Immunotherapy 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 readingEstablishment of Immuno-oncology as a Cancer Therapy
Immuno-oncology is set to become one of the most vital cancer treatments, rising up into the realms surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and other targeted therapies. From their study, “Pharma Focus Visual Analysis of Immuno-Oncology Development and Opportunities”, Global Data was able to reach a conclusion and has analyzed more than 4,000 clinical trials of over 800 […]
Continue readingUsing PET Scans to Determine the Efficacy of PD-1 and PD-L1 Targeted Cancer Therapies
Summary According to a recent study that appeared in the March 2018 volume of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, scientists at Bristol-Meyers Squibb (BMS) are developing a new way for physicians to determine how cancer patients might respond to PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1) and PD-L1 (programmed death-ligand 1) targeted treatments. Previously, the […]
Continue readingJAK Mutations a Possible Indicator of Drug Resistance
JAK Mutations are genetic abnormalities that affect the production of red blood cells. They are often found in individuals with polycythemia vera, as well as a number of other myeloproliferative neoplasms. The anti-PD-1 agent, Keytruda (pembrolizumab) was approved in 2014 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of advanced melanoma. Since then, it has received […]
Continue readingImmunotherapy Innovation Involving Checkpoint Inhibitors Gaining Momentum
A new innovation has shown great success in treating different kinds of tumors in mice that do not react to cancer immunotherapy medications, and they are called checkpoint inhibitors. Y-traps aim at the same proteins as existing checkpoint inhibitors: cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD-1 ligand (PD-L1). These proteins are known to assist […]
Continue readingPossible Link Between Gut Bacteria and PD-1 Inhibitor’s Ability to Combat Advanced Melanoma
PD-1 Inhibitors & Gut Bacteria Researchers from the University of Chicago are now finding a commonality connecting the presence of certain intestinal bacteria and the efficiency of PD-1 Inhibitors given to Melanoma patients. What is PD-1?: Programmed Cell Death Protein 1, frequently referred to as PD-1, is an immune checkpoint on the surface of […]
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