As FDA weighs another myeloma endpoint for accelerated approvals, experts say timely access is at stake
Dr. Rahul Banerjee encouraged use of minimal residual disease to guide multiple myeloma treatments. He said, “I would be very excited about trials that use MRD as an endpoint to get more drugs to our patients sooner.” He also spoke with Endpoints.
One in five people with cancer participate in medical research studies, Fred Hutchinson study shows
Dr. Joe Unger underscored that “as we work to increase participation in cancer research studies and make them more accessible to patients, we need an inclusive, accurate assessment of current participation to inform these policies.”
Anti-aging medicines could cure cancer
Dr. Ming Yu discussed research of therapies that “cause ‘zombie cells’ to die without harming normal cells” as having potential “not only to help people live longer, but also live healthier and hopefully cancer-free.”
A blood test to detect cancer? Some patients are using them already
Dr. William Grady explained the limitations of new blood tests for cancer noting they are “not effective for brain cancer because brain cancer spreads rapidly, even when early and very small, so it is not often curable even at an early stage.”
The mouth microbe implicated in colorectal cancer
Dr. Chris Johnston described next steps for work published in Nature with Dr. Susan Bullman: “Because this bacterium is so intimately associated with cancers, it raises the question, ‘can we harness this?’ That’s something we’re very interested in.”
Exa-cel a ‘first step’ in gene therapy for sickle cell disease, beta-thalassemia
In an editorial, Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem praised success in gene therapies and called for more research in in vivo gene therapy to enable expanding “the availability away from specialized centers.”
With younger women getting breast cancer, national panel lowers mammogram screening age to 40
Dr. Janie Lee commented on new breast cancer screening guidelines. She said they would help create “less confusion among women about breast cancer screening” and that “the scientific evidence is clear mammography saves lives.”