BRAF-MEK Inhibition Achieves ‘Near Universal’ Response in Rare Brain Tumor
Targeted BRAF-MEK inhibition resulted in a response in nearly all patients with untreated BRAF V600E–mutated papillary craniopharyngioma, according to results from a small phase II study. Of 16 evaluable patients treated with the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib (Zelboraf) and the MEK inhibitor cobimetinib (Cotellic) over several monthly cycles, 15 had a durable, objective partial response or […]
Chemo-Free Approach Works in Subset of Patients With HER2+ Early Breast Cancer
CHICAGO — An “adaptive response” treatment strategy identified a subset of patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer who benefited from a chemotherapy-free treatment plan, according to the phase II PHERGain trial. The strategy is based on evaluating an early response to a dual HER2 blockade with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and pertuzumab (Perjeta) with 18F-FDG PET imaging […]
4 Signs You’re Experiencing Secondhand Stress (And What To Do About It)
Hispanolistic via Getty Images It’s a human response to absorb other people’s emotions during tough situations, but that can lead to issues like secondhand stress. It can be easy to get swept up in other people’s problems or in situations that are largely out of your control. “At a fundamental level, we are social creatures. […]
Study Suggests Potential to Skip Surgery for Selected Breast Cancer Patients
Women who chose not to have surgery after a pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant therapy for early HER2-positive or triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) had no recurrences during the first 2 years of follow-up, a small prospective study showed. Overall, 31 of 50 (62%) women had no evidence of residual disease by image-guided vacuum-assisted core […]
Second-Line CAR-T Impresses in Transplant-Ineligible Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Treatment with second-line lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel; Breyanzi) yielded a response rate of 80% for patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) who were not candidates for hematopoietic stem cell transplant, the phase II PILOT study showed. Among 61 evaluable patients with PET-positive disease, 54% achieved a complete response with the chimeric antigen receptor […]
Novel biomaterial prevents rejection of transplants for type 1 diabetes: Clinical trial is planned based on results from preclinical study.
In type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune response attacks the pancreas’s insulin-producing beta cells, leading to marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Lifelong daily insulin treatments are standard for patients, but replacing lost beta cells through transplants of islets, a group of cells in the pancreas, represents an attractive option. This strategy requires that patients take […]
‘Keto’ molecule may be useful in preventing and treating colorectal cancer, study suggests
A molecule produced in the liver in response to low-carb “ketogenic” diets has a powerful effect in suppressing colorectal tumor growth and may be useful as a preventive and treatment of such cancers, according to a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In the study, published […]
CMS Revamps Direct Contracting Model
In response to feedback from stakeholders, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on Thursday that it will cancel one direct contracting accountable care organization (ACO) model and replace a second direct contacting model with a redesigned version focused on improving health equity for patients. Stakeholder groups shared clashing responses to the new […]
COVID Vax Response Still Impaired in Some MS Patients After Third Shot
Immune response was attenuated after a third COVID-19 vaccine dose for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients taking certain disease-modifying treatments, interim data from a longitudinal study showed. Two weeks after a third shot, many MS patients on anti-CD20 drugs and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators still had significantly reduced total spike and receptor-binding domain (RBD) antibody responses, […]
Haunted-house experience scares up interesting insights on the body’s reaction to threats
The so-called fight-or-flight response is evolution’s way of preparing the body to defend itself or flee from a real or perceived threat, like a lion in the tall grass or — in modern times — an overdue performance review. Scientists have struggled to study the effects of genuine threats on people’s mental and physical state […]