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Showing 13251 - 13300Priming Pancreatic Cancer Cells With a Vaccine May Allow Them to Respond to Immunotherapy
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 ...
Study Identifies Two Proteins as Markers of Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer
A study by researchers from Danbury Hospital Biomedical Research Institute in Connecticut has found that patients with ovarian cancer who relapse shortly after neoadjuvant chemotherapy to shrink their tumor prior to surgery have high levels of expression of HGF and c-Met proteins. The...
Lung-MAP Launches: First Precision Medicine Trial From National Clinical Trials Network
A unique public-private collaboration among the National Cancer Institute (NCI), SWOG Cancer Research, Friends of Cancer Research, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), five pharmaceutical companies (Amgen, Genentech, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and AstraZeneca’s global...
FDA Approves Radioactive Diagnostic Imaging Agent to Help Determine the Extent of Head and Neck Cancer in the Body
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a new use for technetium 99m tilmanocept (Lymphoseek Injection), a radioactive diagnostic imaging agent used to help doctors determine the extent to which squamous cell carcinoma has spread in the body’s head and neck region. In 2013,...
Survivors of Childhood Cancers Experience Frequent Hospitalizations Years After Cancer Treatment
Childhood and adolescent cancer survivors often face ongoing health problems that require frequent and long hospital stays many years after their cancer diagnosis and treatment, according to a new study by Kirchhoff et al published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Survivors of...
Barbara L. McAneny, MD, To Serve as Chair of the AMA Board of Trustees
Barbara L. McAneny, MD, a practicing oncologist from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been re-elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association (AMA) and will assume the position of Board Chair when the trustees gather for their first postelection meeting. Dr. McAneny, who has...
Study Identifies Genetic Variant Associated With Increased Risk of Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer
There may be significant genomic differences between patients with invasive lobular breast cancer and those with invasive ductal breast cancer, according to the results of a study presented by Sawyer et al in PLOS Genetics. This finding may lead to further insights into the biology of lobular...
ASCO 2014: Stopping Statins Is Safe and Can Improve Quality of Life for Patients With Cancer Near the End of Life
Stopping statin therapy is safe for patients with cancer who have a life expectancy of less than 1 year, according to a randomized study reported at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago (Abstract LBA9514). Discontinuing statins did not shorten survival and provided a number of important...
ASCO 2014: Goserelin Helps Preserve Fertility Among Women Receiving Chemotherapy for Hormone Receptor–Negative Breast Cancer
Adding goserelin (Zoladex) to standard chemotherapy may be an effective method of preserving fertility among women with early-stage hormone receptor–negative breast cancer, according to findings from a federally funded phase III clinical trial. In the S0230/POEMS study, reported at the 2014...
ASCO 2014: Starting Palliative Care Support for Family Caregivers at the Time of Cancer Diagnosis Improves Quality of Life
Introducing a palliative care support program for caregivers of patients with advanced cancer at or near the time patients are diagnosed provides greater benefits than delayed palliative care services, according to results of the ENABLE III study reported at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago...
ASCO 2014: Women With Breast Cancer and Bone Metastasis Can Safely Scale Back Frequency of Zoledronic Acid Dosing
Findings from a phase III randomized study suggest that women with breast cancer and bone metastasis who have received at least nine doses of zoledronic acid over the previous year can safely scale back dosing from every 4 weeks to every 12 weeks without compromising the effectiveness of the...
ASCO 2014: Lower-Dose Radiation May Reduce Long-Term Side Effects Without Compromising Survival in Certain HPV-Positive Head and Neck Cancers
According to a phase II study, customizing radiation doses based on response to induction chemotherapy and other prognostic factors may allow lower doses of radiation therapy to be administered to some patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer without compromising...
ASCO 2014: Ipilimumab/Nivolumab Combination Achieves Long-Term Survival for Patients With Advanced Melanoma
Concurrent treatment with ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab resulted in a 2-year survival rate of 79% for patients with advanced melanoma. “While this is a small trial, that is very impressive 2-year survival data,” noted Mario Sznol, MD, at a press briefing on progress in immunotherapy ...
ASCO 2014: Adjuvant Ipilimumab Significantly Improves Recurrence-Free Survival in Patients With High-Risk Stage III Melanoma
Adjuvant therapy with ipilimumab (Yervoy) for patients with high-risk stage III melanoma significantly improved recurrence-free survival, the primary endpoint of the phase III EORTC 18071/CA 184-029 study. Patients randomly assigned to receive ipilimumab had a 9-month absolute improvement in...
Smokers With BRCA2 Mutation Have Increased Risk of Developing Lung Cancer
Around a quarter of smokers who carry a mutation in the BRCA2 gene will develop lung cancer at some point in their lifetime, a large-scale, international study reveals. Scientists described a previously unknown link between lung cancer and a particular BRCA2 mutation, which occurs in around 2% of...
ASCO 2014: Adding Lapatinib to Adjuvant Trastuzumab Does Not Improve Outcomes in Early-Stage HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
A large phase III study, ALTTO (Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimisation), found no statistically significant differences in 4-year disease-free survival among women with early HER2-positive breast cancer who received adjuvant treatment that combined the HER2-targeted drugs...
ASCO 2014: Chemotherapy Plus Either Bevacizumab or Cetuximab Results in Similar Survival Benefits in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Bevacizumab (Avastin) plus chemotherapy and cetuximab (Erbitux) plus chemotherapy produced equal survival benefits for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and no KRAS mutations, according to results from a large federally funded phase III study presented at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting...
ASCO 2014: Ibrutinib Significantly Delays Disease Progression and Extends Survival in Relapsed CLL
Early findings from the phase III RESONATE study indicate that ibrutinib (Imbruvica) produces durable tumor responses and marked improvement in survival over standard ofatumumab (Arzerra) for patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). “With ibrutinib, about 80% of patients...
Central Pancreatectomy for Low-Grade Neoplasms Results in 'Excellent' Pancreatic Function but Substantial Morbidity
The availability of cross-sectional imaging has resulted in increased diagnosis of low-grade pancreatic neoplasms and use of central pancreatectomy as an alternative to standard resection for such lesions. In a French single-center experience reported in JAMA Surgery, Goudard et al found that...
Supportive Tumor Tissue Surrounding Cancer Cells Hinders Pancreatic Cancer Progression, Preclinical Study Reports
Fibrous tissue long suspected of making pancreatic cancer worse actually supports an immune attack that slows tumor progression but cannot overcome it, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported in the journal Cancer Cell. “This supportive tissue that’s...
The Cancer Community Mourns the Passing of Selma Schimmel
The cancer community is mourning the death of Selma Schimmel who passed away on May 21, 2014, from malignant psoas syndrome, a complication of ovarian cancer. Ms. Schimmel died at Providence Tarzana Medical Center near her home in Los Angeles, California. She was 59. A tireless and fierce advocate ...
Study Uses Comprehensive Genomic Tumor Testing to Match Lung Cancer Patients With Targeted Therapies
In a recent study by the Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium (LCMC), investigators incorporated tumor genotyping into therapeutic decision-making for patients with lung adenocarcinomas. An oncogenic driver was detected in 64% of tumors from patients in this study. According to data from this study...
Study Reveals More Than One-Third of Patients With ‘Low-Risk’ Prostate Cancer on Conventional Biopsy Have More Aggressive Tumors on Targeted Biopsy
According to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, selection of men for active surveillance for prostate cancer should be based not on conventional biopsy, but on a new, imaging-guided targeted prostate biopsy. The new biopsy method is now a routine part of the...
Study Suggests Less Frequent Cardiac Screening May Be Preferable for Survivors of Childhood Cancer
One of the first studies to analyze the effectiveness of screening survivors of childhood cancer for early signs of impending congestive heart failure found improved health outcomes but suggested that less frequent screening than currently recommended may yield similar clinical benefit. Researchers ...
Early Study Shows Improved Survival With Radioimmunotherapy/Gemcitabine Combination in Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Ductal Cancer
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...
Studies Evaluate Racial Variations, Cost, and Influence of Access to Care in the Management and Treatment of Testicular Cancer
A series of studies evaluating the cost-effectiveness, risks, and outcomes associated with detecting, diagnosing, and treating testicular cancer were presented at a press conference during the 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association in Orlando, Florida. Although...
Results of Three Studies Indicate 17-Gene Assay Is a Significant Predictor of Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness at the Time of Diagnosis
According to the results from three studies published in European Urology, the 17-gene Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score is a significant predictor of disease aggressiveness at the time of diagnosis before intervention with radiation or surgery. The test provides more precise and individualized...
Blocking CD47 Signals May Offer New Therapeutic Approach in the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
Two preclinical studies of tumor samples taken from 39 patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and 39 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma has found that for both these pancreatic cancers, CD47 is expressed at elevated levels on the cells that make up the bulk of the tumors and on...
Accelerated Methotrexate, Vinblastine, Doxorubicin, Cisplatin With Pegfilgrastim Is Effective, Well-Tolerated Neoadjuvant Therapy for Bladder Cancer
Although neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy is standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, it is not widely used due to concerns over toxicity and delayed cystectomy. In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Plimack et al evaluated whether a neoadjuvant...
U.S. Cervical Cancer Rates Higher Than Previously Reported, Particularly Among Older Women and African American Women
Cervical cancer rates in the United States are higher than previously believed, particularly among 65- to 69-year-old women and African American women, according to a study by Rositch et al published in Cancer. Current U.S. cervical cancer screening guidelines do not recommend routine Pap smears...
Carcinogens Found in Water Pipe Smoking May Increase Risk for Cancer
Researchers investigating the effects of water pipe smoking on the health of young adults have found elevated levels of nicotine, cotinine, tobacco-related cancer-causing agents, and volatile organic compounds, including benzene and acrolein, in the urine of users. Given the significant intake of...
Study Projects Nationwide Low-Dose CT Screening Will Identify More—and Earlier-Stage—Lung Cancers, but Comes With Substantial Medicare Costs
A new model projects 5-year outcomes of implementing the recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations for annual low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening in a high-risk Medicare population. The model estimates that gradual implementation of the screening...
Novel Targeted Drug May Provide a New Treatment Option for Patients With Recurrent Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis
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...
Delaying Androgen Deprivation Therapy May Be Safe for Men With Prostate Cancer Relapse Detected by PSA Testing
According to a large, population-based observational study of men who had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-only based relapse after prostate surgery or radiation therapy, delaying androgen deprivation therapy until the onset of symptoms or appearance of cancer on a scan does not substantially...
Novel Target Found for Chemotherapy-Resistant Leukemia Cells
Researchers at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles have discovered that by targeting a particular receptor, chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells can be killed in an acute form of childhood leukemia, offering the potential for a future treatment for patients who would otherwise experience relapse...
Phase II Feasibility Study Tests Four Molecular-Based Hypotheses in Advanced Colorectal Cancer
In a phase II feasibility study (MRC FOCUS3) reported in British Journal of Cancer, Maughan et al used KRAS and BRAF mutation status and topoisomerase-1 expression status to randomly assign patients with advanced colorectal cancer to molecular hypothesis–driven treatment or control treatment. ...
Epigenetically Reprogrammed Cells Generate Functional Cord Blood Stem Cells for Transplantation
The use of cord blood cells as hematopoietic stem cell grafts for patients with hematologic malignancies receiving an allogeneic stem cell transplant has been limited to children due to the small number of stem cells present in a single cord blood collection. The result of these limitations has...
Immunotherapy May Be Effective in the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma
A new study by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC–James) provides evidence that genetically modifying immune cells might effectively treat multiple myeloma. The findings by ...
PET Plus CT-Assessed Relative Tumor Size Reduction After Chemotherapy Identifies High Risk for Progression and Relapse in Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma
Positive positron-emission tomography (PET) scans have low positive predictive value after chemotherapy in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma. In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kobe et al assessed whether use of pretreatment and post-treatment computed tomography (CT) could...
NIH Study Demonstrates That a New Cancer Immunotherapy Method Could Be Effective Against Epithelial Cell Cancers
A new method for using immunotherapy to specifically attack tumor cells that have mutations unique to a patient’s cancer has been developed by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The researchers demonstrated that the human immune...
Incidence of Breast Cancer According to Joint Hormone Receptor and HER2 Status Differs According to Race/Ethnicity and Other Factors
In 2010, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries began collecting data on HER2 receptor status in breast cancer cases. In a study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Howlader et al identified U.S. incidence rates for breast cancer by joint hormone...
Glutamine Ratio Is Key Indicator of Tumor Aggression in Ovarian Cancer, Study Finds
An analysis of the metabolic profiles of hundreds of ovarian tumors has revealed a new test to determine whether ovarian cancer cells have the potential to metastasize. The study, which was published in Molecular Systems Biology, also suggests how ovarian cancer treatments can be tailored based on...
Dual Method to Remove Precancerous Colon Polyps May Substantially Reduce Health-Care Costs
A surgical method combining two techniques for removing precancerous polyps during colonoscopies can substantially reduce the recovery time and the length of hospital stays, which may translate into significant cost savings, according to research presented this week at Digestive Disease Week in...
Study Confirms Clinical Benefit for Interleukin-2 Immunotherapy in Patients With Advanced Kidney Cancer
A retrospective study published online ahead of print in Urology by researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute found that patients with metastatic kidney cancer—even those with chronic renal insufficiency—can tolerate and benefit from high-dose interleukin-2 (HDIL-2) immunotherapy....
ASCO Releases Clinical Practice Guideline on Systemic Therapy for Patients With Advanced HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
Approximately 15% of patients with breast cancer have tumors that overexpress the HER2 protein, and these patients can benefit from HER2-targeted therapies. The American Society of Clinical Oncology recently released a clinical practice guideline on systemic therapy for patients with advanced...
FDA Approves Omacetaxine Mepesuccinate for Injection for Home Administration
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved omacetaxine mepesuccinate (Synribo) for injection, for subcutaneous use, to include home administration, and also approved a related Medication Guide and Instructions for Use. With this approval, physicians who treat adults with chronic- or...
Axillary Radiotherapy Associated With Fewer Side Effects Than Lymph Node Dissection in AMAROS Analysis
Radiation therapy, an emerging treatment modality for breast cancer in the lymph nodes, is associated with significantly fewer postoperative complications than axillary lymph node dissection, according to a detailed analysis of morbidity from the AMAROS trial presented at a press briefing prior to...
Poor Quality of Life Does Not Predict Low Survival Rates in High-Risk Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Surgery
Quality of life is rarely reported in surgical publications, yet it can be an important metric that can be of use to physicians and patients when making treatment decisions. Prior studies of average-risk patients undergoing lobectomy suggested that low baseline quality-of-life scores predict worse...
Computational Model Can Predict Therapy Outcomes in Prostate Cancer With Bone Metastasis
Active prostate cancer cells in the bone environment can disrupt the bone remodeling process, promoting a “vicious cycle” of extensive bone destruction and formation that yields nutrients allowing prostate cancer cells to grow. To simulate this complex biologic process, researchers have ...
Novel DNA Vaccine Generates Immunity Against Tumor Vasculature Protein in Preclinical Study
Researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have employed a novel DNA vaccine that indirectly kills cancer cells by targeting a protein found in the tumor vasculature. The vaccine also indirectly creates an immune response to the ...
