Adding Atezolizumab Improves Survival in Advanced Cervical Cancer
First-line treatment with the anti-PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq) combined with bevacizumab (Avastin) and platinum-based chemotherapy significantly improved survival in patients with metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer, according to results of the phase III BEATcc trial. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 13.7 months with added atezolizumab compared with 10.4 months with the standard bevacizumab plus […]
Thalidomide Reduced Episodes of Recurrent GI Bleeding
Treatment with thalidomide led to a reduction in bleeding among patients with recurrent bleeding due to small-intestinal angiodysplasia (SIA), a randomized trial showed. In 150 patients, 68.6% of those who received 100-mg thalidomide daily for 4 months experienced a reduction of 50% or more in bleeding episodes in the year after treatment compared with 51% […]
Randomized Trial Backs HIF-2a Inhibition in Advanced RCC
MADRID — Treatment with the hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α) inhibitor belzutifan (Welireg) in advanced, heavily pretreated kidney cancer led to superior outcomes when compared with an older kinase inhibitor, a phase III trial demonstrated. Final progression-free survival (PFS) analysis showed a 26% reduction in disease progression or death with belzutifan versus everolimus (Afinitor), despite an […]
RET Inhibitor Posts Frontline Wins in Medullary Thyroid Cancer, NSCLC
MADRID — First-line treatment with the RET inhibitor selpercatinib (Retevmo) achieved superior outcomes in both medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) and advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to results from two phase III trials presented here. In the LIBRETTO-531 trial, selpercatinib resulted in superior progression-free survival (PFS) and treatment failure-free survival (TFFS) compared with the […]
Pembrolizumab in First-Line Boosts PFS in HER2-Positive Stomach Cancer
MADRID — Including pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in the first-line treatment of metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal cancer improved progression-free survival (PFS), but potential harm was seen in PD-L1-negative patients, the randomized KEYNOTE-811 trial showed. In patients receiving standard chemotherapy plus trastuzumab, median PFS improved from 8.1 months with placebo to 10.0 months with pembrolizumab (HR 0.73, […]
Virtual Obesity Treatment Program Led to Substantial Weight Loss in Real-World Study
DALLAS — A real-world virtual obesity treatment program that involved use of GLP-1 receptor agonists with intensive lifestyle interventions led to robust and sustained weight loss, according to an analysis of a cohort study. At 12 months, there was an average weight loss of 16.2% of body weight, with results sustained up to 24 months, […]
Single Dose of Antibiotic Cured Early Syphilis, Even in Those With HIV
BOSTON — One dose of benzathine penicillin G for the treatment of early syphilis was shown to be noninferior to a regimen of three weekly doses a week apart, even among people who are living with HIV, a randomized trial showed. At 6 months among patients with and without HIV, the cumulative response was 76% […]
Clinical Challenges: Determining When to Stop MS Therapy as Patients Age
Stopping multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment as patients age can be a fraught decision, but there are some signposts to help guide the way. This neurological disease of inflammatory damage to the brain most commonly starts in the second or third decade of life, and then by the fifth decade patients see declines in the frequency […]
Steroid Fails to Boost Survival in Advanced HIV Patients With TB Meningitis
Adding dexamethasone to treatment for tuberculous (TB) meningitis among heavily immunosuppressed HIV-positive patients in a low-resource setting did not significantly improve survival or confer any other measured benefits, a randomized controlled trial showed. Among 520 HIV-positive adults in Vietnam and Indonesia who received a year of chemotherapy for TB meningitis, 44.1% of those who also […]
Trial Design, Treatment Options Spotlighted in Xylazine Conference
Longer observation periods following treatment and safety considerations for chronic and frequent users are among the many research issues about xylazine-laced fentanyl that need addressing, Rachel Wightman, MD, said at a meeting on mitigating risks from human xylazine exposure sponsored by the Reagan-Udall Foundation. “I take care of patients that are using fentanyl 10 plus […]