Decline In Preventative Cancer Screenings Due To Pandemic May Have Serious Implications For Years To Come

Forbes (1/4) contributor Alice Broster writes, “In early 2020 many hospitals and clinics put preventative cancer screenings on hold due to the pandemic” and instead urged the use of “telehealth services as much as possible.” Broster adds that although “many clinics have opened their doors for cancer screenings again research suggests there’s been a drop in […]

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FDA Approves Drug For Treatment Of Advanced Breast Cancer

Reuters  (12/16, Maddipatla) reports, “MacroGenics Inc said on Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved its drug Margenza in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of an advanced type of breast cancer in patients who failed two or more prior therapies.” The company “said it was expecting to launch the drug in March.”   Cancer […]

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Rucaparib Tied To Longer Quality-Adjusted PFS And Time Without Symptoms Or Toxicity In Women With Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Compared To Placebo

The Journal of Clinical Pathways (11/10, Tumolo) reports researchers found “quality-adjusted progression-free survival (PFS) and time without symptoms or toxicity in women with recurrent ovarian cancer were longer with rucaparib compared with placebo.” The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. […]

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Researchers Conduct Genetic Testing In Patients With Cancer And Find Mutations That Would Not Have Been Detected Using Guideline-Based Approach

The ASCO Post (11/4) reports “researchers conducted genetic testing in more than 3,000 patients who were diagnosed with cancer,” and “found that one in eight patients with cancer had an inherited cancer-related gene mutation–and that these mutations would not have been detected in half of these patients if testing had been conducted using a standard guideline-based approach.” […]

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Researchers Develop Genetic Test To Help Identify Patients With Cancer At Highest Risk For Complication From Treatment With Bevacizumab

Medscape (10/30, Osterweil, Subscription Publication) reported, “Up to 40% of patients with cancer who are treated with bevacizumab develop severe hypertension and renal toxicity,” but researchers have developed a “genetic test performed before treatment” that “could identify patients at highest risk for this potentially life-threatening complication.” The findings were presented “in a plenary session during the […]

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New Study Examines Impact Of Hormone Replacement Therapy On Breast Cancer Risk

Medscape (10/29, Hackethal, Subscription Publication) reports a study published in The BMJ “confirmed that different types of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are associated with an increased risk for breast cancer and has provided additional information on factors associated with that increased risk.” Yana Vinogradova, PhD, the study’s first author, said, “The study confirms increased risk of breast cancer in […]

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Almost Half Of Patients With Newly Diagnosed BRCA-Mutated Advanced Ovarian Cancer May Be Progression-Free After Receiving Two Years Of Maintenance Olaparib

Healio (10/7, Demko) reports researchers found after five years of follow-up, “almost half of patients with newly diagnosed BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer were progression-free after receiving 2 years of maintenance olaparib.” The findings were presented at the ESMO Virtual Congress 2020 […]

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HPV Vaccine Shown To Reduce Cervical Cancer Risk

NBC News  (9/30, Stenson) reported researchers found in a large Swedish study that “the HPV vaccine substantially reduces a woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer, especially in women who were immunized at a younger age.” The findings  (9/30, Lei) were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. MedPage Today  (9/30, Bankhead) reported the researchers found in the study with […]

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Leading the News

ctDNA Testing May Provide Sufficient Accuracy For Widespread Adoption In Routine Clinical Practice To Identify Patients With Breast Cancer Suitable For Targeted Therapies Cancer Network (9/17, Slater) reports researchers found in a phase 2a trial “that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing provides sufficient accuracy for widespread adoption in routine clinical practice to identify patients with breast cancer […]

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Experts Say All Patients With Breast Cancer And Second Cancer Should Undergo Multigene Panel Testing

Medscape (9/10, Fuerst, Subscription Publication) reports all patients with breast cancer “who develop a second primary cancer should undergo multigene panel testing, according to a paper published in JCO Precision Oncology.” The paper’s “authors noted that women with breast cancer have a 4%-16% lifetime risk of a second primary cancer,” but “it hasn’t been clear if […]

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