The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to Kleo Pharmaceuticals‘ KP1237, an investigational treatment for multiple myeloma. The designation grants various development incentives to medications that address rare disorders affecting fewer than 200,000 people annually in the U.S. Incentives include regulatory support and financial benefits that will help accelerate the…
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.
Conditions
Cancer News
NCI Grant to Probe Link Between Prostate Cancer and Fatty Cells in Bone Marrow
A five-year grant of more than $2 million from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) will support research investigating the link between prostate cancer cells and the fatty cells — adipocytes — found in bone marrow. Izabela Podgorski, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Michigan, will lead the project being funded by the the…
Checkpoint Inhibitor CTX-2026 Shows Promising Efficacy in Preclinical Study
Compass Therapeutics‘ CTX-2026, an antibody targeting the protein BTN3A1, could be therapeutic in ovarian cancer by helping the immune system destroy cancer cells, preclinical data show. The study, “BTN3A1 governs antitumor responses by coordinating αβ and γδ T cells,” was published in the journal Science. The body’s immune system is responsible for fighting off infections…
TTC-352 Safe for Patients Resistant to Hormone Therapy, Phase 1 Trial Finds
TTC-352, an investigational oral treatment for patients with metastatic ER-positive breast cancer that no longer responds to hormone therapy, was found to be safe and tolerable at high dose in a Phase 1 clinical study. The treatment also showed a potential for effectiveness, with half of those who finished the trial achieving stable disease for…
Newk’s Cares Honors Late Co-founder Lori Newcomb During Awareness Month
Newk’s Cares is honoring the legacy of co-founder Lori Newcomb this September during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month with fundraising initiatives online and at the more than 100 Newk’s Eatery restaurants. Newk’s Cares is the philanthropic arm of Newk’s Eatery, the Jackson, Mississippi-based fast-casual restaurant chain. It was established in 2014, a year after Newcomb, an…
FDA Puts on Hold Phase 1 Cellectis Trial Testing CAR T-cell Therapy UCARTCS1A
A Phase 1 trial assessing Cellectis’ investigational CAR T-cell therapy, UCARTCS1A, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma has been placed on hold by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the company announced in a press release. The MELANI-01 study (NCT04142619) was assessing the safety and clinical activity of different doses of UCARTCS1A,…
Post-surgery Opdivo Shows Benefits for Esophageal, GEJ Cancer Patients in Ongoing Trial
Opdivo (nivolumab) significantly prolongs the time patients with resected esophageal or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer live without signs of disease after receiving chemoradiation therapy followed by cancer removal surgery, interim data from a Phase 3 trial show. Consistent with data from previous studies, Opdivo demonstrated a favorable safety profile in this setting. This is the…
First Patient Dosed in IRENE Trial Testing Immunotherapy-Oncolytic Virus Combo
The first participant has been dosed in the Phase 2 clinical trial IRENE, which is evaluating Incyte‘s immunotherapy retifanlimab in combination with the oncolytic virus pelareorep, by Oncolytics Biotech, as a treatment for locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The trial (NCT04445844) is currently recruiting patients at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New…
NIH Grants Dartmouth Team $2.5M to Develop Device for Detecting Cancer Cells
A research team at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth received a $2.5 million grant to develop and test a device meant to help surgeons detect and remove prostate cancer cells that would otherwise be missed during surgery. The five-year grant, awarded by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, will focus…
Pap Smear Samples May Aid Early Diagnosis of Common Ovarian Cancer
Genetic material collected in routine cervical cancer screenings could be used to screen for ovarian cancer several years before disease symptoms are evident, possible speeding diagnosis and treatment, a study suggests. The study, “Detection of TP53 Clonal Variants in Papanicolaou Test Samples Collected up to 6 Years Prior to High-Grade Serous Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis,” was…
Tesetaxel With Reduced-dose Capecitabine Improved Progression-free Survival in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Odonate Therapeutics announced that tesetaxel, together with a reduced dose of capecitabine, improved progression-free survival in metastatic breast cancer patients taking part in a Phase 3 clinical trial. Median progression-free survival (PFS) — the time lived until disease progression or death due to any cause — improved by 2.9 months on the combined therapy regimen as compared…
LLS Highlights Its Support Programs During Blood Cancer Awareness Month
Throughout September for Blood Cancer Awareness Month, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is asking the public to join its commitment to research, education, advocacy, and patient support. Blood cancers, including multiple myeloma, are diagnosed every three minutes in the U.S. Those who live with these conditions must also deal with challenges caused by COVID-19. “The global…