Oncology & Biotech News

Articles

Study Shows No Survival Benefit of Cetuximab Over Cisplatin-Based Chemoradiation in Head and Neck Cancers

August 4th 2011

Patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer gained no survival benefit with the addition of cetuximab to chemoradiation.

Pazopanib Shows 3-Fold Improvement in Progression-Free Survival

August 4th 2011

Patients with anthracycline-treated sarcomas had a 3-fold improvement in PFS with antiangiogenic agent pazopanib versus placebo.

In Metastatic Breast Cancer, Eribulin Safe and Effective in All Ages

August 3rd 2011

An exploratory analysis of the phase III EMBRACE trial of eribulin mesylate in metastatic breast cancer found the survival benefit and toxicity profile to be independent of age.

Ridaforolimus Shows Promise as Maintenance Therapy for Patients With Advanced Sarcoma

August 3rd 2011

Patients with metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma had statistically significant improvement in PFS when treated with mTOR inhibitor ridaforolimus.

Xelox After Gastric Surgery Significantly Improves Disease-Free Survival

August 3rd 2011

Patients with operable gastric cancer had significant improvement in DFS with adjuvant capecitabine plus Xelox following definitive surgery.

Study Finds Erlotinib Superior to Conventional Chemotherapy in Treatment of EGFR-Mutated Advanced NSCLC

August 2nd 2011

PFS improved significantly in patients with EGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC treated first line with erlotinib versus platinum-based chemotherapy.

Cost/Benefit Ratio of Denosumab Is Questionable When Treating Patients With Metastatic CRPC

July 29th 2011

The use of denosumab to prevent SREs in men with mCRPC has questionable cost-effectiveness as compared with zoledronic acid.

MetMAb Plus Erlotinib Improves Survival for Patients With MET-Positive NSCLC

July 28th 2011

Add-on therapy with an inhibitor of the MET signaling pathway significantly improved PFS and OS in patients with MET-positive NSCLC confirmed by immunohistochemistry.

Bevacizumab Added to Chemotherapy Provides Meaningful Benefit in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

July 27th 2011

Women with recurrent platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer had a 50% improvement in PFS when bevacizumab was added to chemotherapy and continued as maintenance therapy.

BRIM-2 Upholds Benefits Emerging with Vemurafenib in Melanoma

July 25th 2011

In patients with metastatic melanoma, the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib led to high objective response rates and durable treatment responses.

Population Stratification and Cancer Risk Assessment: An Interview With Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, PhD

June 28th 2011

Population stratification refers to differences in allele frequencies between cases and controls, resulting from systematic differences in ancestry, as opposed to associations between genes and disease.

Iloprost Causes Regression of Endobronchial Dysplasia in Former Smokers

June 21st 2011

Results of a phase II trial showed that former smokers had significant regression of endobronchial dysplasia when treated with iloprost.

Heavy Beer Drinking Increases Risk of Gastric Cancer

June 20th 2011

Investigators in a large cohort study reported that heavy alcohol consumption, particularly beer, significantly increases the risk of gastric cancer.

Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitor GDC-0449 Reduces Lesion Size in Patients With Basal Cell Carcinoma

June 20th 2011

Patients with basal cell carcinoma had an eightfold decrease in lesion area when treated with GDC-0449

Digoxin Found to Be Effective in the Fight Against Prostate Cancer

June 17th 2011

A search for potential chemopreventive agents for prostate cancer uncovered an unlikely candidate in digoxin, one of the oldest drugs for cardiovascular disorders

Studies Find That Talc-Based Powder Increases the Risk of Ovarian Cancer

June 17th 2011

Long-term use of talc-based powder significantly increased the risk of invasive ovarian cancer in a large case-control study

Tinkering With Regimen Leads to Better Outcomes in Vulvar Cancer

April 29th 2011

Investigators in a cooperative group trial reported that modifications in a chemoradiation regimen for locally advanced vulvar cancer boosted both clinical and pathologic complete response rates

MicroRNA May Predict Response to Bevacizumab

April 28th 2011

The results of a small clinical trial showed that low-level expression of a microRNA correlated with improved progression-free survival

Study Indicates Cetuximab Provides No Benefit in Advanced Cervical Cancer

April 28th 2011

Results of a phase II cooperative-group trial showed that the targeted agent cetuximab demonstrated minimal activity in patients with advanced, platinum-resistant cervical cancer