Physicians typically use either a higher dose of cisplatin given every three weeks or a lower dose given weekly in combination with radiation to treat locally advanced head and neck cancer. However, prior to NRG-HN009, there was limited randomized evidence to determine which regimen provided the best balance of cancer control and treatment-related side effects. This question is particularly important for patients with p16-negative disease, who often have multiple comorbidities and may have a lower tolerance for intensive chemoradiation. The Phase II portion of NRG-HN009 compared these two treatment regimens in patients with p16-negative disease and found that weekly cisplatin failed to show significantly lower acute toxicity compared with cisplatin given every three weeks. Because the study did not meet its predefined criteria for reduced acute toxicity with weekly cisplatin, the p16-negative cohort did not advance to the Phase III portion of the trial.

The model incorporates key features of the tumor microenvironment, including abnormal blood vessels, elevated interstitial fluid pressure, immune cell activity, drug transport and tumor-draining lymph nodes.

To the surprise of researchers, certain diets often considered “unhealthy” or “fattening” were associated with better responses to a type of cancer immunotherapy.

"There is a synergistic relationship between the bacteria that reside in our GI tract, and the food we eat,” said Daniela Quail, Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology and Principal Investigator at the Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute.

In vitro tests conducted at the University of São Paulo suggest that the compounds eliminate the parasite during both the symptomatic phase and the stage at which it infects the mosquito vector.

Mayo Clinic researchers discovered distinct gut microbiome patterns in adults 50 or younger with colorectal and breast cancers compared with those diagnosed later in life — one of several findings from an analysis of stool samples from 1,364 patients with cancer across cancer types, stages and treatments.

(Boston)—Joshua D. Campbell, PhD, associate professor of medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, has been awarded a five-year, $3.4M U01 grant from the NIH’s National Cancer Institute Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN) for the project, “Integrative biomarkers to improve clinical management of lung ground glass nodules.” Campbell and colleagues led the establishment of the Lung Pre-Cancer Atlas, a cellular map of the earliest stages of lung cancer during the first round of HTAN funding (Phase I - A. Spira). This Phase II award will allow the team to begin to translate the Lung Pre-Cancer Atlas efforts into clinically useful biomarkers.