Extensive cancer research data to be presented at the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.May 20 2021

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, a leader in cutting-edge clinical trials and health outcomes analyses and a designated Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute, together with RWJBarnabas Health, today announced that data from its cancer clinical research program will be presented at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, to be held virtually from June 4-8.

A total of 16 presentations including 13 abstracts, two educational sessions and one clinical science symposium have been accepted, highlighting data in numerous types of cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma, melanoma and breast, lung and kidney cancer.

While COVID-19 was justifiably the dominant medical issue and health topic of the past year, the ravages of cancer continued to impact millions of patients and their families in the U.S. and globally."

Howard S. Hochster, MD, FACP, Associate Director, Clinical Research, Rutgers Cancer Institute

Hochster is also the director of oncology research at RWJBarnabas Health; and distinguished professor of medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

"Inspired and undeterred by the challenges of the pandemic, our team of internationally recognized physicians and translational researchers in the oncology clinical research program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health intensified their efforts and focus on our mission to advance cancer management, care and outcomes, in order to help eradicate the disease. We are excited to unveil a dynamic lineup of significant data on a number of key cancers, and new examinations of the impact of racial disparities on cancer risk, survival and care."

Highlights of the accepted abstracts include the following:

• Data from a primary analysis of the fixed-duration (FD) cohort of CAPTIVATE, a multicenter phase 2 study of first-line ibrutinib (I) plus venetoclax (V) in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma. Previously reported results from the minimal residual disease (MRD) cohort found that undetectable MRD was achieved in over two thirds of patients with 12 cycles of I+V, and 30-month progression-free survival rates were ≥95% irrespective of subsequent randomized treatment. Now results from the FD cohort will be presented, evaluating fixed-duration treatment with I+V.
• Data from a phase 2 trial of adjuvant nivolumab in high-risk Stage IIB/IIC melanoma patients. Patients with Stage IIB and IIC melanoma have a 30-45 percent chance of recurrence in the first five years after surgery yet there are no FDA-approved agents which dramatically improve these patients' chances. This trial seeks to determine if immunotherapy, adjuvant PD-1 inhibition with nivolumab, would improve recurrence-free survival (RFS) at 24 months compared to historical RFS rates.