Fourteen people no longer have stage 2 or 3 rectal cancer because of an experimental use of immunotherapy. Enrolling in a clinical trial has, for the past 25 months and counting, spared them from surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, which are the standard treatments for colorectal cancer. [1] Fourteen people may not sound like many, but it...
Read MoreNew standard of treatment for metastatic breast cancer
Each year in the United States, approximately 264,000 women and 2,400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer. Of those people, about 30% will go on to develop metastatic breast cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the breast, often to the brain, lungs, bones, or liver). Biopsies of breast cancer tissue determine if the surface of the cancer cells...
Read MoreRe-engineering Venom into Medicine
Looking at other animals, reptiles, and insects with suspicion these days? Despite the fact that the actual origins of the COVID-19 virus are still unknown, bats and the endangered pangolin were maligned as possible sources. We do know that the monkeypox virus originated in laboratory monkeys in 1958. To balance the bad publicity, there is also good...
Read MoreShould CAR-T be used earlier for NHL patients?
CAR-T therapy is a relatively new immunotherapy treatment for advanced B-cell lymphomas, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). It is usually reserved for patients who have had more than one previous line of treatment but relapsed anyway. The standard course of treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is chemotherapy, which cures about 70% of...
Read MoreDiabetes prevalence differs by race
Diabetes is complex. Many factors influence your risk of developing diabetes, including race. The way race is associated with diabetes risk may change the way physicians screen patients for the disease. Size Being overweight has been identified as a factor in diabetes, and may serve as a cue for screening. The United States Preventive Services...
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