The FDA Expands Approval of Opdivo as Frontline Therapy for Melanoma
November 24th 2015The FDA has approved nivolumab (Opdivo) as a frontline treatment for patients with BRAF wild-type advanced melanoma, based on a substantial improvement in overall survival (OS) compared with dacarbazine in a phase III study.
Portrazza FDA approved for Advanced Squamous NSCLC
November 24th 2015The combination of Portrazza (necitumumab) with gemcitabine and cisplatin has been FDA approved as first-line therapy for patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The approval is based on findings from the phase III SQUIRE trial.
The Story of Hope for Two Members: Zoila Pasos & Haydee Marte
November 24th 2015In 2007, Zoila Pasos found a lump in her breast when she was just a few weeks pregnant. Not long into the pregnancy, she miscarried. While she allowed her body time to heal, she had the lump checked and was told it was a benign cyst and nothing to worry about.
FDA Approves Opdivo to Treat Kidney Cancer
November 23rd 2015Based on an extension in overall survival (OS) in the CheckMate-025 trial, Opdivo (nivolumab) has been approved by the FDA for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following prior treatment with an anti-angiogenic therapy.
Tafinlar/Mekinist Combination Fully Approved by FDA for BRAF-Mutant Melanoma
November 23rd 2015The combination of Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib) has been fully approved by the FDA to treat patients with unresectable or metastatic BRAF-mutated melanoma. The approval is based on an extension in overall survival (OS) from two phase III studies.
Genetic Testing May Add Confusion to Treatment Decisions
November 23rd 2015As genetic testing becomes increasingly available, there will be a growing gap between the wide availability of testing and the relative importance of results to treatment decisions. In the current environment, there's more promise in precision medicine than practical applications in the exam room.
Melanoma Treatments Are Advancing, But Next Steps Remain Unclear
November 20th 2015In this interview to gain further insight into the flurry of FDA activity, Tim Turnham, executive director of the Melanoma Research Foundation, sheds light on the recent drug approvals and what's next for treating melanoma.
FDA Approves Osimertinib Ahead of Schedule for Advanced NSCLC
November 13th 2015The FDA has granted an accelerated approval for Tagrisso (osimertinib) to treat patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) positive the EGFR T790M mutation and whose disease worsened following a prior EGFR TKI.
Focusing on Personalized Care for Patients With Polycythemia Vera
November 13th 2015Patients and practitioners can expect more personalized options for the treatment of polycythemia vera (PV), including more refined criteria for diagnosing symptomatic patients and identifying those at highest risk along with more therapies for treating a disease which carries a heavy symptom burden.
XRAYS Aims to Help Patients, Survivors Make Sense of Research News
November 6th 2015For oncology practitioners fielding questions from patients and survivors about breast cancer or genetics research news they've read online or through social media, a recently-launched news and information rating resource hopes to make that process easier.