Nearly half of adults have used marijuana at some point in their lives, and rates are increasing; among young adults, marijuana usage doubled from 10.5% in 2002 to 21.2% in 2014. Given this widespread usage, the question of marijuana-associated cancer risk is an important one, and it is the subject of a systematic review and meta-analysis now published in JAMA Network Open . Marijuana smoke and tobacco smoke share a number of carcinogens. In addition, tetrahydrocannabinol, marijuana's primary ps...
In previous studies, ramucirumab plus docetaxel has been shown to improve progression-free survival in platinum-refractory, advanced urothelial carcinoma. To add to this research, investigators conducted a study to determine overall survival results of ramucirumab/docetaxel after receiving platinum-based therapy. In this randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trial, 530 patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who experienced disease progression during or after platinum-based chemoth...
While metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has a five-year survival rate of only 10%, patients whose tumors have variant histology or sarcomatoid differentiation face an even more dismal outlook, with limited treatment options. In a study now published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a team of researchers led by Bradley McGregor, MD, and Toni Choueiri, MD, reported that atezolizumab in combination with bevacizumab significantly increased progression-free survival and improved outcomes in p...
Gregg L. Semenza, MD, PhD, was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his groundbreaking work in isolating hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) 1, which controls genes that are involved in cells' adaptation to low oxygen levels, with implications for cancer, ischemia, and chronic lung disease. In this interview with i3 Health, Dr. Semenza discusses the involvement of HIF-1 and HIF-2 in cancer and shares insights on the progress that is being made in developing HIF-1 and HIF-2 i...
Cognitive changes have been associated with various cancer treatments. In studies, between 17% and 75% of breast cancer survivors have reported cognitive deficits after chemotherapy. Commonly known as "chemo brain," these symptoms have had reported durations of up to 20 years after receipt of breast cancer treatment. Fortunately, this is not the case for patients with testicular cancer: a new study shows no long-term cognitive impairment following chemotherapy. The prospective study, p...