Brielle Benyon, Assistant Managing Editor for CURE®, has been with MJH Life Sciences since 2016. She has served as an editor on both CURE and its sister publication, Oncology Nursing News. Brielle is a graduate from The College of New Jersey. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, CrossFit and wishing she had the grace and confidence of her toddler-aged daughter.
Follow Brielle on Twitter @Brielle_Benyon.
Distress Score Could Shape Myeloma Treatment Interventions
March 6th 2018While recent breakthroughs have led to more treatment options for multiple myeloma, patients are also experiencing new side effects, stressful financial issues and psychological burdens. In turn, recent research found that this increased distress may actually have negative implications for patient outcomes.
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Despite Advances, Education Tools Still Needed for Immunotherapy Treatment
March 5th 2018Recently, the Cancer Support Community (CSC) conducted a survey to better grasp the challenges that patients, caregivers and clinical staff members face regarding immunotherapy. The goal is to ultimately use that information to craft an empowerment program that will improve the patient experience.
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Number of Cancerous Lymph Nodes May Predict Head and Neck Cancer Survival
March 1st 2018A variety of factors go in to the staging of a head and neck cancer diagnosis, however, the number of malignant lymph nodes may very well be the key to prognosis and treatment moving forward in this patient population.
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Ultra-Processed Foods May Increase Cancer Risk
February 23rd 2018Ultra-processed foods include items such as packaged bread products, sweet and savory packaged snacks, industrialized desserts, highly processed and/or preserved meat products, instant noodles and soups and other shelf-stable items, which usually have a high sugar, oil and/or fat content.
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'Obesity Paradox' Offers Puzzling Survival Advantage in Men with Metastatic Melanoma
February 14th 2018While obesity is a known risk factor for more than a dozen types of cancer – and poised to take over smoking as the leading preventable cause for the disease – it may actually play a beneficial role in men with metastatic melanoma, according to a recent study published in Lancet Oncology.
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Efficacy Offsets High Costs for Immunotherapy in US, But Not Overseas
February 14th 2018Researchers from Israel, the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada sought to determine the cost-effectiveness of Keytruda for the second-line treatment of patients with advanced bladder cancer. Drug costs were compared between the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
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Exercise Has Short- and Long-Term Benefits for Cancer Survivors
February 13th 2018Fatigue is a life-altering and often long-lasting effect that impacts many cancer survivors. And while there is currently no cure for the condition, recent research presented at the 2018 Cancer Survivorship Symposium found that exercise can have both short- and long-term benefits for patients dealing with fatigue.
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Barbells for Boobs Strengthens the Fight Against Breast Cancer
February 12th 2018The mission of Barbells for Boobs is to mobilize and empower people to take action against breast cancer. The organization will help people – of all ages, and regardless of insurance status or type – to get screened by connecting them with resources in their area.
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Body Mass Index Plays a Surprising Role in Immunotherapy's Effectiveness
February 6th 2018“Obesity has been previously investigated for its role in cancer and promoting tumor growth, at least partially by inducing a chronic inflammatory state,” the authors wrote. “However, it’s unclear how this would play out in the era of immunotherapy, where inflammation has been linked to treatment response.”
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Patients With Myeloproliferative Neoplasms May Have Increased Thrombosis Risk
February 6th 2018For years, many health care professionals noticed that patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) tend to experience thrombosis more than the average person. Now, a recent population-based study conducted in Sweden confirmed their suspicions.
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Bipartisan Act Puts Focus on Women With Lung Cancer
February 6th 2018Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death for women in the United States, but often does not get as much attention as other malignancies. In an effort to change that, and to one day decrease the number of women who are dying from the disease, the bipartisan Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventative Services Act was reintroduced into Congress.
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Childhood Pneumonia May Be Associated With Cancer Risk
February 2nd 2018While causes for pneumonia were varied – including bacteria (14 percent), virus (22 percent) and unspecified (64 percent) – the majority of children did not have immune deficiencies recorded at the time of their pneumonia diagnosis.
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Joe Biden Says Toxic Burn Pits May Have Contributed to His Son's Cancer
February 2nd 2018For years, former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Beau, was stationed near large, potentially toxic burn pits. After Beau died of glioblastoma (GBM) in May 2015, Joe Biden grew skeptical and started to question if the burn pits contributed to his son’s cancer diagnosis.
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Adding Tecentriq to Chemo Regimen Improves Lung Cancer Outcomes
January 31st 2018Not all patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) respond to immunotherapy, so researchers are exploring the use of combination regimens, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy, to improve outcomes in these patients.
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Patients Concerned as Humana Takes Herceptin Off Preferred Drug List in South Florida
January 30th 2018Until recently, Herceptin, which is used to treat patients with metastatic breast cancer, was fully covered under Humana’s South Florida Medicare Advantage plans. But, after taking it off the preferred drug list, patients will now be responsible for 20 percent of the drug’s cost, better aligning South Florida’s plans with Humana’s other Medicare Advantage plans.
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Exploring Unanswered Questions on CAR-T Cell Therapy in Myeloma
January 29th 2018The success of CAR- (chimeric antigen receptor) T cell therapy is causing landmark change in the way that patients with multiple myeloma are being treated, but more research needs to be done to better understand the role that these agents will play.
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