Abstract
A collection of recently published news items.
Many women with early-stage breast cancer may not need chemotherapy after surgery, researchers reported. In the phase III TAILORx trial, women with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative, axillary node–negative breast cancer who received hormone therapy alone had similar disease-free survival and overall survival (OS) as women who received hormone therapy plus chemotherapy (N Engl J Med 2018;379:111–21).
NCI-designated cancer centers called for increased human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and evidence-based screening, with the goal of eliminating cancers caused by the virus, such as cervical and head and neck cancers.
Primary HPV testing may be more effective than Pap testing at detecting precancerous lesions. In the HPV FOCAL trial of 19,009 women, researchers found that HPV testing detected precancerous cervical lesions earlier and with more accuracy than Pap testing over a 4-year period (JAMA 2018;320:43–52). Under current guidelines, women ages 30 to 65 should have a Pap test every 3 years or Pap and HPV testing every 5 years.
The FDA withdrew a draft guidance on the development of biosimilars. Issued in September 2017, it was designed to help companies evaluate proposed biosimilars in comparison to existing products. “We're taking a fresh look at our draft recommendations for evaluating analytical studies in order to ensure our guidance takes into consideration the most current and relevant science,” said FDA Director Scott Gottlieb, MD.
Patients with glioma and MGMT methylated tumors live longer after treatment with temozolomide and radiotherapy than patients with unmethylated tumors (JAMA Oncol 2018 Jun 28 [Epub ahead of print]). In a retrospective analysis of 129 patients, those with MGMT methylated tumors did not reach median OS or median PFS, whereas those with unmethylated tumors had an OS of 3 years and a PFS of 2 years.
Note: Research Watch is written by Cancer Discovery editorial staff. Readers are encouraged to consult the original articles for full details. For more Research Watch, visit Cancer Discovery online at http://cancerdiscovery.aacrjournals.org/CDNews.