Gastrointestinal Cancers

The Food and Drug Administration approved Kanjinti, a biosimilar to the US-licensed Herceptin, marking it the fifth of its kind.

From today’s top entertainers to racial disparities in access to pain treatment, here’s what is making headlines in the cancer space this week.

Emerging facts about the genetics that drive gastric cancer are leading to new treatments for the disease.

Overall survival in metastatic gas­tric or gastroesophageal junction cancer improved significantly in patients who received the oral combination chemo­therapy Lonsurf regardless of whether they’d had a gastrectomy.

Nearly half of patients with a particular type of cholangiocarcinoma responded to a combination of two targeted drugs — Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib), which together inhibit the growth-signaling proteins BRAF and MEK in patients with different types of rare cancers that carry the BRAF V600E gene mutation.

There’s a greater responsibility than ever to understand gastric cancer, its causes and its treatments.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Lonsurf (TAS-102; trifluridine/tipiracil) for adult patients with metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a priority review to a supplemental new drug application for Lonsurf (TAS-102; trifluridine/tipiracil) for use in previously treated patients with advanced or metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma, including cancer of the gastroesophageal junction.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an expanded age indication for GARDASIL 9 (Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine, Recombinant), according to Merck, the manufacturer of the HPV vaccine.

Immunotherapy pioneers James P. Allison and Dr. Tasuku Honjo have won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research that eventually led to the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat cancer.

Research continues to drive the oncology field.

A recent study found that socioeconomic status can play a role in survival for patients with anal cancer.

While having a career as a flight attendant allows individuals to travel the globe, exposure to carcinogens and frequent disruptions in circadian rhythms may increase cancer prevalence in these individuals, according to recent research published in the journal Environmental Health.

Treatment of HIV has drastically improved since the 1980s, but many of these individuals are still facing barriers to proper cancer care.

But just what information is most useful to patients with NETs, and where are the gaps in the educational and supportive resources to which they have access? A study – presented at the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium on Jan. 19, in San Francisco – explored just that.

Keytruda (pembrolizumab) was granted FDA approval for the treatment of patients with recurrent or advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma who have received two or more lines of chemotherapy and are PD-L1-positive.

Patients with advanced gastric cancer tend to use their health care resources more often and have a worse quality of life than those without the disease

More personalized approaches are being developed to treat patients with metastatic disease.

Keytruda (pembrolizumab) showed promising signs of clinical activity for patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ), according to updated findings from KEYNOTE-059 study that were presented at the 2017 American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

Keytruda (pembrolizumab) was granted a priority review to a supplemental biologics license application for the treatment of patients with recurrent or advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma who have undergone at least two courses of chemotherapy.

Despite impressive efficacy for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine reducing the prevalence of high-risk oral HPV infections by 88 percent, many young adults still are not getting the vaccine – sparking concern in the health community.

Although rates of the rare, but deadly disease have been declining in men since 1973, that is not the case for women.

The PD-1 inhibitor, Opdivo, may be a promising option for patients with advanced anal cancer, according to a recent study.

Dr. Daniel H. Ahn, D.O., spoke with CURE about new advances in gastroesophageal cancers including immunotherapies and stemness inhibitors.