Results from an exploratory biomarker analysis evaluating MET expression as a predictor of clinical response to rilotumumab (AMG 102) conducted on a previously reported Phase II study of rilotumumab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal cancer, showed that treatment with the trial drug in combination with chemotherapy improved median overall survival (OS) in patients whose tumors exhibited high MET protein expression. Full results of the…

A subpopulation analysis of data from two phase III studies shows that
fidaxomicin (Dificid®,
Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)tablets offered faster diarrheal symptom improvement than oral vancomycin in patients with cancer being treated for clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea or…

Updated results from a Phase II study that showed treatment with blinatumomab (AMG 103/MT103,
Amgen, Inc/Micromet AG,) helped achieve a high-rate of complete response (CR) in 72% of adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated in the study.



Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive cancer of…

The first head-to-head comparison of high throughput sequencing (HTS) using immunoSEQ™ (Adaptive Biotechnologies and traditional flow cytometry conducted in collaboration with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington Department…

For the first time, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have peered inside a living mouse cell and mapped the processes that power the celebrated health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. More profoundly, they say their findings suggest it may be possible to manipulate these processes to short-circuit inflammation before it begins, or at least help to resolve inflammation before it becomes…

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have identified a new biomarker and therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer, an often-fatal disease for which there is currently no reliable method for early detection or therapeutic intervention. The study, supported by the…

The first cohort in a U.S. multi-center Phase 1b dose-escalation trial of a novel cancer-targeted molecular radiotherapeutic compound (I-131-CLR1404; Novelos Therapeutics, Inc.), in cancer patients with advanced solid tumors has been successfully completed. The first two-patient cohort was successfully dosed with approximately 20 mCi of I-131-CLR1404, triggering enrollment into the second cohort at approximately 40…

The UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), an independent organisation responsible for providing national (UK) guidance and standards on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health, has confirmed its decision not to approve cabazitaxel (Jevtana®;Black Triangle Drug; Sanofi) for use by the NHS. The decision followw an appeal from Sanofi and could effectively prevent…

Earlier today, the today European Commission confirmed that it has approved a conditional marketing authorization pixantrone (Pixuvri®, Cell Therapeutics), also known as BBR 2778, as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with multiply relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphomas.

 

Pixantrone is a novel…

In response to today's Perspective pieces published in the New England Journal Of Medicine (NEJM), the National Bone Health Alliance (NBHA), a public-private partnership bringing together the expertise and resources of its 42 members from the private and non-profit sectors to collectively advance bone health and prevent disease, commends the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)…

Young adults are increasing their risk for developing skin cancer, according to two studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).



One study, of people aged 18-29, found that 50% reported at least one sunburn in the past year, despite an increase in protective behaviors such as sunscreen use, seeking shade, and wearing long clothing to the ankles. Another study reported that indoor tanning is…

Health care reform, specifically the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, is transforming the way patients and doctors will interact as our healthcare system digitizes health information. For cancer patients, new technology will give them easier access to their medical records and personalized health information when it's most relevant…

Researchers studying the molecular signals that drive a specific type of lymphoma have discovered a key biological pathway leading to this type of cancer. Cancerous cells have been described as being "addicted" to certain oncogenes or cancer-causing genes, and the new research may lay the groundwork for breaking that addiction and effectively treating aggressive types of B cell lymphoma.



B cell lymphomas, which occur both in children and adults, are cancers that…

Earlier today, Oncolytics Biotech Inc, a Calgary-based biotechnology company focused on the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancer therapeutics, and NCIC Clinical Trials Group (CTG) at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, announced that they will collaborate in a randomized Phase II study of Reolysin® in patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer.



This trial is a…

A study published in the May 2012 issue of Cosmetic Dermatology may offer hope for patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer of eye lids. The study looked at 11 patients who received radiation therapy for nonmelanoma skin cancers of the eyelid in the last three years. Each of the patients involved in the study, led by Gary L. Marder, DO, FAOCD, received hyperfractionation treatments (where radiation is divided into smaller doses…

Postmenopausal women who were overweight or obese and lost at least 5% of their body weight had a measurable reduction in markers of inflammation, according to a study published in the May 1, 2012 edition of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (…