All
Surprising Findings in Intratumor Heterogeneity Could Impact Cancer Treatment
December 23rd 2015A new study has analyzed intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) in 12 cancer types and found a "tolerable" level of genomic instability, independent of cancer type, beyond which a cancer may become less aggressive.
New Multimodal Ovarian Cancer Screening Tactic Shows Promise
December 23rd 2015A new method of screening utilizing CA-125 and a risk assessment algorithm could drop risk of mortality from ovarian cancer in certain women, according to findings from the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening.
Further Research Into Checkpoint Blockade for Upper Tract Urothelial Cancers Needed
December 22nd 2015While results from ongoing trials with atezolizumab, pembrolizumab, nivolumab, and avelumab in bladder cancer are eagerly awaited, there is one subset of patients who require special attention - patients with upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC).
European Commission Approves T-VEC for Unresectable Metastatic Melanoma
December 22nd 2015Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC; Imlygic) has been approved by the European Comission as a treatment for adult patients with unresectable stage IIIb, IIIc, and IVM1a melanoma that has not spread to the bone, brain, lung, or other viscera, based on the phase III OPTiM study.
Pembrolizumab Gains Two New Indications in Advanced Melanoma
December 21st 2015Expanded approval for single-agent pembrolizumab (Keytruda) has arrived from the FDA to include frontline treatment for advanced melanoma regardless of BRAF status, based on a substantial improvement in progression-free and overall survival compared with ipilimumab (Yervoy) in the phase III KEYNOTE-006 trial
Advanced Prostate Cancer Clinics Begin to Mesh With Practices
December 18th 2015Urologists face a challenge in delineating the optimal sequence of treatment more and more as the goal for treating prostate cancer moves toward greater use of targeted therapies. While these treatment eradicate disease, urologists must minimize the risk of adverse events.
Tumor Treating Fields Device Shows Survival Advantage
December 18th 2015Patients with newly-diagnosed glioblastoma who received treatment with tumor- treating electrical fields in addition to temozolomide had nearly double the two-year survival of those who received temozolomide alone, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Pregnancy Disproved as Potential Trigger for Relapse in Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivors
December 17th 2015Researchers discovered that pregnancy while in remission of Hodgkin lymphoma does not increase the risk of cancer relapse, making this report the first largest study to specifically examine the impacts of pregnancy as a potential trigger for relapse in Hodgkin lymphoma survivors.
Decision on Rociletinib for NSCLC Delayed by FDA
December 17th 2015The review period for rociletinib for EGFR T790M-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been extended by the FDA by 3 months. The extension allows ample time to review additional data submitted by the drug's developer, Clovis Oncology.
Novel Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer May Allow for Resection of the Unresectable
December 16th 2015The phase III PILLAR trial studying the novel immunotherapy, algenpantucel-L combined with chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer, has completed enrollment with over 300 patients.
Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Target May Prove Promising for Subset of Patients
December 16th 2015Recent results from a survey of some 7000 patient specimens from the Cancer Genome Atlas concluded that gene fusion events, resulting in oncogenic activation, were commonly observed among members of the neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase family, with 23 gene fusions observed over a total of 9 different tumor types, including colorectal cancer.
Uridine Triacetate Approved by FDA to Deter Chemo Overdose and Toxicities
December 12th 2015Uridine triacetate (Vistogard) has been given a green light by the FDA to treat adult and pediatric patients who have severe or life-threatening toxicities within 4 days of treatment following an overdose of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or capecitabine.
FDA Gives Palbociclib Priority Review for Pretreated HR-Positive/HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
December 10th 2015Palbociclib (Ibrance) has been given a priority review by the FDA. The treatment will be looked at as a combination with fulvestrant in pretreated patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer, said Pfizer, the manufacturer of the CDK 4/6 inhibitor.
FDA Approves Rapid Infusion Bendamustine for CLL and NHL
December 10th 2015A rapid infusion formulation of bendamustine (Bendeka) has received FDA approval for the treatment of patients with CLL or indolent B-cell NHL that has progressed during or within 6 months of treatment with rituximab or a rituximab-containing regimen.