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…
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
Despite the Struggle, I Have Found Solace in Solitude
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…
Langerhans Cells Protect Skin Tumors from Radiation Treatment
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…
Lung Cancer Patients Treated with IMRT Have Less Lung Toxicity and Better Tolerance to Chemotherapy
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…
FDA Asked to Approve Relugolix to Treat Advanced Prostate Cancer
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…
Gene Variant Seen to Promote Castration-resistant Disease in Whites
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…
Lung Cancer in Smokers More Accurately Detected Using CT Scans than X-rays, Center Reports
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…
Xoft Single-Dose Radiation Therapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer Shows Continuing Promise
iCAD Inc., a company that delivers innovative cancer detection and radiation therapy solutions, recently presented updated clinical data on the use of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) with the Company’s Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System to treat patients with early-stage breast cancer at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium held in December in San Antonio, Texas. Management of Nashua, New…
Trodelvy Approved for Heavily Pre-treated TNBC Patients in US
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Immunomedics’ antibody-drug conjugate Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan) to treat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients who already tried at least two previous therapies for metastatic disease. The approval, given under FDA’s Accelerated Approval Program and about five weeks ahead of an expected decision, makes Trodelvy the first antibody-drug conjugate available for hard-to-treat…
Side Effects of Radiation Therapy May Be Eased by a Diet Rich in Tomatoes, Study Reports
Researchers in the U.K. and Germany report that lycopene, a carotenoid pigment present in tomatoes, can protect human lymphoid cells against the harmful effects of gamma radiation during radiation therapy, a common treatment for cancer, and could be used as a dietary intervention. The study, “A dramatic effect of oxygen on protection of human cells against…
Novel Imaging Tool for Breast Cancer on Display at European Congress of Radiology
iCAD Inc. recently announced its latest innovative imaging tool for early detection of breast cancer based on tomosynthesis computer-aided detection (CAD). The technology is on display at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna, Austria, through March 6. According to a study published in the journal Cancers, breast cancer is the most common invasive type of cancer in women,…
First Advanced Cancer Patients Dosed With VT1021 in Trial’s Expansion Phase
A Phase 1b/2 trial investigating Vigeo Therapeutics‘ VT1021 as a stand-alone treatment for advanced ovarian cancer and other tumor types has dosed the first patients in its dose expansion stage. Early results are expected later this year. Roughly 75 adults will be enrolled in this stage of the trial (NCT03364400). Besides ovarian cancer, the other groups…