NCCN Updates Treatment Recommendations for Breast, Colorectal, Lung, and other Cancer Types Based on Emerging Evidence

Recent NCCN Guidelines updates—along with the supporting evidence—will be presented during the NCCN 2024 Annual Conference held in Orlando, Florida April 5-7, and simultaneously online. Visit NCCN.org/conference to learn more and register.

Kidney cancer treatments and tumor biology can activate different immune-modifying processes in patients

The findings out of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute highlight that the mechanisms of immune modulation are different in patients treated with immunotherapy and anti-angiogenic combinations. The results also point to the role of tumor biology in the diversity and actions of tumor-infiltrating immune cells brought into action by these treatments. The findings might be important for predicting or understanding treatment outcomes in advanced kidney cancer.

Urology on the Beach Meeting Highlights Innovative Approaches to Multidisciplinary Care

Renowned urologists from leading academic centers shared their insights and clinical recommendations at Urology on the Beach, a three-day professional conference hosted by the Desai Sethi Urology Institute (DSUI) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Kidney cancer study shows improved outcomes for patients with advanced disease when treated with belzutifan over everolimus

Belzutifan significantly reduced the risk of progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the most common type of kidney cancer, in patients previously treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and anti-angiogenic therapies compared with everolimus in a phase 3 clinical trial.

Global Speakers, Cutting-edge Topics, Surgical Theater on Tap for Desai Sethi Urology Institute’s Urology on the Beach 2024

Desai Sethi Urology Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine will host its second annual, in-person Urology on the Beach meeting, January 19 to 21, 2024, at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach.

New understanding of why kidney cancers become metastatic discovered by MD Anderson researchers

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer have engineered a new model of aggressive renal cell carcinoma (RCC), highlighting molecular targets and genomic events that trigger chromosomal instability and drive metastatic progression.
The study, published today in Nature Cancer, demonstrates that the loss of a cluster of interferon receptor (IFNR) genes plays a pivotal role in allowing cancer cells to become tolerant of chromosomal instability. This genomic feature may be used to help clinicians predict a tumor’s potential to become metastatic and treatment resistant.

Combination therapy a promising option for advanced kidney cancer patients already treated with immunotherapy

In this study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, interim results of the combination of cabozantinib, a VEGF TKI, plus belzutifan, a HIF-2α inhibitor, show promising anti-tumor activity in this pre-treated patient group. The results suggest that the combination might fill and unmet need and provides a rationale for further study of combining a VEGF TKI and a HIF-2 inhibitor.

‘Urology on the Beach’ Conference Highlights Advances in Research and Patient Care

From urologic cancers to female urology to male infertility to kidney stones and sexual health, top urologists from throughout the nation shared their insights and practical tips at “Urology on the Beach,” a conference hosted January 13-15 by the Desai Sethi Urology Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

New Study Shows Sugar-Sweetened Drinks Increase Risk of Cancer Mortality

In a large study led by researchers at the American Cancer Society, men and women who drank two or more servings of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) per day, compared to people who never drank, had a five percent increased risk of death from an obesity-related cancer, including gastrointestinal, postmenopausal breast, endometrial and kidney cancer.

MD Anderson Research Highlights for May 4, 2022

Featured studies include clinical advances with a new combination therapy targeting angiogenesis in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and a promising immunotherapy combination for kidney cancer, plus laboratory studies that focus on targeting ferroptosis in specific lung cancers, developing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies for blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasms, and characterizing racial and ethnic disparities in breast cancer early detection.

UT Southwestern Investigators Report First Analysis Of Pioneering Kidney Cancer Radiation Approach in Clinical Trial

A new approach using precisely targeted, high-dose radiation to treat invasive kidney cancer proves safe, based on a clinical trial by the UT Southwestern Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center’s kidney cancer program. The study, published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, could offer new hope for patients with a historically dismal condition.

New Insights on Sarcomatoid Kidney Cancer: Roswell Park Reports Clear Benefit from Checkpoint Inhibitors

New collaborative research shows that treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has led to a significant improvement in survival and response rates among patients with a particularly aggressive type of kidney cancer: advanced sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma. The study, which was led by a team from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and involved contributors from six centers, is detailed in a presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2021 virtual annual meeting (abstract 4568).

Analysis reveals how kidney cancer develops and responds to treatment

By sequencing the RNA of individual cells within multiple benign and cancerous kidney tumors, researchers from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center have identified the cells from which different subtypes originate, the pathways involved and how the tumor microenvironment impacts cancer development and response to treatment.

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Experts Available for Comment during Men’s Health Month

New Brunswick, N.J., June 7, 2021 – June is a special time of year focused on heightening the awareness of preventable health problems and encouraging early detection and treatment of disease for men. Diseases like prostate cancer, which is the…

Biomarker Could Help Identify Difficult-to-Diagnose Kidney Cancer Subtype

High expression levels of the gene TRIM63 can serve as an accurate and sensitive biomarker of a subtype of kidney cancer known as microphthalmia-associated transcription factor family aberration-associated renal cell carcinomas — or MiTF renal cell carcinoma.

It’s important to distinguish MiTF from other subtypes of kidney cancers — clear cell, papillary and chromophobe — because these tumors may not respond well to standard, front-line treatments and may respond better to other approaches.

New NCCN Guidelines Analyze Evidence for Cancer Type Found Almost Exclusively in Children

National Comprehensive Cancer Network publishes first-ever complete medical guidelines for a pediatric solid tumor, so children everywhere receive the best care based on the latest research. NCCN Guidelines for Wilms Tumor shares information for earlier, safer diagnosis and treatment in effort to reduce disparities; doctors warn of late diagnosis as a possible impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study examines role of biomarkers to evaluate kidney injury in cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy

A study by Mayo Clinic researchers published in Kidney International Reports finds that immune checkpoint inhibitors, may have negative consequences in some patients, including acute kidney inflammation, known as interstitial nephritis. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are used to treat cancer by stimulating the immune system to attack cancerous cells.

Immunotherapy Combination Improves Outcomes in Advanced Kidney Cancer

An immunotherapy agent combined with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor drug significantly improved progression-free survival and reduced the risk of death compared to a single agent treatment in advanced kidney cancer patients, according to first results of a phase 3 clinical trial. The pivotal study could lead to a new treatment option for patients with metastatic kidney cancer.

Deep Look at Immune Cells in Patients’ Tumors Reveals Insights on Timing for Treatment Combinations

It’s clear that radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, an approach used to treat cancer since the early 20th century, can be an effective companion to newer, immune-stimulating approaches known as immunotherapy. Research from a team from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center explains how radiation helps boost the immune system’s ability to fight cancer in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors — and provides new evidence that the timing of these therapies can make a big difference in how effectively they work together.

Biomarker test highly accurate in detecting early kidney cancer

A novel liquid biopsy method can detect kidney cancers with high accuracy, including small, localized tumors which are often curable but for which no early detection method exists, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The report in Nature Medicine suggests that if validated in larger trials and applied widely, the non-invasive test could find more early kidney cancers when they haven’t spread, thus reducing the mortality of the disease.

Study reveals factors influencing outcomes in advanced kidney cancer treated with immunotherapy

By analyzing tumors from patients treated with immunotherapy for advanced kidney cancer in three clinical trials, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists have identified several features of the tumors that influence their response to immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs.

Novel targeted drug induced positive response for patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease–associated kidney cancer

In an international trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, treatment with MK-6482, the small molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2a was well tolerated and resulted in clinical responses for patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL)–associated renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

New Liver Cancer Research Targets Non-Cancer Cells to Blunt Tumor Growth

“Senotherapy,” a treatment that uses small molecule drugs to target “senescent” cells, or those cells that no longer undergo cell division, blunts liver tumor progression in animal models according to new research from a team led by Celeste Simon, PhD, a professor of Cell and Developmental Biology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and scientific director of the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute. The study was published in Nature Cell Biology.

Diagnostic Biomarkers Uncovered for Rare Kidney Cancer

Using next-generation RNA sequencing techniques, a team of scientists from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center has uncovered the gene signature of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) and have extensively tested the expression of three new biomarkers. The subtype is the third most common type of renal cell carcinoma, comprising about 5% of cases.

Study provides new understanding of mitochondria genome with potential for new avenues of treatment for multiple cancers

A study led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center furthered understanding about mitochondria, the cell components known as the “powerhouse of the cell.” Knowing more about the genome is crucial given that mitochondria play important roles in tumorigenesis.