Most Immunocompromised Patients Clear Omicron Infections
Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infection during the Omicron period was uncommon among patients who were moderately to severely immunocompromised, a prospective multicenter study found. Among the 150 individuals included in the analysis, 25% had prolonged infection lasting 21 days or more as detected by RT-PCR, and only 8% had a positive viral culture at 21 days or […]
Apalutamide Makes Its Case in Biochemically Recurrent Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer
A 1-year period of intensified androgen receptor blockade prolonged prostate-specific antigen progression-free survival (PSA-PFS) compared with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) alone for patients with high-risk, biochemically recurrent prostate cancer, according to interim results from a phase III trial. In the three-arm PRESTO study, adding either apalutamide (Erleada) or apalutamide plus abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) and prednisone […]
Oral Cancer Patients Face Worse Outcomes With Delayed Radiation Therapy
MONTREAL – Most patients in a Canadian cohort had prolonged times to postoperative radiation therapy, and those delays were associated with worse survival outcomes, a multicenter study showed. Among 1,368 postsurgical patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma, 80% waited more than 42 days to start postoperative radiation therapy (S-PORT). Delays in starting RT were […]
Activity ‘snacks’ following meals may help maintain muscle mass
Interrupting prolonged sitting with periodic activity “snacks” may help maintain muscle mass and quality, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Toronto. Daniel Moore, an associate professor of muscle physiology at the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Eduction (KPE) who led the study, found that short bouts of activity, such as […]
‘Potential New Standard’ for Progressing Desmoid Tumors
PARIS — Progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly prolonged in patients with progressing desmoid tumors treated with an investigational gamma secretase inhibitor in a phase III trial. In the international DeFi study of more than 140 patients, risk for disease progression or death was reduced by 71% in the group randomized to nirogacestat, with a median […]
Demand Rising for ‘Bootlegged’ Weight-Loss Drug
Novo Nordisk’s weight management drug semaglutide (Wegovy) has been in prolonged short supply due to “unprecedented demand,” prompting increased — and questionable — interest in compounded formulations of the drug, physicians said. Endocrinologists and obesity medicine specialists have been sounding the alarm about what they say amounts to bootleg semaglutide, concerned about safety and quality […]
Longer Ischemia Time Not Tied to Higher Complication Rate in Free-Tissue Transfer
DALLAS – Prolonged ischemic time for free-tissue transfer in head and neck (H&N) reconstruction was not linked with intraoperative or postoperative complications, a researcher reported here. Among patients in the quartile of fastest times — a mean of 104 minutes of ischemic time in the free flap surgery — the postop complication rate was 21.3%, […]
Meta-Analysis Reaffirms Role of ADT With Radiotherapy in Prostate Cancer
CHICAGO — The use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in conjunction with radiotherapy, as well as its prolonged use in the adjuvant setting, improved metastasis-free survival (MFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with localized prostate cancer, a meta-analysis found. Adding ADT to radiotherapy significantly improved 12-year rates of MFS, the primary endpoint (HR 0.83, […]
Combo Treatment Extends Survival in HR+HER2- Advanced Breast Cancer
Adding the CDK 4/6 inhibitor ribociclib (Kisqali) to a first-line hormonal treatment prolonged survival by more than 1 year in postmenopausal women with HR-positive/HER2-negative (HR+HER2-) advanced breast cancer, according to results from the MONALEESA-2 trial. Final overall survival (OS) results showed that patients treated with ribociclib plus the aromatase inhibitor (AI) letrozole (Femara) achieved a […]
Adjuvant Pembrolizumab Boosts Recurrence-Free Survival in High-Risk Melanoma
Adjuvant pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for resected stage II melanoma significantly prolonged recurrence-free survival (RFS) compared with placebo, according to results from the KEYNOTE-716 trial. At a median follow-up of 14.4 months, pembrolizumab for resected stage IIB and IIC melanoma decreased the risk of disease recurrence or death by 35% compared with placebo (hazard ratio 0.65, 95% […]