Addressing Racial Disparities in Health Care
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CAR T-Cell Therapy in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia May Achieve ‘Deep Remission’
The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel (brand name: Kymriah) is an FDA-approved treatment for children and young adults with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Learn MoreManaging Side Effects of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Induction Chemotherapy
With induction chemotherapy, the aim is to put acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients into complete remission. However, as these strong drugs kill cancer cells, they produce a number of side effects, some of which can be significant.
Learn MoreThe Latest Efforts to Preserve the Bladder
In solid tumors affecting organs, efforts have been made to preserve the organ while still eradicating the cancer. The same is true for bladder cancer. Radical cystectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection is a highly morbid procedure, which is often performed in patients who are already elderly and frail.
Learn MoreExcitement Around Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in the Neoadjuvant Setting for Bladder Cancer
The standard treatment for locally invasive bladder cancer is neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy. Recently, a number of studies have found that immune checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab (brand name: Opdivo), atezolizumab (brand name: Tecentriq), and durvalumab (brand name: Imfinzi) in the neoadjuvant setting are equivalent, and sometimes better than chemotherapy alone.
Learn MoreWhy Don’t Checkpoint Inhibitors Work for More Bladder Cancer Patients?
The FDA's approval of the first checkpoint inhibitors for metastatic bladder cancer in 2014 ushered in a new era of treatment. This was the first class of new drugs to be approved for this indication in decades. Yet despite initial optimism about checkpoint inhibitors, they only produce response rates of 15 to 25% in any setting -- chemorefractory, metastatic, BCG-unresponsive.
Learn MoreShould Surgery Be Considered for Oligometastatic Bladder Cancer?
Treatment for metastatic bladder cancer is well established. The majority of patients receive systemic therapies such as chemotherapy or immunotherapy. But for patients in the transitional oligometastatic bladder cancer state, the consideration may also include radical cystectomy.
Learn MoreWithdrawal of Durvalumab for Advanced Bladder Cancer “a Disappointing Loss”
On February 22, 2021, AstraZeneca announced that it was voluntarily withdrawing the checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab (brand name: Imfinzi) indication for previously treated patients with locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer.
Learn MoreIdentifying Ovarian Cancer Patients for PARP Inhibitors
How to determine which ovarian cancer patients will benefit most from PARP inhibitors such as olaparib (brand name: Lynparza) is still a big question in oncology. “If you're going to use a selective strategy to identify patients for PARP inhibitors, there are different approaches, different pathways,” says Dr. Stephanie Wethington, gynecologic oncologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
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