ASCO Confab: Who's Grabbing the Spotlight?

Editor's note: This article compiles some of the major stories that emerged over the weekend at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Orlando, Fla. The following items were reported by TheStreet.com's Althea Chang and first appeared in the Columnist Conversation on RealMoney from May 14-16. Althea will continue to monitor events from Florida until the conclusion of the conference.

ASCO Update

Genentech's (DNA) Avastin improved lung cancer survival when added to standard combination chemotherapy, according to research presented at this year's meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Avastin delayed disease progression and allowed for longer survival of non-small cell lung cancer patients, according to the research.

In a phase III trial comparing the use of paclitaxel and carboplatin, with and without Avastin, patients who received Avastin experienced cancer progression two months later and lived more than two months longer than patients who did not.

The most common side effects seen in the trial were low infection-fighting white blood cell count, blood clots and bleeding. The most significant side effect, was life threatening and even fatal bleeding from the lungs, researchers reported. This side effect occurred in 1.2% of those on Avastin, compared with none on standard chemotherapy alone. The condition was observed in 9% of patients in a previous phase II trial.

Avastin is currently approved for colon cancer, but it's being studied as a potential treatment for other types of cancers. Avastin is a part of a class of cancer drugs that stop vascular endothelial growth factor (or VEGF), a cellular substance that stimulates new blood vessel formation.

Novartis/Schering Data at ASCO

An experimental VEGF inhibitor, PTK/ZK, or vatalanib, failed to show a significant improvement in progression-free survival of colorectal cancer patients, according to interim trial results presented at the meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

An interim analysis of phase III data of the drug, which was developed by Novartis (NVS) and Schering, failed to show a statistically significant survival benefit, researchers said. In a trial involving 1,168 patients on Folfox chemotherapy, patients who were additionally treated with PTK/ZK didn't see a meaningful improvement in survival without disease progression. Folfox, a combination therapy, is the most common treatment for colorectal cancer.