Cancer Information Highlights, July 25, 2018

Cancer Information Highlights, July 25, 2018

Cancer Information Highlights

From the National Cancer Institute

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

New from NCI Cancer Prevention Message is Key When Discussing the HPV Vaccine with Parents   In a new study, researchers asked parents to select the best and worst reasons a doctor might give to support HPV vaccination for their kids. Find out how researchers are using information from this study to improve the way parents and doctors talk about HPV vaccines. Video—GIST Clinic Facebook Live Event If you missed the live broadcast, you can now watch the recording of our Facebook Live event. Listen as experts discuss the NIH Pediatric and Wildtype GIST Clinic and its contributions to advancing research on gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Drug Prevents Chemo-Related Hearing Loss in Some Children   Cisplatin treatment can cause hearing loss in children with cancer. Learn how hearing loss can be prevented in some of these children. The Opioid Epidemic and Cancer Pain Management     Opioids are an important part of managing some types of cancer pain. Learn how the opioid epidemic is affecting cancer patients and their providers in this conversation with Judith Paice, Ph.D., R.N. Drug Information Updates Atezolizumab for Urothelial Cancer We’ve updated our summary on atezolizumab (Tecentriq). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently limited the drug’s approval in urothelial cancer to patients whose cancers test positive for the PD-L1 protein and cannot be treated with cisplatin or whose cancers have gotten worse during or after treatment with platinum chemotherapy. New Approvals for Melanoma We’ve added new drug information summaries for binimetinib (Mektovi) and encorafenib (Braftovi), which were recently approved by FDA to be used together to treat melanoma that has a certain mutation in the BRAF gene. Fostamatinib Disodium for Thrombocytopenia We’ve added a new drug information summary for fostamatinib disodium (Tavalisse). It was recently approved by FDA to treat thrombocytopenia (low platelet levels) in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia that did not get better with other treatment.

Also of Interest Managing Costs and Medical Information People with cancer and their families may face major financial challenges, even when they have insurance. Learn tips for managing costs and keeping track of paperwork and bills. Pain in People with Cancer Pain is a common symptom of cancer and side effect of its treatment. Learn why it’s important to have a pain control plan, how to track your levels of pain, and ways to treat pain. Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST) Treatment GIST are usually found in the stomach or small intestine, but they can occur in any part of the GI tract. Find out about risk factors, symptoms, tests to diagnose, prognosis, staging, and treatment for GIST.