Adding Docetaxel to RT Improves Survival in Cisplatin-Ineligible Head & Neck Cancer
Adding docetaxel to radiation therapy (RT) improved survival outcomes in cisplatin-ineligible patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a phase III randomized trial showed. At a median follow-up of 32.4 months, the 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 42% with docetaxel plus RT and 30.3% with RT alone (HR 0.673, 95% CI […]
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Promising for Crohn’s Fistulas
DENVER — Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can help heal bowel fistulas in patients with advanced Crohn’s disease, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. Overall, use of HBOT was associated with a 87% clinical response rate for all fistula subtypes, with more than half of the patients achieving clinical remission, or closure of the fistula […]
Long-Acting HIV Drug Promising for Treatment-Naive Patients
Lenacapavir (Sunlenca) given every 26 weeks along with daily antiretroviral therapy (ART) suppressed HIV on par with conventional regimens in the first-line setting in the phase II CALIBRATE trial. Viral suppression to fewer than 50 copies/mL at week 54 was 85-90% across all three groups given the drug whether orally or subcutaneously every 26 weeks […]
Novel Capsid Inhibitor Approved for Super-Refractory HIV
The FDA approved lenacapavir (Sunlenca) in combination with antiretroviral therapy (ART) for heavily pretreated HIV-1 patients with drug-resistant infections, and for those who cannot tolerate other available options. Lenacapavir, a first-in-class long-acting HIV capsid inhibitor, is initially administered via oral tablets (300 mg) and subcutaneous shots (463.5 mg/1.5 mL), which are then followed by maintenance […]
Can Biomarkers Give Early Heads-Up on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Myocarditis?
In the quest to catch myocarditis earlier during immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy for cancer, researchers have found a potential role for routinely measured biomarkers. Of 2,606 consecutive ICI recipients at Michigan Medicine, the 1% who developed myocarditis often or always had elevated high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT; 100%), alanine aminotransferase (ALT; 88.9%), aspartate aminotransferase (AST; […]
OS Benefit Eludes Second-Line Niraparib Maintenance in Ovarian Cancer
For women with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer, maintenance therapy using an individualized starting dose of niraparib (Zejula) did not improve overall survival (OS) despite producing a statistically and clinically significant progression-free survival (PFS) benefit in the phase III NORA study. An interim analysis of the key secondary endpoint showed a median OS of 46.3 months […]
FDA Approves First Gene Therapy for Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
The FDA has approved nadofaragene firadenovec (Adstiladrin) as the first gene therapy for the treatment of high-risk bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), the agency announced on Friday. An adenoviral vector-based product, nadofaragene firadenovec, is specifically indicated for adult patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary tumors. Approval was based on […]
Topical Gene Therapy Heals Blistering Skin Disease Lesions
A novel topical gene therapy healed most lesions among patients with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic blistering skin disease, the GEM-3 trial showed. Topical administration of beremagene geperpavec (B-VEC) led to complete healing of 67% of treated wounds as compared with 22% of those exposed to placebo at 6 months (P=0.002), reported M. Peter […]
Is There A Best Time Of Day For Therapy? Here’s What Therapists Say.
There are a few crucial items to figure out when starting therapy ― like finding a therapist who you trust, picking the best treatment modality, and figuring out a way to fit a session into your schedule. When it comes to the latter, the time you choose may be more influential than you think. Is […]
Metastasis-Directed Therapy May Delay ADT in Advanced Prostate Cancer
Metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) in selected patients with recurrent oligometastatic prostate cancer led to PSA responses in a majority of patients and delayed initiation of hormonal therapy by 18 months, a retrospective study showed. Overall, 77 of 124 patients had PSA declines of more than 50% with surgery or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). In particular, […]