Combining Cabometyx (cabozantinib) with Opdivo (nivolumab) significantly extends survival, delays disease progression and increases the rate of positive responses compared to standard treatment with Sutent (sunitinib) among people with newly diagnosed advanced renal cell cancer, a pivotal Phase 3 trial shows. The recent findings mean that the CheckMate -9ER trial (NCT03141177) met its primary goal of extending…
A wise man once said, “No one by worrying can add one inch to their height.” Constantly worrying about acquiring an admittedly horrible disease may be useless, but it also is common practice for caregivers. Our intimate involvement in the daily processes of a disease, and seeing how it affects our loved ones affects us,…
I’ve entered my sixth week of quarantine, and you’ll be happy to know that I haven’t gone completely insane (yet). Then again, I wouldn’t know, as I don’t have anyone to bounce my feelings off, except myself. Which I do a lot. On second thought, maybe I am insane. We are, as you might have…
While there are few silver linings to the cloud created by COVID-19, the pandemic that has killed tens of thousands, hobbled economies worldwide and drove millions to quarantine in their homes, one may be a new appreciation of telemedicine. “If something good could come out of this crisis, it’s that we would learn how valuable…
Biogen is pushing back the submission of aducanumab, its investigational treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the third quarter of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created a challenging situation for people and companies throughout the world, and Biogen personally…
Researchers at the Tish Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, have discovered how tumors can survive the effects of radiotherapy. While studying skin tumors, the team discovered that during radiotherapy, skin immune cells — called Langerhans cells — are activated to repair the DNA damage caused by the radiation. When Langerhans cells were exposed to…
The analysis of an international clinical trial including patients suffering from locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) showed that those treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) had a significant decrease in lung toxicity and improved chemotherapy tolerance when compared to patients treated with 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3-D CRT). The results were presented by Stephen Chun, M.D., fellow, Radiation Oncology at…
Myovant Sciences has filed an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval of relugolix to treat men with advanced prostate cancer. The new drug application (NDA) proposes a single daily dose of 120 mg, given as an oral tablet, based on positive results from the Phase 3 HERO trial (NCT03085095, still recruiting in China). “The…
A variant in a gene that promotes the production of testosterone by prostate cancer cells is linked to poorer survival and the development of castration-resistant disease in Caucasians with metastatic prostate cancer, a study suggests. Its researchers recommend that genetic testing be part of routine care for patients, as those with this variant may need…
A comprehensive lung cancer screening program that uses CT scan technology developed at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City may provide smokers with a more precise way of determining if they have lung cancer. The screening program drew on the results of the National Lung Screening Trial, a comprehensive trial in which CT scans were compared…
