Clinical Trial Results - Cancer Currents Blog
Reports on findings from cancer clinical trials, with commentary from leading researchers on how the trial results will affect patient care.
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Pembrolizumab May Help Prevent Early-Stage Melanoma from ReturningTrial results show patients who received the immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) after surgery to remove high-risk stage II melanomas were less likely to have the cancer come back than those who received no treatment after surgery.
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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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Belzutifan Approved to Treat Tumors Linked to Inherited Disorder VHLFDA has approved belzutifan (Welireg) to treat adults with von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) who have tumors of the kidney, brain, nervous system, or pancreas. The drug may help these patients avoid or delay surgery by shrinking their tumors.
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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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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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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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Brentuximab May Mean Less Radiation for Children, Teens with Hodgkin LymphomaIn a recent study, a treatment regimen using brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) instead of the chemotherapy drug vincristine allowed some children and teens with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma to avoid radiation therapy—and the long-term health problems that can come with it.
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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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Can Acupuncture Help Cancer Survivors with Chronic Pain?In a large clinical trial, cancer survivors treated with acupuncture had modest improvements in chronic pain compared with those who received standard pain treatments. The study couldn’t rule out a placebo effect for the improvement with acupuncture.
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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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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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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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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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Pazopanib Shows Promise for Children, Adults with Soft Tissue SarcomasFor children and adults with advanced soft tissue sarcoma, adding pazopanib (Votrient) to chemotherapy and radiation before surgery may be a promising treatment option, early results from a clinical trial suggest.