immunotherapy

  • May 30, 2020  

    Randomized Phase II Trial of Nivolumab Versus Nivolumab and Ipilimumab for Recurrent or Persistent Ovarian Cancer: An NRG Oncology Study Bookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Research paper from the Journal of Clinical Oncology curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

    Eighty percent of ovarian cancers are first diagnosed after they have already spread. In the clinical trial discussed in this paper, a combination of two checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy drugs showed only modest benefit in advanced ovarian cancer.

    Go to full paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • November 12, 2019  

    Novel Agents Influence the Development of New Strategies for Treatment of Bladder Cancer Bookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Article from Targeted Oncology curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

    Once bladder cancer has infiltrated the muscle wall in elderly patients, it becomes challenging to treat. New drugs and immunotherapies show some promise.

    Go to full article published by Targeted Oncology.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • November 4, 2019  

    Using Molecular Testing to Guide Treatment for Advanced Colorectal Cancer

    With: Kalpana Kannan, PhD

    A Q&A with Kalpana Kannan, PhD, former Scientist at Cancer Commons Q: Colorectal cancer is common, and although many cases in earlier stages are cured by surgery alone or with adjuvant chemotherapy, it is still a lethal threat for many patients. Nonetheless, several new targeted and immunotherapeutic agents are now available. When should patients receive molecular testing for their colorectal cancer, what information should… Read more »

  • May 21, 2019  

    Can You Improve Your Response to Certain Immunotherapy Drugs?

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Cancer treatments that use a strategy called immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) have entered clinical practice in a big way, with six drugs now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a variety of cancers. These drugs release “brakes” on the immune system, boosting its ability to kill cancer cells. Specifically, they target the proteins PD-1 or CTLA-4, which are found on… Read more »

  • April 8, 2019  

    New Study Suggests Diet May Affect Response To Cancer Immunotherapy Drugs Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “People with a type of skin cancer who consumed a high-fiber diet responded better to immunotherapy treatment than those with poorer diets, according to data presented at a media preview of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting.

    “Melanoma is a type of skin cancer which although very treatable if caught early, still kills approximately 9,000 Americans a year, mainly people who are diagnosed a more advanced stage of disease where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.”

    Go to full article published by Forbes on Feb 27, 2019.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • April 3, 2019  

    What’s New in Melanoma Treatment in 2019?

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    It has been over a year since I last wrote about new developments in treatment of melanoma, and it is time for an update. There is certainly some good news for melanoma patients! Neoadjuvant (before surgery) treatments for resectable melanoma Stage III—and more rarely, stage IV—melanoma tumors that have not spread widely can be sometimes treated surgically. Last year a small clinical trial showed… Read more »

  • January 12, 2019  

    Role of Immunotherapy in the Management of Locally Advanced and Recurrent/Metastatic Cervical Cancer Bookmark

    George Lundberg, MD

    Research paper from the Journal of the National Comprehensive Care Network curated by Editor in Chief George Lundberg, MD, who notes: 

    Metastatic or advanced cervical cancer remains very difficult to treat. Immunotherapy is showing promise.

    Go to full article published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Care Network. 

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • January 7, 2019  

    Immune Cells Track Hard-To-Target Brain Tumours Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “Instructing the immune system to recognize and kill tumours, an approach termed cancer immunotherapy, has transformed the clinical treatment of certain types of malignancy. Prominent among these therapies are immune-checkpoint inhibitors, which block the action of proteins that dampen immune-cell responses against tumours. For example, antibodies can be used to interfere with the inhibitory protein PD-1, which is present on T cells, a type of immune cell that attacks tumours. Immune-checkpoint inhibitors have been most successfully used to treat cancers, such as melanomas, that are well infiltrated by T cells and have a large number of genetic mutations. A subset of these mutations might generate neoantigens — altered protein sequences that are uniquely produced in cancer cells and are recognized as foreign by the immune system.”

    Go to full article published by Nature on Dec 19, 2018.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • January 7, 2019  

    Yale Cancer Center Scientists Advise Caution in Immunotherapy Research Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “In a new study by Yale Cancer Center, scientists suggest that as the number of clinical trials in cancer immunotherapy grows exponentially, some caution should be exercised as we continue to better understand the biology of these new therapeutic targets.  The findings are published today in the journal Cell.

    “Researchers around the world have been racing to create therapies that unleash the power of our immune systems against cancer. The most successful of these immunotherapies, which target a molecular pathway known as PD-1/PD-L1, have brightened the landscape for many people suffering with lung cancer and other types of tumors.”

    Go to full article published by Yale Cancer Center on Dec 20, 2018.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.

  • December 12, 2018  

    How Can We Unleash the Immune System? Bookmark

    Emma Shtivelman, PhD

    Excerpt:

    “Cancer has an insidious talent for evading the natural defenses that should destroy it. What if we could find ways to help the immune system fight back?

    “It has begun to happen. The growing field of immunotherapy is profoundly changing cancer treatment and has rescued many people with advanced malignancies that not long ago would have been a death sentence.”

    Go to full article published by The New York Times on Nov 19, 2018.

    If you’re wondering whether this story applies to your own cancer case or a loved one’s, we invite you to get support from Cancer Commons.