Damaged Immune Receptor Could Lead to More Severe Comorbidities in HIV, Study Finds
January 14th 2019While treatment for HIV has made tremendous strides over the past few decades, many patients with the infection still struggle with comorbidities such as chronic inflammation, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems, among others. In a recent study, researchers at Michigan State University sought to understand why patients with HIV develop such complications.
Could Coffee and Caffeine Treat Fatigue in Patients With MS?
January 12th 2019Researchers hypothesized that because coffee and caffeine showed a beneficial effect on daytime tiredness in Parkinson disease, a similar positive effect might be assumed in multiple sclerosis (MS). Investigators compiled a systematic review focused on summarizing the possible effects of coffee and caffeine in MS.
Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir Is Safe, Effective in Treatment of HCV in Real-World Setting
December 22nd 2018The efficacy and safety of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P, sold as Mavyret) in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has previously only been investigated in clinical trials. Thus far, no real-world data had been available until a group of researchers looked to investigate the efficacy and safety of G/P in a real-world setting in Italy.
HCV Prevalence Higher in West and Appalachian US States
December 21st 2018Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most frequently reported bloodborne infection in the United States, and prevalence has increased in recent years. Researchers recently sought to estimate the prevalence of HCV at the state level in order to more accurately guide prevention and care efforts.
Sofosbuvir-Based Therapy Safe in Patients With HCV and Certain Cancers
December 15th 2018Existing data are limited on the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) in patients with cancer. In a study recently published in Nature, researchers sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a sofosbuvir (Sovaldi)-based therapy in this patient population.
BCI Index Helps Clinicians Individualize Patient Treatment
December 14th 2018During the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium held in San Antonio, Texas from December 4-8, 2018, Biotheranostics presented new data evaluating the impact of the Breast Cancer Index (BCI) in patients with early stage hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer who are classified as an immediate risk for distant recurrence by previous genomic testing.
Durvalumab Combination Fails to Meet Primary End Point in NSCLC Trial
December 11th 2018In November, AstraZeneca announced that the phase 3 MYSTIC trial investigating durvalumab (Imfinzi) monotherapy and durvalumab in combination with tremelimumab in patients with previously untreated stage IV non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) did not meet its primary end point.
In Vitro Diagnostic Test Accurately Predicts Response to Treatment in Breast Cancer
December 8th 2018BioNTech AG, a drug developer that specializes in cancer immunotherapies, announced last month new results from a clinical performance evaluation study of a molecular in vitro diagnostic test for quantitative detection of mRNA expression of certain genes.
Study Shows Women Could Benefit From Mammography Screening at Age 30
November 30th 2018In a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), researchers found that starting mammography screening at age 30 may benefit women with at least 1 of 3 risk factors: dense breasts, a personal history of breast cancer, or a family history of breast cancer.
Larotrectinib Approved to Treat Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors Expressing NTRK
November 30th 2018This week, the FDA approved larotrectinib, to be sold as Vitrakvi, for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with solid tumors that have a neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase (NTRK) gene infusion without a known acquired resistance mutation, are metastatic or where surgical resection is likely to result in severe morbidity, and have no satisfactory alternative treatments or that have progressed following treatment.
CD8 T Cell May Determine Patient Responses to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Melanoma
November 13th 2018Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad institute of MIT and Harvard recently identified specific states of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells that are associated with patient response to checkpoint immunotherapy for melanoma.
Radiologists Should Inform Patients When BAC Is Detected at Mammography
November 10th 2018Researchers recently reported findings from a study designed to determine patient attitudes about mammographic reporting of breast arterial calcification (BAC), result of the BAC communication, and subsequent action.