TARGETING PATHWAYS, EFFICACY, AND COMBINATIONS Transforming Immuno-Oncology Across Solid Tumors Join us live in Chicago or live streaming webcast from anywhere!

Learn about the latest and greatest in state-of-the-art immuno-oncology strategies for the management of solid tumors. Transforming Immuno-Oncology Across Solid Tumors: Targeting Pathways, Efficacy, and Combinations is a live symposium to be held in conjunction with the annual meeting in Chicago. Immuno-oncology is one of the hottest areas in cancer research and drug development. These innovative treatments for cancer may ultimately prove to be game-changers that radically alter treatment paradigms for a number of the solid tumors oncologists manage. The sheer volume of basic science and therapeutic developments that continue to emerge in this field makes the annual meeting in Chicago the perfect venue for an immuno-oncology program geared to meet the needs of the busy oncologist who strives to maintain cutting-edge knowledge in the care of their patients with the most difficult-to-treat tumors. Key topics on the agenda include how these radically new strategies will be applied to manage patients with: Renowned experts in these fields will also discuss how immuno-oncology combinations will be applied to the management of solid tumors. The discovery of several molecular markers in thyroid cancer heralds an exciting new era of precision medicine, allowing for refined prognostication and therapeutic strategy. Although the mortality rate for thyroid cancer is relatively low, persistent and recurrent disease may occur in 20% to 30% of patients afflicted with this disease; thus, a deeper understanding of its molecular pathogenesis is needed. Double-hit lymphoma has been identified as a subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with poor clinical outcomes. As minimal data about this subtype of lymphoma have been published, many controversies in diagnosis and treatment surround it. In this article, the authors review the current definition, proper diagnosis, central nervous system prophylaxis, current treatment regimens, and potential novel therapeutic options for double-hit lymphoma. Since the approval of trastuzumab for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in 1998, outcomes for patients diagnosed with this innately aggressive form of cancer have vastly improved. Several new therapies have been developed for HER2-positive breast cancer, including lapatinib, pertuzumab, and trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), and several emerging agents are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. In this review, the currently available therapies for HER2-positive breast cancer are described and innovative HER2-directed approaches that are currently under investigation are explored. patients with metastatic melanoma has dramatically impacted the landscape of melanoma treatment. These drugs have a very rapid onset of action and can quickly reverse a clinical decline of a patient with metastatic melanoma, but typically have a limited duration of activity. Many tumors will develop resistance within months of treatment and tumors will again progress. Combining dual targets like BRAF and MEK inhibitors has improved the time to progression and survival, but has not demonstrated any consistent long-term durability of responses. Continued research with multiple targeted therapies and targets with immunotherapy are under way. This article provides a state-of-the-art review and perspective on the efficacy and toxicities of BRAF and MEK targeted therapies for metastatic melanoma. This CME-certified article is designed to aid physicians in assessing new data in immunotherapy for squamous cell lung cancer, including patient-specific treatment regimens and monitoring for adverse events during therapy, and applying these data to their practices. Abstract Molecular testing in thyroid cancer proposes many novel approaches to this disease. Traditional histologic diagnosis and classification of thyroid cancer may one day soon be refined by genomic profiling, a common theme in the era of precision medicine. An increasing understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of this disease has led to the discovery of driving somatic genetic alterations, largely explained by, although not limited to, the MAPK and PI3K pathways. Identification of these molecular markers suggests better methods to risk-stratify patients prior to surgery, reducing the number of thyroidectomies performed for benign nodules, and also identifying patients at risk for recurrence, or even dedifferentiation, into a more aggressive thyroid cancer, thus mandating more aggressive therapy approaches beyond traditional surgery and radioactive iodine therapy. Molecular profiling also offers tremendous benefit in the metastatic setting, as these patients typically do not respond to cytotoxic chemotherapy, and identification of targetable pathogen-ic lesions may select for more precise therapeutic options, such as the small molecular kinase inhibitors. in In 3 patients RAI-refractory who sequential of of by and detection of distinct subtypes. MYC , BCL2 , and BCL6 rearrangements can be detected by FISH or cytogenetics; however, the genes can also be amplified, mutated, or overexpressed as detected by immunohistochemis-try (IHC) or comparative genome hybridization. Many studies have investigated the clinical impact of “double-protein”-ex-pressing lymphoma as detected by IHC, and also found negative clinical implications ( Table ) 9-14 as observed in “double-hit” Abstract Double-hit lymphoma (DHL) has been identified as a subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with poor clinical outcomes. Because minimal data about this subtype of lymphoma have been published, many controversies in diagnosis and treatment surround DHL. In this article, we review the current definition, proper diagnosis, central nervous system prophylaxis, current treatment regimens, and potential novel therapeutic options for DHL. Abstract The most common malignancy and second leading cause of cancer-related death in women is breast cancer. An improved understanding of breast cancer pathobiology has led to the development of novel therapies that are directed at proteins uniquely expressed on tumor cells. One such targeted approach is trastuzumab for HER2-am-plified/overexpressing breast cancer. Since the approval of trastuzumab for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in 1998, outcomes for patients diagnosed with this innately aggressive form of cancer have vastly improved. Subsequently, several new therapies have been developed for HER2-positive breast cancer, including lapatinib (a small-molecule inhibitor of HER1 and HER2 tyrosine kinase), pertuzumab (a HER2-directed monoclonal anti-body), and trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1; the first an-tibody-drug conjugate approved for breast cancer). In addition, several emerging agents are currently being evaluated in clinical trials for HER2-positive breast cancer. In this review, the current available therapies for HER2-positive breast cancer will be described, and innovative HER2-directed approaches that are currently under investigation will be explored. Abstract Identification of the BRAF mutation as an effective therapeutic target in approximately 50% of patients with metastatic melanoma has dramatically impacted the landscape of melanoma treatment. These therapies have not only impacted progression-free survival, but overall survival as well. They are, however, not without flaws. While these drugs have a very rapid onset of action and can quickly reverse a clinical decline of a patient with metastatic melanoma, their flaw lies in the limited duration of activity. Although there have been cases of long durable responses, the majority of tumors will develop resistance within months of treatment, and tumors will again progress. Combining dual targets such as BRAF and MEK inhibitors has improved the time to progression and survival, but has not demonstrated consistent long-term durability of responses. Continued research with multiple targeted therapies and targets with immunotherapy are under way. These agents have salvaged patients from im-pending death, which is revolutionary in the treatment of melanoma; however, this comes with new psychological impacts for the patient, family, and healthcare team, as patients are transiently resurrected but ultimately suc-cumb to this disease within a few short months. negative Abstract Negative results from trials can be just as important as those which are positive. The results of all trials need to be made easily available to avoid biases when compil-ing the totality of the data. This is critical to ensure that guidelines and treatment standards are reflective of the “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. ” Additionally, negative trial results avoid duplicative studies and may also contain important safety information that would otherwise be lost. Several outlets now exist for negative trials, but investigators and trial sponsors need to be encouraged or mandated to post the results of all trials, regardless of results, in the public domain. OS of only 4% to 6% in advanced stages of the disease. 2 Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression is most commonly encountered with squamous (84%), large cell (68%), and adenocarcinoma (65%). 3 The increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in squamous NSCLC can lead to resistance to anti-EGFR drugs (independent of EGFR signaling) and bevacizumab ( Table ). With a limited number of immunotherapy options for lung cancer to begin with, squamous NSCLC becomes even more challenging to treat. into