Ben Leach

Articles

Study Details Adverse Events in Pivotal Ipilimumab Trial

August 16th 2013

Adverse events associated with ipilimumab for the treatment of metastatic melanoma are better understood after further analysis of clinical trial data that led to the FDA's 2011 approval of the drug.

Impact of Abiraterone Evident in New AUA Guidelines for mCRPC

August 15th 2013

Amid a flurry of new drug approvals, the AUA has issued its first set of guidelines for the management of patients with mCRPC, which included an extensive role for abiraterone acetate at several stages of the disease.

Allovectin Falters in Late-Stage Melanoma Trial

August 13th 2013

Nearly two decades after clinical trials began, the investigational immunotherapy Allovectin failed to meet key endpoints in a phase III trial in patients with stage III/IV metastatic melanoma and will no longer be developed.

First-Line Necitumumab Improves Survival in Metastatic Squamous NSCLC

August 13th 2013

A phase III trial exploring necitumumab plus chemotherapy as a first-line therapy for patients with metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer has demonstrated an improvement in overall survival when compared to chemotherapy alone.

Lambrolizumab Demonstrates Significant Antitumor Activity in Melanoma

August 8th 2013

The investigational antibody lambrolizumab demonstrated significant antitumor activity and good response rates as well as a tolerable toxicity profile in patients with melanoma.

Tamoxifen Significantly Lowers Risk of Contralateral Breast Cancer in BRCA-Positive Patients

August 6th 2013

Patients with mutations of BRCA1 or BRCA2 who received tamoxifen after their initial diagnosis of breast cancer reduced their chances of developing contralateral or secondary breast cancer by more than half.

Selumetinib Combination Significantly Improves PFS but Not OS in BRAF-Positive Melanoma

August 2nd 2013

Combination treatment with selumetinib and dacarbazine significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with BRAF-positive melanoma.

Cabozantinib Benefit Greater in MTC Patients With RET and RAS Mutations

August 1st 2013

A detailed analysis of previously reported data on the multikinase inhibitor cabozantinib in medullary thyroid cancer found that patients with mutations of RET and RAS experienced a significantly higher benefit than patients without those mutations.

Cryoablation May Offer Option for Metastatic Lung Tumors

August 1st 2013

The results of the first prospective multicenter trial of cryoablation in lung cancer show that this emerging treatment may be a safe, effective, and minimally invasive method of helping a specific group of patients with advanced disease.

Antibodies for Common HPV Strain Found in One-Third of Patients with Oropharyngeal Cancer

July 24th 2013

Approximately one-third of cases of oropharyngeal cancer carried antibodies to one of the driver proteins from HPV16, and those antibodies could be detected more than 10 years prior to the diagnosis of the cancer.

Adding Paclitaxel to Neratinib Improves Outcomes Versus Monotherapy

July 22nd 2013

Combining paclitaxel with the investigational compound neratinib increased response rates versus neratinib alone in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Potential Druggable Targets Identified in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

July 18th 2013

Acute myeloid leukemia is potentially driven by at least one genetic mutation in nearly all cases, with a complex interaction of multiple genetic events contributing to the development of the disease

Denosumab Delays Disease Progression, Reduces Need for Surgery in Patients With GCTB

July 17th 2013

A phase II study has found that denosumab was able to halt progression in the vast majority of enrolled patients with giant cell tumor of the bone as well as reducing the need for surgery.

NCI Develops Large Dataset of Genomic Variants Across Nine Common Cancer Types

July 15th 2013

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute have developed a comprehensive analysis of coding variants in nine of the most frequently studied human tumor cell lines in cancer research.

FDA Approves Afatinib for Metastatic NSCLC

July 12th 2013

The FDA has approved afatinib, along with a companion diagnostic, to treat patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer who express specific types of EGFR mutations.

NDA Filed for Ibrutinib in CLL and MCL

July 10th 2013

A new drug application has been submitted for ibrutinib as a therapy for previously treated CLL and MCL after positive results showed high response rates to the drug in two clinical trials.

Priority Review Granted to Neoadjuvant Breast Cancer Regimen

July 2nd 2013

The FDA has granted priority review to a regimen of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and docetaxel for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer.

Two Studies Show Efficacy of Ibrutinib in Hematologic Malignancies

June 24th 2013

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma showed high response rates to therapy with the novel targeted therapy ibrutinib, further solidifying the safety and efficacy of a drug that has proven very promising in early clinical trials.

Elotuzumab Combination Therapy Shows Promise in Previously Treated Multiple Myeloma

June 20th 2013

Patients with previously treated multiple myeloma responded well to therapy with the monoclonal antibody elotuzumab in combination with lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone, with a high objective response rate and longer progression-free survival.

Optimal Radiation Delivery Methods and Dosing Strategies Under Study

June 17th 2013

The quest to deliver optimal radiation therapy for patients with prostate cancer has led to a variety of advances in technologies and techniques, yet key questions remain unanswered.