A new drug designed to work on cancers with an altered BRAF gene has shown promise in an early patient trial presented at the 32nd EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, which is taking place online. The BRAF gene is involved in telling healthy cells when to grow and form new cells, […]
Achieving high concentrations of sunitinib in tumours is linked to improved survival
Intermittent high dosing regimen for patients with advanced cancers is safe and results in very high concentrations of the drug in the tumour A strategy for giving intermittent, high doses of the anti-cancer drug sunitinib is well-tolerated by patients with advanced cancer and increases concentrations of the drug in tumours, which is associated with improved […]
Nobel Prize winner says scientific research has to be ‘passion-driven’
Scientists cannot be expected to drop everything they’re working on to turn their attention to beating COVID-19, according to the winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Professor Sir Peter Ratcliffe. Speaking before he delivered the prestigious Michel Clavel lecture to the 32nd EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, […]
Vaccine designed to treat and prevent lung, bowel and pancreatic cancer shows promise in the lab
An experimental vaccine, designed to enlist the body’s own immune system to target cancer cells, has shown promise for treating and preventing cancer in mice. The vaccine was created to target a gene called KRAS that is involved in the development of many types of cancer, including lung, bowel and pancreatic cancer. Researchers from the […]
One mouse at a time: new approach to testing potential drugs for children’s cancers
Drugs can be tested against many more genetic variants of the same cancer A team of researchers in the US and Australia have developed a way of testing potential drugs for children’s cancers so as to take account of the wide genetic diversity of these diseases. In new research to be presented at the 32nd […]
Researchers identify genetic variants linked to toxic side effects from bevacizumab
In the largest study of its kind, researchers have found two common genetic variants that can be used to predict whether or not cancer patients might suffer severe adverse side-effects, such as high blood pressure, from the drug bevacizumab. The study is unique because researchers found and analysed hundreds of thousands of genetic variations in […]
Existing heart drugs may help cancer patients respond better to PD(L)1 immunotherapy
Researchers have found that a class of commonly-used heart drugs may also improve patients’ responses to anti-cancer immunotherapies called PD(L)1 inhibitors, according to preliminary findings to be presented at the 32nd EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, which is taking place online. Angiotensin receptor II blockers (ARBs) are often prescribed for high […]
Young women who suffer a heart attack have worse outcomes than men
Women aged 50 or younger who suffer a heart attack are more likely than men to die over the following 11 years, according to a new study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. The study found that, compared to men, women were less likely to undergo therapeutic invasive procedures after admission to hospital with […]
Drug combination proves effective in rare peripheral nerve sheath tumours: research in cancer cells and mice has ‘immediate translational implications’
Malignant tumours of the peripheral nerve are rare but aggressive and very difficult to treat successfully. Now, researchers in the US have shown that a combination of two types of anti-cancer drugs, MEK and SHP2 inhibitors, is effective in targeting the mechanism that drives the cancer’s growth. Although the work has been carried out in […]
Catheter ablation linked to reduced risk of dementia in patients with atrial fibrillation
People with atrial fibrillation have a reduced risk of dementia if they undergo a procedure called catheter ablation to restore the normal rhythm of their heart, according to a new study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. Previous work, published last year in the EHJ, by the same group of researchers showed that atrial […]