Personalized Cancer Vaccine Boosts Recurrence-Free Survival in Melanoma
ORLANDO — Adding a personalized cancer vaccine to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy for resectable melanoma led to a 44% improvement in recurrence-free survival (RFS) versus immunotherapy alone, according to a study reported here. Patients who received the mRNA vaccine, derived from their own tumor, had an 18-month RFS of 78.6% as compared with 62.2% for patients who […]
Sutezolid With 3-Drug Combo Appears Safe and Effective in Multidrug-Resistant TB
SEATTLE — Adding the oxazolidinone antibiotic sutezolid to a three-drug combination appeared to be safe and effective for people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), according to a dose-finding phase II study. Across five treatment arms that included four different doses of sutezolid with bedaquiline, delamanid, and moxifloxacin at standard doses, there was a similar increase in […]
Add-On Olaparib Continues to Show Benefit in First-Line Treatment of mCRPC
SAN FRANCISCO — Adding the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) to standard-of-care abiraterone (Zytiga) as initial treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) extended median progression-free survival (PFS), according to final results of the double-blind phase III PROpel study reported here. There was also a trend toward an improvement in median overall survival (OS). At the […]
Modest Survival Gain in Gastric/GEJ Cancer With Chemo Plus Pembrolizumab
Adding pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to chemotherapy modestly improved survival in unresectable/metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, a randomized trial showed. Median overall survival (OS) improved from 11.5 months with chemotherapy alone to 12.9 months with the addition of the immune checkpoint inhibitor. Median progression-free survival (PFS) improved from 5.6 months to 6.9 months. Landmark survival […]
Early DAPT Improves Outcomes for Strokes With No Other Tx Options
DALLAS — Adding tirofiban (Aggrastat) to aspirin for dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) within 24 hours of acute ischemic stroke improved outcomes for patients who weren’t candidates for thrombolytic or endovascular treatment, according to a phase III trial from China. The combination of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor with aspirin shifted modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores in […]
Adding Docetaxel to RT Improves Survival in Cisplatin-Ineligible Head & Neck Cancer
Adding docetaxel to radiation therapy (RT) improved survival outcomes in cisplatin-ineligible patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a phase III randomized trial showed. At a median follow-up of 32.4 months, the 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 42% with docetaxel plus RT and 30.3% with RT alone (HR 0.673, 95% CI […]
Adding Targeted Drug to Chemo Boosts Survival in Esophageal/GEJ Cancer
SAN FRANCISCO — Adding a Claudin (CLDN) inhibitor to chemotherapy significantly increased progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in locally advanced gastric/gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer and CLDN 18.2 expression, a randomized trial showed. Median PFS increased from 8.67 months with modified FOLFOX chemotherapy to 10.61 months with the addition of investigational zolbetuximab. Median OS improved […]
Not Just a Miner’s Problem: Workplace Fumes, Dust Tied to RA
Adding to previous studies implicating on-the-job exposure to silica dust as a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), new research now finds dozens of other occupational inhalants that also appear to contribute to RA development. Comparison of 4,033 cases of new-onset RA with 6,485 matched controls in Swedish registries indicated that exposure to any of […]
Peanuts and herbs and spices may positively impact gut microbiome
Adding a daily ounce of peanuts or about a teaspoon of herbs and spices to your diet may affect the composition of gut bacteria, an indicator of overall health, according to new research from Penn State. In two separate studies, nutritional scientists studied the effects of small changes to the average American diet and found […]
Overactive Bladder Linked to Multiple Unmet Socioeconomic Needs
Unmet socioeconomic needs had a significant association with overactive bladder (OAB), adding to evidence of a complex interaction between social determinants of health and OAB, researchers said. Stressors such as housing and food insecurity and concerns about personal health as much as tripled the odds of reported OAB symptoms. The stressors remained significant predictors for […]