Goodbye, Appendix. Hello, Crohn’s Disease?
ORLANDO – People who undergo appendectomy may have an increased risk for the development of Crohn’s disease (CD), but not ulcerative colitis (UC), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed a pooled OR of 1.57 (95% CI 1.01-2.43, P<0.00001) for CD in those who had gotten surgery of the mucosa-and-gut lymphoid tissue […]
Red Meat Consumption Tied to Higher Chance of UC Flare
ORLANDO – For people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), that hamburger may come with more than just a side of fries — red meat consumption was linked with a higher risk for ulcerative colitis (UC) flare, researchers reported. According to an analysis of data from the IBD Partners research, patients with UC who were in […]
National Database Study Finds Higher Risk for Barrett’s Esophagus in IBD
ORLANDO – People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) faced higher odds of Barrett’s esophagus (BE) and BE without dysplasia, but not BE-linked malignancy, according to a cross-sectional study. Among patients diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC), the prevalence of BE was 0.077%, while the prevalence of BE in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) came in at […]
CAR T-Cell Therapy Shows Promise in Advanced Kidney Cancer
ORLANDO — An off-the-shelf, allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting CD70 demonstrated antitumor activity in patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC), according to results from the phase I TRAVERSE trial. Three of 18 efficacy-evaluable patients (17%) responded to treatment with ALLO-316, and the disease control rate (DCR) reached 89%, reported […]
Robust PSA Drops With Radionuclide Therapy in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
ORLANDO — An investigational radionuclide therapy targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) achieved biochemical responses in 70% of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) reductions in all but one patient, enrolled in a small preliminary clinical trial. Overall, 22 of 23 patients had some degree of PSA decline in response to fractionated […]
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 […]
Therapeutic Use of Cannabis: Risks, Benefits, Legality
ORLANDO — As more patients seek cannabis products for pain relief and other indications, clinicians’ knowledge of the products, risks, and benefits becomes paramount in guiding safe and effective use, a primary care practitioner in pain management said here. As many as 80% of patients who seek medical cannabis want it for pain, and about […]
Effective Treatment of Obesity Begins With a Conversation
ORLANDO — Successful weight loss begins with a conversation that many clinicians never have with their patients, a primary care obesity specialist said here. Obesity has become widely recognized as a disease, but many clinicians and patients still do not approach the condition as a disease. Existing in medical and social environments of bias and […]