atezolizumab

  • August 22, 2018  

    Study Describes Design, Validation of Foundation Medicine’s Blood-Based TMB Test Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt from GenomeWeb:

    “Researchers from Genentech, Foundation Medicine, UC Davis, and other medical centers, have published a report on the development and early validation of Foundation’s planned blood-based tumor mutational burden test.

    “Appearing today in Nature Medicine, the study describes the development of the test and its characteristics, and its retrospective validation in two cohorts. Investigators demonstrated, by applying the assay to samples from two clinical trials, that blood-based TMB (bTMB) could reproducibly identify lung cancer patients who respond to immunotherapy treatment with Roche/Genentech’s atezolizumab (Tecentriq).”

    Go to full article published by GenomeWeb on Aug 4, 2018 (Free registration required).

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • August 5, 2018  

    Atezolizumab Plus Chemotherapy Improves PFS for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt from Healio:

    “First-line atezolizumab plus nab-paclitaxel improved PFS compared with placebo among patients with metastatic or unresectable locally advanced triple-negative breast cancer, according to interim results from the IMpassion130 trial released by the manufacturer.

    “Researchers observed prolonged PFS in both the intention-to-treat population and the PD-L1-positive population.”

    Go to full article published by Healio on July 2, 2018.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • April 4, 2017  

    Metastatic Melanoma: Not Quite Curable…But Getting There

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    By 2050, the number of deaths due to malignant melanoma in the U.S. could be three times lower than peak levels reached before 1960. Researchers presented the data behind this prediction at the 2017 European Cancer Congress in January. It is unclear how much of this anticipated decline in deaths can be attributed to the availability of new, effective treatments. However, it is obvious… Read more »

  • August 8, 2016  

    Melanoma: New Drugs and New Challenges (Part 1 of 2)

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    New targeted and immunotherapy drugs have changed the diagnosis of metastatic melanoma from a death sentence into a disease that can potentially be managed and even cured. Nevertheless, these new drugs do not work in all patients, or they may stop working after a transient response. This post (part one of two) will describe ongoing efforts to find drug combinations with higher efficacy than single drugs and decipher the mechanisms underlying drug resistance.

  • February 8, 2016  

    Putting Immune Checkpoint Blockade to the Test in Breast Cancer

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    About 10 months ago, we asked: is there a future for immunotherapy in breast cancer? Now, we can answer this question with a qualified “yes.” The data show why.