Research led by scientists at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that responses to a type of immunotherapy called PD-1 checkpoint blockade in patients with advanced melanoma depended on whether or not they had previously received another immunotherapy – CTLA-4 blockade – as well as other factors.
Tag: Cancer Treatment
Researchers Leverage Cell Self-Destruction to Treat Brain Tumors
Dominique Higgins, MD, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, and a team of researchers at Columbia University have found that glioblastoma tumor cells are particularly sensitive to ferroptosis – a type of cell death that can be triggered by removing certain amino acids from the diet.
Anticancer drugs with fewer side-effects: scientists decode the crystal structure of a key cell cycle protein
Anticancer drugs are pivotal to cancer treatment, but their toxicity may not always be limited to cancer cells, resulting in harmful side-effects.
New drug delivery method harnesses clotting to target anti-cancer drugs at tumors
University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have developed a new method for targeting tumors with cancer drugs by exploiting the clotting propensity of blood platelets.The new approach, first described March 29 in the journal Science Advances, adds to a growing set of innovative drug delivery techniques under development in the lab of Quanyin Hu, a professor in the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy.
How a Lowly Immune Cell Helps the Immune System Fight Cancer
New research reveals that long-underestimated neutrophils play key role in determining success of cancer immunotherapy
Study: Spice May Improve Ovarian Cancer Treatment
New research makes the case for why curcumin could help enhance treatment for ovarian cancer.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network Updates Annual Conference with New In-Person Venue, Hybrid Format, Expert-Led Sessions, Highlighted Research Perspectives, and Small-Group Conversations
NCCN 2023 Annual Conference featuring more than a thousand worldwide oncology professionals will present new research findings, latest NCCN Guidelines updates, and best practices for achieving quality cancer care delivery, in Orlando and online March 31—April 2, 2023. Visit NCCN.org/conference for more.
Study finds large gap in breast cancer treatment recommendations for patients aged 70 vs 69
Age-based heuristics can lead to large differences in breast cancer treatment based on small differences in chronologic age, according to a new analysis of more than 500,000 patient records. Patients aged 70 were nearly twice as likely to be passed over for standard-of-care radiation as those aged 69. There were no similar gaps between other age pairs. The study is among the first to demonstrate an age cutoff heuristic in oncology.
Triple-drug therapy for post-transplant management of multiple myeloma
Promising results from an ongoing clinical trial a three-drug treatment may improve survival in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who have undergone preliminary treatment followed by a stem cell transplant.
Researchers ID Protein That May Protect the Heart During Certain Cancer Treatment Regimens
Researchers identified a protein linked with the onset of anthracycline-associated cardiac toxicity. In two studies conducted in women undergoing treatment for breast cancer, levels of a protein known as hemopexin circulating in the blood were associated with increased cardiac toxicity.
Imaging technique may measure absorbed dose from radiation therapy
Abhinav Jha, at the McKelvey School of Engineering, wants to use novel imaging to better understand how people absorb radiation therapy. His team won a four-year $2.2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for the study, which aims to guide treatment decisions.
More frequent CT scans not associated with improved outcomes after lung cancer surgery
A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that undergoing more frequent computed tomography (CT) scans was not associated with improved outcomes following lung cancer surgery. Less frequent CT scans may reduce health-care costs, patient anxiety.
Simultaneous radiation and immunotherapy are beneficial for a subset of lung cancer patients
In a recently published Nature Cancer paper, UChicago Medicine researchers have identified the first biomarker – aneuploidy – that predicts response to the radiation therapy and immune checkpoint blockade treatment combination.
Fighting Cancer on Earth and in Space Using High-Energy Protons
Scientists use high-energy protons to create isotopes for cancer treatment. In space, such protons pose a risk to astronauts and spacecraft. To learn more about both the risks from these protons and about methods of using these protons to produce medical isotopes, scientists measured the cross sections (probabilities) for high-energy proton reactions used to produce radiopharmaceuticals. The research helps to optimize the quantity and purity of medical isotopes and improve the design of spacecraft shielding.
Three of the world’s top research institutions join forces to drive progress against pediatric cancer
Large-scale collaboration will leverage each institution’s expertise and infrastructure to advance understanding of the biological basis of pediatric cancers, identify new vulnerabilities of these diseases and accelerate cures globally.
$100 million gift from Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation to expand Mayo Clinic’s proton beam therapy services in Minnesota
The Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation of Bayport, Minnesota, has made a $100 million multiyear commitment to support the expansion of Mayo Clinic’s proton beam facility in Rochester that will nearly double appointment access for patients in need. In recognition of this gift, Mayo Clinic will name this new facility the Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Building.
Groundbreaking research hopes to personalise treatment for cancer patients
Cancer Council SA-funded researcher Associate Professor Stephanie Reuter Lange from UniSA hopes that a simple computer program can help personalise treatment for cancer patients.
Sylvester Leads Study on New Treatment Option for Brain Tumor that Relapses or Fails to Respond to Standard of Care
Taken twice daily, oral olutasidenib helped to stabilize relapsed or refractory gliomas in heavily pretreated patients with less toxicity than standard of care treatment, according to a study led by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami School…
Defining Plasma Dose for Potential Future Cancer Treatments
Chinese researchers may have found a new approach to treat cancer by using a plasma treatment to induce apoptosis, without any obvious side effect to normal cells. A plasma-activated medium (PAM) can be treated as a drug, with a dose-effect relationship. In Physics of Plasmas, the scientists’ definition of a plasma dose, the equivalent total oxidation potential (ETOP), can be used for PAM to reveal the plasma dose-response relationship for different cell types.
Penn Medicine Developed CAR T Cell Therapy Wins Third FDA Approval
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded its approval for a personalized cellular therapy developed at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center, this time for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy. The accelerated approval was granted today to Novartis for the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy Kymriah® (tisagenlecleucel), making it the third indication for the nation’s first personalized cellular therapy for cancer. It remains the only CAR-T cell therapy approved for both adult and pediatric patients.
Chula Excellence Cancer Center collabs with medical specialists from various fields to enhance treatment capabilities.
Chula now has an Excellence Chulalongkorn Comprehensive Cancer Center bringing together medical specialists from various areas of expertise to attend to cancer patients using the latest academic and technological know-how to enhance the quality of life and the possibilities of being cured for patients of all types of cancer.
A nanoparticle and inhibitor trigger the immune system, outsmarting brain cancer
Scientists at the University of Michigan fabricated a nanoparticle to deliver an inhibitor to brain tumor in mouse models, where the drug successfully turned on the immune system to eliminate the cancer. The process also triggered immune memory so that a reintroduced tumor was eliminated—a sign that this potential new approach could not only treat brain tumors but prevent or delay recurrences.
Penn Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Announce Partnership with Costa Rica for CAR T Cell Therapy
Penn Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), who together pioneered the research and development of the world’s first personalized cellular therapy for cancer — also known as CAR T cell therapy — have announced plans with Costa Rica’s CCSS, or the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (Social Security Program), to facilitate CAR T research in Costa Rica.
How distance from care affects cancer outcomes
In a seemingly counterintuitive finding, young adults diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) tumors might have better survival rates the farther they live from care finds a study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
CHOP Researchers Develop a New Class of CAR-T Cells that Target Previously Untargetable Cancer Drivers
In a breakthrough for the treatment of aggressive solid cancers, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a novel cancer therapy that targets proteins inside cancer cells that are essential for tumor growth and survival but have been historically impossible to reach. Using the power of large data sets and advanced computational approaches, the researchers were able to identify peptides that are presented on the surface of tumor cells and can be targeted with “peptide-centric” chimeric antigen receptors (PC-CARs), a new class of engineered T cells, stimulating an immune response that eradicates tumors.
Researchers ID Protein as Possible Target for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
Article title: Nrf2 expression in pancreatic stellate cells promotes progression of cancer Authors: Yu Tanaka, Shin Hamada, Ryotaro Matsumoto, Keiko Taguchi, Masayuki Yamamoto, Atsushi Masamune From the authors: “These results demonstrate that Nrf2 actively contributes to the function of [pancreatic…
Three Steps Forward
Mariah Candelaria is a three-time survivor of Hodgkin Lymphoma and received a stem cell transplant at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center. During and after her recovery she’s leaned on dance to make it through. Now she wants to give back to others who are going through similar challenges fighting cancer.
Metastatic prostate cancer comes in two forms, which could guide treatment
Scientists have identified two subtypes of metastatic prostate cancer that respond differently to treatment, information that could one day guide physicians in treating patients with the therapies best suited to their disease.
UNM Cancer Center Renews NCI Comprehensive Designation
The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center has once again been awarded the highest designation and rating in the United States for cancer treatment and research programs.
Researchers developing new cancer treatments with high-intensity focused ultrasound
Researchers are bringing the use of acoustic waves to target and destroy cancerous tumours closer to reality.
Cancer treatment and research ‘brain gain’
Cancer patients will benefit from world-class research and new treatments with the appointment of three globally-lauded scientists to the University of Adelaide’s South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI).
Cancer treatment and research ‘brain gain’
Cancer patients will benefit from world-class research and new treatments with the appointment of three globally-lauded scientists to the University of Adelaide’s South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI).
Palliative Care for Cancer Patients: How does it Help?
For cancer patients undergoing treatments, palliative care can provide excellent pain and symptom management that can help them feel better. Palliative care experts at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
answer common questions about how palliative care can enhance quality of life for patients to highlight palliative care and cancer pain awareness month.
Palliative Care for Cancer Patients: How does it Help?
For cancer patients undergoing treatments, palliative care can provide excellent pain and symptom management that can help them feel better. Palliative care experts at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
answer common questions about how palliative care can enhance quality of life for patients to highlight palliative care and cancer pain awareness month.
New Imaging Isotope Meets Promising Therapy Isotopes
Researchers have demonstrated the production, purification, and potential application of cerium-134. The isotope decays into lanthanum-134, which is useful for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. The results mean that cerium-134 could support medical treatments based on actinium-225 or thorium-227.
New Elegant Method for Rapid Recovery of Anti-Cancer Agent At-211
One isotope of the extremely rare element Astatine has shown promise in the treatment of malignant brain tumors, ovarian cancer, advanced blood and lymph system cancers. However, because of its short half-life, scientists need a rapid system with high yield to recover the isotope, At-211, for medical use. Scientists have developed a new purification system that results in a high purity, high yield recovery of At-211.
Protecting your Heart Before, During and After Cancer Treatment
Therapies such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and other novel targeted treatments that are used to combat many cancers have the potential to contribute to cardiac toxicity. Rutgers Cancer Institute expert sheds light on the field of Cardo-Oncology, which focuses on the prevention and treatment of cardiac-related issues in cancer patients.
Innovation in Cancer Prevention – Bio-robots Transporting Cordyceps Extract
Chula researchers celebrate the success of Active Targeting, a revolutionary innovation in the medical industry using bio–robots to deliver targeted cordyceps extract to halt cancer with reduced side effects.
First in the World! Chulalongkorn Hospital Successfully Treats a Breast Cancer Patient with Immunotherapy
Queen Sirikit Center for Breast Cancer, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society (Chulalongkorn Hospital) has become the world’s first institution to have successfully used immunotherapy to treat a breast cancer patient who is now in complete remission with minimal side effects and uplifted quality of life.
Study finds lasofoxifene a promising treatment for therapy-resistant breast cancer
In a study carried out in mice at the University of Chicago, researchers found that lasofoxifene outperformed fulvestrant, the current gold-standard drug, in reducing or preventing primary tumor growth.
New Research Suggests Breast Cancer Treatment in Patients over Age 70 Can Be Safely Reduced
Research indicates the rate of cancer recurrence or survival may be no different in older women diagnosed with early breast cancer whether they were treated or untreated.
ORNL meets key FDA milestone for cancer-fighting Ac-225 isotope
A rare isotope in high demand for treating cancer is now more available to pharmaceutical companies developing and testing new drugs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently received Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s drug master file for actinium-225 nitrate, which lets pharmaceutical companies reference the document to support applications for their own Ac-225-based drugs without disclosing proprietary information.
Fighting Cancer with DNA Origami
Scientists have devised a new way to build nanomaterials that can maintain their structural integrity and functionality in ways relevant to drug delivery. The team developed a class of molecular coatings compatible with biological environments. They used these coating to stabilize wireframed DNA origami cages that can carry an anticancer drug with a slower release of the medicine over time than possible with noncoated counterparts.
Cancer Patients Who Are Most Worried About Finances Shown to Have Worse Outcomes
Cancer treatment is likely to affect every aspect of a patient’s life — their activities, relationships, eating habits, mental health, physical health and comfort, financial wellbeing. And when financial concerns weigh heavily on an individual who is in treatment for cancer, they can affect the outcome of that treatment. New research from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center provides the first evidence that a cancer patient’s level of financial worry as they begin treatment predicts how likely it is that their treatment will be successful.
Memorial Cancer Institute Together with FAU Research Partnership Earn ‘Cancer Center of Excellence’ Designation
A research partnership formed just last year by Memorial Healthcare System and Florida Atlantic University is already being recognized for quality care, results, and advances in research, and that’s great news for patients fighting cancer in South Florida. The alliance between Memorial’s Cancer Institute and FAU (MCIFAU) has been recognized by the state’s Department of Health as a “Florida Cancer Center of Excellence.” It becomes just the fifth in the state, out of more than 80 competitors, to earn the designation.
Socioeconomic status plays a major role in cognitive outcomes
Childhood cancer and its treatment can result in cognitive struggles. St. Jude scientists are studying the risk factors.
From the clinic to the lab, understanding medulloblastoma relies on molecular profiling
A pair of research papers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital report on a medulloblastoma clinical trial that provides insights to guide treatment and shed light on relapsed disease.
UNH Researchers Discover New Inhibitor Drug Combination for Rare Form of Cancer
Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM), a rare form of lymphoma, does not have any known cure and only one FDA-approved treatment making it challenging to treat patients. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire took the novel approach of targeting specific cell proteins that control DNA information using inhibitors, or drugs, that were effective in reducing the growth of the cancer cells and when combined with a third drug were even more successful in killing the WM cancer cells which could lead to more treatment options.
Scientists develop a cheaper method that might help create fuels from plants
Scientists have figured out a cheaper, more efficient way to conduct a chemical reaction at the heart of many biological processes, which may lead to better ways to create biofuels from plants.
Scientists Recruit New Atomic Heavyweights in Targeted Fight Against Cancer
Researchers from Berkeley Lab and Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed new methods for the large-scale production, purification, and use of the radioisotope cerium-134, which could serve as a PET imaging radiotracer for a highly targeted cancer treatment known as alpha-particle therapy.