Surgery followed by ipilimumab in melanoma patients improves survival, say Moffitt researchers
Phase 3 international trial finds surgical resection followed by ipilimumab improves recurrence-free survival in advanced stage melanoma patients
2015-05-20
(Press-News.org) TAMPA, Fla. - Melanoma is predicted to result in approximately 10,000 deaths in 2015. The majority of these deaths are due to advanced stage disease that has spread or metastasized to other sites. The prognosis for patients with metastatic melanoma remains poor, with 5-year survival rates of 63 percent in patients who have metastatic disease in regional lymph nodes, and only 17 percent in patients who have metastatic disease in distant sites. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers participated in an international phase 3 study that demonstrated that a drug called ipilimumab improves the relapse-free survival of advanced stage melanoma patients rendered free of disease surgically but at high risk for relapse.
Ipilimumab is approved for the treatment of melanoma that cannot be surgically removed or that has metastasized to different sites. Ipilimumab targets a protein called cytotoxic T lymphocytic antigen-4 (CTLA-4) that is found on a type of immune cell called a T cell. CTLA-4 keeps the immune system in check to avoid autoimmune disease by downregulating T cell activity. Tumors take advantage of CTLA-4 activity to avoid immune detection. By targeting CTLA-4, ipilimumab restimulates the immune system to target tumor cells.
Researchers wanted to determine if ipilimumab could improve the survival of advanced-stage melanoma patients if it was given after the surgical removal of both their primary melanoma tumors and their regional lymph nodes.
The study, which included researchers from 19 countries, compared ipilimumab treatment in 475 people to placebo treatment in 476 people. Patients who were administered ipilimumab survived longer without experiencing melanoma recurrence, with an average recurrence-free survival of 26.1 months in ipilimumab treated patients and 17.1 months in placebo treated patients. Additionally, 46.5 percent of ipilimumab treated patients survived 3 years without experiencing recurrence, while 34.8 percent of placebo treated patients survived 3 years without recurrence.
The researchers wanted to determine if particular patient characteristics were associated with a better response to therapy. They discovered that patients who had microscopic metastatic disease in their regional lymph nodes and a tumor that had a breakdown of the overlaying skin responded best to ipilimumab treatment.
Despite these promising results, ipilimumab treatment was associated with significantly higher toxicity than placebo treatment, including higher rates of gastrointestinal disorders, alterations in kidney function and inflammation of the pituitary gland. These adverse events resulted in 52 percent of patients on ipilimumab discontinuing treatment before its completion, including 39 percent of patients during the first four doses of ipilimumab. Furthermore, 5 patients on ipilimumab died during treatment due to adverse events.
The dose used in this study was significantly higher than the dose commonly used in melanoma patients. Additional studies are required to ensure that the benefit of this dose of ipilimumab does not outweigh the added toxicity risks.
The study was published on May issue of The Lancet. Funding support was provided by Bristol-Myers Squibb.
INFORMATION:
About Moffitt Cancer Center
Located in Tampa, Moffitt is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt's excellence in research, its contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt is the top-ranked cancer hospital in the Southeast and has been listed in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals" for cancer care since 1999. With more than 4,500 employees, Moffitt has an economic impact in Florida of nearly $1.6 billion. For more information, visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the Moffitt momentum on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2015-05-20
A team led by environmental engineers from Drexel University are the first independent researchers to take a closer look at the air quality effects of natural gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania. The group used a mobile air quality monitoring vehicle to survey regional air quality and pollutant emissions at 13 sites including wells, drilling rigs, compressor stations and processing areas. Their work establishes baseline measurements for this relatively new area of extraction.
While there have been a number of studies focusing on water quality ...
2015-05-20
The number of new Ebola cases is tapering off, but the search for new treatments continues. Now, one research team has found potential drug candidates that successfully treated up to 90 percent of mice exposed to the Ebola virus. They report their findings in the journal ACS Infectious Diseases.
Bogdan A. Solaja, Rekha G. Panchal and colleagues note that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve any therapeutic drugs or vaccines against the Ebola virus that, since December 2013, has infected more than 25,000 people and taken the lives of more than 10,000. ...
2015-05-20
Despite efforts over decades to diversify the ranks of university faculty, only 4 percent of chemistry professorships at 50 leading U.S. colleges and universities are held by underrepresented minorities. That key finding and others related to diversity in academia came from a new survey conducted by a program called Open Chemistry Collaborative in Diversity Equity (OXIDE) in partnership with Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.
Senior Editor Linda Wang and Assistant Managing Editor Sophie Rovner at C&EN report that ...
2015-05-20
HOUSTON - (May 20, 2015) - Whether people locate their sense of self in the brain or the heart can have a major influence on people's decision-making, according to a new study by management and business experts at Rice University and Columbia University.
Overall, the study found people tend to locate the self in the brain.
The paper, "Who You Are Is Where You Are: Antecedents and Consequences of Locating the Self in the Brain or the Heart," will be published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
"We view our research as a first step ...
2015-05-20
Twitter 'big data' could provide valuable details about transgender individuals' health and social needs
Transgender and gender nonconforming people are at high risk for diseases such as AIDS and are vulnerable to depression and other mental health issues, but may be reluctant to disclose their identities to researchers due to stigma. As a result, very little is known about their health and social needs.
New research from the UC Institute for Prediction Technology in the UCLA Department of Family Medicine suggests that social media could help fill that knowledge gap. ...
2015-05-20
A multidisciplinary team led by Johns Hopkins researcher Venu Raman, Ph.D., with notable contributions from Guus Bol, Farhad Vesuna and Phuoc Tran of Johns Hopkins, has identified a new therapy for lung cancer, the most common cancer worldwide. The therapy has been in development for six years and involves a first-in-class molecule designed by the team. The molecule, RK-33, interrupts the cell cycle of lung cancer cells without harming normal cells, and it is effective both on its own and in combination with radiation therapy.
The team designed the molecule to bind to ...
2015-05-20
LAWRENCE -- Whole Foods Market encourages its employees to connect with the supermarket's "core values" on a personal level and make them "come to life" every day in their work.
Whether it's at the organic foods supermarket or firms such as Google or Apple or even Southwest Airlines, cohesive corporate culture is a strong buzzword among some of the world's most successful companies.
However, a University of Kansas researcher who studies the intersection of economics, evolutionary theory and philosophy has found that strong culture among a business' employees is only ...
2015-05-20
The drug dasabuvir (trade name Exviera) has been available since January 2015 for the treatment of adults with chronic hepatitis C infection. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined in a dossier assessment whether this drug offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy.
According to the findings, there are indications of an added benefit in patients who have not yet developed cirrhosis of the liver and who are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1a. In case of genotype 1b, this only applies to treatment-naive, ...
2015-05-20
Radio systems, such as mobile phones and wireless internet connections, have become an integral part of modern life. However, today's devices use twice as much of the radio spectrum as is necessary. New technology is being developed that could fundamentally change radio design and could increase data rates and network capacity, reduce power consumption, create cheaper devices and enable global roaming.
A pioneering team of researchers from the University of Bristol's Communication Systems and Networks research group, have developed a new technique that can estimate ...
2015-05-20
Oral care products containing a natural chemical that stops bacteria harming teeth could help prevent decay, a study suggests.
The plant natural product acts against harmful mouth bacteria and could improve oral health by helping to prevent the build-up of plaque, researchers say.
The compound - known as trans-chalcone - is related to chemicals found in liquorice root. The study shows that it blocks the action of a key enzyme that allows the bacteria to thrive in oral cavities.
The bacteria - Streptococcus mutans - metabolise sugars from food and drink, which produces ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Surgery followed by ipilimumab in melanoma patients improves survival, say Moffitt researchers
Phase 3 international trial finds surgical resection followed by ipilimumab improves recurrence-free survival in advanced stage melanoma patients
