A Mason Engineering researcher has discovered that artificial microswimmers accumulate where their speed is minimized, an idea that could have implications for improving the efficacy of targeted cancer therapy. Jeff Moran, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the Volgenau School of Engineering, and colleagues from the University of Washington in Seattle studied self-propelled half-platinum/half-gold […]
CAR T-cell therapy produces deep, sustained remissions in patients with relapsed myeloma
In a major advance in the treatment of multiple myeloma, a CAR T-cell therapy has generated deep, sustained remissions in patients who had relapsed from several previous therapies, an international clinical trial has found. In a study posted online today by the New England Journal of Medicine, trial leaders report that almost 75% of the […]
500,000 Americans Now Dead from COVID-19
It’s the national record no one is celebrating: The American COVID-19 death toll has crossed the 500,000 mark. The novel coronavirus is now the third leading cause of death in the U.S. — behind heart disease and cancer, but ahead of accidents, respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and the flu, according to annualized federal health statistics. COVID-19 deaths have also surpassed the number […]
Study: Patients should be assessed for frailty before considering multiple surgeries
Patients should be assessed for frailty before having many types of surgery, even if the surgery is considered low risk, a review of two national patient databases shows. Frailty is a clinical syndrome marked by slow walking speed, weak grip, poor balance, exhaustion and low physical activity. It is an important risk factor for death […]
California Approves Vaccines for High-risk Individuals Ages 16-64
Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center. California is expanding its coronavirus vaccine program to include people aged 16-64 with high-risk health conditions. As of March 15, health care providers can use their “clinical judgment” to vaccinate those with conditions that could lead to death or severe illness […]
Liquid vs Tissue Biopsy in Prostate Cancer: Why Not Both?
The genomic landscape of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was comparable to the landscape of tissue biopsies in a large study of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), according to researchers. The type and frequency of genomic alterations observed were largely similar in ctDNA and tissue, and there was high concordance for BRCA1/2 alterations. Comprehensive […]
PET Predicts Response to Endocrine Therapy in ER+ Breast Cancer
Endocrine therapy is standard of care for estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer, but only about half of women respond. At present, there is no method for identifying the women who are likely — and also unlikely — to respond. But a new approach looks to be useful: it involves a trial of estrogen and then […]
Immunotherapy—targeted drug combination improves survival in advanced kidney cancer
Patients with advanced kidney cancer, who received a targeted drug combined with a checkpoint-blocker immunotherapy agent had longer survival than patients treated with the standard targeted drug, said an investigator from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, reporting results from a phase 3 clinical trial. The survival benefit demonstrates that an immune checkpoint inhibitor together with a targeted […]
Genomic test may help guide treatment decisions for patients with recurrent prostate cancer
A commercially available genomic test may help oncologists better determine which patients with recurrent prostate cancer may benefit from hormone therapy, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and 15 other medical centers. Researchers studied prostate cancer samples from 352 participants in the NRG/RTOG 9601 clinical trial, which compared radiation therapy […]
New aggressive surgery approach improves ovarian cancer survival rates
A new aggressive surgery approach by the UCD Gynecological Oncology Group has helped improve the survival rates for women with ovarian cancer in Ireland. A study, published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology Journal, showed how the use of multidisciplinary (MDT) surgical teams at the Mater and St Vincent’s University hospitals resulted in significantly improved […]