In a nutshell This study looked at the effectiveness of venetoclax (Venclexta) in the treatment of relapsed or unresponsive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Researchers found venetoclax improved outcomes in these patients. Some background CLL is a cancer of the bone marrow. This may lead to an abnormal immune system. It is also often...
Read MoreTreatment(s) already received-Biological therapy Posts on Medivizor
Re-treatment with cetuximab improves cancer outcomes in patients with inoperable colorectal cancer
In a nutshell This study investigated the effect of cetuximab (Erbitux) in patients with metastatic (spread to other parts of the body) colorectal cancer who did not respond to initial cetuximab treatment. Researchers suggested that this treatment may be beneficial in longer treatment durations. Some background The standard treatment for patients...
Read MoreIs blood cell transplant effective in HIV-associated lymphoma?
In a nutshell This study investigated the effects of blood cell transfer in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who had developed lymphomas. At 4 years, it was found that 70% of patients survived following blood cell transfer. Some background Lymphomas are forms of cancer which affect the blood cells. Two common types of lymphoma are...
Read MoreComparing targeted therapy to chemotherapy for patients with advanced NSCLC
In a nutshell This trial compared the effectiveness of alectinib (Alecensa) against chemotherapy for treating patients with ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer that have progressed passed previous targeted therapy. The authors determined that alectinib was more effective than chemotherapy at treating this subgroup of patients. Some background Lung...
Read MoreBosutinib as second line treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia
In a nutshell This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of bosutinib as a second line therapy for patients with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). This study concluded that bosutinib was effective and safe for these patients as a second line therapy. Some background Bosutinib (bosulif) is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI...
Read MoreInhibitor Therapies: How Do They Treat CLL?
Video information: Treatments that inhibit CLL, such as BTK Inhibitors, are becoming more commonly used in patients. So, how do they work? CLL expert Dr. John Burke explains the mechanism of action that inhibitor therapies use to treat CLL. Dr. Burke also discusses how inhibitors affect cancer proteins and how they differ from...
Read MoreASCO 2017: Breast Cancer Research News
Video information: Breast cancer experts gathered at the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting to discuss developments in research and treatment. Patient Power founder, Andrew Schorr, was on-site in Chicago and interviewed Dr. Julie Gralow, Director of Breast Medical Oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Dr. Gralow shares...
Read MoreBrigatinib for the treatment of previously treated ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer
In a nutshell This trial examined a new therapy, brigatinib (Alunbrig), in treating patients with ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has progressed passed initial treatments. The authors concluded that brigatinib was safe and effective at treating this type of cancer. Some background One type of NSCLC is caused by genetic...
Read MoreTherapy for EGFR TKI resistant non-small-cell lung cancer
In a nutshell This trial examined whether osimertinib (Tagrisso) was effective at treating patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has progressed after EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. The authors concluded that osimertinib is both effective and tolerable as treatment for these patients. Some background...
Read MoreA new drug for the treatment of metastatic ALK-positive NSCLC
In a nutshell The authors aimed to summarize the results of two clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of alectinib as treatment for ALK-mutation positive NSCLC that has progressed beyond crizotinib. They concluded that alectinib is a suitable drug to treat this patient population. This treatment was FDA approved in 2015. Some...
Read MoreIs targeted therapy combined with surgery beneficial for patients with NSCLC?
In a nutshell This study aimed to determine whether EGFR-TKIs, in combination with surgery, is beneficial to patients with operable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors concluded that patients with EGFR-mutation-positive NSCLC who were treated with both surgery and EGFR-TKIs showed improved survival compared to patients who underwent surgery...
Read MoreCardiac events after treatment with trastuzumab
In a nutshell This study investigated the rate and outcome of trastuzumab (Herceptin) associated cardiac (heart) dysfunction in patients after 1 or 2 years of therapy. The study concluded that for patients treated with adjuvant trastuzamab, the occurrence of cardiac events remained low and that these cardiac events were mostly reversible after...
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