Monday, 21 October 2024

Social support linked with improved cancer screening in the U.S.; strongest for breast cancer screening

 A new study conducted by the American Cancer Society has found a direct correlation between levels of social support and adherence to cancer screening.  According to principal scientist Dr. Jordan Baeker Bispo, "social relationships can influence cancer screening in a variety of ways, like shaping access to emotional support and material resources." 

To learn more about this study, click here

 




Wednesday, 16 October 2024

Biology of response and resistance to MAPK pathway targeted therapy in patients with BRAFV600E-mutated mCRC

 Findings from the phase III BEACON metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) study were recently published in Nature Medicine. 10% of tumours in patients with mCRC are comprised of BRAF mutations; the BEACON study "demonstrated that the BRAD inhibitor encorafenib plus the anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody cetuximab, with our without the MEK inhibitor binimetinib, improved overall survival (OS), objective response rate and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with cetuximab plus chemotherapy in patients with BRAF-mutated mCRC who has been previously treated."  

To learn more about the BEACON study, click here

Source mentioned: 

Kopetz S, Murphy DA, Pu J, et al. Molecular profiling of BRAF-V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer in the phase 3 BEACON CRC trial. Nature Medicine; Published online 23 September 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03235-9

Monday, 7 October 2024

Benefit in overall survival with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab in patients with resectable, early-stage non-small cell lung cancer

 Findings from the KEYNOTE-671 study, a randomized, placebo-controlled phase III trial, has shown that neoadjuvant prembrolizumab and cisplatin-based chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab "significantly improved overall survival compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy along in patients with molecularly unselected, resectable stage II, IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)."  Following a study of 797 NSCLC patients, 393 of whom received pembrolizumab while 400 received placebo, online survival estimates were "71% in the pembrolizumab group and 64% in the placebo group." 

To learn more about this study, click here

Sources mentioned: