CURE staff

There were several updates in the field of skin cancer in 2020. Here, 

® looks back at some of the most-read news and updates in the field of skin cancer that patients may have missed.

Patients with stage 3 melanoma who had one or more circulating tumor cells were found to relapse sooner, providing physicians with an important biomarker to treat the likelihood of relapse. 

Adjuvant Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib) elicited a greater than 50% relapse-free survival (RFS) rate in patients with resected, stage 3 BRAF V600E/K-mutant melanoma, according to findings from a five-year analysis of the phase 3 COMBI-AD trial. 

A personalized vaccine has demonstrated long-term disease-free and overall survival benefits in patients with stage 3 or stage 4 melanoma at a high risk of recurrence following complete surgical resection, according to the vaccine’s manufacturer, Elios Therapeutics. 

Patients appear open to the idea of using artificial intelligence (AI) to help in screening for skin cancer, however many patients stress the need to preserve the patient-physician relationship if implemented, according to study results published in 

Following a median follow-up of three years, the use of immunotherapy agent Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with resected, high-risk, stage 3 melanoma demonstrated a sustained and clinical meaningful improvement in recurrence-free survival (RFS), compared with placebo. 

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to 

Articles

A roundup of some skin cancer news and updates that occurred in 2020 that patients may have missed.

The Top 5 Skin Cancer News and Updates That Patients May Have Missed in 2020

There were several updates in the field of kidney cancer in 2020. Here, 

® looks back at some of the news and updates in the field that patients may have missed.

At five years of follow-up, treatment with Opdivo (nivolumab) demonstrated superior overall survival and objective response rates, compared with Afinitor (everolimus), in patients with previously treated advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), according to results from the phase 3 Checkmate-025 study. 

Patients with advanced, previously untreated RCC may soon have a new option in the novel combination of Opdivo (nivolumab) and Cabometyx (cabozantinib), according to phase 3 results of the CheckMate-9ER trial. 

Birth weight, height and childhood body mass index (BMI) are associated with adult RCC, meaning they could be valuable predictors for a person’s risk of disease, according to new findings published in the European Journal of Epidemiology. 

Data presented at the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program demonstrated that treatment with savolitinib showed encouraging efficacy and an improved safety data over standard-of-care Sutent (sunitinib) in patients with MET-driven papillary RCC. 

Treatment with Cabometyx (cabozantinib) in combination with Tecentriq (atezolizumab) demonstrated promising clinical activity in patients with advanced clear cell RCC, according to data presented at the 2020 ESMO Virtual Congress. 

Data from a phase 2 study presented during the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program demonstrated that Avastin (bevacizumab) in combination with Tarceva (erlotinib) was well tolerated and produced encouraging clinical outcomes in patients with advanced hereditary leiomyomatosis and RCC or sporadic papillary RCC. 

Fotivda (tivozanib) significantly improved survival, compared with Nexavar (sorafenib), in patients with highly relapsed or refractory metastatic RCC, according to results from the phase 3 TIVO-3 trial presented at the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program. 

A roundup of some kidney cancer news and updates that occurred in 2020 that patients may have missed.

Kidney Cancer News and Updates That Patients May Have Missed in 2020

There were several updates in the field of ovarian cancer in 2020. 

® looks back at some of the news and updates in the field of ovarian cancer that patients may have missed.

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Zejula (niraparib) in May for the frontline maintenance treatment of adults with advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy was exciting news for patients, according to a gynecologic oncology expert. 

 demonstrated that regardless of length of breastfeeding, women who breastfeed are at significantly lower risk of ovarian cancer. 

 Talks Cancer” podcast, we spoke with a cervical cancer survivor — currently living with ovarian cancer — about a cross-country journey she took on a teal and white Harley Davidson motorcycle in the summer of 2019 to raise awareness for ovarian cancer. 

Data from a case-controlled analysis of health insurance claims from a five-year period demonstrated that certain recurring symptoms appear to be associated with an ovarian cancer diagnosis, indicating that symptom awareness is relevant to identifying a disease that is typically diagnosed at a later stage. 

Most premenopausal women planning preventive surgery because of a predisposition to ovarian cancer would prefer to remove only their fallopian tubes, putting off removal of their ovaries until they reach menopause, recent study results demonstrated. 

There was not a statistically significant association between the use of powder in the genital area and risk for ovarian cancer, according to data published in 

Treatment with Keytruda (pembrolizumab), Avastin (bevacizumab) and cyclophosphamide in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer was well tolerated and demonstrated clinical benefit in most patients, according to results from a trial published in 

A roundup of some ovarian cancer news and updates that occurred in 2020 that patients may have missed.

7 Ovarian Cancer News and Updates That Patients May Have Missed in 2020

 Voices program highlights the stories and advice of patients, survivors and caregivers alike who have valuable knowledge and experience with cancer. It is also sometimes an outlet to discuss the challenges of cancer that may get lost in the headlines of the latest approval or just provide a space of understanding.

In 2020, just like everyone else, the contributors had to deal with an ever-changing world while simultaneously dealing with the ongoing challenges of cancer even after treatment is well over. Here are the 10 most popular Voices articles from 2020 for you to revisit.

COVID-19 is Stealing Precious Time from Cancer Survivors

In the summer, contributor Jane Biehl wrote about how the changes the COVID-19 pandemic brought about to our daily lives was robbing cancer survivors and patients alike of the precious borrowed time they had. “I feel cheated. I think if we are honest, we all do. Precious time, which we cancer survivors know is fleeting, is flying by and we all feel robbed.”

The Elephant in the Room: Cancer Treatment Made Me Clumsier

Felicia Mitchell discusses the lingering ramifications of her treatment for cancer and how she had to find a balance in dealing with her neuropathy and living the life she wanted to at home. “For a long time, I refused to acknowledge the lingering effects of neuropathy. I found a way to joke about it and told everybody I was clumsy. To acknowledge the elephant in the room, I had to admit I needed to explore balance further,” she writes.

Old Photos Give Cancer Survivors Snapshots of Their Former Selves

“We can never predict our future of course, but looking back, there will always be snapshots of our former selves. One of the keys for me in accepting my disease as something more than simply an unfair curse was in seeing those snapshots of me before I had cancer as a separate life in a sense,” writes male breast cancer survivor Khevin Barnes as he explores his old life with his new reality.

Clearing Away Clutter — and the Fear of Another Cancer

Recurrence is a thought never far away from the mind of anyone who has been touched by cancer. Write Laura Yeager discusses that fear as she looks to declutter both her house and her own fears.

The Big Dates After Cancer Takes A Loved One Away

After cancer took her husband away, caregiver Erica Finamore discusses the importance of celebrating the important dates and milestones. Even after cancer has taken your loved one away.

Becoming The Supporter Over The Cancer Survivor

Sometimes the cancer survivor finds themselves in the position of supporter, such as the case of contributor Danielle Ripley-Burgess who had to help her friend through a breast cancer diagnosis. “I’ve learned what being a good friend to a cancer survivor takes. And this month, it looks like making sure other breast cancer survivors, get their time to shine.”

Don’t Ignore Sleep Problems That Come From Cancer Treatment

Cancer, and subsequent treatments for cancer, come with a host of side effects and lingering issues that stay with you for the rest of your life, but that doesn’t mean you can’t mitigate them. Contributor Martha Carlson discusses why you shouldn’t ignore sleep issues that come from treatment, and some tips on how to counteract them.

Triggers That Remind Me of My Daughter's Cancer Are Everywhere

“A cancer diagnosis is a traumatic event for everyone involved, and as with most traumatic events, there are things big and small that pull us back into the distress as if it was happening right now,” writes contributor Debbie Legault as she navigates the lingering emotions from her own daughter’s cancer journey.

Weighing The Pros and Cons of Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine

Given the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a first responder, contributor Tamera Anderson-Hana weighs the pros and cons of receiving the vaccine and trying to find a way past COVID-19.

 Magazine co-founder and longtime contributor Kathy LaTour contributor Kim Johnson writes about her brief interactions with Kathy LaTour and how her writing shaped her own.

Here are the top 10 most popular contributor articles from 2020! 

CURE staff | Contributors

The Top 5 Skin Cancer News and Updates That Patients May Have Missed in 2020

Kidney Cancer News and Updates That Patients May Have Missed in 2020

7 Ovarian Cancer News and Updates That Patients May Have Missed in 2020

The 10 Most Popular CURE Voices Articles of 2020

Latest News