Phase 3 DREAM3R trial opens for malignant pleural mesothelioma
The DREAM3R phase three clinical trial is now enrolling patients with newly diagnosed unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) throughout the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The DREAM3R study builds on signals of effectiveness found in independent single-arm phase two trials, PrE0505 and DREAM. These trials evaluated durvalumab immunotherapy during and after standard chemotherapy.
DREAM3R will determine if concurrent chemo-immunotherapy can improve outcomes in malignant pleural mesothelioma, especially for the majority of patients with the epithelioid subtype. Both the DREAM and PrE0505 phase 2 trials showed remarkable results in MPM with the combination of chemotherapy and durvalumab, and warrant confirmation in a randomized phase 3 trial.
Scientists discover how novel pathogens promote colorectal cancer development
Do BMMFs, the novel infectious agents found in dairy products and bovine sera, play a role in the development of colorectal cancer? Scientists led by Harald zur Hausen detected the pathogens in colorectal cancer patients in close proximity to tumors. The researchers show that the BMMFs trigger local chronic inflammation, which can cause mutations via activated oxygen molecules and thus promote cancer development in the long term. BMMFs and inflammatory markers were significantly more frequently detectable in the vicinity of malignant intestinal tumors than in the intestinal tissue of tumor-free individuals.
Less-educated, unmarried patients less likely to undergo a transplant for mantle cell lymphoma
Mantle cell lymphoma is a malignant disease in which intensive treatment can prolong life. In a new study, scientists from Uppsala University and other Swedish universities show that people with mantle cell lymphoma who were unmarried, and those who had low educational attainment, were less often treated with a stem-cell transplantation, which may result in poorer survival. The findings have been published in the scientific journal
Blood Advances.
Patients diagnosed with a mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) where the disease has spread receive intensive treatment with cytotoxic drugs and stem-cell transplantation. In a new study, researchers looked at which people are more likely to be offered transplants, and compared survival between those selected for transplantation versus those not selected. The study showed that transplantation prolongs life, but that people who were unmarried or had a lo
Comet supercomputer reveals the mechanical process of cancer growth
According to the World Health Organization, one in six worldwide deaths have been attributed to cancer; however, these fatalities were not due to initial malignant tumors-;the deaths were caused by the spread of cancer cells to surrounding tissues and subsequent tumor growth.
These tissues, which consist largely of collagen, have been the focus of a recent collaborative study by a team from Stanford University and Purdue University. To accomplish their work, the researchers used the
Comet supercomputer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center, located on the UC San Diego campus.
Researchers confirm a threshold value for non-invasive imaging biomarker
Breast cancer is the commonest fatal cancer in women. Early detection increases a woman s chances of recovery. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an accurate technique for detecting and classifying tumors in breast tissue.
However, it sometimes causes false alarms , thus requiring further investigation (biopsy) and in some cases even resulting in so-called overtreatment, that is to say, unnecessary surgery. For the first time, a research team from MedUni Vienna has now confirmed a threshold value for a non-invasive imaging biomarker.
This can be incorporated into short standard MRI scans and could reduce the biopsy rate following MRI scans by 30%. Since the infrastructure for this measurement already exists in every radiological facility in Austria, the biomarker could be immediately deployed countrywide.