A significant challenge in developing treatment plans for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is deciding whether to use immune checkpoint inhibitors alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Monotherapy is effective for many patients and is associated with fewer adverse effects. However, for patients who do not respond, the crucial time lost could lead to tumor progression. Unfortunately, there is a lack of reliable data to guide clinicians in this area. A team led by Jia...

Many patients with advanced ovarian cancer treated with frontline therapies still end up with clinically undetectable amounts of cancer cells afterward, called minimal residual disease (MRD), leading to high likelihood of recurrence. However, there are no reliable tests to detect MRD, and its biological features remain understudied. Residual cancer cells escape the effects of surgery and chemotherapy and are the reason why cure rates for advanced ovarian cancer have remained low for many decades. To provide insights, researchers led by Amir Jazaeri,...

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of diseases in which the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells. The erythroid predominance (EP) subtype, marked by 50% or more erythroid cells (red blood cell precursors) in the bone marrow, has distinct biology, prognoses and drug sensitivities. To study this, researchers led by Guillermo Montalban Bravo, M.D., evaluated an MDS cohort of 371 patients, 18% of whom had EP MDS. They discovered EP MDS has unique genetic patterns...

CDK4/6 inhibitors are targeted therapies commonly used as first-line treatments for patients with hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic breast cancer. However, some patients stop responding to CDK4/6 inhibitors, and the mechanisms behind this acquired resistance are poorly understood. In a new study led by Khandan Keyomarsi, Ph.D., researchers discovered that the inflammatory protein IL-6 becomes elevated in these patients, which then triggers another protein – STAT3 – that helps tumors progress. This highlights the potential of monitoring...

Four years after pre-surgery treatment with a novel combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors, nivolumab and relatlimab, 87% of patients with stage III melanoma remained alive, according to new results from a study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Long-term follow-up data from this Phase II study demonstrate this combination provides long-term benefits to patients when given before and after surgery, and identified unique biomarkers associated with better outcomes and lower chance of recurrence....

In a major step forward for pandemic preparedness and vaccine development, scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch and Moderna have developed and tested a groundbreaking mRNA vaccine that provides full protection against the deadly Marburg virus and the closely related Ravn virus in a preclinical animal model.   “The fact that we achieved complete protection in all vaccinated animals is a major leap,” said Dr. Alexander Bukreyev, co-senior author of the study and professor...

New targeted therapies have improved treatment options for elderly patients with IDH-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are not eligible for intensive chemotherapy, with two double therapy regimens approved as frontline therapies. However, most patients either do not benefit or will experience a relapse. Therefore, researchers led by Courtney DiNardo, M.D., evaluated new triplet regimens in 60 newly diagnosed, elderly patients with IDH-mutated AML who were ineligible for chemotherapy, including:   Azacitidine, venetoclax and ivosidenib for patients with IDH1 mutation Oral decitabine, venetoclax and ivosidenib...

Many patients with brain metastases receive stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) – a targeted high dose of radiation – after surgery to remove the metastases. Studies have suggested that pre-surgical SRT may be comparable to standard post-surgical SRT, but little is known about both methods from clinical trials. To address this, researchers led by Debra Nana Yeboa, M.D., conducted a Phase III clinical trial examining the logistics and short-term safety of both pre- and post-surgical SRT in 103 patients with resectable brain metastases. Compared...

Some patients with advanced colorectal cancer develop metastases in the lining of the abdominal cavity, known as peritoneal metastases. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) can help remove most tumors, and it is sometimes combined with heated chemotherapy delivered to the abdominal cavity – a treatment approach called hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) – to eliminate remaining cancer cells. In a retrospective study, researchers led by Michael White, M.D., and Paula Smith, M.D., examined the benefits of HIPEC in 147 patients with colorectal cancer and peritoneal metastases who received...

A major new study led by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch suggests that standard treatment for hypothyroidism may not fully protect patients from long-term risks such as dementia and premature death—even when thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels are within the normal range. The findings highlight potential benefits of combination therapy that includes both levothyroxine (T4) and liothyronine (T3).   Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder in which the thyroid gland does not produce...