Lung Cancer

In a secondary analysis from the phase 3 CONDOR trial of men with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer, researchers found that utilizing piflufolastat F 18, a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radiopharmaceutical, prior to positron emission tomography (PET) scanning led to changes in intended management in 39.1 percent of patients with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level below 0.5 ng/mL. 1,2 For the study, presented recently at 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancers (GU) Symposium in San Francisco, researchers reviewed data from a subset of 69 patients from the CONDOR trial who had a PSA level below 0.5 ng/mL. 1 Prior to PET imaging, the patients received a single dose injection of piflufolastat F 18 (PYLARIFY, Lantheus Holdings). Patients also completed pre- and post-imaging questionnaires about the intended management of their prostate cancer, according to the study. The researchers noted that piflufolastat F 18 led to changes ...

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the entire world, and it's estimated that one in five people in the United States will develop skin cancer before they're 70. Certain factors can put you more at risk of developing skin cancer, like having fair skin, a family history of skin cancer, and lots of exposure to the sun and/or tanning beds.  We don't say this to scare you, but rather to stress the importance of routinely self-examining for signs of skin cancer and making sure you visit your dermatologist regularly. When detected in its early stages, the five-year survival rate for melanoma —the most concerning form of skin cancer—is a whopping 99%. That's nothing to snuff at. "Self-skin checks are so important. You are the first line of offense for skin cancer," says Stefani Kappel, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist based in California. "I have had patients who have performed self checks at home and then come in to se...

The phase 3 KEYNOTE-641 trial (NCT03834493) exploring the combination of pembrolizumab (Keytruda), enzalutamide (Xtandi), and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has been discontinued by Merck (MSD), the company announced in a press release. 1 Pembrolizumab does not currently have an FDA-approved indication for patients with prostate cancer; however, the drug does have a tumor-agnostic approval for the treatment of patients with tumor mutational burden–high solid tumors. The discontinuation of the trial follows the recommendation of an independent Data Monitoring Committee, which reviewed findings from an interim analysis showing that the addition of pembrolizumab to enzalutamide and ADT did not improve the trial's primary end points of overall survival (OS) and radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) compared with enzalutamide and ADT alone. Although overall toxicity was worse in the pembrolizumab arm, t...

The following is a summary of "Factors associated with suspected nonmelanoma skin cancers, dysplastic nevus, and cutaneous melanoma among first-time SpotMe screening program participants during 2009-2010," published in the JANUARY 2023 issue of Dermatology by Beaulieu, et al. The variables connected to suspected basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), dysplastic nevus (DN), and cutaneous melanoma (CM) diagnosis had not been examined in studies of the American Academy of Dermatology's SpotMe skin cancer screening program. Therefore, for a study, researchers sought to provide an overview of the demographics, risk factors, and access to care profiles related to BCC, SCC, DN, and CM probable diagnoses among first-time SpotMe screenees from 2009 to 2010. Data from the 2009 and 2010 SpotMe skin cancer tests was used for a cross-sectional study. For each diagnosis, they conducted a multivariable logistic regression analysis, including co for each diagno...

While research on the exact mechanisms and pathways of the sunshine vitamin's effect on breast cancer are ongoing, evidence consistently shows a clear association between circulating vitamin D [i.e., 25(OH)D serum vitamin D levels] and breast cancer risk. In a 2015 case-control study from Breast Cancer Research and Treatment , women deficient in vitamin D [i.e., with 25(OH)D levels below 20 ng/ml] had a 27% higher risk5 of breast cancer than women with sufficient vitamin D levels. But while clinical vitamin D sufficiency is defined as 25(OH)D levels above 30 ng/ml, other research indicates that higher levels provide greater protection against breast cancer risk. Case in point: In one pooled analysis from Anticancer Research , a serum 25(OH)D level of 47 ng/ml was found to lower breast cancer risk by 50%6 . This aligns with what mindbodygreen has found after speaking to leading endocrinologists, RDs, and longevity experts—a truly optimal vitamin D status of 50 ng/ml or higher is th...

22 February 2023 07:00 GMT   Approvals based on significant survival benefits in HIMALAYA and POSEIDON Phase III trials   AstraZeneca's Imfinzi (durvalumab) and Imjudo (tremelimumab) immunotherapy combinations have been approved in the European Union (EU) for the treatment of advanced liver and lung cancers. The approvals authorise Imfinzi in combination with Imjudo for the 1st-line treatment of adult patients with advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and Imfinzi in combination with Imjudo and platinum-based chemotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic (Stage IV) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The two approvals by the European Commission follow positive recommendations by The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency in December 2022 and are based on positive results from the HIMALAYA Phase III trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine Ev...

February 24, 2023 Author: Leslie Toldo A devastating blow, capable of shattering couples who have spent decades together, struck Bob and Brenda Barlow just four years into their marriage.  Their battle began with a simple reminder from Brenda's doctor to schedule a routine mammogram. "I wasn't going to go have the mammogram because I am like, 'I am busy; I have life to do.' Then something told me to go anyway because you never know.  So, I went." Then came the news that shook Brenda and Bob to the core.  "To find out Brenda had breast cancer scared me," Bob said.  "She didn't know it, not until now, but I cried." Brenda was determined to beat breast cancer, "I'm the kind of person who is a fighter.  I just said, 'I am a prayer warrior; I pray a lot.' I knew God wasn't ready for me yet." Meeting radiation oncologist Dr. Christian Hyde ...

Many questions were submitted before and during PCF's webinar on rising " class="glossaryLink ">PSA after treatment for localized prostate cancer. Dr. Paul Nguyen responded to questions during the webinar and Dr. Ashley Ross provided responses to several select questions afterwards. Please note that this information is intended to help guide discussions with your medical provider and is not individual medical advice. We regret that we are unable to answer all questions. View the webinar recordings here. 1.  How does age play into the treatment decisions? Age can inform overall survival.  From time to biochemical recurrence to visible metastasis can be several years and from metastasis to death several years more.  Age and overall fitness should factor into the decision to pursue salvage treatments after initial attempts at local control. 2. After prostate removal, does the prostate grow back, just like liver re-generation? If so, wil...

The first hint I should have gotten that the sun could kill me came 40 years ago on the flank of Mount Whitney. My brother Bob and I had climbed a 2,000-foot snow field to reach 13,645-foot Trail Crest junction, perched at the foot of Whitney's 14,505-foot summit. "Your face is so red, you look like a boiled lobster," Bob said as we finished the climb. "The sun reflected off the snowfield and gave you a double dose," said my old friend, Jeffrey Patty, a wilderness photographer and a partner across 25 years and 10,000 miles of hiking, camping and fishing. On their first expedition on the John Muir Trail, a three-week trek from Mount Whitney to Yosemite Valley in 1983, brothers Tom (foreground) and Bob Stienstra look as if they might be floating over the trail at a 12,000-foot elevation north of Mount Whitney. Photos: Courtesy Jeffrey Patty Back in the mid-1980s, few of us worried about sun exposure. Some young people would coat themselves with b...