Maria Babak: Rapid Progress in Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma

Maria Babak shared a post by The Babak Lab on LinkedIn:

“The FDA’s approval of nivolumab in combination with cisplatin and gemcitabine for metastatic urothelial carcinoma is a significant milestone, showing remarkable improvements in both overall survival and progression-free survival. Additionally, it’s worth checking out the related research by Zev A. Wainberg, MD, et al., published in The Lancet, which highlights the efficacy of NALIRIFOX in treating metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Together, these studies underscore the rapid progress being made in oncology, offering new hope and better outcomes for patients with various forms of cancer. Don’t miss out on these groundbreaking updates!”

Quoting The Babak Lab’s post:

“Clinical Monday: FDA Approves Nivolumab Combination for Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma

On March 6, 2024, the FDA approved nivolumab (Opdivo) combined with cisplatin and gemcitabine for first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC).

This approval is based on the CHECKMATE-901 trial (NCT03036098), a randomized, open-label study involving 608 patients. Participants received either nivolumab plus cisplatin and gemcitabine or cisplatin and gemcitabine alone.

Key Findings:

• Overall Survival (OS)
  Median OS was 21.7 months for the nivolumab combination group versus 18.9 months for the cisplatin and gemcitabine group.
• Progression-Free Survival (PFS)
  Median PFS was 7.9 months for the nivolumab combination group compared to 7.6 months for the cisplatin and gemcitabine group.

Adverse Reactions:

• Common side effects (≥15%) include nausea, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, constipation, decreased appetite, rash, and peripheral neuropathy.

Dosage:

• Nivolumab: 360 mg every 3 weeks with cisplatin and gemcitabine for up to 6 cycles, followed by nivolumab 240 mg every 2 weeks or 480 mg every 4 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

In related research, a study published in The Lancet by Zev A. Wainberg, MD, et al. demonstrated that NALIRIFOX significantly improves overall survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma compared to nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine. This highlights the ongoing advancements in cancer treatment, providing hope for better patient outcomes across different malignancies.

Read more here.

Image source: Sklifecare.”

Additional information.
Source: Maria Babak/LinkedIn and The Babak Lab/LinkedIn

Dr. Maria (Masha) Babak is the Head of The Babak Lab and an Assistant Professor at the City University of Hong Kong. She earned her Ph.D. in bioinorganic chemistry from the University of Vienna in 2014. From 2015 to 2020, Dr. Babak was a postdoctoral research fellow at the National University of Singapore under the mentorship of Prof. Wee Han Ang, where she developed a strong passion for drug discovery and drug target identification. In November 2020, she joined the City University of Hong Kong as an assistant professor. Dr. Babak received the Graeme Hanson-AsBIC Early Career Award in 2022.

Her research interests are at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and medicine, with a focus on the discovery and preclinical development of anticancer drugs for resistant and aggressive cancers with limited treatment options, such as malignant pleural mesothelioma and brain metastases..