1969

 

This Washington Post advertisement appeared a few months after the first landing on the moon (1969). It quoted Dr. Sidney Farber, oncologist and past president of the American Cancer Society: “We are so close to a cure for cancer. We lack only the will and the kind of money and comprehensive planning that went into putting a man on the moon.” {ref}

No Overall Survival Difference With PARP Inhibitor Maintenance Therapy in Ovarian Cancer

Data from the ENGOT-OV16/NOVA study show NO difference in overall survival (OS) for patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer who received poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor Niraparib maintenance therapy and those who did not. 

https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/long-term-follow-up-shows-no-overall-survival-difference-with-parp-inhibitor-maintenance-therapy-in-ovarian-cancer

OS hazard ratio numerically favored Niraparib in the germline BRCA mutation cohort and favored placebo in the non-germline BRCA mutation cohort (approximately 85% of epithelial ovarian cancer patients are in this group!).

Gel Stops Mouse Brain Tumors, Offers Hope for Humans

A gel completely cured mice with deadly brain cancer, a startling finding that gives patients with glioblastoma - one of the deadliest and most prevalent brain tumors in humans - new hope 

This hydrogel delivers intracranial immunotherapy together with chemotherapy.

https://hub.jhu.edu/2023/04/24/mouse-brain-tumors-glioblastoma/

High Intensity Exercise May Reduce the Risk of Metastatic Cancer by 72%, Study Suggests

In this study, the researchers defined high-intensity exercise as an exercise where your heart rate is 80-85% of the maximum pulse rate e.g. 132 for a 55-year-old. (How to Determine Your Maximum Heart Rate)

Using data from a prospective study, researchers found 72% less metastatic cancer in participants who regularly engaged in high intensity aerobic activity.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20221114/High-intensity-aerobic-exercise-can-cut-metastatic-cancer-risk-by-7225.aspx

Half of Belgian patients who received expensive cancer treatments such as Keytruda and Opdivo died within a year of starting this treatment

An analysis of data from approximately 9,000 Belgian patients by the Agence Intermutualiste offers a new reading on the intended target. It seems that half of the patients who received Opdivo treatment (nivolumab) between 2016 and 2018 died during the year. In 2019, that percentage jumped to nearly 70%.

Similar results are observed for Keytruda (pembrolizumab).

The agency also points out that almost one in ten patients died in the month following the administration of the drug, suggesting that in several cases the treatment was started when it was no longer appropriate.

Source: https://www.7sur7.be/sante/la-moitie-des-patients-belges-traites-avec-un-nouveau-medicament-contre-le-cancer-sont-morts-dans-lannee~aa8d92d7/