Expert Interviews

Experts discuss the KEYMAKER-U03 trial, highlighting lenvatinib plus belzutifan as a promising option in advanced renal cell carcinoma and new directions emerging from the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

Panelists discuss how, when selecting among chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapies, medical professionals typically consider several key factors: the specific cancer type and its CD19/BCMA expression, FDA-approved indications for each therapy, the patient’s prior treatments and response history, the therapy’s documented efficacy and safety profile, manufacturing time and availability, and center-specific experience with different products. Patient-specific factors like comorbidities and disease burden also influence the decision.

Experts discuss their approaches to first-line renal cell carcinoma treatment selection, comparing immunotherapy (IO)-IO vs IO-tyrosine kinase inhibitor strategies.

Panelists discuss how prospective randomized data, notably from Hofman et al (Lancet, 2020), demonstrate that PSMA PET-CT exhibits superior diagnostic accuracy compared with conventional imaging in detecting pelvic nodal and distant metastases in patients with high-risk prostate cancer. Conventional imaging techniques, such as CT and bone scans, often have lower sensitivity and specificity, potentially missing smaller or early metastatic lesions. In contrast, PSMA PET-CT offers enhanced sensitivity and specificity, leading to more precise staging and management decisions.

Adaptive radiation may help individualize therapy based on transient factors patients are faced with while receiving treatment for cancer.

Experts from Sibley Memorial Hospital highlight radiation oncology technologies that have played key roles in cancer care at their institution.

Future work may focus on determining strategies for protecting the health of patients who undergo surgery during climate disasters.

“We see that those taking chemotherapy are going to be the ones that are going to require the most help,” Clara Bodelon, PhD, MS, said regarding breast cancer treatment.

“[There] is a need to make sure that everybody is coming in and bringing their expertise together,” Valerie Lee, MD, said.

Collaboration among different medical and research institutions may help improve quality of care for patients with cancer exposed to climate disasters.

Experts discuss how, it is crucial to approach treatment strategies with both compassion and transparency. It is important to explain the complexity of the situation and maintain clear and accessible language when discussing treatment strategies with patients and their families.

Experts discuss how, there is a role for SRS in treating brain metastases such as if a patient were to have a large singular brain metastasis that is causing symptoms such as seizures of neurological decline, that SRS could be a warranted treatment.

Experts discuss specific biomarkers or clinical features that would prompt earlier consideration of trastuzumab deruxtecan or other HER2-directed therapies.

Experts discuss the factors supporting the choice of trastuzumab deruxtecan following disease progression and its mechanism of action in addressing resistance to prior HER2-targeted therapy and provide insights on the updated analysis from the DESTINY-Gastric02 Trial.

Patients with breast cancer who were treated with chemotherapy may have more pain, fatigue, and difficulty moving vs those who received endocrine therapy or did not have breast cancer.

Valerie Lee, MD, said that deciding where to implement immunotherapy into cancer treatment often depends on the type of disease.

A radiation oncologist discussed the theranostics treatment landscape and career opportunities in the field at the 2025 ACRO Summit.

Findings from the OVARIO study show that patients with HRR–deficient and BRCA-mutated disease benefitted the most from niraparib/bevacizumab maintenance.

A study assessed whether physicians would keep patients who received NSCLC surgery in the hospital longer as an improvisational strategy after wildfires.

ACRO presentations may enable community practices to utilize cutting-edge radiation advances to deliver optimal treatment to patients.