2023 ASCO Data Leave Their Impact on Oncology Pharmacy

Every year, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting includes updates from some of the most important clinical trials being conducted in the field of oncology. In 2023, the fire hose of impactful data bursting from ASCO sessions and abstracts was as freeflowing as ever.

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In the cover story on page 12, Pharmacy Times Oncology Edition editorial advisory board member Douglas Braun, PharmD, CSP, RPh, the senior pharmacy director at American Oncology Network, LLC, addresses some clinical trials of note presented this year at ASCO. Specifically, Braun highlights key data from the NATALEE trial (NCT03701334) investigating hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer treatment; the HERIZON-BTC-01 trial (NCT04466891) looking at the treatment of refractory HER2-positive biliary tract cancer; the DUO-O trial (NCT03737643) assessing treatment for patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer without a BRCA mutation; and the MIRASOL trial (NCT04209855) examining the treatment of recurrent, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer with a high expression of folate receptor α (FRα), as well as several others.

The plenary sessions at ASCO offer some of the most significant data being presented at the conference each year, so this issue contains coverage of several of those sessions, highlighting their potential impact on oncology pharmacy practice.

On page 23, findings from the phase 3 SWOG S1826 trial (NCT03907488) investigating Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in adult and pediatric patients are discussed; this trial involved both the adult and pediatric National Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) cooperative groups collaborating for the first time on an NCTN study—the lar gest HL study in NCTN history. On page 25, we cover updated data presented by Ingo K. Mellinghoff, MD, FACP, during a plenary session on the phase 3 INDIGO trial (NCT04164901) assessing vorasidenib (Servier Pharmaceuticals) vs placebo in patients with residual or recurrent grade 2 glioma with an IDH1/2 enzyme mutation.

On page 27, an ASCO session presented by Kathleen N. Moore, MD, MS, on drug development tar geting FRα is highlighted. During this key session, Moore explained how drugs tar geting FRα are ideal for ovarian cancer treatment in particular. On page 30, we review an ASCO session addressing quality-of-life data for patients with breast cancer who experience chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Session presenter Melissa Kate Accordino, MD, MS, provided updates on some important trials addressing therapies for CIPN, which is a common, long-lasting toxicity that can significantly impact patients’ quality of life.

As a part of Pharmacy Times’ commitment to covering key data impacting the oncology pharmacy field, the inaugural Oncology Pharmacists Connect meeting was held June 15-17 in Austin, Texas, and provided the opportunity for oncology pharmacists to gather, present, and discuss data from this year’s ASCO conference that may be impacting their practices and/or research.

Because it was such a success, this event will be held again next year in mid-June, shortly after the ASCO conference. Hope to see you all at Oncology Pharmacists Connect in 2024.