Clinical

A new liquid biopsy test that uses flow cytometry to detect cancer cells has been FDA approved for chronic leukemia, acute leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome, and myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Radiotherapy is responsible for a significant reduction in breast cancer mortality. However, the treatment may lead to the development of a different cancer or heart disease in the future.

Diabetes patients will be more satisfied with treatment when they perceive benefits and will continue treatment when physicians keep in contact and point out the progress, says William Polonsky, PhD, CDE, president of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute and associate clinical professor at University of California, San Diego.

A higher intake of fish may be associated with reduced disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

The study, published in Lancet Oncology, has found that nivolumab reduced the rate of clinically meaningful deterioration compared with investigator’s choice among platinum-refractory patients being treated for recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer.

On Monday, June 26, 2017, the Biden Foundation announced the launch of the Biden Cancer Initiative, their new venture to continue the fight to make progress in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care.

While treatments prescribed for people with chronic pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma—COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) are similar, there is a need for a clearer therapeutic approach for patients with ACOS, according to a new study.

At the 8th Annual Oncology Market Access & Pricing USA 2017 meeting hosted by eyeforpharma, the discussion included raw material short supplies, pragmatic trials, risk-sharing, and understanding these challenges to meet stakeholder goals.

Researchers at Indiana University have confirmed the clinical utility of 2 laboratory tests that can distinguish benign pancreatic cancer lesions that mimic early signs of cancer and spare patients of unnecessary pancreatic cancer screenings or surgeries.

The FDA has approved Genentech’s Rituxan Hycela for subcutaneous injection for the treatment of certain blood cancers. Rituxan Hycela has similar outcomes as Rituxan, but can be delivered in 5 to 7 minutes compared with 1.5 hours for Rituxan.

A phase 3 clinical trial of patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis and primary progressive multiple sclerosis found that Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) significantly reduced disease progression, according to results released by Genentech.

The FDA has approved the use of Janssen Biotech, Inc’s immunotherapy Darzalex in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone. Darzalex is used to treat multiple myeloma patients who have previously received at least 2 therapies with lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor.

The FDA has approved Baxdela, a drug intended to treat adults with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections caused by susceptible bacteria. Baxdela is also effective in treating MRSA and against other gram-positive or gram-negative pathogens.

According to a research study published in the journal Cancer, Asian women are less likely than non-Hispanic white women to receive timely follow-up after an abnormal screening mammogram.

With more women dying annually from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than men since 2000, researchers have examined trends in COPD hospitalization and in-hospital mortality, evaluating for differences by sex and race. They presented their research at the American Thoracic Society 2017 International Conference.

A collaborative study among scientists working across 3 continents has found a strong association between circulating free DNA in patients being treated with olaparib (Lynparza) for prostate cancer and disease outcome.

Scott Ramsey, MD, PhD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, discusses determining cost effectiveness of novel treatments, such as immuno-oncology agents, and potential solutions to reducing financial toxicity in cancer care.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis with high multi-biomarker disease activity scores have an increased risk of radiographic progression, according to a new analysis of 6 different studies.

New data has demonstrated an association between high Vectra DA scores and an increased risk of joint damage progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

On June 14, 2017, Western Connecticut Health Network (WCHN) announced its launch of a new study that will research the connection between pancreatic cancer and new-onset diabetes. This $2.7 million study will span 3 years and aims to discover a method to detect pancreatic cancer while it can still be cured.

A meta-analysis spearheaded by The International Testicular Cancer Consortium has identified new susceptibility loci in the human genome that can increase a person’s risk of developing inherited testicular germ cell tumors.