The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) hosted a briefing on February 12 for members of Congress and their legislative staffs that highlighted progress in cancer research and treatment as well as challenges created by decreased levels of funding. The briefing was held in the Rayburn...
The FDA approved pomalidomide (Pomalyst) to treat patients with multiple myeloma whose disease progressed after being treated with other cancer drugs. Pomalidomide, an oral immunomodulatory agent, is intended for patients who have received at least two prior therapies, including lenalidomide...
Laboratory experiments conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center suggest that a novel combination of the investigational agent ibrutinib and bortezomib (Velcade) could potentially be an effective new therapy for several forms of blood cancer, including...
After an intensive 3-year hunt through the genome, researchers have pinpointed mutations that lead to drug resistance and relapse in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) ,the most common type of childhood cancer—the first time anyone has linked the disease’s reemergence to specific...
Patients with advanced, recurrent, or persistent cervical cancer that was not curable with standard treatment who received the bevacizumab (Avastin) lived 3.7 months longer than patients who did not receive the drug, according to an interim analysis of a large, randomized clinical trial. The...
In a major breakthrough for uterine serous carcinoma (USC), a chemoresistant, aggressive form of endometrial cancer, researchers at Yale Cancer Center have defined the genetic landscape of USC tumors, findings that point to new treatment opportunities. The collaborative team, which included...
A protein associated with conditions of metabolic imbalance, such as diabetes and obesity, may play a role in the development of aggressive forms of breast cancer, according to new findings by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their...
Reporting the results of a phase I clinical trial to test the effectiveness of a new class of drugs to augment standard chemotherapy, a team led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists found that giving patients high doses of vorinostat (Zolinza) in combination with another round...
The FDA has approved the first generic version of liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil), which is currently on the FDA’s drug shortage list. For products on the shortage list, the FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs is using a priority review system to expedite the review of generic applications to...
Patients with early-stage breast cancer who were treated with lumpectomy plus radiation may have a better chance of survival compared with those who underwent mastectomy, according to Duke Medicine research. The study, which appeared online January 28, 2013, in the journal Cancer, raises new...
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a registered 501(c)(3) charity, is furthering its commitment to finding cures for all children with cancer by introducing the ALSF Centers of Excellence program. The Centers of Excellence program aims to fund the research of leading childhood cancer...
The FDA approved a new use of imatinib (Gleevec) to treat children newly diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). ALL is the most common type of pediatric cancer, affecting approximately 2,900 children annually, and progresses quickly if untreated....
A team of researchers led by Goutham Narla, MD, PhD, at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and collaborators at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Erasmus Medical Center, have discovered a gene variant that drives the spread of...
Celgene International Sàrl announced on Tuesday that its phase III clinical trial of paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension, albumin-bound (nab-paclitaxel, Abaraxane) in combination with gemcitabine in treatment-naive patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer...
Research led by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists has identified a possible lead in treatment of two childhood leukemia subtypes known for their dramatic loss of chromosomes and poor treatment outcomes. The findings also provide the first evidence of the genetic basis for ...
Telik, Inc, announced that its product candidate, ezatiostat hydrochloride (Telintra), has been granted orphan drug designation by the FDA for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Ezatiostat is an investigational agent in development for the treatment of MDS and idiopathic chronic...
The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2009, shows that overall cancer death rates continued to decline in the United States among both men and women, among all major racial and ethnic groups, and for all of the most common cancer sites, including lung, colon and...
Dune Medical Devices, Inc, announced that the FDA has granted Premarket Approval to the MarginProbe System, the company’s breakthrough intraoperative tissue assessment tool for early-stage breast cancer surgery. The technology significantly improves surgeons’ ability to intraoperatively ...