The FDA has approved ripretinib (QinlockTM, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, LLC) for adults with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) previously treated with at least three kinase inhibitors, including imatinib.Gastrointestinal stromal tumor is a rare tumor type with a yearly incidence of around 4,000 to 6,000 in the United States."Despite the progress that has been made over the past 20 years in developing treatments for GIST, including four FDA-approved targeted therapies––imatinib in 2...

Fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 2 gene alterations can occur in the pathogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma. Pemigatinib (PemazyreTM, Incyte Corporation), a newly FDA approved oral inhibitor of FGFR2, has shown efficacy in patients with previously treated, locally advanced, or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with and without FGFR2 gene alterations. Approval was granted based a study led by Ghassan Abou-Alfa, MD, MBA from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In an interview with i3 Health, D...

Often, fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 2 gene alterations occur in the pathogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma. The FDA recently approved an oral inhibitor of FGFR2, pemigatinib (PemazyreTM, Incyte Corporation), which has shown efficacy in patients with previously treated, locally advanced, or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with and without FGFR2 gene alterations. FoundationOne®CDx was also approved as a companion diagnostic test for this indication. FDA approval was based on a clin...

An exploratory analysis of data from a phase 3 trial observed a high incidence of venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) in patients with locally advanced resectable esophageal cancer undergoing preoperative chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy, especially in patients with adenocarcinoma.The occurrence of VTEs, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus, can negatively impact the clinical outcomes of patients receiving cancer treatment, reducing quality of life and increasing the risk of mo...

Because gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) has an estimated incidence of 3,300 to 6,000 new cases per year in the United States, comprising less than 1% of all gastrointestinal tumors, the rarity of this tumor type can make it more challenging for oncologists and other members of the cancer care team to stay up to date on the latest treatments. Michael C. Heinrich, MD, lead investigator of the phase 1 NAVIGATOR trial, recently spoke with i3 Health about the FDA's approval of avapritinib (Ayva...