Vienna, Austria: Patients with advanced melanoma skin cancer survive for longer without their disease progressing if they have been treated with a combination of two drugs, nivolumab and ipilimumab, than with either of these drugs alone. New results show that these patients also do better regardless of their age, stage of disease and whether or […]
Hormonal therapy could prevent ovarian failure and preserve fertility in women with breast cancer
Vienna, Austria: Young women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer may be more likely to remain fertile if they also receive hormonal treatment, according to new research presented to the 2015 European Cancer Congress [1] and published simultaneously in Annals of Oncology [2]. Researchers told the Congress that the addition of treatment with a so-called luteinising […]
Post diagnosis aspirin improves survival in all gastrointestinal cancers
Vienna, Austria: Aspirin improves survival in patients with tumours situated throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, results from a large study in The Netherlands show. This is the first time that survival data from patients with tumours in different GI locations have been analysed at the same time; previously, only one type of cancer, usually colorectal, […]
A combination of two targeted therapies results in melanoma patients living significantly longer: new results
Vienna, Austria: Latest results from a trial of a combination of two targeted therapies (dabrafenib and trametinib) to treat advanced melanoma have shown that patients are living significantly longer on the combined therapy than patients treated with another drug, vemurafenib, when used alone. Professor Caroline Robert, of the Institut Gustave Roussy, Paris, France, told the […]
Nivolumab improves the proportion of lung cancer patients alive after more than a year
Vienna, Austria: Patients with a type of lung cancer called non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (non-SQ NSCLC) have limited treatment options and a dismal prognosis once their disease has advanced and initial treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy has failed. Second-line treatment is usually with another chemotherapy drug, such as docetaxel or pemetrexed. Recent results have shown […]
Treatment of elderly patients with breast cancer varies between different countries throughout Europe
Vienna, Austria: First results from the largest international comparison of the treatment of elderly patients with breast cancer have shown there are substantial differences in the use of surgery, hormone therapy and chemotherapy between European countries. The European Registration of Cancer Care (EURECCA) study [1] compared the treatment patterns of 119,125 patients aged 70 and […]
Discovery of differences between tumours of younger and older colorectal cancer patients may lead to better treatments
Vienna, Austria: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is on the rise among younger patients. Although some of the younger-onset cases can be explained by hereditary factors, the majority arise spontaneously. Researchers have now found that tumours in younger colorectal cancer patients may be molecularly distinct from those of older patients, and that these differences are related to […]
Rare cancer responds unusually well to new treatment: results from the NETTER-1 trial
Vienna, Austria: Patients with advanced gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) have limited treatment options and there are few oncologists who are specialised in this relatively rare disease. But now results from a multi-centre randomised international trial of an innovative treatment show a marked improvement in the length of time patients with mid-gut [1] NETs live without […]
Results of international trial show promise in rare, difficult to treat cancer: results from the RADIANT-4 trial
Vienna, Austria: Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) develop in the neuroendocrine system, responsible for producing the hormones that regulate the working of different organs in the body. They are rare, incurable, and treatments for them are limited, especially once they have become advanced. Now an international team of researchers has shown that the use of the mTOR […]
Genetic screening of brain metastases could reveal new targets for treatment
Vienna, Austria: Unravelling the genetic sequences of cancer that has spread to the brain could offer unexpected targets for effective treatment, according to new research presented to the 2015 European Cancer Congress [1] and published simultaneously in Cancer Discovery [2]. Researchers told the Congress that they found that the original, or primary, cancer in a […]