New treatment for GVHD could benefit some COVID-19 patients

Image credit – UC Davis Health

CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 26, 2021 – New research shows promise of significantly limiting one of the most severe complications of stem cell transplants for cancer, called graft vs host disease.

Findings show more colorectal cancer patients may benefit from immunotherapy

RAS Mutations in green were found
to be immunotherapy sensitive

CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 19, 2021 – More colorectal cancer patients may be eligible for immunotherapy than previously thought, a new study shows.

Colorectal patients with certain cancer promoting mutations currently are not offered targeted immunotherapy because their tumors have mutations thought to cause resistance to such drugs. 

New research however at the Salk Institute, led by Edward Stites, MD, challenges the blanket contraindication for these patients. The study was published Dec. 14, 2021 in the journal Cell Reports.

New treatment boosts survival in high-risk neuroblastoma

CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 11, 2021 – Using a modified monoclonal antibody in combination with immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and stem cell transplantation, improved survival by 20 percent in children with high-risk neuroblastoma, results of a small clinical trial show.

Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer of immature nerve cells and is diagnosed in about 700 people, mostly children under age 5, in the U.S. each year according to the American Cancer Society.

New biomarker could boost survival in 30 percent of brain cancer patients

MRI of glioblastoma – photo credit Wikipedia

CANCER DIGEST  – Dec. 4, 2021 –Clinical research is painstakingly incremental with many clinical trials that fail to show an overall advance in survival, but instead identify small subsets of patients who to gain a significant benefit from a particular therapeutic approach or a new drug.

In a recent clinical trial of immunotherapy for glioblastoma, the most common and deadly form of brain cancer, there was no overall survival benefit shown in the group of patients treated, however, the researchers found that a subset of the patients did show a strong response and long-term survival.

Adding low-dose radiation to immunotherapy may overcome treatment resistance

CANCER DIGEST – Nov. 27, 2021 – Adding radiotherapy to immunotherapy significantly boosted response rates for treatment resistant forms of colorectal and pancreatic cancer with 37 percent of colorectal cancer patients and 29 percent of pancreatic cancer responding in a new early clinical trial under way at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“This is an impressive clinical result given that historically, these cancers respond in the low single digit percentage range,” senior author David T. Ting, MD, said in a press release.

Surviving childhood cancer carries long-term health effects

Video credit – University College London

CANCER DIGEST – Nov. 19, 2021 – Children treated for cancer had five times as many visits to the doctor or hospital for cardiovascular disease as similar people who did not have cancer, a new study shows.

Younger patient with lymphoma subtype live longer with ibrutinib added to therapy

The addition of ibrutinib to R-CHOP chemo-
therapy improved overall survival among
trial participants aged 60 and younger. –
Credit NCI

CANCER DIGEST – Nov. 6, 2021 – In a surprising result, researchers have found that adding ibrutinib (Imbruvica®), a targeted therapy, to chemotherapy can improve survival for young people with a type of the most common form of lymphoma, a new analysis in the Nov. 4, 2021 Cancer Cell shows.

The results stem from the PHOENIX clinical trial testing the combination of standard chemotherapy with the targeted therapy ibrutinib in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common type of lymphoma comprising 40 percent of all lymphomas in the world.

Mammograms starting at age 40 could cut cancer deaths in black women

Photo credit – University of Georgetown Media Department

CANCER DIGEST – Oct. 23, 2021 – A new statistical model based on existing data and self-reported race demographics shows that if black women begin mammography screening every other year at age 40, the number of breast cancer deaths among black women could be reduced by 57 percent compared to starting such screening at age 50.

Moderate exercise could prevent 46,000 cancer cases annually

Photo credit – Vijay.shivu via Wikipedia Creative Commons

CANCER DIGEST – Oct. 16, 2021 – More than 46,000 cancer cases annually could be prevented in the US if people could manage to get just five hours of moderate exercise per week, a new analysis shows.

Gut bacteria may fuel prostate cancer

Section of a mouse gut. Credit–Kevin Mackenzie, University of Aberdeen

CANCER DIGEST – Oct. 10, 2021 – New research shows that gut bacteria can compensate for androgen deprivation therapy often used in prostate cancer to block hormone driven cancer growth. The findings show that low androgen levels resulted in growth of gut bacteria that become hormone factories, thus providing an alternative source of cancer growth-producing hormones.

Key to treating lung cancer in never-smokers identified

An image of a lung tumor in a patient who never smoked

Image credit Washington University

CANCER DIGEST – Oct. 2, 2021 – Lung cancer in people who have never smoked has long been a mystery to researchers, and although they still are working to understand the origin of these cancer, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found that these tumors are treatable with existing therapies.

Can gut bacteria predict colon cancer?

The study suggests that the presence of a certain type
of bacteria called B. fragilis might push gut tissue toward
inflammation rather than protect from it.

CANCER DIGEST – Sept. 18, 2021 – Can the presence of certain types of bacteria in the gut predict the formation of colon polyps? That’s the question Dr. William De Paolo, at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle asks.

Extended antibiotics use linked to colon cancer

CANCER DIGEST – Sept. 7, 2021 – Researchers at Umea University in Sweden have found that both men and women who took antibiotics for over six months ran a 17 percent greater risk of developing cancer of the ascending or upper colon than similar patients who were not prescribed antibiotics. The study was published in the Sept. 1, 2021 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Higher vitamin D intake linked to lower colorectal cancer risk in younger women

CANCER DIGEST – Aug. 21, 2021 – Another study has shown a protective effect of vitamin D against colorectal cancer. The latest shows that consuming higher amounts of vitamin D, mainly from dietary sources, may protect against colorectal cancer in younger people.

The study led by Kimmie Ng MD, MPH and Edward Giovannucci, MD, DSc of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute involved analyzing data from the Nurses’ Health Study II an ongoing study of 94,205 women 25-42 years old. It was published online July 6, 2021 in the journal Gastroenterology.

New combination test could make prostate cancer screening reality

CANCER DIGEST – Aug. 14, 2021 – A new blood test algorithm developed in Sweden combined with MRI could be used for effective prostate cancer screening, say researchers at the Karolinska Institute.

 

In a study led by Tobias Nordstrom and published online Aug. 12, 2021 in Lancet Oncology, 12,750 men from Stockholm were given the PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test that was analyzed using the Stockholm3 algorithm, which looks for a specific combination of protein markers, genetic markers and clinical data.

Common cholesterol drug may boost survival in some breast cancer patients

CANCER DIGEST – Aug. 6, 2021 – Statins used to lower cholesterol may increase survival in women with a rare aggressive form of breast cancer, a new study shows.

Electromagnetic waves successfully shrink cancerous brain tumor

CANCER DIGEST – July 24, 2021 – A brain cancer patient who had previously undergone surgery, chemotherapy and an experimental gene therapy to no avail, achieved a 31% reduction in his tumor through use a new therapy, called oncomagnetics that bathes the tumor in electromagnetic waves.

The case study published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology by researchers at Houston Methodist Neurological Institute showed the promising therapy worked as promised in pre-clinical studies. A single case study is a long way from becoming a treatment option that can be offered to others, but it does show that the treatment was effective in a human subject.

International study links alcohol and cancer

CANCER DIGEST – July 16, 2021 – A new study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has found a link between alcohol use and several cancers including breast, colon, and cancers of the mouth.

The study involved data on alcohol exposure from almost all countries of the world compiled by surveys and alcohol sales statistics. The data were combined with relative risk estimates based on level of alcohol consumption. The study is published online July 13, 2021 in the journal Lancet Oncology.

Most cancer patients develop anti-COVID-19 response after vaccination

CANCER DIGEST – July 10, 2021 – Nearly all cancer patients in a US and Swiss study developed an adequate immune response to COVID-19 following the second dose of vaccine, a new study shows.

A small number of participants, most with cancers of the blood or who had been treated with an immunotherapy drug, however, showed no immune response after vaccination. 

COVID vaccine maker BioNTech launches phase 2 cancer vaccine trial

CANCER DIGEST – June 19, 2021 – BioNTech, the maker of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, has turned its mRNA-based vaccine technology to cancer and has launched a phase 2 clinical trial to treat patients with relapsed melanoma that can’t be treated surgically.

The first dose of the BNT111 vaccine was given in combination with cemiplimab (Libtayo), a monoclonal antibody drug, in patients with melanoma that has not responded to other treatments. The clinical trial will enroll 120 patients to evaluate the effects of the combination treatment as well as the vaccine and Libtayo drug alone.

Drug offers new hope for high-risk BRCA patients

Click for OlympiA Clinical Trial video

CANCER DIGEST – June 5, 2021 – Early results show that for the first time a new therapy approach significantly reduced the risk of cancer returning after treatment in high-risk patients with mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. 

The study was reported in the June 3, 2021 New England Journal of Medicine.

Agency lowers age for beginning colorectal screening to 45

Click to play video

Cancer Digest -- May 21, 2021 -- With the recent rise in colorectal cancer cases in younger people the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), has lowered its recommendation for colorectal cancer screening from age 50 to 45.

The agency published its new guideline in the May 18, 2021 issue of JAMA, re-aligning it with those of the American Cancer Society, which lowered the age for initial screening to 45 years in 2018.

Ovarian cancer screening fails to reduce deaths

CANCER DIGEST – May 15, 2021 – One of the largest trials ever conducted to screen women for ovarian cancer failed to reduce deaths from the disease, a new analysis shows.

The UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening followed more than 200,000 women ages 50 to 74 for an average of 16 years. A third of the women underwent no screening, a third underwent annual ultrasound screens and the final third underwent blood tests and ultrasound scans.

Sugary drinks linked to increased risk of early-onset colorectal cancer in young women

CANCER DIGEST – May 8, 2021 – Young women who drank two or more servings per day had just over twice the risk of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 50 than those who drank much less, a new study finds.

The study led by Yin Cao, ScD, an associate professor of surgery and of medicine in the Division of Public Health Sciences at Washington University analyzed data from 41,000 participants in the Nurses' Health Study II, a large population study tracked the health of nearly 116,500 female nurses from 1991 to 2015. The study appears in the May 6 journal Gut.

T cell therapy effective against painful complication of stem cell transplants

Image credit MD Anderson

CANCER DIGEST – May 3, 2021 – An infusion of specific T cells from healthy donors were safe and effective as an off-the-shelf therapy for a common painful complication of allogeneic (donor) stem cell patients, a new clinical trial shows. The study appears in the April 30, 2021 Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Mushroom consumption may protect against cancer

CANCER DIGEST – April 24, 2021 – People who eat mushrooms daily have a lower risk of breast cancer in particular, and any cancer overall, compared to similar people who don't consume fungi, a new study shows.

Movement disorder drug may prevent skin cancer recurrence

Image credit – Ohio State University

CANCER DIGEST – April 18, 2021 – A drug already approved for treatment of Parkinson’s and other neurotransmitter disorders may be effective in reducing skin cancer recurrence, say researchers at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. Their findings appear in the April 12, journal Cancer Prevention Research.

Dual targeted CAR T-cell approach shows promise of reducing resistant relapse

The diagram above represents the process of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR).
Image credit – Reyasingh56 via Wikipedia Creative Commons license.

CANCER DIGEST – April 10, 2021 – Early results from a small clinical trial involving 5 patients to test safety of a dual targeted immunotherapy approach has shown promise of minimizing treatment resistance, a group of UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers report.

Morning chemo may boost survival for brain cancer patients

Photo credit – Washington University School of Medicine 

CANCER DIGEST – April 4, 2021 – Switching treatment to mornings may add months of survival to patients treated for an aggressive form of brain cancer, a new study shows.

The study involved a look back at the treatment of 166 patients treated for glioblastoma at Washington University School of Medicine. The treatments included surgery, chemoradiation and a chemotherapy regimen using Temozolomide (TMZ). 

Three-fold increase in remission for multiple myeloma patients receiving new version CAR T-cell therapy

Illustration of CAR T-cell therapy courtesy of UT Southwestern
Medical Center

CANCER DIGEST – March 20, 2021 – A new version of CAR T-cell therapy provided a three-fold increase in length of remission for patients with multiple myeloma who have relapsed multiple times, according to results of an international study.

The study conducted in the US, Canada and Europe involved 128 patients with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow that steadily reduces the ability of the immune system cells to protect body from infections. The results were published in the Feb. 25, 2021 New England Journal of Medicine.

Review finds benefits of lung cancer screening outweigh harms

CANCER DIGEST – March 13, 2021 – Lung cancer screening with computed tomography or CT scans does detect early lung cancers and reduce deaths due to lung cancer, but it is not without some adverse consequences, according to a comprehensive review by University of North Carolina researchers.The review is published in JAMA on March 9, 2021.

"Applying screening tests to a population without symptoms of disease can certainly benefit some people but also has the potential for some harms," said lead author Daniel Jonas, MD, MPH, who conducted most of this research while he was a professor at the UNC School of Medicine. "In the case of lung cancer screening, we now have more certainty that some individuals will benefit, with some lung cancer deaths prevented, and we also know others will be harmed."

Walking pace may be linked to cancer survival

Photo credit – Washington University news

CANCER DIGEST – March 6, 2021 – Slow walking appears to be linked to higher risk of dying of any cause for patients who have survived cancer, a new study shows.

"To our knowledge, this analysis is the first to explore the relationship between cancer, walking pace and subsequent mortality in 15 different cancer types," said Elizabeth Salerno, PhD, who conducted this research while a postdoctoral researcher at the NCI. "Next steps include identifying the underlying reasons for these associations. It's possible that slow walking may be due to the cancer itself, adverse effects of treatment, or changes in lifestyle.

New drug shows significant boost in liver cancer survival

CANCER DIGEST – Feb. 20, 2021 – People with advanced liver cancer survived six months longer with a new immunotherapy drug given in combination a current treatment compared to those treated with the standard treatment, new data presented at the Digital Liver Cancer Summit Feb. 6 shows.

"These are highly significant findings for the treatment of patients with HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma)," Richard Finn MD of Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center UCLA, and lead author of the study said in a press release. "Many thousands of patients worldwide could benefit from this treatment and it can be considered a major breakthrough - the first improvement in treatment for these types of cases in 13 years and a treatment long awaited by doctors."

New drug to treat pancreatic cancer set for clinical trials

Zhi-Ren Liu, Professor Biology

CANCER DIGEST – Feb. 13, 2021 – A new drug that has been shown effective against pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancer in mice is set to begin clinical trials later this year.

The drug called ProAgio was developed by Georgia State University biology professor Zhi-Ren Lui and his team. The results of the mouse studies were published Jan. 1, 2021 in the journal Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Fecal transplants boost response to immunotherapy in melanoma patients

Introducing certain fecal microorganisms into 

a patient’s colon may help the patient respond

 to immunotherapy drugs. Credit: iStock

CANCER DIGEST – Feb. 6, 2021 – Transferring some of the microorganisms in the intestines from patients whose melanoma responded to an immunotherapy drug into patients whose melanoma didn’t respond boosted the effect of the drug, according to results of a small pilot study to test the concept.

The researchers led by Giorgio Trinchieri, M.D. chief of the Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research conducted the study in 15 patients at the University of of Pittsburgh Hillman Cancer Center. The study appears in the Feb. 5, 2021 Science.

A personalized cancer vaccine provides durable protection against melanoma

Patrick Ott, MD, PhD and Cathy Wu, MD
photo credit– Dana Farber

CANCER DIGEST – Jan. 23, 2021 – Melanoma patients who received a therapeutic vaccine tailored to their cancer show continued immune response to the cancer four years after treatment, a new study shows.

The small study involved eight patients who had undergone surgery for advanced melanoma but were considered at high risk of recurrence. Each received injections of NeoVax, a median of 18 weeks after surgery. 

Cancer deaths see biggest one-year drop in history

CANCER DIGEST – Jan. 15, 2021 – Declining deaths from cancer set a record for a 1-year drop in the latest report by the American Cancer Society. The 2.4 percent decline from 2017 to 2018 was the fastest decline ever recorded.

The 2.4 percent drop in cancer deaths follows a steady 31 percent decline in cancer deaths over the past two decades from 1991  to 2018. The cancer death rate peaked in 1991 at 215 deaths per 100,000 people. 

Despite the declining deaths, the report estimates that in the US in 2021, almost 1.9 million new cancers cases will be diagnosed and more than 600,000 people will die from the disease. 

Men who consumed a Mediterranean diet had slower prostate cancer progression

Photo credit MD Anderson news

CANCER DIGEST – Jan. 9, 2021 – Men with early stage prostate cancer who were being actively monitored had lower risk of their cancer progressing if they followed a diet similar to a Mediterranean diet, a new study shows.

In a study of 410 men with a diagnosis of early stage prostate cancer were given a 170-item baseline food frequency questionnaire. 

Light smokers likely just as addicted as heavy smokers

Photo courtesy of Penn State News

CANCER DIGEST – Jan. 2, 2021 –People who smoke as few as one to four cigarettes a day are addicted to nicotine and find quitting altogether to be very difficult without assistance, a new study shows. The findings appear in the Dec. 22, 2020 American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Such smokers considered "light smokers" have correctly perceived that their habit is less harmful than heavy smoking, but it still carries significant medical health risks. Medical providers have tended to consider "light smokers" as not addicted and, therefor not in need of treatment, however this study suggests many of these patients are addicted and will not successfully quit without treatment.