The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Imfinzi (durvalumab), in combination with standard chemotherapy, as an initial treatment of people with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC). This decision was based on findings from the CASPIAN Phase 3 trial (NCT03043872), in which the combination was found to be better than standard chemo alone at extending…
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” — Anonymous If you’re like a lot of people, the COVID-19 pandemic is the first thing that comes to mind when you awaken, and possibly the last penetrating thought before bedtime. Though we tire of its bad news, we can’t turn away. Like a train wreck, or a terrible…
Despite some interruptions to Ygalo‘s clinical program due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, Oncopeptides‘ application seeking its accelerated approval in the U.S. for the treatment of triple-refractory multiple myeloma will not be affected, and filing is expected mid-year, the company has announced. “Obviously the COVID-19 pandemic has an enormous impact on us and society as…
Treatment with Zevalin (ibritumomab tiuxetan), which combines an antibody with a radioactive agent, was found to be safe, reduced tumor burden in most patients, and significantly improved survival without disease worsening in people with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), a retrospective study reports. The findings were presented during the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology and Society for…
A new analysis of data from a Phase 3 clinical trial testing the blood pressure medication nilvadipine supports evidence that its use helps to slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients with very mild, very early stage disease. This finding was reported earlier — the trial ended in 2016 — but results then looked at the entire trial population, ranging from…
New guidelines for radiation oncologists suggest that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, interactions with healthcare professionals should be done remotely where possible, and treatments should be avoided or delayed to minimize strains on the system and risks to the patient. The guidelines, “Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy Recommendations in Response to COVID-19,” were published in the journal Advances in Radiation…
A tumor suppressor protein called neurofibromin, known to block the cancer-inducing Ras pathway, also was found to interact directly with the estrogen receptor (ER) with mutations in this protein leading to treatment resistance in ER-positive breast cancers, a study has revealed. Specifically, cancers lacking a functional neurofibromin protein are resistant to a class of breast…
The immunotherapy candidate GEN-1 has shown encouraging results in patients newly diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer, according to initial results of the OVATION 2 study. Adding GEN-1 to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (given before surgery to shrink tumors) increased the proportion of patients with complete removal of their tumors through surgery. GEN-1, developed by Celsion Corporation, consists of…
First-line treatment with Imfinzi (durvalumab) combined with standard chemotherapy significantly prolongs the life of people with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), final results of the CASPIAN Phase 3 trial show. Approval of the combination for this type of aggressive lung cancer is under review by regulatory authorities in the U.S., E.U., and Japan. In…
Finding the energy to write about the experience of being an immunocompromised person at the time of the coronavirus pandemic is a struggle. I’m exhausted, even though I’ve been confined to the perimeters of a 6-foot-wide, 8-foot-long couch for the entirety of the day. Well, for the week actually. But I’ve been working full days…
