Noted

• According to a published report on a phase III trial, patients with metastatic prostate cancer who underwent six cycles of docetaxel chemotherapy along with a hormone blocker survived for a median of 57.6 months, compared with a median of 44 months for those who received only the hormone blocker (N Engl J Med 2015;373:737–46). The results will likely change standard practice, which has been to withhold chemotherapy until hormone blockers become ineffective.

• Seven congressional representatives introduced a bill to establish the nation's first registry to track patients with mesothelioma. The registry would allow researchers, health care professionals, and patients to search information about diagnosis, disease trends, risk factors, treatment availability, and outcomes.

• Bristol-Myers Squibb launched its Immuno-Oncology Rare Population Malignancy Program in the United States. The program is a multi-institutional initiative with academic-based cancer centers to investigate immunotherapies for high-risk, poor-prognosis cancers, defined as a rare population malignancy. A rare population malignancy is a subpopulation within a higher-incident disease population, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancers.

• The FDA approved carfilzomib (Kyprolis; Onyx Pharmaceuticals) in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with relapsed multiple myeloma who have received one to three prior lines of therapy. The drug was previously approved as a monotherapy for a subset of patients with multiple myeloma.

• A proposed rule in Massachusetts would limit prices on drugs, especially very high-priced agents such as newer, targeted therapies for cancer. In addition, the law would “force biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to justify their prices,” The Boston Globe reported.

• A recent study found that about 10% of serious and unexpected complications are not reported to the FDA by drug manufacturers within 15 days, as directed by federal regulations, a delay that could compromise the safety of other patients (JAMA Intern Med 2015 July 27 [Epub ahead of print]).

For more news on cancer research, visit Cancer Discovery online at http://CDnews.aacrjournals.org.