PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab improves outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma

Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab improves outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma
2024-11-13
(Press-News.org) Addition of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab to standard of care for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma of the limb significantly improved disease-free survival, according to the results of the SU2C-SARC032 clinical trial led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC, Duke University and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network.

The findings, published today in The Lancet, establish pembrolizumab as a new option for patients with this disease.

“Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare and complex disease with over 50 different subtypes, which makes it hard to study in large clinical trials,” said lead author Yvonne Mowery, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of radiation oncology at Pitt and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. “Since we haven’t made much progress in treating these patients for decades, it’s really exciting that this trial shows pembrolizumab can improve outcomes beyond current standard of care for patients with locally advanced disease.”

Senior author David Kirsch, M.D., Ph.D., leader of the Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) Catalyst Research Team, which ran the clinical trial, and head of the Radiation Medicine Program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada, added: “This clinical trial is a major advance for patients with the kinds of sarcoma that were included in our study. We found that immunotherapy can improve outcomes for patients with the most aggressive form of the disease, suggesting that further optimization of immunotherapy may lead to even greater gains for our patients.”

Soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity is a group of tumors that originate in the muscles, tendons, fat, blood vessels or nerves of the legs and arms. About half of patients with large, high-grade sarcomas develop incurable metastases, so intervention before signs of metastatic disease is essential, according to Mowery.

“We typically treat patients with a combination of surgery and radiation therapy,” she said. “Some patients also receive chemotherapy, but the data are mixed on its effectiveness and it’s also very toxic, so we were interested in seeing whether immunotherapy could improve outcomes for patients.”

Across 20 institutions in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Italy, the researchers enrolled patients with stage 3, grade 2 or 3 soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities, including two subtypes — undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and dedifferentiated/pleomorphic liposarcoma.

Patients in the control group received standard of care, which included preoperative radiotherapy and surgery, while those in the experimental group received both preoperative and postoperative infusions of pembrolizumab, in addition to standard of care.

In a total of 127 patients, the two-year disease-free survival rate was 52% for the control group and 67% for the experimental group, indicating that the addition of pembrolizumab reduced recurrence or death for patients.

As expected, serious adverse events were more frequent in the experimental group (56%) compared with the control group (31%), but there were no deaths related to treatment in either group. Importantly, these findings suggest that pembrolizumab may be a less toxic treatment option than chemotherapy.

While the researchers say it’s too early to say whether the addition of pembrolizumab improves overall survival, they will continue to monitor these patients to help answer that question.

“Based on our finding that pembrolizumab significantly improved disease-free survival, we hope that more clinicians will start incorporating immunotherapy into their practice for these patients,” said Mowery. “Given that there are such limited effective options for patients with metastatic disease, our hope is that reducing the number of patients who develop metastases will ultimately lead to improvements in overall survival.”

Additional authors on the study are listed in the manuscript.

The SU2C-SARC032 clinical trial was sponsored by SARC (Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration). The trial was funded by by a SU2C Catalyst® grant and was supported by Merck’s (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada) Investigator Studies Program with the provision of study drug and financial support. Additional funding was provided by ANZSA (Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association), Cancer Australia, the GPA Andrew Ursini Charitable Fund and the National Cancer Institute (P30CA046592).

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab improves outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab improves outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma 2 Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab improves outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A formula for life? New model calculates chances of intelligent beings in our Universe and beyond

A formula for life? New model calculates chances of intelligent beings in our Universe and beyond
2024-11-13
The chances of intelligent life emerging in our Universe – and in any hypothetical ones beyond it – can be estimated by a new theoretical model which has echoes of the famous Drake Equation. This was the formula that American astronomer Dr Frank Drake came up with in the 1960s to calculate the number of detectable extraterrestrial civilisations in our Milky Way galaxy. More than 60 years on, astrophysicists led by Durham University have produced a different model which instead focuses on the conditions created by the acceleration of the Universe's expansion and the amount ...

Could a genetic flaw be the key to stopping people craving sugary treats?

2024-11-13
The work provides novel genetic insights into dietary preferences and opens the possibility of targeting SI to selectively reduce sucrose intake at the population level. The study was led by Dr. Peter Aldiss, now a group leader in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, alongside Assistant Professor  Mette K Andersen, at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Basic Metabolic Research in Copenhagen and Professor Mauro D’Amato at CIC bioGUNE in Spain and LUM University in Italy. It also involves scientists internationally from Copenhagen, Greenland, Italy and Spain as part of the ‘Sucrase-isomaltase working group’. Dr Aldiss said: “Excess ...

Experts urge complex systems approach to assess A.I. risks

Experts urge complex systems approach to assess A.I. risks
2024-11-13
[Vienna, November 13, 2024] — With artificial intelligence increasingly permeating every aspect of our lives, experts are becoming more and more concerned about its dangers. In some cases, the risks are pressing, in others they won't emerge until many months or even years from now. Scientists point out in The Royal Society’s journal that a coherent approach to understanding these threats is still elusive. They call for a complex systems perspective to better assess and mitigate these risks, particularly in light of long-term uncertainties and complex interactions between A.I. and society. "Understanding the risks of A.I. requires recognizing the intricate interplay ...

Fossil fuel CO2 emissions increase again in 2024

2024-11-13
Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have reached a record high in 2024, according to new research by the Global Carbon Project science team. The 2024 Global Carbon Budget projects fossil carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions of 37.4 billion tonnes, up 0.8% from 2023. Despite the urgent need to cut emissions to slow climate change, the researchers say there is still “no sign” that the world has reached a peak in fossil CO2 emissions. With projected emissions from land-use change (such as deforestation) of 4.2 billion tonnes, total CO2 emissions are projected to be 41.6 billion tonnes in 2024, up from 40.6 billion tonnes last year. Over the last 10 years, fossil ...

Winners of Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2024 announced

2024-11-13
The winners of the Applied Microbiology International Horizon Awards 2024 have been announced. The prizes, awarded by the learned society Applied Microbiology International (AMI), celebrate the brightest minds in the field and promote the research, group, projects, products and individuals who continue to help shape the future of applied microbiology. The One Health Microbiome Center at Penn State has been named as this year’s winner of the WH Pierce Global Impact in Microbiology Prize 2024. This award acknowledges and celebrates individuals, teams, or organisations that have made groundbreaking contributions to global challenges through applied microbiology. The One Health Microbiome ...

A toolkit for unraveling the links between intimate partner violence, trauma and substance misuse

A toolkit for unraveling the links between intimate partner violence, trauma and substance misuse
2024-11-12
The opioid crisis has left an estimated 2.5 million people 18 and older in the U.S. with opioid use disorder, or OUD. Despite increased attention to the heavy toll taken by OUD, key risk factors such as intimate partner violence (IPV) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often overlooked. Both increase the risk of OUD and complicate recovery efforts. A team of MUSC researchers led by clinical psychologists Amber Jarnecke, Ph.D., and Tanya Saraiya, Ph.D., both of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral ...

Can everyday physical activity improve cognitive health in middle age?

2024-11-12
HERSHEY, Pa — Exercise has been shown to improve brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia over the long-term. But engaging in everyday physical activity has immediate benefits for brain health, according to a new study from researchers in the Penn State College of Medicine. The team found that middle-aged people who participated in everyday movement showed improvement in cognitive processing speed equivalent to being four years younger, regardless of whether the activity was lower intensity, like walking the dog or doing household chores, or higher intensity, like jogging. The findings were published ...

Updated guidance reaffirms CPR with breaths essential for cardiac arrest following drowning

2024-11-12
Updated Guideline Highlights: The American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics update recommendations for untrained lay rescuers and trained rescuers resuscitating adults and children who have drowned. One important update is the recommendation to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with rescue breaths and chest compressions to all persons in cardiac arrest following drowning after removal from the water. The updated recommendations for resuscitation following drowning are, for the first time, well codified, accompanied ...

Study reveals medical boards rarely discipline physician misinformation

2024-11-12
Despite increased concerns about doctors spreading false medical claims during the COVID-19 pandemic, medical boards rarely take disciplinary action against physicians for spreading misinformation, according to a new study by Richard S. Saver, Arch T. Allen Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law and Professor in the Department of Social Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine, published in JAMA Network Open.  Through analysis of over 3,100 medical board disciplinary proceedings across the nation’s five most populous states, Saver found that spreading misinformation to the public was the least common reason for ...

New treatment helps children with rare spinal condition regain ability to walk

New treatment helps children with rare spinal condition regain ability to walk
2024-11-12
BALTIMORE, November 12, 2024— Researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute’s International Center for Spinal Cord Injury (ICSCI) have made a remarkable advancement in treating children with Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), a rare but severe neurological condition that causes sudden paralysis. A new study, published in the journal Children, demonstrates that a combination of Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation (TSS) and movement training can help children with AFM improve their ability to walk. TSS is a non-invasive therapy ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

​​​​​​​Urgent need to enable more farmers and contractors to revive England’s network of hedgerows

ASH inclusion program retained and engaged hematologists underrepresented in field, 20-year analysis shows

How anti-obesity drugs are linked to food waste

Discovery explains kidney damage caused by blood pressure drugs

NYU Langone performs world’s first fully robotic double lung transplant

APSS accepting sleep and circadian research abstracts and session proposals for SLEEP 2025 in Seattle

DNA repair: A look inside the cell’s ‘repair café’

Astronomers take the first close-up picture of a star outside our galaxy

Here’s something Americans agree on: Sports build character

Engineering nature’s blueprint: Dendron-based assemblies for chlorophyll’s materials

Study reveals how cell types shape human brain networks

New genetic explanation for heart condition revealed

Poor mental health linked to browsing negative content online

People with migraine at high risk of depression during pandemic

Climate-driven hazards increases risk for millions of coastal residents, study finds

Females sleep less, awaken more frequently than males

Most Americans want primary care providers to address mental health

Millions of Americans hurt by others’ drinking, drug use: study

Plasma-derived atomic hydrogen advances low-temperature CO2 methanation at high yield

Photon qubits challenge AI, enabling more accurate quantum computing without error-correction techniques

Single gene causes embryo notochord deformity in zebrafish

Sylvester Cancer Tip Sheet - Nov 2024

AI speaks volumes when it comes to detecting Parkinson’s disease

Signals of inflammation during pregnancy linked to aging and memory changes 50 years later

Two million ex-smokers currently vape in England

When trees 'talk:' Researchers probe ancient wood for clues about massive solar storms

High nurse and doctor turnover linked to increased patient deaths in NHS hospitals

History of endometriosis and fibroids linked to heightened risk of early death

High nurse and doctor turnover rates linked to increased patient deaths in NHS hospitals

Research highlights the pressures human activities place on tropical marine ecosystems

[Press-News.org] Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab improves outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma