July 2017 - Cancer Currents Blog
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FDA Grants Full Approval to Blinatumomab for Acute Lymphoblastic LeukemiaFDA changed its accelerated approval of blinatumomab (Blincyto) for some patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia to a full approval and expanded the approved indications for its use.
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FDA Clears Wider Use of Cooling Cap to Reduce Hair Loss during ChemotherapyThe FDA has cleared a cooling cap—a device designed to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy called the DigniCap Scalp Cooling System—for use by patients with any type of solid tumor.
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Two-Drug Combination Approved for Lung Cancers with BRAF MutationsFDA approved the combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar®) and trametinib (Mekinist®) for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has an alteration in the BRAF gene called the V600E mutation.
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NCI’s Technology Transfer Center—Moving Inventions and Ideas from the Lab to Patients: An Interview with Dr. Michael SalgallerAn interview with Dr. Michael Salgaller about how NCI’s Technology Transfer Center helps to move new technologies developed by NCI and NIH scientists from the lab to the bedside.
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New Rituximab Formulation Approved for Some Lymphomas, LeukemiaThe FDA has approved a new formulation of rituximab, Rituxan Hycela, that reduces treatment administration time for patients with several types of blood cancer.
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Large Study Verifies Cancer Risk for Women Carrying BRCA1 or BRCA2 MutationsResults from the first large prospective study of breast and ovarian cancer risk in women with inherited mutations in the BRCA 1 or BRCA2 genes confirm the high risks estimated from earlier, retrospective studies.
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NCI's CURE Program—21 Years of Increasing Diversity in the Biomedical WorkforceNCI’s CURE program recently celebrated its 21st anniversary of providing training and other support to improve the diversity of people involved in cancer research and care.
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Improving Cancer Control in Rural Communities: Next StepsStudies continue to show disparities in cancer outcomes for people who live in rural parts of the United States. NCI’s Dr. Robert Croyle explains how the institute is working with multiple partners to better understand and address these disparities.
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Cancer Researchers Report Progress in Studying Exceptional RespondersResearchers who study exceptional responders—patients who have dramatic and long-lasting responses to treatments for cancer that were not effective for most similar patients—met recently to discuss the state of the science in this emerging field.