October 2022 - Cancer Currents Blog
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Can Targeted Therapy for KRAS Mutations Double as Part of Immunotherapy?Two research teams have developed a treatment approach that could potentially enable KRAS-targeted drugs—and perhaps other targeted cancer drugs—flag cancer cells for the immune system. In lab studies, the teams paired these targeted drugs with experimental antibody drugs that helped the immune system mount an attack.
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For People with Cancer, Are Steroids the Best Treatment for Breathing Problems?Results from a large NCI-funded clinical trial show that steroids were no more effective than a placebo for treating breathing problems in people with advanced cancer. And people treated with steroids were more likely to have serious side effects.
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Is a Genomic Test Better at Finding Aggressive Prostate Cancer?The Decipher genomic test found high-risk prostate cancer even when conventional tests said the tumors were lower risk. This discrepancy appeared to happen more frequently for African-American men.
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Immunotherapy before Surgery Appears Effective for Some with MelanomaFor melanoma that can be treated with surgery, a few doses of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) beforehand looks to be a good choice. In a clinical trial, people who got the presurgical immunotherapy were much less likely to have their cancer come back than those who only received it after surgery.
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Sodium Thiosulfate Approved to Reduce Chemo-Related Hearing Loss in Children with CancerThe chemotherapy cisplatin often causes permanent hearing loss. Sodium thiosulfate (Pedmark) is the first treatment approved by FDA that can reduce the risk of hearing loss and the severity of damage to the inner ear in children treated with cisplatin.