Cancer discovery
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The combination of antiestrogen therapy and ribociclib, an investigational CDK4/6 inhibitor, led to improved outcomes in women with metastatic HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to findings presented at a meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology. The combination significantly increased progression-free survival compared with letrozole alone in a large phase III trial-data that could lead to FDA approval.
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The HHS and NIH have adopted new policies aimed at clarifying and expanding the reporting requirements for clinical trials and more quickly disseminating data to researchers and the public. Among the changes: requiring registration of trials that test experimental and early-stage therapies, and posting results for trials of unapproved drugs. The policies take effect January 18, 2017.
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In vitro, EGFR inhibition, combined with the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib, causes synergistic cytotoxicity for BRAFV600E metastatic colorectal cancer, further augmented by irinotecan. The safety and efficacy of vemurafenib, irinotecan, and cetuximab in BRAF-mutated malignancies are not defined. In this 3+3 phase I study, patients with BRAFV600E-advanced solid cancers received cetuximab and irinotecan with escalating doses of vemurafenib. ⋯ Six of 17 evaluable patients (35%) achieved a radiographic response by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1 criteria, consistent with in vivo models demonstrating tumor regressions with the triplet regimen. Median progression-free survival was 7.7 months. BRAFV600E circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) trends correlated with radiographic changes, and acquired mutations from cfDNA in genes reactivating MAPK signaling were observed at progression.
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Accumulating evidence has supported the fallopian tube rather than the ovary as the origin for high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). To understand the relationship between putative precursor lesions and metastatic tumors, we performed whole-exome sequencing on specimens from eight HGSOC patient progression series consisting of serous tubal intraepithelial carcinomas (STIC), invasive fallopian tube lesions, invasive ovarian lesions, and omental metastases. ⋯ Ex vivo assays revealed that HGSOC spheroids can implant in the fallopian tube epithelium and mimic STIC lesions. That STIC may represent metastases calls into question the assumption that STIC are always indicative of primary fallopian tube cancers.