‘We’re Not There Yet’: CAR T-Cell Therapy for Renal Cell Carcinoma
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has the potential to become standard-of-care therapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) that does not respond to current therapies, an RCC specialist said here. CAR T-cell therapy is not yet ready for clinical practice, but enrolling patients in the growing number of clinical trials can help […]
Targeting New Pathways to Improve Outcomes in Renal Cell Carcinoma
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Building on the existing immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) platform, new treatment strategies for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) seek to adapt the cancer’s immunity cycle to inform development of more effective therapies, according to a review presented here. Limited options exist beyond anti-VEGF and ICI-based strategies for patients with advanced disease, particularly those […]
Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Active in Heavily Treated Renal Cell Carcinoma
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An investigational multitargeted drug produced objective responses in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), irrespective of prior exposure to cabozantinib (Cabometyx), a small clinical trial showed. Overall, 12 of 32 patients responded to zanzalintinib, including four of 17 evaluable patients with prior exposure to cabozantinib and eight of 14 without. All but one […]
Patients With Narcolepsy Face Mood and Pain Disorders
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — People with narcolepsy frequently had mood and pain comorbidities that complicated diagnosis and treatment plans, observational data showed. In a propensity-matched cohort analysis of more than 4,000 individuals, people with narcolepsy were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.86-2.40, P<0.001) or chronic pain syndrome […]
Physician Assistants Also Feel Post-Pandemic Burnout
NASHVILLE — Nearly a third of board-certified physician assistants (PAs) said they experienced burnout in the past 3 years, according to a national cross-sectional analysis. Looking at over 111,000 PAs who worked in at least one clinical position, 30.6% self-reported at least one symptom of burnout, found Andrzej Kozikowski, PhD, of the National Commission on […]
Spravato Safety Holds Up Long-Term for Treatment-Resistant Depression
NASHVILLE — Esketamine nasal spray (Spravato) showed consistent long-term safety outcomes for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), according to follow-up data from the SUSTAIN-3 trial. In the open-label, phase III study, intermittent dosing of esketamine for up to 6.5 years had a similar safety profile as dosing for up to 1 year, according to Reina […]
Delayed-Release ADHD Therapy Slightly Mitigates Slowed Growth in Kids
NASHVILLE — Youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) saw mildly different growth trajectories with certain popular medications, researchers reported. Compared with youth prescribed lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX; Vyvanse), those who took delayed release/extended-release methylphenidate (DR/ER-MPH; Jornay PM) saw a greater weight trajectory in the first year after starting treatment (estimated post-index slope 2.65 for LDX vs 7.22, […]
Opinion | ‘Bad News Is Bad News No Matter How It Is Delivered’: What We Heard This Week
“Bad news is bad news no matter how it is delivered.” — S. Trent Rosenbloom, MD, of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, commenting on whether patients prefer to receive test results immediately, even in the case of an abnormal one. “The first step is admitting you have a problem.” — Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), chair […]
Opinion | ‘We’re So Hungry for Organs Right Now’: What We Heard This Week
“We’re so hungry for organs right now that we are pushing all the limits.” — Wes Ely, MD, MPH, of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, on transplant surgeons experimenting with a kind of partial resurrection of deceased patients in attempts to harvest more organs. “There’s no world in which sexual abusers should be doctors.” — Carmen […]