Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and KRAS are the most commonly mutated oncogenes in lung cancer. EGFR kinase domain mutations have been established as valid predictors of increased sensitivity to gefitinib (Iressa, AstraZeneca) and erlotinib (Tarceva, Genentech). On the other hand, patients with mutant KRAS tumors fail to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy and their disease…

On February 22^nd, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1; Kadcyla™, Genentech), as a single medicine, for the treatment of people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) who have received prior treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin®, Genentech) and a taxane chemotherapy. The newly approved drug is the…

Patients who received one year of bevacizumab (Avastin®, Genentech/Roche), an angiogenesis inhibitor that slows the growth of new blood vessels in addition to chemotherapy for the postsurgical treatment of triple-negative breast cancer, had no statistically significant improvement in invasive disease-free survival compared with patients treated with…

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, with over 1.2 million new cases diagnosed each year. The disease remains one of the biggest cancer killers in the world responsible for over 600,000 deaths globally each year [1].

Recent studies show that continued use of bevacizumab (Avastin®; Roche/Genentech) -based therapy beyond first progression in metastatic colorectal cancer patients leads to…

A multicenter study in Germany reports that it is feasible to routinely conduct high-quality molecular analysis of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) in local community hospitals that are not affiliated with academic medical centers. The study results, presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), indicate that molecular testing can be made available to more patients, and in many cases,…

A Phase III multicenter clinical trial finds that treatment with the investigational BRAF-targeted drug dabrafenib, an investigational, orally bioavailable inhibitor of the BRAF protein, reduced the risk of disease progression by 70% compared to standard…

Late breaking data from a Phase III study presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) shows that the oral investigational drug trametinib (GlaxoSmithKline) delayed tumor growth and extended survival for patients with advanced melanoma who have BRAF mutations, compared with standard chemotherapy. This is the first Phase III trial…

The Canadian regulatory body, pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review or pCODR has made an initial recommendation that includes positive clinical evaluations for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, ipilimumab (Yervoy™, Bristol-Myers Squibb)and vemurafenib (Zelboraf®, Genentech). The drugs are…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved vismodegib (Erivedge™, Roche/Genentech), the first medicine for adults with a type of skin cancer, called advanced or metastatic basal cell carcinoma or BCC, that has spread to other parts of the body or that has come back after surgery or that their healthcare provider decides cannot be treated with surgery or radiation. The new drug is a first-in-class Hedgehog Pathway…

The first patients, enrolled at the Loma Linda University Cancer Center, have been dosed in a Phase II clinical trial of MM-121 (also known as SAR256212), a drug candidate that targets ErbB3, a cell surface receptor, or protein attached to the cell membrane that mediates communication inside and outside the…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today authorized Circadian Technologies Ltd. to initiate clinical trials with its investigational new drug VGX-100. The first Phase I trials will study VGX-100 in patients with a variety of late stage cancers.



VGX-100 is a fully human antibody that acts against the human VEGF-C protein. Treatment for…

The CLEOPATRA trial, a multicenter international clinical Phase III study, designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pertuzumab with trastuzumab and docetaxel vs. placebo with trastuzumab and docetaxel in previously untreated Her2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC), has met its primary endpoint: progression-free survival.



Pertuzumab is a monoclonal antibody being studied in early-stage and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. It is an…