Oncology

The study, published in Lancet Oncology, found that ramucirumab significantly improved survival by over 2 months.

The study, published this week in Nature Genetics, is the product of an international collaboration that has identified 23 new loci that could lead to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.

Although approved last September in the European Union, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence had refused to cover the drug at the company-dictated price, which resulted in patients paying out-of-pocket.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, wants a policy revamp on screening guidelines for the women who fall in this category.

The antibody, an inhibitor of the enzyme lysyl oxidase-like-2, combined with gemcitabine, did not have a significant effect on progression-free survival compared to the placebo with gemcitabine arm, in pancreatic cancer patients.

Research presented at the 56th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology identified VEGF-A and TGF-beta as markers of treatment decision in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

The results of a phase 1b study, presented at the AACR special conference "Targeting the PI3K-mTOR Network in Cancer," found that Alpelisib could overcome resistance to the anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab, and the two regimens together were quite beneficial.

MicroRNAs have the potential to be predictive biomarkers that can predict survival as well as response to chemotherapy, as this study discovered.

This recommendation follows the list of 5 released last year by the organization, with the aim of helping the patient and physician choose appropriate treatments.

Following Herceptin earlier this year, Roche has announced that tampered vials of it's blood cancer drug MabThera (Rituxan) were found in Germany.

Weighing the cost-benefit ratio of proton radiation therapy, private and public payers are placing coverage limitations on the use of this treatment.

Rapid advances in detection technology, coupled with an increased awareness about screening, have ignited a debate on overdiagnosis and overtreatment of precancerous lesions. Should physicians use their discretion and implement a "wait-and-watch" approach?

Tecemotide, a synthetic lipopeptide immunotherapy was being developed as a cancer vaccine against the MUC1 glycoprotein that is often aberrantly overexpressed in NSCLC.

Despite reported glitches, CMS plans to launch the database that will provide information on payments for research, gifts, meals, or speaker fees received by providers and teaching hospitals from the pharmaceutical industry.