News & Updates

Therapeutic Management of Unresectable Stage III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer with Durvalumab

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitutes about 85% of all lung cancer cases.¹ Of those diagnosed with NSCLC in Hong Kong, approximately 13% are found to have stage III disease.² Prior to the advent of immunotherapy, the standard of care (SoC) involved concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) followed by active surveillance.³ However, outcomes have been poor, with most patients experiencing disease progression after CRT. This has resulted in a 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of 15–30% for stage III NSCLC.⁴

Neoadjuvant PD-1 ICI plus chemotherapy in early-stage resectable NSCLC

A 79-year-old male chronic drinker and smoker, with a 60 pack-years smok­ing history, presented with an incidental finding of a right middle lobe lung mass following a chest CT scan for aorta-related pathology in June 2023. He had hypertension, mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kid­ney disease (CKD) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) with known celiac and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) stenosis. 

Prioritizing herpes zoster prevention in patients with chronic diseases or immune-compromised conditions

Advanced age, chronic comorbidity, and immunodeficiency are established risk factors for herpes zoster (HZ). HZ is a debilitating condition that poses a significant burden on patients’ quality of life and the economy and has a bidirectional relationship with cardiovascular disease (CVD). At the 28^th Hong Kong Medical Forum (HKMF), Professor Kai-Hang Yiu of the Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, presented an overview of the public health impact of HZ in high-risk patients with immunocompromised conditions or chronic diseases and discussed the long-term effectiveness of adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) against HZ.

First-line immunotherapy plus chemotherapy in metastatic biliary tract cancer

A 69-year-old female who enjoyed good past health presented with a 3-month history of right-sided abdominal discomfort in December 2022.

Targeting PV source with ropeginterferon alfa-2b revolutionizes treatment

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder characterized by overproduction of red blood cells, which poses a significant risk of thrombohaemorrhagic complications and impaired survival. Traditionally, treatment approaches have focused on managing the symptoms and reducing haematocrit levels, but these do not address the underlying cause of the disease.

Ropeginterferon alfa-2b (BESREMi, PharmaEssentia), an innovative monopegylated long-acting interferon, offers a novel approach by directly targeting and depleting JAK2-mutated hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in the bone marrow, which is the source of the disease. This article focuses on the role of ropeginterferon alfa-2b in transforming the treatment landscape for PV, its mechanisms, clinical benefits, and potential to significantly improve patient outcomes.

Targeted therapy in the management of metastatic BRAF V600–mutant melanoma: A case study

Professor Roger Ngan, a specialist in clinical oncology, provides insights into the treatment landscape of melanoma and his considerations when managing a patient with metastatic BRAF V600–mutant melanoma.

Optimizing patient survival outcomes in refractory mCRC

Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is one of the most malignant diseases with a poor prognosis. In an interview with MIMS Oncology, Dr Ingrid Karmane Sumou, a medical oncologist in Macau, shared several patient cases and discussed treatment strategies, including the use of regorafenib, to improve survival outcomes and provided tips on managing regorafenib-related adverse effects.

Second-line treatment with an erythroid maturation agent in a patient with transfusion-dependent anaemia due to LR-MDS with ring sideroblasts

A 72-year-old male presented with symptomatic anaemia in July 2022. Initial peripheral blood examination revealed haemoglobin (Hb) level of 6 g/ dL, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of 90 fL, white blood cell (WBC) count of 7.85 x 10⁹/L, and platelet count of 93 x 10⁹/L. His butyrate and folate levels, liver enzyme levels, and clotting profile were normal. His baseline erythropoietin (EPO) level was >500 U/L. There were no drug- or organ-related causes that could account for the anaemia. His past health was unremarkable apart from a history of chronic drinking.