In a nutshell This article looked at the occurrence of heart-related side effects in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) receiving trastuzumab (Herceptin). The authors found that non-smoking patients with a good heart function before receiving treatment have a low risk of heart toxicity (HT) after 4 years...
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Can tumor mutation burden be used as a predictive biomarker to immune checkpoint inhibitors for non-small cell lung cancer?
In a nutshell This article looked at the use of tumor mutation burden (TMB) to predict response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors found that TMB is a promising biomarker that can predict the effectiveness of ICI therapy in advanced NSCLC. Some background NSCLC...
Read MoreEvaluating the effectiveness and safety of bevacizumab biosimilar in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer
In a nutshell This study compared the effectiveness and safety of bevacizumab biosimilar (BE1040V) to the reference drug (Avastin) in the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Researchers suggested that the effectiveness and safety of the biosimilar were similar to the reference drug bevacizumab. Some...
Read MoreWhat side effects of the skin can biological therapy cause?
In a nutshell This article reviewed the skin side effects caused by anti-PD-1 biological therapy. Some background Anti-PD-1 is a type of biological therapy that has significantly improved treatment results for patients with certain types of cancer. It works by blocking PD-1, a molecule that cancer cells use to switch off the immune...
Read MoreCan antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors alter the effectiveness of treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer?
In a nutshell This study examined the effects of antibiotics or proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs on treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors found that both antibiotics and PPIs reduced the effectiveness of biological therapy but not chemotherapy. Some background Not all patients with NSCLC respond to...
Read MoreManaging joint and muscle pain in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated with ibrutinib
In a nutshell The study evaluated the occurrence and risks of joint/muscle pain as side effects of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The authors found that 36% of patients developed joint/muscle pain and most were younger and females receiving ibrutinib as the first treatment. Some background Ibrutinib kills...
Read MoreWhat gut-related side effects do immunotherapy drugs and chemotherapy cause patients with cancer?
In a nutshell This study examined if certain immunotherapy drugs increased the risk of developing side effects in the gut in patients with cancer also receiving chemotherapy. The results showed that immunotherapy drugs increased the risks of developing gut-related side effects compared to chemotherapy alone. Some background Immunotherapy drugs that...
Read MoreAfatinib as first-line treatment for advanced EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer
In a nutshell This study wanted to see how well the medication afatinib (Giotrif) works in real-life settings, outside of clinical trials in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study found that patients treated with afatinib had a good response rate and survival. Some background There are many...
Read MoreEvaluating immune-related side effects associated with pembrolizumab.
In a nutshell This study wanted to find out what put patients at risk of having immune-related side effects when they were treated with pembrolizumab (Keytruda). The study found that patients with a higher body mass index (BMI; a measurement of weight in relation to height) and more cycles of treatment were more likely to determine immune-related side...
Read MoreEnding trastuzumab treatment in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who are in radiological complete remission
In a nutshell This study aimed to investigate the effect of stopping trastuzumab treatment in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer with radiological complete remission. This study concluded that trastuzumab may be safely stopped in selected patients with radiological complete...
Read MoreEpidermal growth factor ointment improves the treatment of skin side effects in patients receiving treatment for lung cancer
In a nutshell This study investigated the effectiveness of epidermal growth factor (EGF) ointment to treat skin side effects in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor treatment. Researchers suggested that EGF ointment improves the outcomes and quality of life of these patients. Some...
Read MoreEpidermal growth factor ointment improves the treatment of skin side effects in patients receiving treatment for colorectal cancer
In a nutshell This study investigated the effectiveness of epidermal growth factor (EGF) ointment to treat skin side effects in patients with colorectal cancer receiving epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor treatment. Researchers suggested that EGF ointment improves the outcomes and quality of life of these patients. Some background...
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