Women with HPV-positive vulvar cancer have longer survival

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CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 28, 2017 – An analysis of 18 studies of vulvar cancer involving 1,638 women showed longer survival for women who had been infected with the human papilloma virus (HPV) than women who did not have the infection, say researchers.

The study published online Nov. 16 ahead of the December 2017 issue of the International Journal of Cancer  was led by Dr. Christina Rasmussen of the Danish Cancer Society Research Center in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

New drug breaks down chemo resistance for some pancreatic tumors

Dr. Sunil Hingorani led a clinical trial of the drug PEGPH20

CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 22, 2017 – A new drug that breaks down resistance to chemo in pancreatic cancer tumors has shown promise in making progress in the the highly fatal cancer.

In a phase 2 clinical trial aimed at determining effectiveness, researchers led by Dr. Sunil Hingornai of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, showed the drug PEGPH20 added to treatment with a combination chemotherapy regimen of paclitaxel and gemcitabine increased overall survival by 3 months. The study was published online Dec. 12, 2017 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

New drug shows promise in a variety cancers

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CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 16, 2016 – A new drug that targets the protein made by a mutation of a gene common to many cancers has shown activity against a variety of tumor types, according to researchers.

The study presents the early results of a first phase clinical trial that aims to establish safe and effective doses of the drug, called ulixertinib. Such phase I clinical trials test a range of doses to determine first, whether the drug can slow or halt the progress of the cancer, and determine the side effects as well. The study results appear in Cancer Discovery, the journal of the American Association of Cancer Research.

Screening has little affect on breast cancer deaths

CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 9, 2017 – A French study of the breast screening program in the Netherlands found that screening for breast cancer every two years produced a 5 percent reduction in cancer deaths compared to a 28 percent reduction in death from improved treatments.

The finding challenges a the current guidelines in the U.S. and other countries that recommend mammography exams every two years for women 50-75. The study was published in the Dec. 5, 2017 British Medical Journal.