Cancer vaccines, covid vaccines, HER2+ chemo-free options, triple-negative options, treatment developments
17th issue: Contents
- ‘The Next Wave’ in Cancer Vaccines
- 18FDG-PET May Identify Patients With HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer Benefiting from Chemo-Free HER2 Blockade
- Include More Terminal Cancer Patients in Trials, Says FDA
- Four Cancer-Treatment Developments Worth Celebrating
- NCCN Cancer Experts Answer Questions about COVID-19 Vaccines
- Keytruda Before and After Surgery Improves Outcomes in Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
• ‘The Next Wave’ in Cancer Vaccines
“messenger RNA (mRNA) technology used to develop two of the COVID-19 vaccines could be used to treat … cancer… The same principle can be applied to help a patient’s immune system to attack a tumor…OncoPep, focuses on developing targeted immunotherapies and is currently focusing on PVX-410, an investigational cancer vaccine being studied in patients with multiple myeloma and triple-negative breast cancer.”
My two cents: Vaccines are generally used to prevent the contraction of a disease but in cancer, it seems vaccines are focused on actual treatment of the disease. Interesting.
• 18FDG-PET May Identify Patients With HER2-Positive Early Breast Cancer Benefiting from Chemo-Free HER2 Blockade
“18FDG-PET in HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer may be useful for identifying patients who can benefit from chemotherapy-free treatment with Herceptin and Perjeta by a pathological response–adapted strategy.”
My two cents: Any diagnostic that can either make chemo more targeted and effective or render it unnecessary is good in my book. Herceptin and Perjeta have been good for me. They are talking about early cancer here. Had I taken H&P when I was Stage Zero, I might not have metastasized to Stage 4 and had to take Taxol and Carboplatin. 🤢
• Include More Terminal Cancer Patients in Trials, Says FDA
“The FDA believes patients with incurable cancers, if provided adequate information to make an informed decision, should be eligible to participate in oncology clinical trials.”
My two cents: Seriously. Nobody dies of Stage 0, 1, 2, or 3. Stage 4 needs more.
• Four Cancer-Treatment Developments Worth Celebrating
“Findings shared at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting bring hope of tackling cancer at earlier stages, with better treatments and at lower cost.”
My two cents: Earlier stage treatments, more immunotherapy, better drugs, lower costs… all good. Although, I’m not sure I like relying on China for reduced costs. One, I don’t entirely trust the Chinese pharmaceutical industry and two, I don’t feel comfortable relying on a political frenemy that the US has such outstanding controversial issues with for such important stuff.
• NCCN Cancer Experts Answer Questions about COVID-19 Vaccines
“Visit NCCN.org/patientguidelines to access the COVID-19 patient guide and for additional free, trusted resources that empower people with cancer and their caregivers with unbiased guidance from some of the world’s leading cancer experts.”
My two cents: Knowledge is power. I’m not convinced they have done near enough research on different vaccines and different therapies but its good to know what they think they know.
• Keytruda Before and After Surgery Improves Outcomes in Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
“Treatment with the immunotherapy medicine Keytruda plus chemotherapy before surgery, followed by Keytruda alone after surgery improved event-free survival better than chemotherapy alone in women diagnosed with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, according to the latest results from the KEYNOTE-522 study.”
My two cents: I am not a fan of chemotherapy. I am a fan of immunotherapy. So, anywise of immunotherapy that cn reduce the use fo chemotherapy, I’m for. I am not triple-negative. I feel a duty to report options for it because it feels like there are fewer available.
Cancer in the News has a posting frequency of once every two weeks to once a month.
(Or, in this case, once every two months. Sorry!)
