December 12: The Week in Cancer News

Every week, the editors of Cancer Today magazine bring you the top news for cancer patients from around the internet. Stay up to date with the latest in cancer research and care by subscribing to our e-newsletter.

TKI Inhibitor Addition Prolongs Progression-free Survival in Metastatic Breast Cancer

People with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who received the targeted therapy Tukysa (tucatinib) in addition to standard care lived longer without disease progression than those who had standard treatment, according to results of a phase III clinical trial presented at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Results were simultaneously published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. People with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer typically receive chemotherapy and targeted therapy to treat the disease and then continue targeted therapy alone to keep it under control, Healio reported. This targeted therapy often consists of Herceptin (trastuzumab) and Perjeta (pertuzumab), but researchers wanted to see if adding a third drug could keep the disease under control for longer. The trial involved 654 women with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who had no evidence of disease progression following initial treatment. All participants began Herceptin and Perjeta and were randomly assigned to receive either Tukysa, which is a TKI inhibitor, or a placebo. After a median follow-up of 23 months, people who received Tukysa had a progression-free survival of 24.9 months, compared with 16.3 months for those who received a placebo. Among people who received Tukysa, 13.5% stopped treatment due to side effects, such as diarrhea and nausea. The trial results “demonstrated that the addition of tucatinib to trastuzumab and pertuzumab represents an enhanced first-line therapy option for patients, providing an opportunity not only to prolong time to disease progression, but also providing an opportunity for these patients to have an increased amount of time off chemotherapy,” Erika P. Hamilton, a study author and the director of breast cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Tennessee, said in the Healio article.

Immunotherapy Combination Extends Survival After Multiple Myeloma Progression

Among people with multiple myeloma whose disease progressed after initial therapy, those who received a combination of two immunotherapies lived longer than those who received standard treatment, according to results of a phase III clinical trial presented at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, Florida. The trial involved 587 people with multiple myeloma that had returned or not responded to prior treatment. Half received standard treatment, which is the immunotherapy drug Darzalex (daratumumab) with the corticosteroid dexamethasone and either of the targeted therapy drugs pomalidomide or bortezomib. The other half received a new regimen, which also included Darzalex but added a second immunotherapy drug, Tecvayli (teclistamab). After three years, 83.3% of people who received the immunotherapy combo were alive, compared with 65% of those who had standard care. Additionally, three-year progression-free survival was 83.4% for people who received Darzalex and Tecvayli and 29.7% for those who had standard care, meaning the combination lowered the risk for progression or death by 83%, MedPage Today reported. María-Victoria Mateos, a study author and the director of the myeloma program at University Hospital of Salamanca in Spain, said the combination, which is given as an injection, works well in multiple myeloma because Darzalex stimulates T cells, which Tecvayli then directs to the tumor, MedPage Today reported. The trial “showed unprecedented efficacy, supporting a new standard of care in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients … with a broad potential across not only academic but also community settings,” Mateos said in the MedPage Today article.

Time of Day Patients Receive Immunotherapy Treatment Linked to Survival

The time of day when people with cancer receive their treatment may impact their outcomes, according to a study published in Cancer. Researchers analyzed outcomes for 397 people with advanced small cell lung cancer who received one of two intravenous immunotherapy drugs—Tecentriq (atezolizumab) or Imfinzi (durvalumab)—along with chemotherapy between May 2019 and October 2023. People who typically received their infusions before 3 p.m. had a 51.7% lower risk for disease progression and a 62.7% lower risk of dying than people who had their treatment after 3 p.m. “Adjusting infusion timing is a straightforward and easily implementable intervention that can be adopted across diverse health care settings without additional cost,” Yongchang Zhang, a study author and a medical oncologist at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine in Changsha, China, said in a press release. Researchers said the difference likely has to do with how the body’s circadian rhythm, or internal clock, affects immune response, but further research is needed to fully explain the results, HealthDay reported.

AACR Releases First Pediatric Cancer Progress Report

In the mid-1970s, 63% of children with cancer lived for five years after their diagnosis. Today, that number stands at nearly 90%, according to the first Pediatric Cancer Progress Report from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), which was released Dec. 4. (The AACR publishes Cancer Today.) The report highlights how cancer research has fueled improved treatment for pediatric cancers, including the 30 targeted therapies and immunotherapies that the Food and Drug Administration approved for children and adolescents between 2015 and 2025. However, much of the progress in pediatric cancer is due to advances in adult cancers. The report called on the federal government to allocate more funds for pediatric cancer research. “There’s the potential to make incredible discoveries in the pediatric cancer setting,” Elaine Mardis, co-chair of the report’s steering committee and co-executive director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, told Healio. “I think there are huge opportunities, especially with newer genomic technologies, to make substantial gains in terms of our improved understanding of mechanisms driving pediatric cancers, if only we could get more federal investment in this basic cancer research.” The report also drew attention to disparities in pediatric cancer outcomes and the challenges survivors face. Compared with white children, Hispanic children have higher rates of cancer, and Black children have a 30% higher risk of dying, the report found. Additionally, 60% to 90% of children with cancer will develop long-term health conditions, such as heart disease, hearing loss and additional cancers.

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