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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Imaging Test Could Help Guide Breast Cancer Treatment DecisionsFor some people with ER-positive breast cancer, a new imaging test may help guide decisions about receiving hormone therapy, according to a new study. The test can show whether estrogen receptors in tumors are active and responsive to estrogen.
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Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Test May Be Less Accurate for Black PatientsThe test, which helps guide treatment decisions, was not as good at predicting the risk of death from breast cancer for Black patients as for White patients, a new study has found. The findings highlight the need for greater racial diversity in research studies.
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Study Explores Jaw Problem Linked to Zoledronic Acid, Finds Risk FactorsA recent study quantified the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw for patients who take zoledronic acid to manage complications from cancer that has spread to the bone. The study also examined risk factors for osteonecrosis of the jaw in these patients.
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Relugolix Approval Expected to Alter Treatment for Advanced Prostate CancerFDA’s recent approval of relugolix (Orgovyx) is expected to affect the treatment of men with advanced prostate cancer. A large clinical trial showed that relugolix was more effective at reducing testosterone levels than another common treatment.
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Trial Tests Abemaciclib As New Option for Early-Stage Breast CancerThe drug abemaciclib (Verzenio) may be a new treatment option for people with the most common type of breast cancer, with new study findings suggesting that it can reduce the risk of the cancer returning.
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Steroids May Limit the Effectiveness of Immunotherapy for Brain CancerIn people with glioblastoma and other brain cancers, steroids appear to limit the effectiveness of immunotherapy drugs, a new study shows. The findings should influence how steroids are used to manage brain tumor symptoms, researchers said.
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Stopping TKI Treatment Is Safe, Improves Quality of Life for Some with CMLFor adults with CML who are in a sustained deep molecular remission, stopping treatment with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor is safe and improves their quality of life, a study shows. But researchers cautioned that these patients must be closely monitored.
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Could Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Improve Cancer Immunotherapy?Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as PCSK9 inhibitors may improve the effectiveness of cancer immune checkpoint inhibitors, according to studies in mice. The drugs appear to improve the immunotherapy drugs’ ability to find tumors and slow their growth.
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Cancer “Liquid Biopsy” Blood Test Gets Expanded FDA ApprovalFDA has expanded the approved uses of the FoundationOne Liquid CDx blood test, known as a liquid biopsy, that can help doctors pick specific treatments for some people with cancer. When used in this way, the test is known as a companion diagnostic.
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Targeted Radiation Reduces Pain from Cancer Metastases in the SpineFor some patients with painful spinal metastases from advanced cancer, a type of precise, high-dose radiation therapy—called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)—may be a highly effective way to relieve that pain, clinical trial results show.
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Radiopharmaceuticals: Radiation Therapy Enters the Molecular AgeResearchers are developing a new class of cancer drugs called radiopharmaceuticals, which deliver radiation therapy directly and specifically to cancer cells. This Cancer Currents story explores the research on these emerging therapies.
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Nivolumab Improves Survival for Some Patients with Advanced Stomach CancerFor some people with advanced stomach cancer, the drug nivolumab (Opdivo) plus chemotherapy may improve how long they live, results from a large clinical trial show. The trial also included patients with gastric cancers that involve the esophagus.
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For Esophageal Cancer, Immunotherapy Likely to Play Larger RoleFor some people with advanced esophageal cancer, the immunotherapy drugs pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo) may become part of early treatment for the disease, according to results from two large clinical trials.
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FDA Approves Blood Tests That Can Help Guide Cancer TreatmentFDA has recently approved two blood tests, known as liquid biopsies, that gather genetic information to help inform treatment decisions for people with cancer. This Cancer Currents story explores how the tests are used and who can get the tests.
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A More Treatable Kind of Metastatic Cancer?People with oligometastatic cancer have only a few metastatic tumors. Researchers are studying whether treating these individual tumors directly with surgery or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBTR or SABR) can help patients live longer or improve their quality of life.
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CAR T-Cell Therapy Approved by FDA for Mantle Cell LymphomaA CAR T-cell therapy called brexucabtagene autoleucel (Tecartus) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for some patients with mantle cell lymphoma. This is the third CAR T-cell therapy approved by FDA for patients with cancer.
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Trastuzumab May Improve Survival in Women with Rare Endometrial CancerFor some women with HER2-positive uterine serous carcinoma, a rare type of endometrial cancer, treating them with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and chemotherapy may help them live longer, according to updated results from a small clinical trial.
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How CRISPR Is Changing Cancer Research and TreatmentThe gene-editing tool CRISPR is changing the way scientists study cancer, and may change how cancer is treated. This in-depth blog post describes how this revolutionary technology is being used to better understand cancer and create new treatments.
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Study Links Mental Health Treatment to Improved Cancer SurvivalIn a study of more than 50,000 veterans with lung cancer, those with mental illness who received mental health treatment—including for substance use—lived substantially longer than those who didn’t participate in such programs.
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A New FDA Approval Furthers the Role of Genomics in Cancer CareFDA’s approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to treat people whose cancer is tumor mutational burden-high highlights the importance of genomic testing to guide treatment, including for children with cancer, according to NCI Director Dr. Ned Sharpless.