Tests on living “organoids” created from patients’ ovarian cancer cells proved more accurate than DNA sequencing in predicting tumors’ sensitivity or resistance to chemotherapy drugs – and combining the two methods worked even better, say scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The investigators report in Cancer Discovery that ovarian cancer organoids – tiny, three-dimensional spheres of cells … Continued
The past two years have seen striking changes in how advanced bladder cancer is treated.
A growing number of researchers are testing the potential role of natural killer cells—”NK cells”—in cancer immunotherapy.
Scientists at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) have identified biomarkers in melanoma that could help tailor immunotherapy treatments to maximize the benefits for patients while reducing the likelihood of severe side effects.
As scientists have learned more about the intricate workings of the immune system, they’ve developed new forms of immunotherapy that have been approved for the treatment of leukemia or are being clinically tested in patients.
Nancy Hale was given a 30 percent chance of surviving three years when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. But today, six years after her initial diagnosis and because of an immunotherapy clinical trial, Hale is in remission—and “blazing the trail” for other patients.
“It has been the holy grail of oncology to develop potentially curative treatments for advanced common solid tumors, and it may now be on our doorstep for at least some patients,” says Bruce Johnson, MD, a thoracic oncologist and chief clinical research officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Robert Johnson remains in remission more than three years after participating in a pioneering immunotherapy clinical trial for his stage IV adenocarcinoma non-small cell lung cancer.
A growing arsenal of new drugs that unleash the body’s immune system against tumors has captured the cancer treatment spotlight.
Radioimmunotherapy is a combination of radiation therapy and immunotherapy.
Two years after being given six months to live, Mullan’s cancer is still at bay because of immunotherapy and targeted chemotherapy – and through it all, he achieved one of his dreams: graduating from Harvard Law School.
How does cancer start? In general, how is it treated? Here’s the basics of what you need to know.
In gynecologic cancers, immunotherapy is being used in all stages of treatment, and researchers are trying to enhance the effects of different immunotherapy approaches.
Gene therapy is a way of treating or preventing disease by altering the genetic instructions within an individual’s cells.
Researchers are confident that the potential of checkpoint inhibitors has only begun to be tapped.
Immunotherapy can be dramatically successful for people with limited options — so scientists are working on expanding the benefits to other patients.
Monoclonal antibody therapy is a kind of immunotherapy that empowers the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells.
Researchers are applying the knowledge they’ve gained in previous clinical trials as they look into how immunotherapy might provide additional treatment options for patients with recurrent cervical cancer.
“Living” drugs consist of fully functional cells that have been selected and often modified to treat specific diseases, such as cancer. CAR T-cell therapy and therapeutic vaccines fall into this category.
So far, CDK4/6 inhibitors have been shown to be most effective in treating advanced estrogen-receptor positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.