Barcelona, Spain: A new drug that inhibits an enzyme playing a crucial role in cell division and growth has shown signs of anti-cancer activity with manageable side effects in liver cancer patients who have been treated unsuccessfully previously with up to three lines of treatment. Presenting the findings at the 34th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on […]
Category: Cancer
AKT inhibitor shows signs of effectiveness in a patient trial matching drugs to tumour gene mutations
Barcelona, Spain: In a trial matching new treatments to cancer patients based on the genetic make-up of their tumours, 22% of the patients treated with the AKT inhibitor drug ipatasertib had their tumours shrink. This included patients with breast cancer and endometrial cancer as well as two rarer forms – anal and salivary gland. In […]
Researchers identify specific alterations in the BRAF gene that may affect response to treatment and survival in adult brain cancers
Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have identified a range of genetic alterations in glioma brain cancers that will help them to understand how different mutations in one particular gene interact with other gene alterations and which ones are more susceptible to targeted treatments in adults. Presenting results from the largest group of glioma patients to date, Dr […]
Liquid biopsies can detect which cancer patients may be at higher risk of developing additional blood cancers
Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have found that liquid biopsies, which are increasingly used in the routine care of patients to identify and monitor the progress of cancer, can also detect a disorder of blood cells that places patients at higher risk of developing blood cancers as well. The findings are presented on Friday at the 34th […]
Results revealed from phase I clinical trial of the first drug to successfully inhibit the MYC gene, which drives many common cancers
Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have found that a drug that targets the key, cancer-causing gene, MYC, has for the first time been able to inhibit the function of the gene in a phase I clinical trial. Until now, no other drug has been able to do this safely and effectively. Presenting preliminary results from the trial […]
Obstructive sleep apnoea linked to increased risk of cancer, a decline in mental processing powers and an increased risk of blood clots
People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are at an increased risk of cancer, according to a large study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Barcelona, Spain [1]. A second study showed that OSA was also linked to a decline in processing powers in the elderly; in particular, those aged […]
PCOS in mothers is linked to increased risk of health problems in their children
Children born to mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have an increased risk of developing infections, allergies and other childhood illnesses by the age of 13, according to the largest study to investigate this. The study, which is published in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals, looked at 1,038,375 children […]
Cancer clinical trials bounce back after significant COVID-19 disruption: data from two large US cancer centres
Data from two large cancer centres in the United States have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic caused substantial disruption to clinical trials for cancer treatment and care. The research, published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1], shows that, compared to the immediate pre-pandemic period, there was a 46% decrease in new patient […]
Incidental findings in genomics: how does their utility balance with their psychological effect on patients?
Vienna, Austria: As the cost of genome and exome1 sequencing falls, its use in characterising rare diseases and personalising cancer treatment, for example, is becoming far more frequent. But such analyses may throw up findings unrelated to the condition for which it has been requested. What to do with these secondary findings (SFs) or incidental […]
Death rates from ovarian cancer will fall in the EU and UK in 2022
Death rates from ovarian cancer are predicted to fall by 17% in the UK and by 7% in EU countries in 2022 compared to 2017, according to new research published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1]. Researchers led by Carlo La Vecchia (MD), a professor at the University of Milan (Italy), say […]