Cancer Information Highlights, December 12, 2018

Cancer Information Highlights, December 12, 2018

Cancer Information Highlights From the National Cancer Institute Updating you about cancer causes, prevention, screening, treatment, coping, and more   New from NCI Video—T-Cell Transfer Therapy   How is the immune system used to fight cancer? This video explains one type of immunotherapy that boosts the immune system's ability to rid the body of cancer. Test Helps Identify Thyroid Nodules That Don’t Require Surgery   The test, which measures gene changes in thyroid tissue samples, was developed to prevent unnecessary thyroid surgeries. Primary Bone Cancer Primary bone cancer is cancer that starts in the bone. Learn about bone cancer statistics, the main types of primary bone cancer, possible causes, treatment, and the side effects of treatment. Advance in Treatment for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia   A clinical trial showed that ibrutinib plus rituximab is better than the standard treatment for patients aged 70 and younger with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Can Topical Drugs Help Prevent Breast Cancer? Researchers are testing whether a topical gel form of the drug tamoxifen that women apply to their breasts helps prevent breast cancer as well as oral tamoxifen but with fewer side effects. Targeted Treatment for Rare Digestive Tract Cancers May Extend Survival In an early-phase clinical trial, a drug combination that targets tumors with a specific genetic change improved how long some patients with biliary tract cancer or adenocarcinoma of the small intestine lived. Secondhand Smoke and Cancer Secondhand smoke is smoke that comes from the burning of a tobacco product and that is exhaled by smokers. Learn more about secondhand smoke and the problems it can cause on this recently updated page. Drug Information Updates Pembrolizumab We’ve updated our drug summary on pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The drug is now approved to treat hepatocellular carcinoma in patients who have been treated with sorafenib. Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer. Venetoclax We’ve updated our drug summary on venetoclax (Venclexta) with a recent FDA approval. The drug is now approved to treat newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia in patients aged 75 and older or adults who cannot be treated with intensive induction chemotherapy. It is given with either azacitidine, decitabine, or low-dose cytarabine.   Also of Interest Side Effects of Cancer Treatment Side effects are problems that occur when cancer treatment affects healthy tissues or organs. This page lists many common side effects of treatment and links to pages with more specific information. Dictionary of Cancer Terms The NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms is a handy reference that features more than 8,000 terms related to cancer and medicine. Breast Cancer Prevention Learn more about breast cancer prevention, risk and protective factors, and how to estimate risk in this expert-reviewed summary.