Tumor microenvironment of metastasis (TMEM) consists of direct contact between a macrophage, an endothelial cell, and a tumor cell. In a case-control study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Rohan et al found that TMEM score was an independent predictor of distant metastasis...
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is considered a “nonimmunogenic” neoplasm and does not typically respond to immunotherapy, in part due to a complex tumor microenvironment that provides a formidable barrier to immune infiltration and function. A new study by Lutz et al has found that by ...
A phase III, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that the oral targeted drug lenvatinib is highly effective among patients with differentiated thyroid cancer resistant to standard radioiodine therapy. “The main result is an extraordinary improvement in progression-free...
A randomized phase Ib study of a combination of low radiosensitizing doses of gemcitabine and fractionated doses of 90Y-clivatuzumab tetraxetan in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal cancer who had received at least two prior systemic therapies, has found a significant survival advantage in...
According to early results from a phase I study, a new targeted drug, PLX3397, appears remarkably active against a rare neoplastic joint disorder known as pigmented villonodular synovitis. The study evaluated patients whose disease had progressed despite all other available therapies. More than...
OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to the investigation of custirsen (OGX-011) when administered in combination with cabazitaxel (Jevtana Kit)/prednisone for the treatment of men with metastatic...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Tombal et al, a single-arm phase II trial of the androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide (Xtandi) has shown that the agent is active in suppressing disease and well tolerated in men with hormone-naive prostate cancer. In this ongoing trial, 67 men with...
In the open-label noninferiority phase III ASPECCT trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Price et al found that anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody treatment with panitumumab (Vectibix) produced a noninferior overall survival outcome vs cetuximab (Erbitux) in patients with chemotherapy-refractory...
First-line treatment with the combination of palbociclib plus letrozole extended progression-free survival by approximately 50% in patients with metastatic estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to final results of a randomized phase II study presented at the...
A recent phase II study showed progression-free survival and overall survival benefits with the addition of onartuzumab (an antibody directed against MET, a receptor kinase that binds hepatocyte growth factor [HGF]) to erlotinib (Tarceva) in the subset of patients with advanced non–small cell ...
It is known that chronic inflammation plays a role in the development of colorectal cancer. In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Mehta et al evaluated the association of the novel plasma inflammatory biomarker macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1; growth...
Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered a highly accurate, noninvasive test to identify benign pancreatic cysts, which could spare patients the cost and risk of surveillance or potentially dangerous surgical intervention. The findings are reported in the Journal of...
According to a retrospective study, the use of angiotensin system inhibitors, such as lisinopril, captopril, and losartan, improved the survival of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma by 9 months, compared with patients who were not receiving these types of agents. Survival was even...
Triple-negative breast cancer may be considered a relative contraindication to breast-conserving surgery. In a study reported in JAMA Surgery, Gangi et al from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles assessed outcomes in a large cohort of women undergoing breast-conserving surgery at their...
The addition of Imprime PGG, a type of immunotherapy, to chemoimmunotherapy with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and cetuximab (Erbitux) resulted in improved response rates and overall survival rates in patients with late-stage, non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the results of a phase ...
Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO, has been elected President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for a 1-year term beginning in June 2015. She will take office as President-Elect during the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago in June 2014. Additionally, four new members were elected to the...
In a phase III trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Michaelson et al assessed the addition of the antiangiogenesis agent sunitinib (Sutent) to prednisone in patients with progressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after docetaxel-based chemotherapy. No...
Compared to traditional mammography, three-dimensional (3D) mammography—known as digital breast tomosynthesis—found 22% more breast cancers and led to fewer call-backs in a large screening study at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, researchers reported today at the 99th...
Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) is active in patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In a phase I study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Anas Younes, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (formerly of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), and colleagues...
The use of assay-sensitive treatment significantly improved both progression-free survival and overall survival compared with nonsensitive treatment in women with recurrent ovarian cancer, according to the results of a prospective clinical trial reported in Gynecologic Oncology. Thomas Rutherford,...
In a phase III trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Thomas E. Hutson, DO, PharmD, of Baylor Sammons Cancer Center and colleagues compared the second-generation VEGFR inhibitor axitinib (Inlyta) with sorafenib (Nexavar) as first-line treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. There was no...
Axitinib plasma exposure may correlate with efficacy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma, according to population pharmacokinetic data. In a phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Brian I. Rini, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues evaluated the effects of axitinib dose titration in...
The nanopharmaceutical CRLX101, a novel inhibitor of topoisomerase-1 and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 alpha, may be capable of overcoming resistance of tumors to antiangiogenic agents, according to preclinical and early clinical studies that have evaluated CRLX101 in combination with...
The investigational drug PF-06463922 may have the potential to become a new treatment option for patients who have lung cancer harboring abnormalities in the ALK gene, according to preclinical results (Abstracts A277, PR10/B107, and C253) presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on...
Pap cytology is more specific but less sensitive than human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for the detection of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2+). In the pan-European PALMS study, reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Hans Ikenberg, MD, of CytoMol in...
Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have identified a new drug candidate for an inherited form of cancer with no known cure. The new study showed the drug candidate—known as FRAX97—slowed the proliferation and progression of tumor cells in animal models of neurofibromatosis...
Men with advanced prostate cancer are now living longer than ever, and it is estimated that one in six U.S. men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. However, little research has been conducted to understand the psychosocial needs of these men and their caregivers after...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the marketing of the UroLift system, a permanent implant to relieve low or blocked urine flow in men age 50 and older with benign prostatic hyperplasia. As men age, the prostate can become enlarged, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia....
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc, has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to volasertib, an investigational inhibitor of polo-like kinase (Plk), which being evaluated for the treatment of patients aged 65 or older with...
A comparison of three methods of predicting the risk of recurrence in women treated for estrogen-receptor–positive breast cancer found that only the breast cancer index (BCI)—a biomarker based on the expression levels of seven tumor-specific genes—accurately identified patients...
A family of microRNAs (miR-200) blocks cancer progression and metastasis by stifling a tumor’s ability to weave new blood vessels to support itself, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported in Nature Communications. Patients with lung, ovarian, kidney, or...
Syndax Pharmaceuticals Inc today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated entinostat as a Breakthrough Therapy for the treatment of locally recurrent or metastatic estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer when added to exemestane in postmenopausal women whose...
Ceptaris Therapeutics, Inc, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for the orphan drug mechlorethamine gel (Valchlor) for the topical treatment of stage IA and IB mycosis fungoides-type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in patients who...
A new study underway at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, is investigating whether an intralesional injection of PV-10 (a substance derived from Rose Bengal, a staining agent that has been used to assess eye damage), is effective in reducing tumors and the spread of cancer in patients with...
In a phase III double-blind study (VENICE trial) reported in Lancet Oncology, Ian F. Tannock, DSc, of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, and colleagues evaluated the addition of the antiangiogenic agent aflibercept (Zaltrap) to standard docetaxel/prednisone therapy in patients with...
Previous studies have shown that anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody treatment can improve clinical outcomes in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. In the open-label phase III SPECTRUM trial, Jan B. Vermorken, MD, of Antwerp University Hospital and...
Pharmacyclics, Inc, today announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the investigational oral Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib, for two relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancy indications: mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and...
In two large studies, the association between aspirin use and risk of colorectal cancer was affected by BRAF mutation status, with regular aspirin use associated with a lower risk of BRAF wild-type colorectal cancer but not with risk of BRAF-mutated cancer. The findings, published today in JAMA,...
Researchers have discovered and mapped the signaling network between two previously unconnected proteins, exposing a link that, if broken, could cut off cancer cell growth at its starting point. A team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported the tie between...
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that isolated human genes may not be patented. However, the creation of synthetic forms of DNA, known as complementary DNA (cDNA), is eligible for patent protection. The decision resolves the question brought before the Supreme Court justices in...
Low-dose weekly administration of paclitaxel resulted in equal progression-free survival but reduced overall toxicity compared to every-2-week dose-dense administration for women with higher-risk early-stage breast cancer who have undergone surgery, according to a phase III randomized trial....
In the Clinic provides overviews of novel oncology agents, addressing indications, mechanisms, administration recommendations, safety profiles, and other essential information needed for the appropriate clinical use of these drugs. Indication On May 29, 2013, trametinib (Mekinist) was...
A new clinical trial is testing whether targeting treatments to a genetic anomaly can lead to better treatments for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer. The trial, led by investigators at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, is being conducted at 11 sites throughout...
Hologic, Inc, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of C-View, a new low-dose two-dimensional (2D) imaging software. C-View 2D images may now be used in place of the conventional 2D exposure previously required as part of Hologic’s FDA-approved...
A phase I expansion study of the investigational drug MPDL3280A— an engineered PD-L1 targeted antibody—shows impressive tumor shrinkage rates in patients with several different cancers—including lung, melanoma, kidney, colorectal, and gastric cancers—that had progressed...
Pharmacyclics, Inc, announced today that the enrollment target of 350 patients for RESONATE, its phase III study using ibrutinib monotherapy vs ofatumumab (Arzerra) in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma, was achieved on April 3, 2013. As...
Pharmacyclics, Inc, announced today that the FDA has granted an additional Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the investigational oral agent ibrutinib as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma with deletion of the short arm...
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shown that a new imaging dye, designed and developed at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, is an effective agent in detecting and mapping cancers that have reached the lymph nodes. The radioactive dye technetium Tc-99m...
The FDA has approved technetium Tc 99m tilmanocept (Lymphoseek Injection), a radioactive diagnostic imaging agent that helps doctors locate lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer or melanoma who are undergoing surgery to remove tumor-draining lymph nodes. Technetium Tc 99m tilmanocept is an...
A new immunoassay that tests for the presence of three biomarkers appears to be a valid screening method for the early detection of malignant kidney cancer, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research....