Oncology

Merck announced that the FDA has granted a priority review for it's anti-PD-1 antibody, MK-3475, under the accelerated approval program, for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.

DermoScan, created by an engineering faculty at the University of Houston, can help screen for melanoma. It has already been used to diagnose a dermal bacterial disease in Africa, in a NIH-sponsored study.

A new biomarker for esophageal cancer shows promise in improving screening for this deadly disease and its precursor, Barrett's esophagus.

Bioengineers at Harvard have devised a chip with bone marrow to test chemotherapy and radiation-associated toxicity, bypassing the need to use animal models.

Cryotherapy, already being used for benign breast tumors and several other cancers, might prove effective in women with breast cancer tumors 1 cm or smaller in size.

Vintafolide, jointly being developed by Merck and Endocyte, failed to present efficacy on PFS in Phase 3 trials, resulting in early termination.

OncologyCloud, a platform developed by Flatiron Health, is already in partnership with more than 25 cancer centers to help address some of the bottlenecks in cancer care.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who experienced disease recurrence half a decade after surgery received a significantly higher dose of opioids postoperatively, researchers said here.

Patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck treated with hyperfractionated radiation therapy (HFX) experienced improved local-regional control and, with patients censored at five years, improved overall survival with no increase in late toxicity.

Demcizumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets the Notch signaling pathway, has been awarded an orphan drug status by the FDA in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

In this study, the authors engineered BMP4-secreting mesenchymal stem cells to study their effect on a glioblastoma mouse model.

An advisory panel to the CMS voted against recommending an annual low-dose CT scan for high-risk individuals citing no benefit over the harm of false-positives.

Validation studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery push availability of the DecisionDx-Mesothelioma molecular test through an early access program.

Following a FDA advisory earlier in the month of an increased risk of cancer spread, Johnson and Johnson suspended the global sale of a device used in fibroid surgery.

A company in Baltimore is personalizing cancer therapy by developing patient-derived tumor xenografts in mice to identify the most effective drugs for the patient.

By adopting ASCO's electronic data-sharing guide for it's breast cancer treatment, Athena hopes to improve coordination of care, registration submission and research.

Sativex,a cannabinoid developed together by GW Pharmaceuticals and Otsuka, receives FDA's Fast Track status for advanced cancer pain.

3D printing of tumors could provide a more physiological environment to boost cancer drug discovery and development.

The US FDA today approved Zykadia (ceritinib), a ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor developed by Novartis, for treatment of late-stage NSCLC.

The American Journal of Managed Care publishes a first-of-its-kind study comparing different types of health insurance plans and different levels of co-payment, to see how varieties of coverage affect access to therapeutic drug classes.

A collaboration between Aetna, MOASC Contracting Network and Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions aims to improve quality and cost of cancer care in California.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced results from the Phase III SYNERGY trial, a randomized, open-label, two-arm study comparing the combination of custirsen and standard first-line docetaxel/prednisone therapy to docetaxel/prednisone alone in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)

Older breast cancer patients who received radiation treatment after surgery were more likely to undergo a more expensive and somewhat controversial type of radiation called brachytherapy if they got their care at for-profit rather than nonprofit hospitals, a new study reports.

PD-L1 protein levels could be an important biomarker to predict response to immunotherapy in NSCLC patients.