Lauren M. Green

Articles

Nivolumab Alone or With Ipilimumab Controls Disease, Extends Survival, in Mesothelioma

June 5th 2017

Nivolumab as monotherapy or in combination with ipilimumab may present a new second- or third-line treatment option for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, based on preliminary findings from a phase II trial where nivolumab alone or in the combination improved disease control and prolonged survival in patients with this rare but aggressive cancer.

Patients With Advanced Cancer Live Longer When They Report Symptoms Online and in Real Time

June 4th 2017

Patients receiving treatment for metastatic cancer who used a web-based tool to report their symptoms either while at home or during clinic visits lived on average 5 months longer than their counterparts who had standard symptom monitoring, according to findings of a randomized trial reported at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Larotrectinib Yields Impressive Responses Across All Age Groups and Tumor Types Harboring TRK Fusion Mutations

June 4th 2017

Three out of 4 patients representing a range of TRK fusion–positive solid tumors responded to the novel pan-TRK inhibitor larotrectinib (LOXO-101) and remain on treatment, setting the stage for the well-tolerated oral agent to become a standard of care for adults and children with any advanced tumor harboring this mutation.

CALM Psychotherapy Eases Depression and Distress in Patients With Advanced Cancer

June 3rd 2017

Advanced cancer exacts an overwhelming emotional toll, and a brief but novel psychological intervention involving individual therapy sessions delivered by trained therapists has been shown to alleviate patients’ distress and help them to manage the profound and practical problems that come with this diagnosis.

Eating Nuts After Colon Cancer Improves Survival and Lowers Recurrence Risk

May 18th 2017

Findings of a new prospective study suggest that eating tree nuts like almonds, walnuts, and pecans can improve overall survival and reduce the risk of recurrence in patients with colon cancer.

FDA Approves Co-Packaging of Ribociclib With Letrozole for Metastatic Breast Cancer

May 9th 2017

The FDA has approved co-packaging of the oral medications ribociclib (Kisqali) and letrozole (Femara) for the treatment of postmenopausal women with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.

Adding Coxsackievirus to Ipilimumab Displays Durable Antitumor Activity in Advanced Melanoma

April 4th 2017

Adding a formulation of the Coxsackievirus A21 (CAVATAK®) to ipilimumab (Yervoy) yielded an overall response rate of 50% and was well-tolerated in immunotherapy-naïve and pretreated patients with advanced melanoma.

Five-Year Survival Rate an Impressive 16% With Nivolumab in Advanced NSCLC

April 3rd 2017

Long-term survival in patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer who received the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) has proven to be much higher than expected, with 16% of these patients surviving after 5 years, equivalent to about 4 times what would be expected with chemotherapy.

Tumor Treating Fields Substantially Improve Survival in GBM

April 3rd 2017

Tumor treating fields reduced the risk of death by 37% and overall survival was extended by a median of 5 months for patients with glioblastoma multiforme, in a landmark analysis of the EF-14 trial.

Endometrial Cancer Survivors at High Risk for Cardiotoxicity

February 24th 2017

A new study has provided yet more evidence that survivors of endometrial cancer should be closely monitored for cardiovascular disease.

Durable Responders Emerge Even After Stopping Their PD-1/PD-L1 Therapy for Kidney Cancer

February 14th 2017

Some patients who had to stop their PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy because of an immune-related adverse event proved to be sustained responders, even after being off the therapy for more than 6 months.

Patients Say Benefits of Brentuximab Vedotin Offset Risk of Peripheral Neuropathy

January 31st 2017

Patients with lymphoma who are treated with brentuximab vedotin (BV) often experience peripheral neuropathy as an adverse event and potentially dose-limiting toxicity. A novel study has shown that, despite the prevalence of this toxicity, these patients report that the better outcomes yielded from treatment with BV outweigh the risk of neuropathy.

In Head and Neck Cancer, a Stepped Approach to Psychosocial Care Is Cost-Effective

December 20th 2016

Patients diagnosed with head and neck or lung cancer are especially prone to feelings of distress, especially depression, and researchers in the Netherlands have found that using a gradual or “stepped” approach to providing psychosocial support not only improves their quality of life but is also cost-effective.

More Evidence That Scalp Cooling Devices Work, Especially During Taxane-Based Chemotherapy

December 9th 2016

Findings from the first prospective, randomized clinical trial to evaluate modern scalp-cooling demonstrate that the system is safe and effective in reducing hair loss in women being treated with chemotherapy for their breast cancer, especially for those on taxane-based regimens.

Nivolumab-Brentuximab Vedotin Combo Active and Safe in Relapsed Hodgkin Lymphoma

December 8th 2016

Early data from a phase I/II study suggest that the combination of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) and nivolumab (Opdivo) may be an active and well-tolerated outpatient regimen in patients with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma after failure of standard frontline chemotherapy.

Mixed Results on Benefit of Extending Letrozole Beyond 5 Years of Prior Endocrine Therapy

December 8th 2016

Extending letrozole therapy in women with early-stage, HR-positive breast cancer who completed 5 years of prior hormone therapy did not yield a statistically significant improvement in either disease-free or overall survival, but prolonged use of the aromatase inhibitor may be beneficial in some subgroups of women with a higher risk of recurrence.

Early Study Signals Promising Role for Venetoclax in Treatment of Relapsed CLL

December 6th 2016

Adding the oral BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (Venclexta) to obinutuzumab (Gazyva) and ibrutinib (Imbruvica) in patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia is safe and is demonstrating encouraging signs of efficacy.

After 5 Years of Follow-Up, Ibrutinib Continues to Impress in CLL/SLL

December 5th 2016

Ibrutinib showed an 89% response rate in both treatment-naïve and relapsed patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma in findings from the longest follow-up to date for the BTK inhibitor.

Vadastuximab Talirine Yields Rapid and Deep Remissions in Early Study of Patients With AML

December 4th 2016

Researchers are hopeful that the addition of the investigational agent vadastuximab talirine to standard 7+3 induction therapy may improve survival for patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Survival Improves When Older Patients With AML Receive CPX-351 Before Transplant

December 4th 2016

CPX-351 may provide a bridge to successful transplantation for older patients with acute myeloid leukemia with limited treatment options.