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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Targeted Therapy Larotrectinib Shows Promise in Early Trials, Regardless of Cancer TypeInitial results from a series of three small clinical trials of a targeted cancer therapy called larotrectinib suggest that it may be effective in patients—children and adults—with a wide variety of cancer types.
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Cabozantinib Approval Expands Initial Treatment Options for Advanced Kidney CancerThe Food and Drug Administration has approved cabozantinib (Cabometyx®) as an initial treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer.
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Can Oxygen “Microbubbles” Make Radiation Therapy More Effective?A new study in mice raises the possibility that using microscopic, oxygen-carrying bubbles may improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy in the treatment of breast cancer.
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Abiraterone Approved for Earlier Use in Men with Metastatic Prostate CancerThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approval of abiraterone (Zytiga®) for men with prostate cancer. The agency approved abiraterone, in combination with the steroid prednisone, for men with metastatic prostate cancer that is responsive to hormone-blocking treatments (also known as castration-sensitive) and is at high risk of progressing.
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For Rare Melanoma, Checkpoint Inhibitors May Hold Substantial PromiseA new study suggests that patients with a rare form of melanoma, called desmoplastic melanoma, may be particularly likely to benefit from treatments known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. An NCI-sponsored clinical trial is already testing one such drug in patients with this cancer.
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New Cancer Treatment Approach Targets Circadian ClockTwo compounds that target components of the circadian clock killed several types of cancer cells in the lab and slowed the growth of brain tumors in mice without harming healthy cells, a new study showed.
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Oncolytic Virus Therapy: Using Tumor-Targeting Viruses to Treat CancerA small but growing number of patients with cancer are being treated with oncolytic viruses, which infect and kill tumor cells. But research now suggests that these treatments also work against cancer by spurring an immune response.
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Gut Bacteria Influence Effectiveness of a Type of ImmunotherapyUsing mouse models of cancer, researchers found that altering the gut microbiome could affect whether tumors responded to checkpoint inhibition.
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Study Identifies Potential Cause of Hearing Loss from CisplatinA new study has found the commonly used chemotherapy drug cisplatin is retained in the inner ear of mice and humans for long periods. The finding may explain why many patients treated with the drug develop hearing loss and could point toward potential ways to prevent it.
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Nilotinib Can Be Discontinued in Some Patients with Chronic Myelogenous LeukemiaOn December 22, FDA approved an update to the label of nilotinib (Tasignia) that states that some patients with CML who are taking nilotinib and whose cancer has been in remission for an extended period can safely stop taking it.
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Drug Combination Improves Outlook for Some Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic LeukemiaInterim results from an ongoing clinical trial show that patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated with rituximab plus venetoclax have longer progression-free survival compared with patients treated with chemotherapy.
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Unique Trial Aims to Decrease Early Deaths in Patients with Rare LeukemiaIn a unique clinical trial, a group of oncologists with experience treating acute promyelocytic leukemia are making themselves available around the clock to help clinicians at hospitals across the country treat their APL patients.
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FDA Approves Alectinib For Initial Treatment of ALK-Positive Lung CancerFDA has approved alectinib (Alecensa) as a first-line treatment option for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer that is ALK positive. Alectinib is the third ALK inhibitor to be approved in this setting.
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Fat Cells May Hinder Effectiveness of ChemotherapyResearchers have shown that fat cells can absorb two commonly used chemotherapy drugs and break them down chemically into a less toxic form, potentially reducing the drugs’ effectiveness.
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Expanding Smoking Cessation Services at NCI-Designated Cancer Centers: An Interview with Dr. Glen MorganNCI’s Dr. Glen Morgan discusses NCI’s Cancer Center Cessation Initiative, including how and why this smoking cessation initiative was developed and its long-term goals.
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Alternate Driver of Treatment-Resistant Prostate Cancer IdentifiedResearchers have identified an emerging subtype of metastatic prostate cancer that is resistant to therapies that block hormones that fuel the disease.
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Study Identifies Potential Drug Combination for Ewing SarcomaFrom experiments in cells and mice, researchers have identified a two-drug combination that kills more Ewing sarcoma cells than either drug on its own. The study findings could help inform future clinical trials.
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Liquid Biopsy: Using DNA in Blood to Detect, Track, and Treat CancerResearch studies show tests that analyze tumor DNA in blood, called liquid biopsies, may help detect cancer early, guide precision cancer treatment, and track treatment response.
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Study Tracks the Evolution of Treatment Resistance in Metastatic Breast CancerA new study suggests that the cells in treatment-resistant tumors in women with metastatic breast cancer share important characteristics that could potentially make tumors vulnerable to therapies that otherwise might not have been considered.
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Studies Identify Therapies That May Delay Melanoma Recurrence after SurgeryTwo recent clinical trials have identified treatments that may delay cancer from returning in some patients with melanoma. Patients in both trials had advanced melanoma that was surgically removed, and each trial tested different forms of post-surgical, or adjuvant, therapy.