August 2013 | Oncology & Biotech News

Updated Phase III Data Show Radium-223 Significantly Improves Survival, Extends Time to First SRE

September 10, 2013

An updated analysis of the results of a phase III clinical trial showed that radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo) significantly improved overall survival and delayed time to the first skeletal-related event in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

Sequester Cuts to Cancer Care May Cost Taxpayers More in the End

September 09, 2013

The federal sequester trims Medicare payments for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in doctors' offices in an effort to save the government money. Instead, it will end up costing more in the long run, according to the president of ASCO.

Novel Agents Revolutionize Melanoma Treatment

September 05, 2013

Until recently, the cornerstone of therapy for metastatic melanoma had been chemotherapy with dacarbazine (DTIC) and immunotherapy with high-dose interleukin-2 (HD IL-2) or interferon-α (IFN-α).

Ginseng Improves Cancer-Related Fatigue in Phase III Trial

September 03, 2013

A multisite, randomized, double-blind trial evaluating the fatigue-ameliorating properties of American ginseng in cancer patients and recent survivors has found the herb to be helpful in reducing some aspects of CRF, with the benefit strongest among patients currently in treatment.

Pharmacyclics Hopes to Break Through With Blood Cancer Drug Ibrutinib

August 30, 2013

Sunnyvale, California-based Pharmacyclics has yet to lay claim to any FDA-approved therapeutics since it was formally incorporated in 1991, but that may very well change in the near future as a first-in-class drug for certain B-cell malignancies is proving quite effective in clinical trials.

Combination of Cixutumumab and Temsirolimus Demonstrates Improved Progression-Free and Encouraging Overall Survival for Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma

August 29, 2013

The first and largest national clinical study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an IGF-1R antibody and an mTOR inhibitor in combination therapy for a range of sarcomas has achieved its primary endpoint of improvement in progression-free survival at 12 weeks in patients with bone and soft-tissue sarcomas.