Oncology News and Research

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Oncology, meaning bulk, mass, or tumor, and the suffix ''-logy'', meaning "study of") is a branch of medicine that deals with tumors (cancer). A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''.

Targeted agent pacritinib significantly reduces burden of advanced myelofibrosis in patients

Use of the targeted agent pacritinib significantly reduced the symptoms and burden of advanced myelofibrosis in patients, says a Mayo Clinic researcher who co-led PERSIST-1, the worldwide phase III clinical trial that tested the therapy. Specifically, pacritinib substantially reduced severe enlargement of the spleen, a typical feature of advanced myelofibrosis, in more than 20 percent of patients and alleviated debilitating side effects in more than 46 percent.

30 May 2015

Ibrutinib and chemotherapy reduce risk of death in patients with CLL or SLL

Because of the significant benefit found in combining the targeted drug ibrutinib with standard chemotherapy for relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), an interim analysis has closed the international HELIOS phase III clinical trial.

30 May 2015

ESMO Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale assists oncology clinicians in evaluating anti-cancer medicines

ESMO, the European Society for Medical Oncology, has announced today the publication of the ESMO Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS), a tool to assist oncology clinicians in evaluating the most effective anti-cancer medicines for their patients.

30 May 2015

Positive results from pacritinib Phase 3 trial for treatment of myelofibrosis presented at ASCO 2015

CTI BioPharma Corp. and Baxter International's Bioscience business today announced data from PERSIST-1 – a randomized Phase 3 registration-directed trial examining pacritinib for the treatment of myelofibrosis – in a late-breaking oral session at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, May 29-June 2, 2015 in Chicago, Ill.

30 May 2015

Daratumumab achieves 29.2% overall response rate in heavily pre-treated patients with multiple myeloma

Data from the international, multi-center, open-label, two-part, single-arm Phase 2 MMY2002 (SIRIUS) trial show treatment with single-agent daratumumab – an investigational, human anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody – achieved an overall response rate (ORR) of 29.2 percent (95% CI, 20.8-38.9), as assessed by an independent review committee, in heavily pre-treated patients with multiple myeloma.

30 May 2015

Mistakes in mismatch repair genes may accurately predict response to certain immunotherapy drugs

In a report of a proof-of-principle study of patients with colon and other cancers for whom standard therapies failed, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say that mistakes in so-called mismatch repair genes, first identified by Johns Hopkins and other scientists two decades ago, may accurately predict who will respond to certain immunotherapy drugs known as PD-1 inhibitors. Such drugs aim to disarm systems developed by cancer cells to evade detection and destruction by immune system cells.

30 May 2015

RPCI-led research team to share clinical results of entolimod drug at ASCO 2015

A collaborative team of researchers led by Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, FACP, of Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) will share results from the first clinical study of the anticancer effects of the novel agent entolimod at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 51st Annual Meeting in Chicago.

30 May 2015

Penn researchers to present clinical data at 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting

Researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn's Perelman School of Medicine will present results from several clinical trials and other key studies during the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting from May 29 through June 2.

30 May 2015

Multiplatform biomarker analysis reveals new therapeutic options for squamous cell anal carcinomas

While squamous cell anal carcinomas are rare, representing only about 2% of digestive-system cancer diagnoses, these cancers, which are associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV), sometimes prove very difficult to treat, recurring or developing metastases following standard treatment.

30 May 2015

Brain Tumor Biotech Summit held in Manhattan on 29 May, 2015

Voices Against Brain Cancer, a national non-profit organization committed to finding a cure for brain cancer and brain tumors, and the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Long Island, will be hosting a Brain Tumor Biotech Summit on Friday, May 29th, 2015 at Lenox Hill Hospital's Einhorn Auditorium in Manhattan.

30 May 2015

Acupuncture-like TENS may be effective for treating radiation-induced xerostomia

Phase III results of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0537 indicate that acupuncture-like, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (ALTENS) may be equally effective as pilocarpine, the current prescription medication in a pill, to treat radiation-induced xerostomia (dry mouth), according to a study published in the June 1, 2015 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics (Red Journal), the official scientific journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

30 May 2015

Modified herpes virus improves survival in melanoma patients

University of Louisville researcher Jason Chesney, M.D., Ph.D., deputy director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, and a team of international scientists found that stage IIIb to IV melanoma patients treated with a modified cold sore (herpes) virus had improved survival.

30 May 2015

Ventana, Halozyme partner to develop companion diagnostic assay for cancer treatment

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. and Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today a global agreement to collaborate on the development of, and for Ventana to ultimately commercialize, a companion diagnostic assay for use with Halozyme's investigational new drug, PEGPH20

30 May 2015

MD Anderson Cancer Center's Jim Allison to receive Science of Oncology Award at ASCO 2015

The world's leading organization of oncologists will honor Jim Allison, Ph.D., for his pioneering research that led to a new way to treat cancer by unleashing an immune system attack rather than targeting tumors directly.

30 May 2015

Doctor Evidence to contribute valuable clinical data to IBM Watson's oncology solutions, developer ecosystem

Today, Doctor Evidence, a clinical health research data provider, announced a content partnership with IBM Watson to contribute valuable clinical cancer research content to Watson's oncology solutions and developer ecosystem.

30 May 2015

Study shows increased sexual dysfunction in women following gynecologic cancer treatment

A University of Colorado Cancer Center study presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2015 shows decreased sexual activity in women following treatment for gynecologic cancers, down from 6.1-6.8 times per month before treatment to 2.6-4.9 times per month after treatment.

30 May 2015

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) effective in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer

Immunotherapy with the anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was effective in one out of four patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer, according to results presented at the 2015 meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.

30 May 2015

Myriad Genetics to highlight new clinical studies on myRisk Hereditary Cancer test at ASCO 2015

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced it will highlight several new clinical studies on its myRisk Hereditary Cancer molecular diagnostic test at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting being held in Chicago, Ill.

30 May 2015

Myriad Genetics announces new clinical studies on myChoice HRD companion diagnostic test at ASCO 2015

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced new clinical studies on its myChoice HRD companion diagnostic test at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting being held in Chicago, Ill.

30 May 2015

Roche’s immunotherapy MPDL3280A better than chemotherapy in improving overall survival in NSCLC patients

Data to be presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology suggest that the investigational immunotherapy MPDL3280A may double the likelihood of overall survival in the study period (HR=0.47), compared with docetaxel chemotherapy, in individuals with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who expressed the highest levels of PD-L1 (a receptor present on cancer cells).

30 May 2015

Oncology News and Research

Further Reading

Targeted agent pacritinib significantly reduces burden of advanced myelofibrosis in patients

Ibrutinib and chemotherapy reduce risk of death in patients with CLL or SLL

ESMO Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale assists oncology clinicians in evaluating anti-cancer medicines

Positive results from pacritinib Phase 3 trial for treatment of myelofibrosis presented at ASCO 2015

Daratumumab achieves 29.2% overall response rate in heavily pre-treated patients with multiple myeloma

Mistakes in mismatch repair genes may accurately predict response to certain immunotherapy drugs

RPCI-led research team to share clinical results of entolimod drug at ASCO 2015

Penn researchers to present clinical data at 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting

Multiplatform biomarker analysis reveals new therapeutic options for squamous cell anal carcinomas

Brain Tumor Biotech Summit held in Manhattan on 29 May, 2015

Acupuncture-like TENS may be effective for treating radiation-induced xerostomia

Modified herpes virus improves survival in melanoma patients

Ventana, Halozyme partner to develop companion diagnostic assay for cancer treatment

MD Anderson Cancer Center's Jim Allison to receive Science of Oncology Award at ASCO 2015

Doctor Evidence to contribute valuable clinical data to IBM Watson's oncology solutions, developer ecosystem

Study shows increased sexual dysfunction in women following gynecologic cancer treatment

Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) effective in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer

Myriad Genetics to highlight new clinical studies on myRisk Hereditary Cancer test at ASCO 2015

Myriad Genetics announces new clinical studies on myChoice HRD companion diagnostic test at ASCO 2015

Roche’s immunotherapy MPDL3280A better than chemotherapy in improving overall survival in NSCLC patients

A best-practice guide for laboratory services in oncology trials eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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