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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Combo of Ribociclib, Letrozole Improves Survival in Advanced Breast CancerIn a large clinical trial, women with HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer treated with ribociclib (Kisqali) and letrozole (Femara) as their initial treatment lived approximately 1 year longer than women treated with letrozole only.
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Breast Cancer Surgery Choice May Affect Young Survivors’ Quality of LifeWomen with early-stage breast cancer who had one or both breasts surgically removed (a unilateral or bilateral mastectomy) had lower scores on a quality-of-life survey than women who had breast-conserving surgery, a new study has found.
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FDA Approval of Rylaze Will Address Drug Shortage for Childhood ALLFDA has approved a new form of asparaginase called Rylaze. The drug was developed to help alleviate shortages of Erwinia asparaginase, a key part of treatment for children and adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
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For Kids with Medulloblastoma, Trial Suggests Radiation Can Be TailoredStandard radiation for medulloblastoma can cause long-term damage to a child’s developing brain. A new clinical trial suggests that the volume and dose of radiation could be safely tailored based on genetic features in the patient’s tumor.
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For Advanced Prostate Cancer, Radiopharmaceutical Improves SurvivalA drug called Lu177-PSMA-617 may be a new option for treating advanced prostate cancer. In a large clinical trial, adding the drug—a type of radiopharmaceutical—to standard treatments improved how long participants lived.
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FDA Approval of KRAS Inhibitor Sotorasib for Lung Cancer Hailed as MilestoneFDA has approved the first KRAS-blocking drug, sotorasib (Lumakras). The approval, which covers the use of sotorasib to treat some patients with advanced lung cancer, sets the stage for other KRAS inhibitors already in development, researchers said.
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Avasopasem Shields Normal Cells from Radiation, Helps Kill Cancer CellsA drug called avasopasem manganese, which has been found to protect normal tissues from radiation therapy, can also make cancer cells more vulnerable to radiation treatment, a new study in mice suggests.
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Nivolumab and Relatlimab Combination Shows Promise in Advanced MelanomaPeople with advanced melanoma treated with two immunotherapy drugs—nivolumab (Opdivo) and a new drug called relatlimab—lived longer without their cancer getting worse than those treated only with nivolumab, results from a large clinical trial show.
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Nivolumab-Based Combinations Improve Survival in Advanced Esophageal CancerA treatment regimen that combines the immunotherapy drug nivolumab (Opdivo) with either another immunotherapy drug or chemotherapy may be a new initial treatment option for people with advanced esophageal cancer, a large clinical trial finds.
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For Hairy Cell Leukemia, Drug Combination Leads to Long-Lasting RemissionsIn a small study, vemurafenib (Zelboraf) and rituximab (Rituxan) helped 85% of participants stay in remission for nearly 3 years. The study involved 30 people with hairy cell leukemia that had come back after or had not responded to previous treatment.
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For Early-Stage Cervical Cancer, Minimally Invasive Surgery DecliningFewer women with early-stage cervical cancer are having minimally invasive surgery, including robotic, as part of their treatment, a new study shows. The shift toward more open surgeries follows the release of results from the LACC trial in 2018.
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Treatment for Oropharyngeal Cancer: Investigating Ways to Do Less HarmCan some people with HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer, a type of head and neck cancer, get less intense treatment without risking their cancer coming back? Researchers are trying to find out.
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Sacituzumab Govitecan Earns Full Approval for Triple-Negative Breast CancerSacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy) now has regular FDA approval for people with locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The update follows last year’s accelerated approval of the drug for people with TNBC.
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Topotecan–Berzosertib Combination Shows Promise against Small Cell Lung CancerCombining the chemotherapy drug topotecan and the investigational drug berzosertib shrank tumors in some patients with small cell lung cancer, results from an NCI-supported phase 1 clinical trial show. Two phase 2 trials of the combination are planned.
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Immunotherapy Drug Tebentafusp Improves Survival in Advanced Uveal MelanomaIn a large trial, tebentafusp helped patients with uveal melanoma live longer than patients who received other treatments for the disease. Uveal melanoma is an aggressive cancer of the eye, and many patients do not survive for a year once it has spread.
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FDA Approves BCMA-Targeted CAR T-Cell Therapy for Multiple MyelomaThe Food and Drug Administration has approved idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma) for some people with multiple myeloma. The approval is based, in part, on a small study in which ide-cel partially or completely shrank tumors in 72% of patients.
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Whole-Genome Sequencing Could Help Guide AML TreatmentFor people with acute myeloid leukemia and related cancers, a new study shows whole-genome sequencing could replace a series of conventional tests used to help guide decisions about treatment.
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Blinatumomab Improves Survival in Children with Relapsed LeukemiaThe results of two trials establish blinatumomab (Blincyto) as a new standard treatment for children and young adults with high-risk relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia after remission has been achieved and before a stem cell transplant.
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Targeted Therapy Cabozantinib Slows Progression of Rare Kidney CancerCabozantinib (Cabometyx) is an effective initial treatment for people with metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC), a rare type of kidney cancer. A clinical trial showed the drug was more effective than the current standard treatment.
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Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer? A Genetic Test Could Help DecideFor some men with prostate cancer, a genetic biomarker test called Decipher may help predict if their cancer will spread elsewhere in the body. The test could help determine whether hormone therapy, which can cause distressing side effects, is needed.