SBRT alone in participants with inoperable stage I or II non-small cell lung cancer.”

What this means. A large, final-stage trial in lung cancer. This is the kind of result regulators use when deciding whether to approve a treatment.

Lifileucel and pembrolizumab shrank advanced melanoma tumors

In a phase II trial, 27 people with advanced melanoma received lifileucel and pembrolizumab as first treatment. Tumors shrank in 62.5% of the 24 people in the main analysis; the median time responses lasted had not yet been reached after 26.9 months.

“The findings suggest that introducing lifileucel earlier in the treatment pathway may improve outcomes for patients.”

What this means. A mid-stage trial in melanoma, a skin cancer. Good results at this stage usually still need a larger trial before approval.

Darovasertib and crizotinib shrank metastatic uveal melanoma

In a phase II study, 44 people with untreated metastatic uveal melanoma received darovasertib and crizotinib. Tumors shrank in 34.1% of patients.

“Results from OptimUM-01 suggest that the combination of darovasertib and crizotinib has encouraging effectiveness with a manageable safety profile and may represent a first-in-class targeted treatment option for patients with previously untreated mUM.”

What this means. A mid-stage trial in melanoma, a skin cancer. Good results at this stage usually still need a larger trial before approval.

Machine learning improved risk prediction for multiple cancers

Researchers developed models using routine health data from 463,620 people and tested them across 20 common cancers. The models beat traditional methods, but worked better for some cancers than others.

What this means. Based on data or samples from people with several cancer types. It is not a treatment trial.

Expert review clarified diagnoses of ambiguous skin melanoma tumors

Among 994 people with unclear skin tumors that could be melanoma, expert review and additional tests when needed gave 97.2% a clear diagnosis.

What this means. Based on data or samples from people with melanoma, a skin cancer. It is not a treatment trial.