Altretamine (Hexalen - US Bioscience; Hexastat - Rh ne-Poulenc in Canada), formerly known only by its chemical name, hexamethylmelamine, was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a single agent for palliative oral treatment of persistent or recurrent ovarian cancer.

The FDA has approved enzalutamide (en za loo’ ta mide; Xtandi – Astellas/Medivation) for oral treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in patients previously treated with docetaxel (Taxotere, and generics). It is the second oral drug approved for this indication; abiraterone acetate (Zytiga), which is also approved for first-line use, was the first. Cabazitaxel (Jevtana), which is given parenterally, has a similar indication.

Ziv-aflibercept (Zaltrap – Sanofi/Regeneron), a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for use in combination with 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) for treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer that is resistant to or has progressed following an oxaliplatin-containing regimen. It is the same drug as aflibercept, which was approved last year as an intravitreal injection (Eylea) for treatment of neovascular (wet) agerelated macular degeneration (AMD). Ziv-aflibercept is the second VEGF inhibitor approved for treatment...

Olaratumab (Lartruvo – Lilly), a platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFR-α) blocking monoclonal antibody, has received accelerated approval from the FDA for use in combination with the anthracycline doxorubicin for first-line treatment of adults with soft-tissue sarcoma histologic subtypes considered susceptible to anthracyclines. Approval is limited to locally advanced or metastatic soft-tissue sarcomas that are not amenable to curative radiotherapy or surgery, and is contingent on verification of clinical benefit in a confirmatory phase 3 trial.

Atezolizumab (Tecentriq – Genentech), an immune checkpoint inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of unresectable or metastatic alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) in patients ≥2 years old. It was previously approved for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular cancer, and melanoma (see Table 1). Atezolizumab is the first drug to be approved in the US for treatment of ASPS. ASPS is a rare disorder that affects mostly adolescents and young adults; <1% of soft tissue sarcomas are ASPS.

Carboplatin (Paraplatin - Bristol-Myers), a cytotoxic platinum-containing drug chemically related to cisplatin (Platinol), was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for palliative treatment of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, including those previously treated with cisplatin.

The oral kinase inhibitor futibatinib (Lytgobi – Taiho) has received accelerated approval from the FDA for treatment of adults with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) fusions or other rearrangements. Accelerated approval was based on the overall response rate and duration of response. Futibatinib is the second drug to be approved for this indication; pemigatinib (Pemazyre) was approved earlier.

The FDA has approved abemaciclib (Verzenio – Lilly), an oral cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor, for treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Abemaciclib is the third CDK 4/6 inhibitor to be approved in the US for this indication.

Rasburicase (Elitek - Sanofi-Synthelabo), a recombinant form of urate oxidase derived from the fungus Aspergillus flavus, has been approved by the FDA for intravenous (IV) management of hyperuricemia associated with tumor lysis syndrome in pediatric patients.

Three retrospective studies have recently reported an association between beta-blocker use and a reduction in breast cancer metastasis and recurrence. No prospective, randomized trials have been published.