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Results from an observational study strongly indicated that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are an independent prognostic marker in metastatic breast cancer at first-line chemotherapy, and an early predictive marker of clinical benefit after one cycle of chemotherapy. But questions remain about the value of CTCs for guiding treatment decision-making.
The SUCCESS adjuvant therapy trial enrolled 2,026 women with primary breast cancer and no clinical evidence of metastatic disease. Disease-free survival at three years was 88.1% in women with one or more circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in their peripheral blood before undergoing chemotherapy compared with 93.7% in women with no CTCs.
Metformin, a biguanide antidiabetic drug administered orally, could play a critical role in controlling, and possibly preventing, lung cancer in at-risk patients. Animal studies conducted at NCI demonstrated that treating mice with metformin reduced lung tumor volume by about 50%.
Cancer survival notwithstanding, patients must still be encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle to help avoid progression.
Modifiable-risk biomarkers are increasingly being used in early-phase research to guide larger prevention trials.
Success of adaptive randomization in BATTLE could provide new strategy in cancer trials. NSCLC also gain another tool for maintenance therapy.
Adding gemcitabine (Gemzar) to concurrent radiotherapy and cisplatinum in invasive bladder cancer could preserve the organ even when the tumor has invaded the muscle.
Cabazitaxel, an investigational taxane, significantly extended survival among prostate cancer patients whose disease had progressed despite hormone therapy.
Patients who undergo resection of all metastatic kidney lesions, especially of disease that has spread to the lungs, appear to have outcomes as good as patients who have only a single surgery.
NEW ORLEANS—A new treatment for patients who are severely debilitated by myelofibrosis offers hope of a return to normal daily life. Preliminary studies with an oral drug INCB018424 that targets the Janus-activated kinase (JAK) 2 gene appears to markedly reduce the swelling of the spleen and sometimes the liver, which can, in turn, can change patients’ quality of life.
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