Cancer Information Highlights, May 23, 2018

Cancer Information Highlights, May 23, 2018

Cancer Information Highlights

From the National Cancer Institute

Updating you about cancer causes, prevention, screening, treatment, coping, and more

New from NCI Adult Brain and Spine Tumor Research Facebook Live Event   On Friday, May 25 at 11:00 a.m. ET, join our panel of experts for a discussion about adult brain and spine tumor research and treatment. Learn how these tumors are diagnosed and treated and how they affect patients’ quality of life. Hear about available clinical trials, the latest research, and the NCI-CONNECT Rare CNS Tumor Project. Radiation Therapy to Treat Cancer   Visit our reorganized and expanded pages about radiation therapy. Learn about the types of internal and external radiation therapy, what to expect during treatment, and which side effects you might expect, depending on the treatment area. The Discovery of Palifermin Research and collaboration by NCI scientists resulted in the development of palifermin (Kepivance), a very successful treatment for preventing and treating mouth sores (known as oral mucositis). This drug can maintain or vastly improve the quality of life for patients who are undergoing intensive cancer treatment. Combination Immunotherapy for Advanced Kidney Cancer The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the combination of two immunotherapy drugs, nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy), as an initial treatment for some patients with advanced kidney cancer. Learn how this approval will affect patient care. Video Playlist—Understanding Clinical Trials   This collection of videos will help you understand clinical trial phases, how your safety is protected, information about paying for trials, and how to find a trial that might be right for you. PDQ Summary Updates Colorectal Cancer Treatment Our PDQ summaries on Colon and Rectal Cancer have updated information on treatment with monoclonal antibodies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors. Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment  We’ve updated the treatment options in our PDQ summary on small cell lung cancer to include targeted therapy as standard treatment for advanced and recurrent disease. Drug Information Updates Dabrafenib and Trametinib Combination to Treat Thyroid Cancer and Melanoma Our drug information summaries on Dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and Trametinib (Mekinist) have been updated to include recent approvals by FDA. These drugs are now approved to be used together to treat anaplastic thyroid cancer. FDA also expanded its approval of dabrafenib and trametinib for melanoma that has spread to lymph nodes. Tisagenlecleucel for Treatment of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) We’ve updated our drug information summary on tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) to include a recent approval by FDA. The drug is now approved to treat certain types of B-cell NHL.

Also of Interest Cancer Statistics Cancer statistics include the number of new cases, deaths, and trends in prevalence of the disease. Learn how statistics are used to understand the impact of cancer on society and to develop strategies that address the challenges that cancer poses. Mouth and Throat Problems during Cancer Treatment Cancer treatments may cause problems with the teeth, mouth, and throat. This page contains tips to help you prevent and manage these problems. Risk Factors: Sunlight With summer season upon us, learn about the risks of being exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and how you can protect yourself and your family.