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CERI Cancer Quiz Day Earth Day Special

4/21/2021

FDA approved first immunotherapy for initial treatment of gastric cancer

4/16/2021

Today, on April 16, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nivolumab (Opdivo, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company) in combination with certain chemotherapy for patients with for the initial treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma.
This is the first FDA-approved immunotherapy for the first-line treatment of gastric cancer.

How does Opdivo (nivolumab) work? Opdivo is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits tumor growth by enhancing T-cell function.
How many patients were evaluated for this study? 1,581
Median overall survival (OS) for the pembrolizumab + chemotherapy arm: 13.8 months
Median overall survival (OS) for the chemotherapy arm: 11.6 months
What were the most common adverse reactions? The most common side effects of Opdivo in combination with chemotherapy include:
- peripheral neuropathy (damage to the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord),
- nausea,
- fatigue,
- diarrhea,
- vomiting,
- decreased appetite,
- abdominal pain,
- constipation,
- musculoskeletal pain.
Opdivo can cause serious conditions known as immune-mediated side effects, including:
- inflammation of healthy organs such as the lungs (pneumonitis), colon (colitis), liver (hepatitis), endocrine glands (endocrinopathies) and kidneys (nephritis).
Patients should tell their healthcare providers if they have immune system problems, lung or breathing problems, liver problems, have had an organ transplant, or are pregnant or plan to become pregnant before starting treatment.

Reference:

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-immunotherapy-initial-treatment-gastric-cancer?s=03 (accessed April 16, 2021).

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Cancer Quiz Day

4/14/2021

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PS: You can find the answer here.

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FDA approved pembrolizumab for esophageal or GEJ carcinoma

4/13/2021

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On March 22, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.) in combination with platinum and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy for patients with metastatic or locally advanced esophageal or gastroesophageal (GEJ) (tumors with epicenter 1 to 5 centimeters above the gastroesophageal junction) carcinoma who are not candidates for surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation.

How many patients were evaluated for this study? 749
What is the study ID? KEYNOTE-590 (NCT03189719)
How were patients randomized? (1:1) to pembrolizumab in combination with cisplatin and fluorouracil or placebo with cisplatin and fluorouracil, until unacceptable toxicity or disease progression.
What were the results of the study? Statistically significant improvement in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for patients randomized to pembrolizumab with chemotherapy.
Median OS for the pembrolizumab arm: 12.4 months (95% CI: 10.5, 14.0)
Median OS for the chemotherapy arm: 9.8 months (95% CI: 8.8, 10.8) (HR 0.73; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.86; p<0.0001).
Median PFS for the pembrolizumab arm: 6.3 months (95% CI: 6.2, 6.9)
Median PFS for the chemotherapy arm: 5.8 months (95% CI: 5.0, 6.0) (HR 0.65; 95% CI: 0.55, 0.76; p<0.0001).
What were the most common adverse reactions? In ≥20% of patients who received the pembrolizumab combination were nausea, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, stomatitis, fatigue/asthenia, decreased appetite, and weight loss.
What is the recommended pembrolizumab dose for esophageal cancer? 200 mg every 3 weeks or 400 mg every 6 weeks.

Reference:

FDA approves pembrolizumab for esophageal or GEJ carcinoma. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-approves-pembrolizumab-esophageal-or-gej-carcinoma (accessed April 13, 2021)

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Wednesday Cancer Quiz Day

4/7/2021

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This is our long-time game we've created, the CERI Cancer Quiz Game™!
Test your cancer knowledge with CERI - take today's quiz, share with you friends!
Every Wednesday!

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Cancer Quiz Day

4/7/2021

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You can find the correct answer in two of our videos on our Youtube channel:

COME BACK EVERY WEDNESDAY FOR OUR 'QUESTION OF THE DAY' QUIZ!

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Schwann Cells Promote Cancer Cell Invasion

4/6/2021

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By Ayguen Sahin, MSc, PhD - Cancer Education and Research Institute

In some cancers, cancer cells can invade in along nerves causing an aggressive perineural invasion (PNI, the invasion of cancer to the space surrounding a nerve), which leads to pain and paralysis, and reduced survival.

A study led by Deborde and colleagues showed that cancer cells exploit normal Schwann cell nerve repair programs to promote perineural invasion. This research study observed these results in:

pancreatic adenocarcinoma
thyroid cancer
salivary duct carcinoma

Schwann cells are a type of glial cells, which surrounds neurons and play an essential role in the fuction and survival of the neurons.

Cancer cells formed protrusions and migration toward Schwann cells through a protein called NCAM1 (Neural Adhesion Molecule 1), which is correlated with the presence of perineural invasion.

Perineural invasion (PNI) is also often seen in:

head and neck cancer
prostate cancer
colorectal cancer

Resources:

Deborde S, Omelchenko T, Lyubchik A, Zhou Y, He S, McNamara WF, et al. Schwann cells induce cancecr cell dispersion and invasion. J Clin Invest 2016; 126:1538-54.
Cancer Discovery, May 2016, 473.
Ström P, et al. Prognostic value of perineural invasion in prostate needle biopsies: a population-based study of patients treated by radical prostatectomy. J Clin Pathol 2020 Oct;73(10):630-635.
Schmitd LB, et al. Perineural Invasion in Head and Neck Cancer. J Dent Res 2018 Jul;97(7):742-750.
Knijn N, et al. Perineural Invasion is a Strong Prognostic Factor in Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review. Am J Surg Pathol. 2016 Jan;40(1):103-12.
NCAM1 neural cell adhesion molecule 1 [Homo sapiens (human)], https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/4684 (accessed April 6, 2021)
Schwann Cells, Biology Dictionary. https://biologydictionary.net/schwann-cells (accessed April 6, 2021)

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CERI Cancer Quiz Day Earth Day Special

FDA approved first immunotherapy for initial treatment of gastric cancer

Cancer Quiz Day

FDA approved pembrolizumab for esophageal or GEJ carcinoma

Wednesday Cancer Quiz Day

Cancer Quiz Day

Schwann Cells Promote Cancer Cell Invasion

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