Drug combination therapy for estrogen-receptor–positive breast cancer passes critical step for worldwide approval

Building on earlier clinical trials, UCLA researchers have confirmed that the "breakthrough" drug palbociclib when used in combination with the traditional hormonal therapy letrozole delays progression of advanced breast cancer significantly and without the harsh side effects seen in some women prescribed letrozole alone.

The study, published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, is the phase 3 study following phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials that led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of palbociclib in early 2015. Palbociclib was also approved in Europe for the first time earlier this month based on these results. In 2013, after women in a clinical study led by UCLA researchers showed a dramatic improvement, the FDA granted palbociclib "breakthrough therapy" status, allowing it to be fast-tracked for approval.

The drug combination is the first and only treatment for women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer to show such significant results in a randomized phase 3 trial. Dr. Richard Finn and Dr. Dennis Slamon of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center led the laboratory studies and previous trials and are co-authors of the study.

"These results are a truly meaningful advancement for women in this patient population," said Finn, who is also an associate professor of medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "The results of the phase 3 study will support the full approval of palbociclib in the United States and around the world."

Palbociclib (marketed as IBRANCE by Pfizer, Inc.) is known as the first new drug that in combination with hormonal therapy has proven to be very effective in post-menopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. The ER+/HER2- subgroup represents the largest proportion of breast cancer cases and is traditionally treated with therapies, like tamoxifen or letrozole, that target the hormone receptor pathway. Palbociclib, which was developed by Pfizer Inc., prevents cells from dividing by targeting a key family of proteins (CDK4/6) responsible for cell growth.

Led by Finn and Slamon, an international team of investigators from 17 countries analyzed 666 women with advanced ER+/HER2- breast cancer. The people were treated with a combination of palbociclib and letrozole and had not received prior systemic therapy for their cancer. The results of the new study confirmed the previous findings of the multi-year phase 1 and phase 2 trials, which showed a significant increase in the time it took the cancer to progress compared to letrozole alone.

The phase 2 trial also demonstrated that survival without side effects nearly doubled -- 20.2 months for women who received palbociclib plus letrozole compared to 10.2 months in patients who received letrozole alone -- representing a 42 percent reduction in the risk of disease progression. The new phase 3 trial further confirmed these findings.

"The results from both studies are really remarkable for the degree of benefit they provide in slowing the growth of estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer," said Slamon, director of the Revlon/UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program and director of clinical and translational research at the Jonsson Cancer Center. "The drug combination is very well tolerated and without the side effects of traditional chemotherapy, such as infections, nausea and significant hair loss."

Palbociclib is the first CDK 4/6 treatment to be approved for cancer treatment and provides proof of concept that targeting this pathway is important for the treatment of women with ER+ breast cancer. The researchers said the phase 3 findings will open the door to further studies in breast cancer and other diseases.

Besides leading the clinical development, the initial scientific observation that drove the development of palbociclib and other CDK 4/6 inhibitors in breast cancer came out of work from the UCLA Translational Oncology Research Laboratories under the direction of Finn and Slamon.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement 

Everything you want to know about ovarian cancer

Recently the news was abuzz with a famous actress' surgery to remove her Ovarian cancer. The star power attached to the condition has given the disease  some much needed exposure, but the prevalence of this condition is growing  the world over with India not lagging behind. Cancer of the ovaries or Ovarian Cancer is the 5^th leading cause of death among women world over. This makes it a topic which is very relevant to today’s day and age.

Ovarian cancer is a term used to represent a group of tumors that arise from different tissues within the ovaries (A female reproductive organ in which ova or eggs are produced). Though most cases are benign (less dangerous form which doesn’t spread), some of them may be malignant (spreading to other parts of the body).

Who is at risk?
Although experts have not been able to identify what causes ovarian cancer, there are some factors that may put one person at a higher risk of developing the condition:

1. Family history: Women who have one or more family members who have suffered from ovarian cancer, breast cancer or colon cancer are at a greater risk of developing the condition. Experts have found that specific genes such as BRCA 1 and 2 – if inherited – can cause the condition.
2. Age: Women over the age of 50 are more likely when compared to their younger counterparts to develop ovarian cancer. The risk doubles in women above the age of 60.
3. Childbearing and Menstruation: Studies have found that women who have never given birth are more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those who have children. The study also suggested that the number of children a woman has directly correlates to the decrease in risk of ovarian cancer. Those women who reach puberty early (before age 12), have no children or had their first child after the age of 30, and experience menopause after 50 have a greater chance of developing ovarian cancer than others.
4. Oral contraceptives and hormonal therapy: While women who use oral contraceptives are less likely to develop ovarian cancer, women who have had hormonal therapy after menopause are at a greater risk of contracting the condition.
5. Obesity: An overweight or obese woman is more likely to develop ovarian cancer than her healthy counterparts.

Symptoms:
Traditionally, it was believed that ovarian cancer showed no symptoms until it has affected other organ systems; however in June 2007 the American Cancer Society released a list of possible early symptoms of ovarian cancer. The symptoms include:

• Pelvic or abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Urgent or frequent urination
• Loss of appetite or feeling full quickly

If these symptoms persist or get worse, it is important that you visit your gynecologist for cancer screening. These symptoms do not necessarily mean that you have ovarian cancer; there are a number of harmless conditions that produce similar symptoms and are much more common than ovarian cancer.
Diagnostic tests for ovarian cancer:
There are no definitive screening tests for ovarian cancer, but there are ways that the condition can be diagnosed. If your doctor suspects that you might have the condition he/she is likely to perform the following tests:

• Pelvic exam coupled with ultrasound examination
• Blood test for cancer related markers
• Biopsy is usually done by a gynaecologic oncologist. The doctor takes a sample of the suspected ovary and the stage or presence of the condition is then analysed by a pathologist.

Treatment :
If a woman is found to have ovarian cancer, the doctor usually uses a biopsy sample to determine the stage of the cancer and how far the cancer has spread. The stage of the cancer is determined by the following markers:
Stage I: When the cancer is confined to one or both the ovaries.
Stage II: If one or both ovaries are involved with spread to the uterus and/or the fallopian tubes or other places in the pelvis.
Stage III: If one or both the ovaries are involved and the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or other sites within the abdomen.
Stage IV: If both the ovaries are involved and if the cancer has spread to organs outside the abdomen or the liver.
The treatment of ovarian cancer depends on the stage of the cancer, the type of cells involved, overall health and the age of the patient. There are mainly three types of treatment options for ovarian cancer and they may be used in combination:

1. Surgery: This is when the gynaecologic oncologist surgically removes the ovary and other tissues that may be affected by the cancer.
2. Chemotherapy: The oncologist uses drugs to kill the cancer cells.
3. Radiation treatment: This treatment involves the use of high energy ionizing radiation to kill the cancer cells.

Treatment of cancer is a long-drawn process with several stages. If you have been diagnosed with the condition, remember that it is not a death sentence; cancer is curable if caught early. Get your family or friends to support you through the procedure and if required get some counseling.

Indian women are among the last ones to visit the doctor when it comes to their own health. This coupled with lack of awareness has been the major driver for ovarian cancer cases to increase. Because this condition usually occurs during menopause, most women ignore the symptoms, and further delay the treatment process. Anything out of the ordinary should be checked by a trained physician and treated accordingly.


THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                      PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   
FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                           https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                              
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         https://my crochet creations.blogspot.com/

Male breast cancer, it is true and does happen, be aware

If pink ribbon is to bring about awareness about breast cancer in women, the ribbon is to talk about breast cancer in men. Since it’s an uncommon disease, men may ignore the warning signs and also delay in seeing a doctor.

In 2017, about 2,470 men are estimated to be diagnosed with the disease and about 460 men will die from breast cancer as per a statistics. Besides this, there are studies which show that one in 400 men is at high risk of contracting the disease. 

A scholar says, “In most of the cases, breast cancers in men are diagnosed at more advanced stages than women. Men may not notice breast lumps or else they see their doctor only when the lumps have become large. Early detection and prompt treatment are the best strategies to reduce the number of male breast cancer cases. Hence, it is always recommended to invest in prevention as it can help with early diagnosis of the health problems that may become serious at later stages”.

Symptoms to watch for:
A lump in the breast is a most significant indicative factor. As men possess a small and flat breast tissue, identifying a lump becomes easy. Also, there may be an occurrence of one or more symptoms like dimpling and scaling of skin surrounding the breast area or nipple, nipple pain and discharge, sores around the nipple, under arm enlargement of lymph nodes and areola region. In exceptional cases like enlargement of breasts in men called ‘gynecomastia’, it may lead to breast cancer.

 Treatment
In the initial stages, when the disease has a presence only in the breast or armpit, (stage I and II) surgery comes into play, which includes complete removal of the breast area with a clearance of the lymph nodal area in order to form the mainstay of treatment.

To restrain the recurrence, the patient may have to go through radiation, chemotherapy or both, depending upon the stage of the disease. Undergoing hormonal therapy often helps in curbing the disease for long. Subsequent to these extensive treatments, patients are given anti-hormonal drugs to help them recover with the after-effects of surgery and radiation therapy.

Risk factors for breast cancer in men
    Genetics doesn’t play a big role in breast cancer in women, but it does in men. Genetic deviation like Klinefelter Syndrome elevates estrogen levels in men
    Orchitis, an inflammation of the testicles increases the risk
    Obesity due to unhealthy dietary habits
    Chronic alcoholism/Smoking
    Habitual of consuming hormonal medicines or herbal supplements
    Previous radiation treatment to the chest
    If a family has a history of breast cancer then the risk of occurring stands high in a person since they may inherit either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.
    Individuals (especially youngsters) who go through radiation therapy for conditions like Hodgkin’s disease need to be more cautious as the chances of developing breast cancer are high.
    Preventive Measures for breast cancer
    There are a number of things men can do to lower the risk of breast cancer which includes:
    Maintaining an ideal body weight
    Regular exercise
    Healthy and balanced diet
    Restricting smoking and alcohol consumption

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations 
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement     

Postmenopausal hormone therapy may increase hearing loss risk

Far from reducing the risk of hearing loss, hormone therapy after menopause may actually aggravate the problem, and the risk tends to increase with longer duration of use, suggests new research.

The results challenge findings of previous studies that suggested that menopause may increase the risk of hearing loss, presumably due to the reduction in circulating estrogen levels, and that postmenopausal hormone therapy might slow hearing decline by ‘replacing’ estrogen.
 
“Although the role of sex hormones in hearing is complex and incompletely understood, these findings suggest that women who undergo natural menopause at an older age may have a higher risk,” said lead author of the study Sharon Curhan from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, US.

“In addition, longer duration of postmenopausal hormone therapy use is associated with higher risk. 

These findings suggest that hearing health may be a consideration for women when evaluating the risks and benefits of hormone therapy,” Curhan said.

To investigate the role of menopause and postmenopausal hormone therapy as risk factors for hearing loss, the researchers prospectively examined the independent links between menopausal status, oral hormone therapy, and risk of self-reported hearing loss in 80,972 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II followed from 1991-2013.

During the study period, 23 per cent of the participants developed hearing loss.

The findings published online in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society showed no significant overall association between menopausal status and risk of hearing loss, although higher risk was associated with older age at natural menopause.

The researchers also found that use of postmenopausal hormone therapy was linked to increased risk of hearing loss.

The risk tended to go up with longer duration of use, the study said.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations 
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement   
 

Promising therapies that can help battle this terminal illness

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-
HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM      

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG

HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/

FOR CROCHET DESIGNS- http://My Crochet Creations.blogspot.com/


Going through cancer treatment and surviving cancer is an arduous journey.

With the evolution of medicine, researchers and scientists have been able to find several ways to deter cancer cells from spreading. But, across the world scientists are still struggling to find foolproof ways of prevention and medication that can cure the fatal disease.

While the disease in itself is fatal, treatment for cancer is painful as well. Harsh drugs, radiation and chemotherapy often leave patients' health in a fragile state. And as newer ways of battling cancer are being introduced, on World Cancer Day, we look at what researchers suggest are promising treatments for the disease:

Representational image.

Adoptive T-cell Therapy: Thymocyte cells or T-lymphocytes are a type of lymphocyte play a key role in immunity. And researchers at the UW School of Medicine say that, "Adoptive T-cell therapy (helps) achieve greater number of T cells than what could be obtained by vaccination alone. The tumor specific T cells are then infused into patients with cancer in an attempt to give their immune system the ability to overwhelm remaining tumor."
According to the researchers, there are several types of T-cell therapy that are being developed that include engineering cells that identify and attack tumours.
Nature says that while T-cell engineering is a cause for optimism, development of more potent T-cells have been stopped by safety concerns.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors: It is when our immune system cannot distinguish between cancer and normal cells is when cancer cells grow. And one way to stop the growth of cancer cells is to use drugs that hide from the "checkpoints" the immune system uses to separate normal cells from foreign cells.
According to cancer.org, antibodies like Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab and Ipilimumab help treat certain types of cancers. The research states that such therapy has shown to have helped cancers like melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer.
Targeted therapy: It targets the changes in cancer cells, the way the divide and spread. According to cancer.gov there are two types of targeted therapy that are done with the use of small-molecule drugs and monoclonal antibodies. The first one is used for targets that are inside cells while the second one attaches itself on the outside of the target.
According to research, this treatment helps destroy cancer cells, stop them from growing, kills them and starve them of hormones that they need to grow.
Hormone therapy with Goserlin: breastcancercare.org states that this drug can be used to treat "women whose breast cancer is sensitive to the female hormone oestrogen – known as oestrogen receptor positive or ER+ breast cancer." It is administered through subcutaneous injections and the frequency depends on the severity of the cancer.
Goserlin uses ovarian suppression or the switching off of production of Oestrogen, since some cancer cells use Oestrogen to grow.

'Eating less may slow down breast cancer'

Calorie restriction could be a non-toxic way of slowing down spread of breast cancer, a study said.

The triple negative subtype of breast cancer - one of the most aggressive forms - is less likely to spread, or metastasise, to new sites in the body when mice were fed a restricted diet.

"Calorie restriction promotes epigenetic changes in the breast tissue that keep the extracellular matrix strong," said Nicole Simone, an associate professor at Thomas Jefferson University in the US.

"A strong matrix creates a sort of cage around the tumour, making it more difficult for cancer cells to escape and spread to new sites in the body," Simone noted.

When mouse models of triple negative cancer were fed 30 percent less than what they ate when given free access to food, the cancer cells decreased their production of microRNAs 17 and 20 (miR 17/20).

This group of miRs is often increased in triple negative cancers that metastasis.

Breast cancer patients are often treated with hormonal therapy to block tumour growth, and steroids to counteract the side effects of chemotherapy.

However, both treatments can cause a patient to have altered metabolism which can lead to weight gain.

Recent studies have shown that too much weight makes standard treatments for breast cancer less effective, and those who gain weight during treatment have worse cancer outcomes.

"That is why it is important to look at metabolism when treating women with cancer," Simone added.

If calorie restriction is as effective in women as it is in animal models, then it would likely change the expression patterns of a large set of genes, hitting multiple targets at once without toxicity.

The study appeared in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-

HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-

HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/

FOR CROCHET DESIGNS

HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM