Another Approval Bites the Dust; Booze-Cancer Link Off Radar; Lung Ca Surveillance

Roche/Genentech will voluntarily withdraw accelerated approval of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) for advanced bladder cancer. The move follows the failure of a phase III trial to show a benefit in overall survival.

Cryotherapy proved more effective than thermal ablation of small renal tumors, according to a retrospective comparison of the two strategies. (Journal of Urology)

A survey of 3,865 U.S. adults showed that only 25-30% were aware that alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer. (American Association for Cancer Research)

Lung cancers with high aneuploidy were more susceptible to the addition of radiation therapy to immunotherapy. (University of Chicago, Nature Cancer)

More frequent surveillance with CT imaging did not help improve survival in early-stage lung cancer. (Journal of the National Cancer Institute)

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals announced receipt of a complete response letter from the FDA stating that the application for poziotinib cannot be approved without additional supporting evidence of efficacy in HER2-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.

Y-mAbs Therapeutics also received a complete response letter from the agency for omburtamab in metastatic neuroblastoma, with the agency recommending further clinical trials to demonstrate the drug’s efficacy. The action follows a unanimous vote against approval by the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee.

Progression-free survival in advanced/recurrent endometrial cancer improved significantly with the addition of dostarlimab (Jemperli) to chemotherapy, GSK announced.

The bispecific antibody zanidatamab demonstrated activity in 11 different types of HER2-expressing solid tumors. (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Lancet Oncology)

Treating cancer cells with the differentiation-inducing agent brequinar significantly enhanced response to immunotherapy. (Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Journal of Clinical Investigation)

Targeting inactivation of a gene that controls tumor-suppressing activity could offer a novel strategy to treat pancreatic cancers associated with KRAS mutations. (VCU Massey Cancer Center, Cell Reports)