Keytruda Now FDA-Approved for Patients with Melanoma
The KEYNOTE-054 Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT02362594) showed that the immune checkpoint inhibitor drug Keytruda decreased the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 43% in comparison to a placebo drug. The drug has thus been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with stage-3 melanoma (cancer has spread to […]
Continue readingResearch Team Discovers New Immune “Checkpoint” Protein
A recent report in the journal Cell showed that a team led by Vanderbilt researchers has found a new “checkpoint” protein on immune system cells in active, malignant tumors. In mouse models, blocking this protein, along with using other treatments, has been an effective approach to treating cancerous cells. Checkpoint proteins are an important component of […]
Continue readingResearchers Use AI to Improve Immunotherapy Outcomes
A research team from the University of Maryland is utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to determine the most effective ways to treat cancer patients with immunotherapy. Immunotherapy takes advantage of the body’s own immune system to fight off cancer, and in the past decade, it has been very successful in treating patients with localized and advanced […]
Continue readingPhase 3 Trial Tests Tyvyt as Esophageal Cancer Therapy
The ORIENT-15 Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating Tyvyt (sintilimab injection) combined with chemotherapies Taxol (paclitaxel) and Platinol (cisplatin) as treatment for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is now underway. Tyvyt was developed by Innovent Biologics and Eli Lilly and Company in China as an immune checkpoint inhibitor that will work against PD-1, a protein found on […]
Continue readingTecentriq Triple Combo Under FDA Review for NSCLC Treatment
Genetech has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be reviewing its Tecentriq (atezolizumab) combined with chemotherapy drugs Abraxane (nab-paclitaxel) and carboplatin for treatment of metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The drug will be for patients without any mutations in the EGFR and ALK genes. Tecentriq is a checkpoint inhibitor drug that targets […]
Continue readingScientists Discover New Way to Predict Immunotherapy Responses
Immune checkpoint inhibitors like Keytruda offer new ways to treat cancer patients who might otherwise have no options. But the treatment has posed challenges to health care professionals when it comes to figuring out which tumors will respond to immunotherapy and which tumors won’t. A research team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New […]
Continue readingImmunotherapy in 2019: What’s Next for this Cancer Treatment?
2018 saw tremendous improvements in immunotherapy methods that led to positive results for cancer patients all around the United States. 2019 promises even more advancements, and new strategies aim to increase these effective responses. The key to garnering even better immunotherapy results in 2019 will be using combination therapies. Two methods in particular will be front […]
Continue readingImmunotherapy Efficacy in Patients with Metastatic Bladder Cancer
In the past several years, many checkpoint inhibitors have been approved by the FDA for use in treating patients with metastatic bladder cancer. These drugs offer new options for doctors who are treating these patients, but they also pose the challenge of determining the best order in which to use them. Joaquim Bellmunt, MD, Ph.D., […]
Continue readingVitravki and Xospata- Cutting-Edge Cancer Drugs Now Approved by FDA
Two new cutting-edge cancer treatments, Vitravki and Xospata, have now been approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Both drugs were given Priority Review status, which means the FDA reviewed them in six months instead of ten. This status allows the FDA to quickly approve drugs that promise to make significant […]
Continue readingExcess Radiation Used in Breast Cancer Treatment
A new study revealed that more than half of older American women who were diagnosed with early breast cancer may get more radiation therapy than they actually need, therefore increasing medical costs. Based on data from 2011, researchers had estimated that around $164 million in costs could have been saved by ordering a shorter radiation […]
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