Mount Sinai researchers to present key cancer trial data at ASCO
2015-06-01
(Press-News.org) (New York - May 26, 2015) Mount Sinai Health System faculty will be presenting research updates on a lymphoma vaccine clinical trial, the best dosing for a drug against metastatic cancer, and new treatment strategies in relapsed multiple myeloma at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, May 29 - June 2, 2015, in Chicago. ASCO is the world's largest oncology meeting, with more than 25,000 researchers presenting their latest study results.
Key abstract presentations include:
* In situ vaccine for low-grade lymphoma: Combination of intratumoral Flt3L and poly-ICLC with low-Dose radiotherapy.
(Under Embargo Until SATURDAY, MAY 30, 8:00 a.m.)
Lymphomas are the 5th most incident cancer in the U.S. Low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are incurable with standard therapy. In three previous trials of 'in situ vaccination' - combining low-dose radiotherapy with administration of a TLR9 agonist directly into the tumor, researchers demonstrated remissions, some lasting years. In a newer iteration of this approach being studied in an ongoing clinical trial at Mount Sinai, a novel component has been added to recruit essential immune cells called 'dendritic cells' to the patient's tumor prior to administration of the TLR agonist. Preliminary results of this trial have shown patients achieving partial or complete clinical remissions, including patients with advanced stage disease. "TLR agonists work as immune cell stimulants to activate dendritic cells which are better at presenting antigens than any other cell types," said Joshua Brody, Director, Lymphoma Immunotherapy Program, Assistant professor of Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "This is the first vaccine that is administered directly into the tumor or in situ. We are training the immune system to fight cancer and the results we are seeing are very exciting. We hope to continue to see long-term remission in our patients."
(Under Embargo Until SUNDAY, MAY 31, 8:00 a.m.)
Ajai Chari, MD, Associate Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine, and Sundar Jagannath, MD, Director of the Multiple Myeloma Program at Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai and Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine will present results from a Phase 2 clinical trial of the novel HDAC inhibitor panobinostat in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone as an effective strategy for treatment resistant multiple myeloma (MM). Previous clinical trials of panobinostat in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone have been effective but associated with increase gastrointestinal toxicity. "Our primary objective was to find the best overall response rate using a new dosing method," said Dr. Chari. "We found impressive and durable responses even in lenalidomide refractory myeloma patients without gastrointestinal toxicity."
* A randomized phase III study of standard vs. longer interval dosing of zoledronic acid in metastatic cancer.
(Under Embargo Until MONDAY, JUNE 1, 8:00 a.m.)
Charles Shapiro, MD, Director of Translational Breast Cancer Research at the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai and Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will present findings from a large multi-institutional trial of zoledronic acid intravenously for patients with breast, prostate and multiple myeloma cancer. 1,800 patients were given zoledronic acid every three months, for a total of eight doses versus the standard 24 monthly treatment. "This study proved to be a changing practice in treatment for patients with breast, prostate and multiple myeloma with skeletal metastases," said Dr. Shapiro. "The eight doses of zoledronic acid given over a two-year period provided comparable efficacy compared to the 24 monthly dosing in the reduction of skeletal related events such as pain, fractures, radiation to the bone and surgery to the bone." According to Shapiro, the zoledronic acid given to patients every three months was not inferior to IV zoledronic acid given monthly and should be adopted as the new standard of care in treating patients with skeletal metastases. The treatment provided patients with fewer side effects and was associated with a lower cost.
INFORMATION:
About the Tisch Cancer Institute
The Tisch Cancer Institute (TCI) is a world-class translational cancer institute established in December 2007. TCI has recruited more than 30 acclaimed physicians and researchers specializing in basic research, clinical research, and population science; built outstanding programs in solid tumor oncology; enhanced existing robust programs in hematological malignancies; and advanced the study of cancer immunology and vaccine therapy. The completion of the Leon and Norma Hess Center for Science and Medicine in 2012 is enabling the recruitment of up to 20 additional cancer researchers on two full research floors, with 48,000 square feet of space dedicated to cancer research.
To learn more about clinical trials at Mount Sinai, visit http://icahn.mssm.edu/research/clinical-trials.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven member hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services--from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care.
The System includes approximately 6,600 primary and specialty care physicians, 12-minority-owned free-standing ambulatory surgery centers, over 45 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, as well as 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institutes of Health funding and by U.S. News & World Report.
For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2015-06-01
This news release is available in German.
A team led by DESY scientists has designed, fabricated and successfully tested a novel X-ray lens that produces sharper and brighter images of the nano world. The lens employs an innovative concept to redirect X-rays over a wide range of angles, making a high convergence power. The larger the convergence the smaller the details a microscope can resolve, but as is well known it is difficult to bend X-rays by large enough angles. By fabricating a nano-structure that acts like an artificial crystal it was possible to mimic ...
2015-06-01
A study analysing the Finnish homicide and prescription drug databases discovered that the use of certain drugs that affect the central nervous system are associated with an increased risk of committing a homicide. The greatest risk was associated with the use of painkillers and tranquillizing benzodiazepines, while anti-depressants were linked only to a slightly elevated risk. The study is the first one of its kind in the world.
Professor Jari Tiihonen's research group analysed the use of prescription drugs of 959 persons convicted of a homicide.
In the recent years, ...
2015-06-01
WASHINGTON, DC, May 27, 2015 -- Both men and women are more likely to cheat on their spouses the more economically dependent they are on them, according to a new study.
"You would think that people would not want to 'bite the hand that feeds them' so to speak, but that is not what my research shows," said study author Christin L. Munsch, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. "Instead, the findings indicate people like feeling relatively equal in their relationships. People don't like to feel dependent on another person."
According to ...
2015-06-01
Boston, MA -- After a prostate cancer diagnosis, eating a diet higher in red and processed meat, high-fat dairy foods, and refined grains--known as a Western diet--may lead to a significantly higher risk of both prostate cancer-related mortality and overall mortality compared with eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, whole grains, and healthy oils, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The study, which appears online June 1, 2015 in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, offers insight on how diet may help improve survivorship ...
2015-06-01
More than 90 per cent of educational materials written for kidney disease patients is higher than an average patient's literacy, according to a new study published in the June issue of the National Kidney Foundation's American Journal of Kidney Diseases.
"Our study suggests most patient information materials are not fit for their intended purpose, and that organisations are producing materials that may be too difficult for their intended audience to understand," said Angela Webster, lead researcher and an Associate Professor Clinical Epidemiology at the University of ...
2015-06-01
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., June 1, 2015 - An increase in the number of weight loss surgeries in the U.S. is beginning to have a ripple effect in plastic surgery, according to new data released today by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Procedures specifically associated with massive weight loss, including tummy tucks, thigh lifts, breast lifts and upper arm lifts, grew at their fastest rate in four years in 2014, according to the report. That follows a similar increase in the growth of weight loss surgeries.
"We think there is a correlation between the two ...
2015-06-01
Boston - A new study by Boston University and Boston Medical Center (BMC) researchers reveals that U.S. states with stronger alcohol policies have lower rates of youth overall drinking and binge drinking. The study's results, published in the journal Pediatrics, further suggest that the link is largely a result of policies intended mostly for adults and their effects on reducing adult binge drinking.
The first-of-its kind study, led by a multi-disciplinary research team at BMC and the BU School of Public Health (BUSPH), reviewed data on 29 youth-specific and adult policies ...
2015-06-01
EVANSTON, Ill. --- Why do some people immediately burst into laughter after a humorous moment, while others can barely crack a smile? New research examining emotional reactivity suggests one of the answers may lie in a person's DNA.
In a new study linking a gene to positive emotional expressions such as smiling and laughing, researchers demonstrated that people with a certain genetic variant -- those with short alleles of the gene 5-HTTLPR -- smiled or laughed more while watching cartoons or subtly amusing film clips than people with long alleles.
Previous research ...
2015-06-01
VANCOUVER, Wash.--Washington State University researchers have found that the more hunter-gatherers smoke cannabis, the less they are infected by intestinal worms. The link suggests that they may unconsciously be, in effect, smoking medical marijuana.
Ed Hagen, a WSU Vancouver anthropologist, explored cannabis use among the Aka foragers to see if people away from the cultural and media influences of Western civilization might use plant toxins medicinally.
"In the same way we have a taste for salt, we might have a taste for psychoactive plant toxins, because these things ...
2015-06-01
Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered how giving a class of drugs called AKT inhibitors in combination with radiotherapy might boost its effectiveness across a wide range of cancers, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation today*.
Tumours often grow so quickly that some of the cells do not have access to the body's blood supply, causing them to become oxygen-starved. This rapid growth usually sends signals to the cells to die, but in cancers with faults in a gene called p53 -- present in at least half of all cancers -- this signal ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Mount Sinai researchers to present key cancer trial data at ASCO
