April 25th 2024
The phase 2b findings support the capability of eftilagimod alpha to enhance the potential of immune checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic HNSCC.
Community Practice Connections™: Controversies and Conversations About HER2- Expressing Breast Cancer…Advances in Management of HER2-Low to -Positive Disease
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Community Practice Connections™: 5th Annual Precision Medicine Symposium – An Illustrated Tumor Board
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Community Oncology Connections™: Overcoming Barriers to Testing, Trial Access, and Equitable Care in Cancer
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Dialogues With the Surgeon on Integration of Systemic Therapies in Perioperative Settings for NSCLC: Looking at EGFR, ALK, IO, and Beyond…
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Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapy Advances Into Melanoma
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Vandetanib Now Available to U.S. Patients with Advanced Medullary Thyroid Cancer
April 25th 2011AstraZeneca today announced that the orphan drug vandetanib is now available to U.S. patients for the treatment of medullary thyroid cancer that cannot be removed by surgery or that has spread to other parts of the body.
Will those exposed receive any immediate benefits from taking potassium iodide pills now?
March 16th 2011In response to the radiation spreading from the No. 3 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex in Japan, sales of potassium iodide have soared. Some have claimed, however, that the short-term benefits of the drug are a myth, as the radioiodine is less likely to be inhaled, and more likely to be ingested in the future, often from drinking milk produced from cows grazing in areas affected by radiation fallout.
Pazopanib Holds Promise in Advanced Thyroid Cancers
November 29th 2010Pazopanib represents a therapeutic option for patients with advanced differentiated thyroid cancers. A phase II trial conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., included 39 patients with metastatic, rapidly progressive, radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancers.
Canada Sees Mixed Trends in Thyroid Cancer
September 21st 2009TORONTO-Two large, population-based studies with over 35 years of data revealed some of the factors that have influenced the incidence of thyroid cancer. Two key findings: Canadian men and people living in rural areas generally present with more advanced disease and the incidence of anaplastic thyroid cancer is waning. The studies were presented at the 2009 World Congress on Thyroid Cancer.
New Directions in the Systemic Treatment of Metastatic Thyroid Cancer
August 14th 2009About 30,000 new cases of thyroid cancer are diagnosed annually in the United States.[1] The incidence among men has risen more dramatically than any other malignancy in recent years (2.4% annual increase).[2] Thyroid cancers arise from one of two cell types, namely follicular and parafollicular cells.
Radioiodine-Resistant Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: Hope for the Future
August 14th 2009In this helpful review, the authors catalog a number of the novel molecular agents now being examined for treatment of radioiodine-resistant, metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer. They also call for increased systematic study of outcomes through recruitment of patients into large-scale trials.
Thyroid Cancer Update: Dramatic Changes in the Treatment of a Rare Disease
August 14th 2009The paper by Higgins et al published in this issue highlights the important advances that have been made in the treatment of advanced thyroid cancer over the past few years. Patients with iodine-refractory metastatic thyroid cancer have suffered badly due to the reputation of thyroid cancer as being a “good” cancer to have.
Therapeutic Options Following Orchiectomy for Stage I Seminoma
August 13th 2009Over the past 3 decades, the incidence rate of testicular seminoma has continually risen, and the majority of cases have been clinical stage I.[1] Nevertheless, the overall survival for all testicular cancers has improved significantly (P < .05) over the same period, from 83% to 96%.[2]
Choosing Treatment for Stage I Seminoma: Who Should Get What?
August 13th 2009Lawrentschuk and Fleshner accurately depict the difficulty in choosing among observation, prophylactic radiation, and adjuvant chemotherapy for clinical stage I testicular seminoma. The physican has competing priorities of avoiding unnecessary treatment while minimizing the overall burden of both therapy and surveillance testing. The patient has to contend with defined risks that exist with any of the three options.
Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Treatment Options and Patient Perceptions
June 11th 2009Differentiated thyroid cancer, the most common endocrine malignancy, can touch the lives of young and old individuals. It is generally associated with a normal lifespan whether it is completely eradicated or held in check with judicious medical interventions.
FDA Approves Thyrotropin Alfa for Use in Thyroid Cancer Ablation
January 1st 2008Genzyme Corp. recently announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental indication for thyrotropin alfa for injection (Thyrogen) to be used in combination with radioiodine to ablate, or destroy, the remaining thyroid tissue in patients who have had their cancerous thyroids removed.
New Small Molecule TKI Active in Thyroid Cancer
July 1st 2007Axitinib (AG-013736), an oral small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), yielded a 30% response rate in a phase II study of patients with metastatic or unresectable thyroid cancer unresponsive to or not suitable for standard treatment with radioactive iodine.
Chemotherapy Drug Stops Cancer Growth in Advanced Thyroid Cancer Patients
December 1st 2006Bortezomib (Velcade) stops cancer growth in patients with advanced differentiated thyroid cancer who do not respond to the standard treatment of surgery and radioactive iodine, according to a recent study presented at the 77th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Phoenix.
Commentary (Mazzaferri): Identification and Treatment of Aggressive Thyroid Cancers
April 1st 2006Most thyroid cancers are slow-growing, easily treatable tumors with an excellent prognosis after surgical resection and targeted medical therapy. Unfortunately, 10% to 15% of thyroid cancers exhibit aggressive behavior and do not follow an indolent course. Approximately one-third of patients with differentiated thyroid cancers will have tumor recurrences. Distant metastases are present in about 20% of patients with recurrent cancer.
Identification and Treatment of Aggressive Thyroid Cancers (Part 2)
April 1st 2006In part 2, we address risk assessment and staging, findings that suggest the presence of aggressive tumors, recurrent/metastatic disease, and treatment with chemotherapy and external-beam radiotherapy. Experimental treatments utilizing molecular targets, redifferentiation agents, and gene therapy are covered briefly as well.
FDA Grants Fast-Track Designation to ZD6474 for Thyroid Cancer
March 1st 2006The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast-track designation for the investigation of ZD6474 (Zactima) in treating medullary thyroid carcinoma. For advanced thyroid cancer, there is currently no curative modality or approved chemotherapy. ZD6474 also received orphan drug designation last year for the treatment of patients with follicular, medullary, anaplastic, and locally advanced and metastatic papillary thyroid cancer.
Integrated PET-CT: Evidence-Based Review of Oncology Indications
April 1st 2005Combined-modality positronemissiontomography (PET)–computed tomography (CT) isbecoming the imaging method ofchoice for an increasing number ofoncology indications. The goal of thispaper is to review the evidence-basedliterature justifying PET-CT fusion.The best evidence comes from prospectivestudies of integrated PETCTscans compared to other methodsof acquiring images, with histopathologicconfirmation of disease presenceor absence. Unfortunately, veryfew studies provide this kind of data.Retrospective studies with similarcomparisons can be used to provideevidence favoring the use of integratedPET-CT scans in specific clinicalsituations. Also, inferential conclusionscan be drawn from studies whereclinical rather than pathologic dataare used to establish disease presenceor absence.
Medicare to Add PET Coverage for Some Thyroid Cancer Patients
August 1st 2003Medicare will grant limited coverage for the use of positronemissiontomography (PET) for certain of its beneficiariessuffering from thyroid cancer, the Centers for Medicare andMedicaid Services (CMS) recently announced. CMS also said that ithad refused a request to provide PET coverage for soft-tissue sarcomabecause imaging techniques currently covered by Medicare providegood diagnostic results.
Metastatic Thyroid Cancer Responds to Thalidomide Therapy
February 1st 2003NEW YORK-An ongoing trial of thalidomide (Thalomid) in patients with aggressive, advanced papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas produced an early response rate of 76%, according to a report presented at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XX.
Medicare Puts PET for Thyroid Cancer, Soft-Tissue Sarcoma on Hold
October 1st 2002An advisory group to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has delayed a decision on whether to recommend Medicare coverage for positron-emission tomography (PET) with F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in the
Medicare Puts PET for Thyroid Cancer, Soft Tissue Sarcoma on Hold
September 1st 2002WASHINGTON-An advisory group to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has delayed a decision on whether to recommend Med-icare coverage for positron emission tomography (PET) with the radiopharmaceutical F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in the management of thyroid cancer and soft tissue sarcoma.