Does corticosteroid use affects treatment response to chemotherapy and immune-checkpoint inhibitors (CICPIs) in some types of advanced lung cancer.
Inherited Predisposition Could Change Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment
A new study involving federal medicine researchers raised the question of whether small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an inherited predisposition. The answer is important because it opens the possibility of using targeted therapies based on the genes involved.
Prostate Cancer Care at VA Changed Significantly in Last Decade
Over the past decade, how prostate cancer is detected and treated at VA healthcare facilities has changed gradually but significantly.
VA’s Tele-Oncology Services Proved Beneficial During COVID-19 Shutdowns
Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, 2,749 face-to-face visits for medical oncology and 5,093 visits for radiation oncology occurred at the Ann Arbor, MI, VAMC from June 2019 to December 2019.
For Veterans with CLL, More Options Mean More Hope
Over the last decade, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved 19 new drugs or combinations to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
CLL Survival Is Steadily Improving, but Adverse Effects Remain Challenging
As with most cancer, overall survival in chronic lymphocytic leukemia has steadily risen over the past two decades. New agents play an important role in that improvement, but they also require additional training and close attention to different types of adverse effects.
Herpes Zoster Common in Younger Veterans with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
A diagnosis of cancer of any type is terrifying. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia may be better than most, with many CLL patients able to manage the disease with regular monitoring for years or even decades.
VHA Study: No Link Between Ranitidine, Gastric Cancer
With the Food and Drug Administration requesting withdrawal of ranitidine formulations due to a potentially carcinogenic contaminant, N-nitrosodimethylamine, a new study evaluated whether ranitidine use is associated with gastric cancer.
Women Benefit From Both Lung, Breast Cancer Screening
Women are most likely to die from lung cancer—with mortality greater than breast, cervical and ovarian cancer combined—and increased screening has been shown to significantly reduce mortality.
Antibiotic Use Linked to Reduced Effectiveness for Common NSCLC Therapy
ATLANTA – The use of antibiotic therapy appears to adversely affect the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer patients. The reason is that dysregulation of the gut microbiota caused by antibiotic therapy can alter the anticancer immune response.
Add-on to Chemoradiotherapy Doubles NSCLC Survival for Some Veterans
ANN ARBOR, MI – Median overall survival doubled for veterans with stage III non-small cell lung cancer who received chemoradiotherapy plus durvalumab, as compared to those receiving chemoradiotherapy alone, according to a new study. The authors note that the current standard of care for patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC is concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by durvalumab maintenance, but veterans were not included in the trial establishing that protocol.
Male Veterans With Breast Cancer Fare Worse Than Females
ALBANY, NY – While survival rates for breast cancer generally have improved over the last decades, that is not true for at least one cohort of patients: men. In fact, increased mortality has been documented for male veterans with breast cancer, even after adjusting for age and other clinical factors. VA researchers tried to determine why.
Survey Looks at VHA Glaucoma Surgery Patterns
Laser trabeculoplasty (LTP) is the use of a laser beam to burn areas of the trabecular meshwork, located near the base of the iris, to increase fluid outflow.
Battlefield Ocular Trauma Leaves Wounded Legally Blind
Modern-day combat trauma results in complicated ocular injuries causing nearly a third of injured military personnel to be declared legally blind in the affected eye, according to a new study.
Study Sought to Characterize Ocular Pain Symptoms
How common is ocular pain in patients with and without a history of refractive surgery, and what are its characteristics?
Untangling the Mystery Behind Blast-Induced Neurological Complications
Explosive blasts account for a majority of the injuries among wounded servicemembers, but some of the most long-term and damaging effects of blast exposure might be slipping by undetected.
Delayed Colorectal Cancer Screening Follow-up Increases Veterans’ Death Rates
With about 4,000 new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed each year, the VA has fought to increase screening for the condition, which is in the top five cancers afflicting veterans.
IBD Drugs Linked to Increased Leukemia Risk
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are rare myeloid clonal disorders that commonly affect the elderly population and have poor prognosis.
Statins Reduce Some Lymphomas in Veterans With HIV
Statins appear to have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects and appear to reduce cancer risk. A new study sought to determine if that also is the case with HIV patients, who experience chronic inflammation and immune activation.
VHA PSA Screening Rates Dropped for Some Groups
How did the 2012 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation against the prostate specific antigen screening for prostate cancer affect practice at the VHA?
BH3 Mimetics Combos Targeting MCL1, BCL2 Might Help Treat Melanoma
AURORA, CO – Patients with melanoma who are refractory to or ineligible for immune checkpoint blockade have an urgent need for effective treatments. A report in the journal Cancers (Basel) noted that includes patients who lack BRAF-V600E/K mutations and is often the...
Prognosis Beginning to Improve for T-cell Lymphoma Patients
LONG BEACH, CA – Among hematological malignancies, T-cell lymphomas have an extremely poor prognosis. A new review suggested that might be changing with unusual paths to cure. An article in the Lancet Haematology pointed out that, over the last three decades, little...
Discovery Explains Neurotoxicity With Certain CAR T Cell Immunotherapy
PHILADELPHIA — A new discovery might help explain the cause of neurotoxicity in patients undergoing CD19 directed CAR T cell immunotherapy. A report in the journal Cell discussed how new research uncovered the previously unknown presence of CD19 — a B cell molecule...
Servicemembers Usually Diagnosed With Lung Cancer Earlier Than Civilians
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, killing more than 150,000 people each year. Lung cancer also poses a particularly high risk to servicemembers and veterans.
Humanized Monoclonal Antibodies Show Promise in Relapsed/Refractory CLL
SACRAMENTO, CA – What are the complement depleting effects of humanized monoclonal antibodies and the impact of complement replacement on treatment response in patients with hard-to-treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia? A small phase 2 trial published in the Journal of...
First Line Ibrutinib Delays Time to Next Treatment for Veterans With CLL
HORSHAM, PA -- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma is the most common adult leukemia, accounting for about 37% of all leukemias in the United States. Yet, a new study suggested that limited real-word evidence is available on the outcomes of...
CLL, Lymphoma Treatments Might Be Effective in Some Melanoma Cases
AURORA, CO – Noting the urgent need to develop treatments for patients with melanoma who are refractory to or ineligible for immune checkpoint blockade, including patients who lack BRAF-V600E/K mutations, a new study suggested some possible options. The report in...
NHL, Some Other Cancers, Reduced With Early ART in HIV-Positive Patients
OAKLAND, CA – Cancer is a significant problem for patients diagnosed with HIV. indicates that earlier initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in persons living with HIV (PLWH) can reduce cancer incidence, but it has not been clear which cancer types are affected. A...
Erectile Dysfunction Medications Appear to Lower Some Colorectal Cancer Risks
COLUMBIA, SC—PDE-5 inhibitors are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat erectile dysfunction, but a new study suggested that the drugs also might be a viable chemopreventive agent for some types of cancer. The article in Clinical and Translational...
Promising Options Identified for AML Treatment After Initial Treatment Failure
CHICAGO – Because of limited treatment options after the failure of initial therapy, clinical management of acute myeloid leukemia remains a challenge for clinicians. One area of significant interest, according to a report in the journal Blood, has been therapeutic...
