Curated News: Medical Meetings

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Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) researchers have developed an accurate, individualized post-operative survival calculator and integrated the technology into a mobile application compatible with smartphone technology for oncologists and patients diagnosed with colon cancer. Information about the calculator will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 51st Annual Meeting in Chicago.

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Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients have few effective treatment options and low 5-year survival rates. The checkpoint inhibitors MEDI4736 and tremelimumab have both demonstrated acceptable safety and potential efficacy when used as single-agents in several different types of cancer. Scott J. Antonia, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Thoracic Oncology Department at Moffitt Cancer Center will be presenting data from a phase 1b dose-escalation and expansion study of MEDI4736 combined with tremelimumab at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago.

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Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer in men and is predicted to result in an estimated 220,00 cases in the United States in 2015. In recent years, an emphasis has been placed on chemoprevention – the use of agents to prevent the development or progression of prostate cancer. A team of researchers led by Nagi B. Kumar, Ph.D., R.D., F.A.D.A. at Moffitt Cancer Center recently published results of a randomized trial that assessed the safety and effectiveness of the active components in green tea to prevent prostate cancer development in men who have premalignant lesions. The results will be presented at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.

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Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a rare type of myelodysplastic, myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by increased numbers of peripheral monocytes and less than 20 percent blasts. CMML has few treatment options and patients only survive on average for 12 to 24 months. Preclinical studies suggest that JAK2 inhibitors may be an effective treatment option for CMML. Eric Padron, M.D., assistant member of the Malignant Hematology Program at Moffitt Cancer Center will report on the first phase 1 study of the JAK2 inhibitor ruxolitinib in CMML patients at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago.

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The monoclonal antibody nivolumab has shown promise as a therapeutic agent, particularly by improving the survival rates of melanoma patients. Jeffrey S. Weber, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Donald A. Adam Comprehensive Melanoma Research Center at Moffitt Cancer Center will be presenting data from a retrospective analysis of the safety of nivolumab in 4 ongoing phase I-III studies in melanoma patients at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago

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Phase I/II clinical trial results reported at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2015 show promising results for investigational drug brigatinib against ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with 58 of 78 ALK+ patients responding to treatment, including 50 of 70 patients who had progressed after previous treatment with crizotinib, the first licensed ALK inhibitor. Progression-free survival (PFS) in patients previously treated with crizotinib was 13.4 months.

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Obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer. A multi-institutional study presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2015 shows that female breast cancer survivors are able to lose weight through modest lifestyle changes.

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Researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine will present results from several clinical trials and other key studies during the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting from May 29 through June 2.

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David Mulvihill, MD, chief resident of radiation oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, has been selected to receive a Young Investigator Award from the Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Mulvihill will receive $50,000 to support his study entitled “Childhood Radiation Exposure from Interventional Cardiology Procedures and Subsequent Cancer Risk.”

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NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center will have a high profile at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), with researchers presenting close to 30 abstracts accepted for oral, poster and publication presentations.

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Ludwig Cancer Research previewed today the new findings that will be presented by Ludwig scientists at this year’s American Society for Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, Ill., May 29 – June 2. Ludwig researchers will present recent data from early and late stage clinical trials and participate in a number of plenary and educational sessions.

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Experts from the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Stanford, PENN, UNC, and the NIH will offer education and networking opportunities for people, families, and friends living with vasculitis, a family of rare autoimmune diseases.

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Certain proteins may slow the devastating memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease, according to a groundbreaking Iowa State University study.

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is associated with increased risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease such as heart failure or a heart attack, as well as diseases not associated with the heart. However, COPD is not by itself associated with increased likelihood of having a stroke or a systemic embolism, according to a new research study.

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Data from the ILUMIEN II trial found that guidance from optimal coherence tomography (OCT) was associated with comparable stent expansion as guidance from intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Results from the study were presented today at EuroPCR 2015, the official annual meeting of the European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions.

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ATS 2015, DENVER ─ Treatment of COPD with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) may decrease the risk of dying from pneumonia and from other causes despite being associated with an increase in the occurrence of pneumonia, according to a new meta-analysis presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Issues surrounding cost effectiveness and related clinical questions were taken up in the Second Plenary Session at the ISPOR 20th Annual International Meeting, entitled, “Cost-Effectiveness and Clinical Practice Guidelines: Have We Reached a Tipping Point?”

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Patient-selected music during weaning from prolonged mechanical ventilation could benefit patients by decreasing their heart rate and anxiety, according to a study presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Critically ill patients who have been mechanically ventilated for more than seven days are at greatly increased risk for functional impairment and mortality at one year following discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU), according to a new study presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Living in a rural area and being poor are risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said Sarath Raju, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, lead author of a study presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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A new study has shown that many lung cancer survivors are at high risk for developing another lung cancer or having their cancer return after completing treatment. Conducted by researchers in the U.S., the study specifically looked at lung cancer survivors from three different institutions who had shown no further evidence of having the disease after completing the required treatment for lung cancer.

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Researchers at the University of Colorado suggest that the portion of the brain devoted to hearing can become reorganized even with early-stage hearing loss, and may play a role in cognitive decline. They have applied fundamental principles of neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to forge new connections, to determine the ways it adapts to hearing loss, as well as the consequences of those changes, and their findings will be presented at ASA’s 169th meeting.

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\Severe sepsis is a significant cause of rehospitalization along the lines of nationally recognized outcome measures and more commonly discussed conditions such as heart failure (HF) and pneumonia, said Darya Rudym, MD, New York University School of Medicine, New York, lead author of a study presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in children, and it can only be managed, not cured. It affects a disproportionally higher percentage of low-income, urban minority children, and is also the most common disease-related reason for children missing school. This can have a negative effect on their academic achievement, as well as later success in life.

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Speakers at the 20th Annual International Meeting of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), held May 18th to 20th in Philadelphia, discussed the status of the Learning Health Care System in their first plenary session, entitled “Taking Stock of the Learning Health Care System: What Have We Achieved and Why Does it Matter?”

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Severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and excessive daytime sleepiness are associated with an increased risk of depression in men, according to a new community-based study of Australian men, which was presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a coronary artery widening procedureused to treat heart disease, are at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to new research presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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ATS 2015, DENVER—Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) treatment could be a valuable addition to comprehensive therapy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome, according to a new study. The study was presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Researchers have found that adding genetic information to a former or current smoker’s clinical risk profile results in a reclassification of their risk for lung cancer in about one in four patients. Preliminary findings from their lung cancer screening feasibility study also suggests that those whose genetic and clinical risk placed them in the highest risk category were more likely to adhere to follow-up computed tomography (CT) scans during screening.

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Studies have shown that both air pollution and impaired lung function can cause cognitive deficits, but it was unclear whether air pollution diminishes cognition by reducing breathing ability first or whether air pollution represents an independent risk factor for cognitive deficit. Now a new study conducted by German and Swiss researchers has answered that question: air pollution directly affects cognition and is not mediated by lung function.

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Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), being female, and certain scores on the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were associated with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in subjects using long-acting controller medication, according to a study presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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New proof-of-concept research suggests the potential for engineering replacement intestine tissue in the lab, a treatment that could be applied to infants born with a short bowel and adults having large pieces of gut removed due to cancer or inflammatory bowel disease.

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Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: nutrition, fibromyalgia, e-cigarettes, cystic fibrosis, asthma, and gluten

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Stool DNA (sDNA) testing, a new non-invasive technology for colon cancer screening, is a promising alternative to colonoscopy for African Americans, according to a new study presented at Digestive Disease Week.

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ATS 2015, DENVER ─ Regular use of aspirin may help slow the progression of early emphysema, according to new research presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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With just one exposure to electronic-cigarette (e-cigarette) vapor, participants in a study of 30 healthy subjects demonstrated a diminishment of cough reflex sensitivity. The study was presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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There is little reliable evidence that electronic cigarettes are effective for long-term smoking cessation, according to a new analysis of the currently available research which was presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Certain flavorings used in electronic cigarette liquid may alter important cellular functions in lung tissue, according to new research presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference. These changes in cell viability, cell proliferation, and calcium signaling are flavor-dependent. Coupling these results with chemicals identified in each flavor could prove useful in identifying flavors or chemical constituents that produce adverse effects in users.

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Unlike standard cigarettes, the components of electronic cigarettes are not regulated and standardized, thus they vary widely between products. The characteristics of these e-cigarette elements, including their delivery systems, combustion apparatuses, and the composition of the nicotine solutions they contain may affect the levels of potentially hazardous substances in the vapor they produce, according to a new study presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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In recent years and months, peanut allergies in children have been in the news frequently, as scientists reveal new insights into why more and more children are developing them and what can be done to avoid them. However, until now, few have studied the connection between peanut allergy and childhood asthma.

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Lung transplant candidates who are about 5’3” or shorter have longer waiting times than taller candidates and are more likely to die within a year while waiting for a lung transplant, according to a study presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

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Caucasian and Hispanic children who undergo lung transplantation appear to be at greater risk for developing chronic kidney disease, or CKD, according to a small retrospective study conducted at Texas Children’s Hospital.

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Fibromyalgia is the second most common rheumatic disorder behind osteoarthritis and, though still widely misunderstood, is now considered to be a lifelong central nervous system disorder, which is responsible for amplified pain that shoots through the body in those who suffer from it. Daniel Clauw, M.D., professor of anesthesiology, University of Michigan, analyzed the neurological basis for fibromyalgia in a plenary session address today at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, www.amercianpainsociety.org.

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An University of Iowa researcher will present studies showing that medical teams with a pharmacist helped patients with hypertension control their blood pressure more effectively. The presentation is on Mon., May 18, at the American Society of Hypertension in New York.

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An early phase study testing an anti-PDL1 agent in combination with standard chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer has provided promising early results, prompting multiple phase III studies in lung cancer. The findings are being presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) May 29-June 2 in Chicago.

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With increasing numbers of chronic pain patients experimenting with marijuana to get relief, physicians need to learn more about the plant and its constituents to counsel patients appropriately about its safety and possible analgesic benefits, according to a leading medical marijuana researcher speaking today in a plenary session at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, www.americanpainsociety.org.

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More than half of popular probiotics contain traces of gluten, according to an analysis performed by investigators at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). Tests on 22 top-selling probiotics revealed that 12 of them (or 55%) had detectable gluten.

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More than half of all cancer patients experience pain, most often associated with the malignancy type, body location and disease progression. Pain researchers participating in a symposium at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, www.americanpainsociety.org, today reported that the relationship between tumors and nerves drives persistent and breakthrough pain and tumor progression in certain types of cancers.

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A head-to-head comparison of two biologic therapies used to treat a subset of patients with advanced kidney cancers provides much-needed clarity on the preferred treatment for the first line of attack.

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People suffering chronic pain have valuable information to share about their condition and overall health that can help pain researchers and physicians in treatment planning, according to the head of the Patient Centered Outcomes Institute (PCORI) speaking at the American Pain Society annual scientific meeting.