Cancer Information Highlights, August 16, 2017

Cancer Information Highlights, August 16, 2017

Cancer Information Highlights

From the National Cancer Institute

Updating you about cancer causes, prevention, screening, treatment, coping, and more

New from NCI "First in Human" Documentary Highlights NCI Immunotherapy Research   Don’t miss the next two episodes of this Discovery Channel special on August 17 and 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET, featuring some of the groundbreaking work on cancer immunotherapy being done at the NIH Clinical Center. Video—Facebook Live Event about Cancer Survivorship Research   In case you missed it, watch this recent Facebook Live event about the importance of research in understanding cancer survivorship. CAR T Cells: Engineering Patients’ Immune Cells to Treat Their Cancers   Research on CAR T-cell therapy is moving quickly. Learn what CAR T cells are, how they’re used to treat cancer, and how research has evolved to move this treatment forward to the clinic. Making Progress against Glioblastoma With Senator John McCain’s recent diagnosis, glioblastoma has been in the news. In this interview, Drs. Mark Gilbert and Terri Armstrong of NCI’s Neuro-Oncology Branch discuss glioblastoma and the research that scientists are doing to better understand and treat this cancer. Personalized Treatment Vaccines Show Promise against Melanoma Results from a new study show that, in patients with melanoma, a personalized treatment vaccine caused a strong immune response against the cancer and may have helped prevent it from returning. Treatment Approved for Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease A drug used to treat several blood cancers, ibrutinib, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat chronic graft-versus-host disease, making it the first approved therapy for this potentially fatal side effect of cancer-related stem cell transplants. PDQ Summary Updates Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Treatment We’ve updated our PDQ summary on adult ALL to include the monoclonal antibody blinatumomab as a standard treatment option for this disease. Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, and Primary Peritoneal Cancer Prevention We’ve revised our PDQ summary on ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer prevention with updated risk factors and protective factors for these cancers. Drug Information Updates New Drug for Breast Cancer We’ve added a new drug information summary for neratinib maleate, which was recently approved by FDA as extended adjuvant therapy in certain patients with early-stage breast cancer that is HER2 positive.

Also of Interest Plasma Cell Neoplasms, including Multiple Myeloma  Plasma cell neoplasms, including multiple myeloma, are diseases in which the body makes too many plasma cells in the bone marrow and these cells are abnormal. Learn how these cancers are treated, basic statistics, and related research. Genetic Testing for Hereditary Cancer Syndromes Genetic testing looks for specific inherited changes in a person’s chromosomes, genes, or proteins. Learn about the types of genetic tests available, who should consider testing, and how to understand test results. What is Cancer? Cancer is a collection of diseases that affect the body’s cells. Learn how cancer cells differ from normal cells, how cancer starts and what drives it to keep going, and the basic categories of cancer.