Female patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer that is treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy before surgery are more likely to have a favorable response to the treatment than male patients are, and women are less likely to experience cancer recurrence, according to a study published online in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
A specific region of the small bowel, called the duodenal-jejunal flexure, shows a high frequency of gastrointestinal stromal tumors with mutations of the NF1 gene, according to researchers at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Fox Chase Cancer Center. The small bowel, where approximately 30 percent of all GISTs occur, is divided into three anatomically, histologically and functionally distinct segments: the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Most small bowel GISTs are associated with KIT mutations. However, a subset of GISTs have mutations in other genes, such as NF1. “Where the duodenum transitions into the jejunum, we are finding an over-representation of NF1-mutated GIST,” said Jason Sicklick, a surgical oncologist at Moores Cancer Center. NF1 can be mutated both somatically (within tumor DNA) or in the germline (part of the hereditary condition called Neurofibromatosis type I). Patients with NF-1 are 34 times more likely to develop GIST than unaffected individuals.
Kura Oncology announced positive topline results from a phase II trial for tipifarnib in patients with HRAS mutant relapsed or refractory squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. The phase II trial achieved its primary endpoint prior to the completion of enrollment.
Immune Design said an interim analysis of its ongoing, randomized phase II trial showed that NY-ESO-1+ soft tissue sarcoma patients receiving the combination of CMB305 and Genentech's checkpoint inhibitor, atezolizumab (Tecentriq), experienced greater clinical benefit and immune response than those receiving atezolizumab alone.
Eli Lilly announced phase III RANGE data that are the first detailed results from the global, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled RANGE study of Cyramza (ramucirumab), in combination with docetaxel, in patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma whose disease progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.
There is an increased risk of second primary malignancies in patients with newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma who received Revlimid (lenalidomide), according to FDA.
Bristol-Myers Squibb announced three-year overall survival data from CheckMate-017 and CheckMate-057, two pivotal phase III randomized studies evaluating Opdivo versus docetaxel in patients with previously treated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.
FDA approved Nerlynx (neratinib) for the extended adjuvant treatment of early-stage, HER2-positive breast cancer. For patients with this type of cancer, Nerlynx is the first extended adjuvant therapy, a form of therapy that is taken after an initial treatment to further lower the risk of the cancer coming back. Nerlynx is indicated for adult patients who have been previously treated with a regimen that includes the drug trastuzumab.
Laboratory studies suggest that an experimental drug already in early clinical trials for a variety of adult cancers might enhance radiation and chemotherapy for two childhood brain cancers.
Postponing lymph node biopsy more than 30 days after melanoma diagnosis doesn't adversely impact long-term clinical outcomes, according to new study findings published online as an “article in press” on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website ahead of print publication.
