Asterias Biotherapeutics Inc. announced that the results from its completed phase II clinical trial of AST-VAC1 are now available online in Cancer, a leading peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study publication is available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.30696/full.
A study published May 2 in the journal Cancer suggests how both existing and emerging immunotherapy treatments could be successful for sarcomas. Two sarcoma subtypes — leiomyosarcoma and pleomorphic — showed biological characteristics suggesting they are susceptible to an existing immunotherapy approach known as checkpoint inhibitors. This treatment works by blocking a protein that keeps immune cells from attacking cancerous cells.
Two studies by researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute and the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center provide insight on the evolution of glioblastoma and how to potentially combat this most aggressive brain tumor.
In 2017, it is estimated that more than 56,000 new cases of thyroid cancer will be diagnosed in the US—and approximately 75% of those patients will be women.
Array BioPharma announced top-line results from part 2 of the phase III COLUMBUS study evaluating binimetinib, a MEK inhibitor, and encorafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, in patients with BRAF-mutant advanced, unresectable or metastatic melanoma.
Human papillomavirus vaccine may reduce the rate of oral HPV infections in young adults by as much as 88 percent, studies suggest. However, given the vaccine's low rate of uptake in the U.S.—especially in males—the impact of the vaccine on oral HPV infections remains low.
Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced that the phase III IMvigor211 study that evaluated Tecentriq (atezolizumab) in people with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer whose disease progressed during or after treatment with a platinum-based chemotherapy did not meet its primary endpoint of overall survival compared to chemotherapy.
The more that is known about defects in specific pathways in pancreatic cancer, the more options researchers will have for developing new treatment options.
AUA released a list of recommendations regarding tests and treatments that are commonly ordered but not always necessary in urology, or urologic management that could be improved, as part of the Choosing Wisely campaign, an initiative of the ABIM Foundation.
AstraZeneca and MedImmune, its global biologics research and development arm, announced positive results for the phase III PACIFIC trial, a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled multi-center trial of Imfinzi (durvalumab) as sequential treatment in patients with locally-advanced, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer who had not progressed following standard platinum-based chemotherapy concurrent with radiation therapy.
