Accelerating the Future of Oncology Drug Development: The Role of Consortia in the Delivery of Precision Oncology Early Phase Clinical Trials.

Purpose: Over the past 15 years, the landscape of early phase clinical trials (EPCTs) has undergone a remarkable expansion in both quantity and intricacy. The proliferation of sites, trials, sponsors, and contract research organizations has surged exponentially, marking a significant shift in research conduct. However, EPCT operations suffer from numerous inefficiencies, such as cumbersome start-up processes, which are particularly critical when drug safety and the recommended phase II dose need to be established in a timely manner.

Development of a single port dual arm robotically steerable endoscope for neurosurgical applications.

Single-port surgical robots have gained popularity due to less patient trauma and quicker post-surgery recovery. However, due to limited access provided by a single incision, the miniaturization and maneuverability of these robots still needs to be improved. In this paper, we propose the design of a single-port, dual-arm robotically steerable endoscope containing one steerable major cannula and two steerable minor cannulas.

A phase II trial of larotrectinib in tumors with NTRK fusions or extremes of NTRK mRNA overexpression identified by comprehensive genomic profiling.

Background: TRK-inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy across several cancers with NTRK fusions. Their activity in cancers with NTRK overexpression remains unclear.

Methods: This trial enrolled patients with advanced cancers harboring NTRK fusions or extreme mRNA overexpression, defined as NTRK1/2/3 expression by RNA profiling >5 SDs for a given cancer type.

Oral Etoposide for Relapsed or Refractory Ewing Sarcoma in Adolescent and Adult Patients.

Prognosis remains poor for patients with relapsed or refractory Ewing sarcoma, with limited treatment options after first-line therapy. Oral etoposide has efficacy in the paediatric setting; however, data are limited in adults. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 33 patients with relapsed or refractory Ewing sarcoma who completed at least one cycle of oral etoposide at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre from 2005 to 2020.