A recent study demonstrated that the utilization of sugemalimab alongside chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival and overall survival in treatment-naïve individuals with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This study’s findings were published in the journal, Nature medicine.

A total of 540 adults, ranging in age from 18 to 75 years, who were diagnosed with locally advanced, unresectable, recurrent or metastatic ESCC and had not undergone any previous systemic treatment, were enrolled in this multicenter, double-blinded, randomized, phase 3 trial. The patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive either sugemalimab, an anti-PD-L1 antibody at a dose of 1,200 mg or placebo every 3 weeks for a maximum period of 24 months. Additionally, all the randomized patients underwent chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin (80 mg m^-2  on day 1) and 5-fluorouracil (800 mg m^-2 day^-1 on days 1-4) every 3 weeks for a maximum of six cycles. The study assessed both progression-free survival and overall survival outcomes.

With a median follow-up of 15.2 months, the extension of progression-free survival showed statistical significance when comparing sugemalimab plus chemotherapy to placebo plus chemotherapy (median 6.2 months vs 5.4 months). Additionally, overall survival was better with sugemalimab plus chemotherapy when compared to placebo plus chemotherapy (median 15.3 months vs 11.5 months). There was a notably higher objective response rate (60.1% vs 45.2%) observed with sugemalimab plus chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy.

Thus, it can be concluded that the combination of sugemalimab and chemotherapy led to a notable extension in both progression-free survival and overall survival among treatment-naïve individuals with advanced ESCC.

A recent study showed that intensified AR blockade for a finite period extends prostate-specific antigen progression-free survival (PSA-PFS) while maintaining a manageable safety profile, without negatively impacting the time needed for testosterone recovery. This study’s findings were published in the Journal of clinical oncology.

The PRESTO trial was a randomized, open-label, phase III study that involved 503 patients diagnosed with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer (BRPC) and PSA doubling time of 9 months or less. Patients were randomly divided into one of three groups in a 1:1:1 ratio. These groups consisted of a 52-week treatment course with ADT (androgen-deprivation therapy) control, ADT combined with apalutamide, or ADT combined with apalutamide and AAP (abiraterone acetate plus prednisone). The primary endpoint of the trial was to evaluate PSA-PFS, which was defined as having a serum PSA level exceeding 0.2 ng/mL after the completion of the assigned treatment.

The median PSA level was determined to be 1.8 ng/mL (IQR, 1.0-3.6). During the initial planned interim analysis, it was observed that both experimental groups exhibited a significant prolongation in PSA-PFS when compared to the control group (median, ADT + apalutamide was 24.9 months vs 20.3 months for ADT alone; median, ADT + apalutamide + AAP was 26.0 months vs 20.0 months for ADT alone). There was no notable difference in the median time for testosterone recovery across the different treatment arms.

The above results demonstrated that the use of intensified AR blockade for a finite period has been found to PSA-PFS while maintaining a manageable safety profile and not interfering with testosterone recovery time. Consideration should be given to adding apalutamide to androgen deprivation therapy in high-risk BRPC patients.

According to a recent study, sacituzumab govitecan was safe and significantly beneficial over chemotherapy in treating metastatic breast cancer. This study's result were published in the journal, Lancet.

The TROPiCS-02 was a randomized, phase 3, multi-centre, open-label trial that included 543 patients with confirmed hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+ and HER2-). They were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either sacituzumab govitecan (n=272) or chemotherapy (n=271; eribulin, vinorelbine, capecitabine, or gemcitabine). The patients had received at least one previous endocrine therapy, a taxane, as well as a CDK4/6 inhibitor in any setting and 2-4 previous chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease. The study's primary endpoint was progression-free survival while the secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), overall survival, and patient-reported outcomes.

At the end of the study, it was observed that sacituzumab govitecan significantly improved overall survival. Also, ORR was significantly improved with sacituzumab govitecan as was time to deterioration of global health status and quality of life. The safety profile of sacituzumab govitecan was in accordance with those of the ASCENT trial and primary analysis of TROPiCS-02.

Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that sacituzumab govitecan may be used as a new treatment option for patients with  pretreated metastatic breast cancer as it may demonstrate statistically significant and clinically meaningful benefits with a manageable safety profile.