Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center Archives

A Medical Oncology Perspective on Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer During COVID-19

Posted by Daniel P. Petrylak, MD | May 2020

Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, Director of Genitourinary Oncology, Professor of Medicine and Urology, Co-Leader of Cancer Signaling Networks, and Co-Director of the Signal Transduction Program at Yale University Cancer Center in New Haven, Connecticut, shares his perspective on treating advanced prostate cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Petrylak is only seeing patients who need to be treated and is pre-screening patients by checking temperature and travel history. If a prostate cancer patient is advanced and develops COVID, he suggests deferring treatment for all non-life threatening situations until the patient tests negative for COVID. According to Chinese data, cancer has predisposed people to a more aggressive course of COVID, so PCa patients should self-isolate to protect themselves from the virus. Dr. Petrylak also shares that chemotherapy may blunt the immunoresponse system on a long term basis, so patients should weigh the risks and benefits for pursuing treatment and take precautions of self-isolating, washing hands, and social distancing if they use chemotherapy treatment.

Enfortumab Vedotin Approved by FDA for Patients With Refractory Urothelial Carcinoma

Posted by Daniel P. Petrylak, MD | Jan 2020

Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, discusses the recent FDA approval of the antibody drug complex enfortumab vedotin for treating refractory advanced urothelial disease in patients previously treated with immunotherapy and chemotherapy. He describes how the drug complex works to fight bladder cancer by recognizing Nectin-4, a biomarker expressed on the surface of bladder cancer cells, and delivering MMAE to cause cytotoxic activity. Dr. Petrylak further describes the design, execution, and results of the clinical trial that led to the drug’s approval, as well as notable side effects.

FDA Approves Pembrolizumab for New Indication of NMIBC

Posted by Daniel P. Petrylak, MD | Jan 2020

Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, discusses the recent FDA approval of the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab for treating cystectomy-ineligible (or those who have refused cystectomy) non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients who have also failed BCG. He details the prior lack of available treatment for this disease, explains the function of the drug as a checkpoint inhibitor, and describes the study that led to the drug’s approval.

ESMO: Astellas, Seattle Genetics’ Keytruda Combo Shrinks 71% of Bladder Cancers

Posted by Daniel P. Petrylak, MD | Dec 2019

E. David Crawford, MD, interviews Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, about a Phase 1b trial of cisplatin-ineligible bladder cancer patients given a combination of pembrolizumab and enfortumab vedotin that resulted in a 71% response rate. Dr. Petrylak details what makes a patient cisplatin-ineligible, discusses the partial and complete responses to the drug combination, and lays out future plans to study the efficacy of this therapy in the treatment of urothelial cancer.

Debate: Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Prior to Cystectomy | Pro Argument

Posted by Daniel P. Petrylak, MD | May 2019

Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, argues the advantages of using neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to cystectomy to treat patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). He reviews evidence including the SWOG 87-10 trial and a meta-analysis to support this stance.