Verastem Oncology has started a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating its inhibitors, VS-6766 and defactinib, for the treatment of people with recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC), the company announced. The trial seeks to recruit up to 100 female patients — more information is available here — and will investigate the company’s RAF/MEK inhibitor VS-6766,…
About Cancer
Cancer, also called malignancy, is an abnormal growth of cells with the potential to invade or spread to surrounding tissues and structures found within the body. There are more than 100 types of cancer. A few examples include breast cancer, skin cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and lymphoma. According to the American Cancer Society, 4 out of 10 people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime. Cancer prevalence has given rise to multiple medical specialties focused on symptom management and disease management. Current treatment options depending on the form of cancer include chemotherapy, radiation, blood or bone marrow transfusions, and/or surgery. Lifetime prognosis of cancer mortality is dependent on the type of cancer and is heavily conditional to early detection.
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Cancer News
Onconova Seeking FDA Approval for Phase 1 Trial of ON 123300 for Breast Cancer
Onconova Therapeutics is seeking the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial for its small molecule ON 123300 in certain types of breast cancer. The trial would include, but not be limited to, people with relapsed/refractory advanced breast cancer, including those with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human…
Dana-Farber, Quest Diagnostics Studying COVID-19 Prevalence in Myeloma
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Quest Diagnostics, the laboratory testing company, are conducting a study to measure the prevalence of COVID-19 among individuals with or at risk of developing multiple myeloma. The aim of the Immune Profiling with Antibody-based COVID-19 Testing study, or IMPACT, is to understand what happens to the immune system during a…
FDA Approves Less Frequent Treatment Regimen for Imfinzi in NSCLC, Bladder Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new dosing regimen for Imfinzi (durvalumab) for the treatment of certain non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and bladder cancer patients. Granted under priority review, the approval allows Imfinzi to be administered at a fixed dose of 1,500 mg every four weeks for patients weighing more than 30 kg (about…
Keytruda-Lenvima Combo in Kidney Cancer Better Than Sutent in Improving Survival
A combination of Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and Lenvima (lenvatinib) worked better than standard Sutent (sunitinib) in improving survival outcomes among adults with untreated advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) — the most common type of kidney cancer in adults — according to top-line data from a Phase 3 clinical trial. A different Lenvima combination, with Novartis’ Afinitor (everolimus),…
FDA Approves First PSMA-targeted PET Imaging Agent for Prostate Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Gallium 68 PSMA-11 (Ga 68 PSMA-11) as a positron emission tomography or PET imaging agent for men with prostate cancer. The molecule is the first approved PET imaging agent that detects prostate cancer lesions by targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) — a protein produced at…
FDA Lifts Hold on Phase 1 Trial for Car-T-Cell Therapy UCARTCS1A
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the clinical hold placed on a Phase 1 trial assessing Cellectis’ investigational CAR T-cell therapy, UCARTCS1A, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. In September, the FDA placed a hold on the MELANI-01 trial (NCT04142619) based on safety concerns, after a patient who received…
CRISPR-Cas9 in Lipid Nanoparticles Found to Safely Treat Ovarian Cancer in Mice
For the first time, researchers safely and effectively treated cells and mice with ovarian cancer using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool plus a newly developed lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery system, which targeted and destroyed the cancer cells by genetic manipulation. This new therapeutic strategy has the potential to treat not only other types of cancer, but…
Anixa Biosciences, Cleveland Clinic Developing Breast Cancer Vaccine
Anixa Biosciences and the Cleveland Clinic have filed an investigational new drug application for a breast cancer vaccine with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The vaccine technology was developed by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic. Funding from the U.S. Department of Defense is expected to enable completion of two Phase 1 clinical trials, according…
Assisted Reproductive Technology Does Not Raise Risk of Ovarian Cancer, Study Indicates
Women who use assisted reproductive technology to help them conceive a child appear not to be at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, a nationwide study conducted in the Netherlands has found. The study, “Long-Term Risk of Ovarian Cancer and Borderline Tumors After Assisted Reproductive Technology,” was published in the Journal of the National…
FDA Approves FoundationOne Liquid CDx as Companion Test for Lynparza in mCRPC Patients
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved FoundationOne Liquid CDx to be used as a companion diagnostic test to identify men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who are likely to benefit from treatment with Lynparza (olaparib). Developed by Foundation Medicine, the test is a blood-based biopsy assessment approved by the FDA to…
Opdivo Approved in Europe as Second-line Therapy for Advanced Esophageal Cancer
The European Commission has approved Opdivo (nivolumab) as a second-line treatment for adults with advanced inoperable, recurrent, or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), who previously were treated with fluoropyrimidine and platinum chemotherapy agents. This decision follows a positive recommendation by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), a branch of the European Medicines Agency. With…