Real-world experience with elective discontinuation of PD-1 inhibitors at 1 year in patients with metastatic melanoma.

Background: Randomized trials evaluating programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors in metastatic melanoma either permitted treatment for 2 years (pembrolizumab) or more (nivolumab). The optimal duration of therapy is currently unknown due to limited data, and shorter therapies may be effective.

Methods: Data of patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma treated with single-agent PD-1 inhibitors at Huntsman Cancer Institute from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2018, was reviewed to identify a continuous series of patients who made the joint decision with their provider to electively discontinue therapy at 1 year (>6 months and <18 months) in the setting of ongoing treatment response or disease stability.

Establishing an anemia clinic for optimal erythropoietic-stimulating agent use in hematology-oncology patients.

Erythropoietic-stimulating agent (ESA) therapy has significantly impacted the management of chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) by decreasing the number of red blood cell transfusions required by patients with cancer. However, managing these patients with ESA therapy has become increasingly difficult since the release of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' new National Coverage Determination document because of the disparities between this document and recommendations from expert-reviewed national clinical guidelines on the treatment of anemia. This article describes a collaborative practice agreement between pharmacists and physicians as one approach to managing CIA in hematology-oncology patients in an anemia clinic.