Christina Izzo

Articles

New Companion Website Provides Inside Look Into "The Story of Cancer"

May 16th 2014

WETA, the Washington, DC, public television station, has launched a new website as part of a national outreach for the documentary The Story of Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, which will be produced by Ken Burns.

Novel TKI May Provide New Treatment Option for Patients With Recurrent PVNS

May 14th 2014

The new targeted drug, PLX3397, has demonstrated responses in patients with pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS), a rare joint disorder.

Long-Term Outcomes Support Sentinel-Node Biopsy for Staging Melanoma

April 22nd 2014

A 10-year follow-up study of regional melanoma staging strategies found that patients who underwent sentinel-node biopsies had significantly greater disease-free survival rates (DFSRs) compared with patients monitored through nodal observation.

Irregular Menstruation Linked to Higher Risk of Ovarian Cancer Death

April 9th 2014

A prospective study found that women with irregular menstrual cycles have a 2.4-fold increased risk of dying from ovarian cancer compared to women with normal menstrual cycles

I-SPY 2 Trial Graduates Neratinib for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

April 7th 2014

The adaptive I-SPY 2 trial has found that a neoadjuvant regimen of neratinib and standard chemotherapy is beneficial for high-risk patients with hormone receptor (HR)-negative, HER2-positive stage II/III breast cancer

Ceritinib Demonstrates Impressive Response Rates in ALK-Positive NSCLC

March 27th 2014

Ceritinib (LDK378) demonstrated an ORR of 58% and a median PFS of 7 months as a treatment for patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

Nivolumab Delivers Durable Remissions With Low Toxicity in Advanced Melanoma

March 14th 2014

Nivolumab, a PD-1-specific antibody, has been shown to produce long-term remissions with limited toxicity in patients with advanced melanoma, according to results from one of the longest follow ups to examine the drug.

Ruxolitinib Improves Outcomes for Patients With Polycythemia Vera in Phase III Study

March 7th 2014

Ruxolitinib, a JAK1/2 inhibitor, is the first treatment to demonstrate efficacy in a phase III trial for patients with polycythemia vera (PV), a chronic, incurable blood cancer with limited treatment options

Preventative Ovarian Surgery in BRCA1 Mutation Carriers More Beneficial Before Age 35

February 24th 2014

For the first time, physicians have a clearer understanding of the optimum age for prophylactic oophorectomy in patients with BRCA mutations who want to reduce their risk of ovarian, fallopian tube, and breast cancer.

Ramucirumab Combination Improves OS and PFS in NSCLC

February 19th 2014

The second-line administration of ramucirumab in combination with docetaxel has shown a statistically significant improvement in overall survival and progression-free survival compared with placebo plus docetaxel in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Lenvatinib Extends PFS in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

February 3rd 2014

The phase III SELECT trial of the investigational agent lenvatinib (E7080) met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC), according to Eisai Inc., the company that is developing the agent.

Hyponatremia Associated With Poor Prognosis in mRCC

December 19th 2013

Hyponatremia is significantly associated with worse outcomes in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who received treatment with VEGF- and mTOR-targeted agents

Novel Oral Mucositis Treatment Explored in Head and Neck Cancer

December 18th 2013

Following a fast track designation from the FDA earlier this year, a phase II clinical trial is being initiated to evaluate SGX942 as a treatment for oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer.

ThyroSeq Test Could Reduce Unnecessary Surgeries for Thyroid Cancer

November 20th 2013

A new test has been developed to identify the difference between malignant and benign nodules in the thyroid gland, which could potentially reduce the number of unnecessary surgeries, according to an announcement from The University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences.

Treating Renal Cell Carcinoma in 2013: An Interview With Sumanta Kumar Pal, MD

November 19th 2013

Over the past few years, seven new drugs have gained approval from the FDA for the treatment of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Primarily these approaches target angiogenesis and mTOR. The advent of these molecularly targeted therapies has significantly improved the standard of care for patients with RCC.

MK-3475 Efficacy Expanded With Longer Follow-Up in Melanoma

November 18th 2013

The investigational anti-PD-1 immunotherapy MK-3475 has demonstrated an overall survival rate of 81% at one year in patients with advanced melanoma, according to additional data from a phase Ib clinical trial presented at the 10th International Congress of the Society for Melanoma Research in Philadelphia.

NY Symposium Tackles Emerging Agents, Pressing Questions in Lung Cancer

November 8th 2013

Leaders in thoracic medical oncology from major cancer centers will come together Saturday to discuss advances in the field of lung cancer treatment during the 8th Annual New York Lung Cancer Symposium® in New York City.

Physical Activity May Reduce the Risk of Esophageal Cancer

October 18th 2013

A meta-analysis of nearly 2000 patients has shown that physical activity may substantially reduce the risk of developing esophageal cancer, especially esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Abiraterone Stalls Pain, Quality of Life Decline in mCRPC

October 11th 2013

Abiraterone acetate significantly delayed the progression of pain and quality of life deterioration in chemotherapy-naive men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer when taken in combination with prednisone.

Dabrafenib and Trametinib Combination Granted Priority Review Designation by FDA

September 16th 2013

The FDA has granted Priority Review designation to dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) as a combination treatment for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma with a BRAFV600E/K mutation.