Immunotherapy/BCG Combo Boosts EFS in Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
LAS VEGAS — Event-free survival (EFS) in high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) improved significantly when patients received the PD-1 inhibitor sasanlimab in addition to bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a randomized trial showed. The 3-year EFS increased from 74.8% with standard-of-care BCG induction and maintenance to 82.1% with the addition of sasanlimab. Most of the improvement […]
Unprecedented Response Rates in Non-Responsive, Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
LAS VEGAS — Patients with high-risk, treatment-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) had an unprecedented response rate and disease-free survival (DFS) with an investigational intravesical treatment system, data from an ongoing trial showed. Complete responses (CR) occurred in 82.4% of 85 patients treated with TAR-200, a system that delivers gemcitabine directly into the bladder. The […]
CDC: Alarming Rise in Serogroup Y Meningococcal Disease
Clinicians should be alert for invasive serogroup Y meningococcal disease in at-risk populations and those with unusual symptoms amid the highest annual number of cases reported since 2014, according to a new CDC health advisory. Sequence type (ST) 1466, a strain of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup Y, is fueling the majority of cases seen so far […]
CDK4/6 Extends Reach Into Early-Stage Breast Cancer
CHICAGO — Adding ribociclib (Kisqali) to adjuvant endocrine therapy significantly improved invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) in patients with early-stage, high-risk breast cancer and hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-negative disease, an interim analysis of a large phase III study found. In the NATALEE trial, which included patients with node-negative disease, the CKD4/6 inhibitor plus endocrine therapy combination resulted […]
Less Invasive Surfactant Delivery Works for Tiniest Newborns
For extremely preterm infants with potential respiratory distress syndrome, less invasive surfactant administration (LISA) was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of adverse outcomes, a cohort study found. There was a drop in requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation between those infants receiving LISA within the first 72 hours of life and those who […]
Invasive species are taking over some American forests: A plant survey finds dozens of nonnative invasive species thriving in Ohio
A new botanical survey of southwest Ohio found that invasive species introduced to the United States over the past century are crowding out many native plants. Biologists from the University of Cincinnati are retracing two exhaustive surveys conducted 100 years apart to see how the Queen City’s plant diversity has changed over the past two […]
IL-15 Agonist Impresses in Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
CHICAGO — Patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) had a high response rate and 2-year cancer-specific survival with an immunostimulatory fusion protein complex plus BCG, a prospective study showed. The intravesical combination led to complete responses in 71% of patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS), with a median response duration exceeding 2 years. […]
Invasive species and climate change impact coastal estuaries: Biological invasions interact with changing climate in unpredictable ways
Native species in California’s estuaries are expected to experience greater declines as invasive species interact with climate change, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. The study, published in the Ecological Society of America’s journal, Ecology, said these declines are expected not only because of climate-related stressors, but also because of the […]
Minimally Invasive Myomectomy on the Rise for Uterine Fibroids
Minimally invasive surgery for uterine fibroid removal is gaining popularity, but racial and ethnic disparities and gaps by socioeconomic status still exist, according to a retrospective study based in California. Compared with white women, Black women were less likely to undergo minimally invasive surgery (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.95), as were Hispanic women (OR 0.74, […]
Crayfish and carp among the invasive species pushing lakes towards ecosystem collapse
Certain invasive, non-native species can disrupt lakes to the point of rapid ecosystem collapse, contaminating water for drinking, aquaculture and recreation, a new study has found. Human activity and climate change are causing invasive non-native species to spread rapidly across the globe. Researchers have found that certain invasive species can push lake ecosystems beyond a […]