Treatment - Cancer Currents Blog
Cancer treatment related news, with context from leading experts. Includes articles on new therapies, treatment side effects, and important trends in treatment-related research.
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A Safer, Better Treatment Option for Some Younger Women with Breast CancerFor younger women with advanced breast cancer, the combination of ribociclib (Kisqali) and hormone therapy was much better at shrinking metastatic tumors than standard chemotherapy treatments, results from an NCI-funded clinical trial show.
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Can Chemotherapy Drugs Be Designed to Avoid Side Effects?Researchers have modified a chemo drug, once abandoned because it caused serious gut side effects, so that it is only triggered in tumors but not normal tissues. After promising results in mice, the drug, DRP-104, is now being tested in a clinical trial.
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Brentuximab Approved for High-Risk Hodgkin Lymphoma in Children and AdolescentsBased on an NCI-sponsored clinical trial conducted by the Children’s Oncology Group, FDA has approved the drug brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) in combination with chemotherapy for some children and adolescents with Hodgkin lymphoma.
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Shorter Course of Radiation Is Effective, Safe for Some with Early-Stage Breast CancerIn a large clinical trial, a condensed course of radiation therapy was as effective and safe as a longer standard course for those with higher-risk early-stage breast cancer who had a lumpectomy. This shorter radiation course makes treatment less of a burden for patients.
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Immunotherapy before Surgery Appears Effective for Some with MelanomaFor melanoma that can be treated with surgery, a few doses of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) beforehand looks to be a good choice. In a clinical trial, people who got the presurgical immunotherapy were much less likely to have their cancer come back than those who only received it after surgery.
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Teclistamab Shows Promise for People with Heavily Pretreated Multiple MyelomaIn a small clinical trial, nearly 40% of people with multiple myeloma who were treated with the immunotherapy drug teclistamab (Tecvayli) had all signs of their cancer disappear. The trial participants had myeloma that did not respond to or came back after three or more prior treatments.
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Enhertu Marks First Targeted Therapy for HER2-Mutant Lung CancerOn August 11, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave accelerated approval to trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu) for adults with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has a specific mutation in the HER2 gene. Around 3% of people with NSCLC have this kind of HER2 mutation.
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Study Confirms Dinutuximab Extends Life for Children with High-Risk NeuroblastomaResearchers have confirmed that the immunotherapy drug dinutuximab (Unituxin) can help children with high-risk neuroblastoma live longer. The finding is based on a trial of nearly 1,200 children with the disease.
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For Common Form of Bladder Cancer, Chemo Combo Effective Alternative to BCGThe standard treatment for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), a drug called BCG, has been in shortage for a decade. Bladder cancer experts agree that gemcitabine and docetaxel offers an effective alternative to BCG, after a study showed that 82% of patients with high-risk NMIBC treated with the combination were alive 2 years later without their cancer returning.
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Study Tackles Key Questions about Liver Transplants for People with Liver CancerFor some people with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer, a liver transplant is the only hope for a cure. A new study shows a high 10-year survival rate for people who got a liver transplant after their tumors were “downstaged” to become eligible for a transplant.
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Pembrolizumab Improves Survival in Advanced Triple-Negative Breast CancerAdding the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to chemotherapy can help some patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer live longer. In the KEYNOTE-355 trial, overall survival improved among patients whose tumors had high levels of the PD-L1 protein.
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Disguising Cancer as an Infection Helps the Immune System Eliminate TumorsNCI researchers are developing an immunotherapy that involves injecting protein bits from cytomegalovirus (CMV) into tumors. The proteins coat the tumor, causing immune cells to attack. In mice, the treatment shrank tumors and kept them from returning.
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Dabrafenib–Trametinib Combination Approved for Solid Tumors with BRAF MutationsFDA has approved the combination of the targeted drugs dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) for nearly any type of advanced solid tumor with a specific mutation in the BRAF gene. Data from the NCI-MATCH trial informed the approval.
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Immunotherapy’s Skin Side Effects: Are Microbes to Blame?People with cancer who take immunotherapy drugs often develop skin side effects, including itching and painful rashes. New research in mice suggests these side effects may be caused by the immune system attacking new bacterial colonies on the skin.
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Ifosfamide May Be Treatment of Choice for Some People with Ewing Sarcoma, Trial ShowsNew findings from the first large, randomized clinical trial to compare chemotherapy regimens for relapsed or treatment-resistant Ewing sarcoma could help doctors and patients select treatments.
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Enhertu Improves Survival for Metastatic “HER2-Low” Breast CancerPeople with metastatic breast cancer whose tumors had low levels of HER2 protein lived longer after treatment with trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu) than those treated with standard chemotherapy, results of the DESTINY-Breast04 clinical trial show.
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For Some Kids with Brain Cancer, Targeted Therapy Is Better than ChemoThe combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) shrank more brain tumors, kept the tumors at bay for longer, and caused fewer side effects than chemotherapy, trial results showed. The children all had glioma with a BRAF V600 mutation that could not be surgically removed or came back after surgery.
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Active Surveillance for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer Continues to RiseMen diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer are increasingly opting against immediate treatment and choosing active surveillance instead, a new study finds. In fact, rates of active surveillance more than doubled between 2014 and 2021.
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New Drugs Raise Old Questions about Treating Cancer during PregnancyA pregnant woman with Hodgkin lymphoma was treated successfully with an immunotherapy drug. The report that the treatment was safe and effective is leading researchers to start taking a closer look at new forms of cancer drugs in pregnant people.
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For Early-Stage Lung Cancer, Nivolumab and Chemo before Surgery Proves EffectiveGiving people with early-stage lung cancer the immunotherapy drug nivolumab (Opdivo) and chemotherapy before surgery can substantially delay the progression or return of their cancer, a large clinical trial found.