Break Through Cancer Doles Out $50M
May 19
Funds will support research on three deadly malignancies.
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News
Of Mammals and Mutations, Life Span, Cancer Risk
May 18
Studies find inverse correlation between somatic mutation rates and life span, confirm Peto’s paradox.
Bempeg Failure Unlikely to Affect Other IL2 Agents
May 12
Companies continue to develop these cancer therapies, saying target is not flawed.
Ivosidenib Boosts Azacitidine's Effectiveness in AML
May 9
Drug duo increases overall survival, event-free survival among patients with IDH1 mutations.
FDA Aims to Ban Menthol in Cigarettes
May 4
Proposal to prohibit this flavor could prevent as many as 654,000 deaths over 40 years.
Mechanism Found for IDO1 Inhibitor Evasion
May 3
Treated cells activate alternative mechanism to break down tryptophan, gain immune suppression
Driving CAR T Cells against Solid Tumors
April 29
Researchers shed light on susceptibility to cytotoxicity, modular engineering of therapies, and why these cells need rest.
Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment Linked to Suicide Risk
April 27
Tumor type and therapeutic regimen affect rates of mental health problems.
NCI Launches Pediatric Molecular Characterization Initiative
April 21
Program will provide sequencing to patients at COG-affiliated hospitals to aid in diagnosis and spot drivers of cancer growth.
MEDI5752 Suppresses Two Immune Checkpoints
April 13
Bispecific targeting PD-1 and CTLA4 is well tolerated, shows clinical activity across different cancers.
Testing New Neoadjuvant Combos in NSCLC
April 12
Adding CD73- or NKG2A-targeting agents to durvalumab increases major pathologic response rate.
Noted This Week
May 13–19
Federal agencies, Congress, and others need to improve representation of minority groups and underrepresented populations in clinical trials and research, according to a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM 2022 May 17 [Epub ahead of print]). Lack of representation may limit access to medical interventions and new therapies for some patients and increase health disparities, which could cost the United States hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 30 years. Among the report’s recommendations: require study sponsors to ensure that trial cohorts reflect the demographics of the condition under study, establish a task force to investigate new incentives for drug and device trials for which enrollment reflects the general population, and press the NIH to consider participant representation when assessing the impact of a grant proposal.
The FDA has placed a partial clinical hold on a phase I study of FHD-286 (Foghorn Therapeutics) for patients with relapsed/refractory acute myelogenous leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome following the death of a patient with potential differentiation syndrome. Patients currently enrolled in the study and benefiting from the BRG1 and BRM inhibitor may continue to receive it, but no new patients can be enrolled until the hold is lifted; the hold does not apply to patients with metastatic uveal melanoma in a separate phase I trial.
According to the American Cancer Society, Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act is associated with a 2-year increase in overall survival (OS) in patients newly diagnosed with cancer, especially among non-Hispanic Black people and people living in rural areas (J Natl Cancer Inst 2022 May 18 [Epub ahead of print]). Researchers analyzed data of over 2.5 million patients ages 18–62 in cancer registries from 42 states diagnosed with cancer before and after Medicaid expansion. OS increased from 80.58% to 82.23% in states that expanded Medicaid coverage and from 78.71% to 80.04% in those that didn’t—an increase of 0.44% in expansion states after adjusting for sociodemographic factors.
Researchers found that children with certain liver tumors have better outcomes when they underwent transplantation rather than having chemotherapy and surgery alone (J Hepatol 2022 May 13 [Epub ahead of print]). Researchers observed that some aggressive tumors have histologic features unlike hepatoblastomas or hepatocellular carcinomas, as well as molecular profiles that don’t fit into a single disease category, but both. The team found that these tumors tended to be more resistant to standard chemotherapy and have poor outcomes when not treated with more aggressive surgical approaches, including transplantation, indicating the need for molecular testing to guide treatment.
Research Watch
IL6 Blockade Reduces Immunotherapy-Induced Immune-Related Adverse Events
May 20
Hotspot Mutations Optimize the Oncogenic–Immunogenic Trade-off
May 20
Combination Vistusertib and Anastrozole Shows Benefit in Endometrial Cancer
May 20
Tumor-Resilient T-cell Signature Predicts Immunotherapy Response
May 13
Intermittent PI3Kδ Inhibition Mitigates Immune-Related Adverse Events
May 13
Chemical Proteomics Reveals MBLAC2 as a Major Off-Target of HDAC Inhibitors
May 13
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