brain tumor

Immune Cells Track Hard-To-Target Brain Tumours Bookmark

Excerpt:

“Instructing the immune system to recognize and kill tumours, an approach termed cancer immunotherapy, has transformed the clinical treatment of certain types of malignancy. Prominent among these therapies are immune-checkpoint inhibitors, which block the action of proteins that dampen immune-cell responses against tumours. For example, antibodies can be used to interfere with the inhibitory protein PD-1, which is present on T cells, a type of immune cell that attacks tumours. Immune-checkpoint inhibitors have been most successfully used to treat cancers, such as melanomas, that are well infiltrated by T cells and have a large number of genetic mutations. A subset of these mutations might generate neoantigens — altered protein sequences that are uniquely produced in cancer cells and are recognized as foreign by the immune system.”

Go to full article published by Nature on Dec 19, 2018.

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ASCO and Friends of Cancer Research Applaud NCI’s Expansion of Clinical Trial Eligibility Criteria Bookmark

Excerpt:

“ASCO and Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) applaud the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) recent revision of its clinical trial protocol template to broaden eligibility criteria for cancer clinical trials. The protocol template was expanded to help increase the opportunity for participation in NCI-funded clinical trials for patients with certain health-care conditions, as well as to provide an opportunity for patients younger than age 18 to participate in adult clinical trials in certain circumstances.”

Go to full article published by The ASCO Post on Dec 11, 2018.

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Bevacizumab and Temozolomide in First Recurrence of Glioma Without 1p/19q Codeletion Bookmark

Excerpt from The ASCO Post:

“In a phase II trial funded by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer and reported in The Lancet Oncology, van den Bent et al found no evidence of a survival benefit with the addition of bevacizumab (Avastin) to temozolomide in patients with a first recurrence of World Health Organization grade II or III glioma without the 1p/19q codeletion.

“In the open-label trial, conducted at 32 European centers, 155 patients were randomized between February 2011 and July 2015 to receive either temozolomide at 150 to 200 mg/m² on days 1 to 5 every 4 weeks for a maximum of 12 cycles (n = 77) or the same temozolomide regimen plus bevacizumab at 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks until disease progression (n = 78). Previous chemotherapy must have been stopped at least 6 months before enrollment, and radiotherapy, at least 3 months before enrollment. Overall, 44% of patients in the combination group and 47% in the temozolomide group had grade III disease.”

Go to full article published by The ASCO Post on Aug 20, 2018.

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A New Regulatory Threat to Cancer Patients Bookmark

Excerpt:

“The federal government is threatening to limit treatment options for doctors fighting cancer. A regulatory decision due Wednesday from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could undermine the care delivered to the more than 1.6 million Americans who are diagnosed with cancer each year.”

Go to full article published by The Wall Street Journal on Feb 25, 2018.

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