Highlights from 2024 ASCO

2024 Best of ASCO® Oral Abstract on HSCT, Late-breaking OS Data for a KRAS G12C Inhibitor and Monotherapies for Advanced Cancers

World-renowned physicians and researchers from City of Hope®, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, delivered 64 presentations — including oral abstracts, rapid oral abstracts, clinical science symposiums and education discussions — at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology® (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. Some highlights are described below. 

 

 

Watch interviews of some of the City of Hope researchers

 

2024 Best of ASCO Program: New Data on Mismatched Unrelated Donor Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation

 

Monzr M. Al Malki, M.D., City of Hope hematologist-oncologist, co-led a multicenter Phase 2 trial (NCT04904588) sponsored by the National Marrow Donor Program and conducted via the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research that demonstrates encouraging overall survival (OS) one year after older patients with advanced blood cancers received HLA-mismatched unrelated donor peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

While the 13-site ongoing trial includes adults and children, the interim analysis presented as an oral abstract presentation at ASCO evaluated the first 70 older adult patients with advanced blood cancers who received this type of transplant and underwent both reduced intensity conditioning and post-transplant cyclophosphamide. OS at year one post-stem cell transplant was 79%. Rates of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) and other complications were comparable to those of recipients who received HLA-matched donor stem cells, suggesting HLA-mismatched unrelated donor peripheral blood stem cell transplantation may one day be used more widely, expanding access to the lifesaving therapy.

Late-Breaking Data: OS in the Phase 3 CodeBreaK 300 Trial in KRAS G12C-mutated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

CodeBreaK 300 was the first Phase 3 clinical trial to show a benefit over standard of care in patients with relapsed/refractory KRAS G12C-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer. In this trial, combination treatment with the KRAS G12C inhibitor sotorasib and the monoclonal antibody panitumumab resulted in superior progression-free survival rates compared with standard of care in patients whose cancer had progressed after receiving standard chemotherapy.

 

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In a late-breaking abstract, City of Hope medical oncologist Marwan G. Fakih, M.D. presented OS data from this important study. The study was not powered tdetect a statistical difference in OS due to the small study population size because of the low prevalence of KRAS G12C-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer. However, Dr. Fakih and colleagues did observe a trend toward improved OS with sotorasib plus panitumumab compared with standard of care.

 

Bispecific Antibody Monotherapy Demonstrates Sustained Response Rates in Relapsed/Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma

 

In an updated efficacy and safety analysis of a Phase 1/2 trial (NCT03075696) of fixed-duration treatment with the bispecific antibody glofitamab, compelling response rates continue to be observed among a group of mantle cell lymphoma patients who have nearly exhausted approved treatment options due to aggressive disease. 

 

The researchers evaluated close to 60 participants who had received two or more previous treatments — the majority of whom had stopped responding to treatment before they enrolled in this study. Patients received about 7.4 months of glofitamab. Landmark analyses indicated that most patients with a complete response at the end of treatment were alive without disease progression 15 months after the end of treatment. The median duration of complete response was 12.6 months, and median progression-free survival was 8.6 months.

 

 

“People with mantle cell lymphoma have a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that is currently incurable, so it is encouraging to see people who were told by others that there is not much more to be done live months and even years longer with this treatment,” said Tycel Phillips, M.D., City of Hope hematologist-oncologist and presenting author. “We at City of Hope continuously develop leading-edge treatments for people diagnosed with lymphoma and other blood cancers.”

 

Early Safety and Clinical Efficacy Data for a New Oral Monotherapy, DFF332, in Advanced Kidney Cancer 

In an ongoing first-in-human Phase 1/1b multicenter trial (CDFF332A12101, NCT04895748) in patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and at least one line of prior therapy, targeted therapy with the oral hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2α inhibitor DFF332 demonstrated evidence of clinical activity with manageable side effects.

 

 

Sumanta “Monty” Pal, M.D., a City of Hope medical oncologist, shared preliminary data on 40 patients. At data cutoff, 18 patients continued to be treated, while 19 patients (48%) stopped receiving the treatment due to disease progression, and three patients discontinued based on their physician’s decision. 

The most common side effects were fatigue (33%), anemia (30%), increased blood cholesterol and constipation (15%). No grade 4 treatment-related adverse events have been observed so far. At cutoff, 18 patients (45%) had stable disease and two patients (5%) achieved partial response. “While the study is still in process, so far, we have seen a promising safety profile for monotherapy DFF332 with indications of clinical activity,” Dr. Pal said.

Telehealth Interventions for Older Adults With Cancer That Could Improve Quality of Life

study at City of Hope Antelope Valley found that telehealth can be leveraged to offer older adults living in high-poverty, lower-resourced communities with a specialized evaluation developed at City of Hope called a geriatric assessment, which identifies supportive care services older adults with cancer need to manage vulnerabilities, better define care goals and improve quality of life.

“In my experience, if you don’t do a geriatric assessment, the patient pays for it later,” said Tanyanika Phillips, M.D., M.P.H., presenting author and City of Hope medical oncologist and hematologist in Antelope Valley, California. Dr. Phillips noted that if care is prescribed without accurate health information, the result could be

serious side effects or even hospitalization, which could lead not only to more costly care but also cancer treatment outcomes that are not the best for patients.

 

 

randomized trial at a Brazilian cancer center and under the guidance of City of Hope’s internationally renowned cancer and aging expert William Dale, M.D., Ph.D., found that older adults with metastatic cancer reported experiencing significant improvements in the performance of daily activities, emotional well-being and quality of life after receiving a telehealth-based geriatric assessment (GA) that resulted in supportive care interventions. This data extends City of Hope’s prior work in GA-guided supportive care beyond the borders of the United States.