Category Archives: Drug Side Effects

Public release date: 2-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Shaun Mason smason@mednet.ucla.edu University of California - Los Angeles Researchers from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center report that a new drug in preliminary tests has shown promising results with very manageable side effects for treating patients with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. The results were presented at the 2013 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology today in Chicago by Dr. Antoni Ribas, professor of medicine in the UCLA division of hematology-oncology, who led the research. Following Ribas' presentation, the study was published online ahead of press in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results are from the first clinical trial of the drug lambrolizumab (MK3475), which was discovered and developed by Merck. Researchers analyzed 135 patients with advanced metastatic melanoma who were divided into three groups with different treatment regimens. Overall, 38 percent of patients taking lambrolizumab saw confirmed improvement of their cancer across all dose levels. Of those taking the lowest dose of lambrolizumab, 25 percent showed improvement, while 52 percent of those who received the highest dose improved. The rate of any tumor response across all patients was 77 percent. Researchers have … Continue reading →

Newswise Researchers from UCLAs Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center led by Dr. Antoni Ribas, professor of medicine in the division of hematology-oncology, report preliminary results showing significant antitumor activity with very manageable side effects from a new drug being tested in patients with advanced melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Ribas presented the results at the 2013 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology this morning in Chicago, and the study was published online ahead of press in The New England Journal of Medicine immediately afterward. The drug, lambrolizumab (also known as MK3475), discovered and developed by Merck, received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April. Results These results are from the first clinical trial of lambrolizumab in patients with advanced melanoma and are based on analysis of 135 patients with metastatic melanoma who were divided into three groups with different treatment regimens. Overall, lambrolizumab resulted in 38% of patients having confirmed improvement of their cancer across all dose levels given. This ranged between 25% in patients who received the lowest dose, to 52% in patients who received the highest dose. The rate of any tumor response across all patients was 77%. … Continue reading →

A drug approved to treat brain tumors does not improve survival rates and should be dropped from initial treatment regimes because it also worsens side effects, a study found Sunday. Genentech's bevacizumab (Avastin) received approval from US drug regulators for the treatment of recurring brain tumors called glioblastoma, or GBM, after promising results from several clinical trials. However, a randomized trial of 637 patients found no difference in survival rates between those who took the drug to supplement their chemotherapy and those who took a placebo. "Unless we can identify a group of patients that clearly benefits from early use of bevacizumab, it appears that it should not be used in the first-line setting," said Mark Gilbert, a professor of neuro-oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "Bevacizumab remains an important part of our armory against glioblastoma, but in most situations it should be reserved as a salvage regimen." While the patients who received the drug also showed more side effects -- particularly low platelet counts, blood clots and high blood pressure -- Gilbert said the increased toxicity would be acceptable if a survival benefit had been found. The phase III trial also concluded that … Continue reading →

Lung cancer patients who received a drug designed to target a genetic dysfunction lived longer with fewer side effects than those who received traditional chemotherapy, a study showed Saturday. Researchers found that patients with an abnormal ALK gene who received Pfizer's targeted drug crizotinib remained cancer-free for nearly five months longer. "This study demonstrates the value of testing lung cancer tissue for an ALK rearrangement, and it underscores the potential of cancer genomics to target cancer treatments to each patient," said senior author Pasi Janne of Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Massachusetts. "ALK now becomes the second abnormal gene that we are able to successfully target in lung cancer with drugs other than chemotherapy." Just five percent of the patients with the most common form of lung cancer have an abnormal ALK gene, but crizotinib could nonetheless help 5,000 patients a year in the United States. The phase III trial of 347 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer found that those who received the drug went a median time of 7.7 months before their disease began to worsen, compared with three months for those who received traditional chemotherapy. The response rate of 65 percent was also more than triple … Continue reading →

Adding a white-blood cell boosting treatment from Sanofi (SAN) to Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY)s (BMY) melanoma drug Yervoy helped patients with advanced skin cancer live longer and lessened side effects, a study found. In the trial of 245 patients led by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, 68.9 percent of patients who got Yervoy, designed to spur the immune system to attack cancer cells, and the Sanofi (SAN) drug, GM-CSF, were alive one year later, compared to 52.9 percent of those who got Yervoy alone. The results, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, show that two immune-stimulating drugs may be better than one in treating melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. While the finding needs to be confirmed in a larger study before the combination is routinely practiced, it offers a first, hopeful glimpse into a potential new approach for battling the disease that kills 9,500 people each year. It is very interesting and promising new data, said Jedd Wolchok, an oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, who was not involved in the study. I do think the effect is real. The finding is also the latest in a series … Continue reading →

Public release date: 30-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Diana Quattrone diana.quattrone@fccc.edu 215-815-7828 Fox Chase Cancer Center CHICAGO, IL (May 28, 2013)A promising new therapy for the most common form of lung cancer appears to produce largely manageable side effects, and an ongoing clinical trial is determining whether the compound treats tumors more effectively than what's on the market, according research that scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center will present at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on Saturday, June 1. "We're very excited about this drug," says Hossein Borghaei, DO, chief of thoracic medical oncology at Fox Chase. "I think if we learn how to use it appropriately, and manage the side effects effectively, it will be a good drug to have in our armamentarium." Lung cancer is the number one cause of death from cancer. Currently, patients with a metastatic form of the most common form of lung cancernon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)are treated with a combination of various chemotherapy drugs. If that fails, they are typically treated with a single agent. "We're trying to find a new option," says Borghaei, also the director of Lung Cancer Risk Assessment at Fox … Continue reading →

Attorney (866) 735-1102 Ext 511 Hemodialysis treatment can be an efficient way to replace loss of function in the kidneys; however it can also cause a number of side effects, such as low blood pressure, muscle cramps, itching, sleep problems, anemia, bone diseases and high blood pressure. Patients could also suffer from pericarditis, high potassium levels, stiffness and fluid in joints and depression. Many of these side effects are a result of the loss of electrolytes during the dialysis process. One treatment which is effective at reducing the side effects caused by loss of electrolytes is the use of Granulfo, a drug originally seen as a safe treatment option due to its lack of volatile chemicals. Unfortunately, GranuFlo also has some very dangerous side effects of its own, and was recalled in March of 2012 because it contains more of a substance which converts into bicarbonate in the human body. This additional bicarbonate can lead to heart problems and cause side effects including death, heart attack, low blood pressure, low potassium in the blood, low levels of oxygen in the blood, excessive carbon dioxide in the blood and cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). In the early 2000s, GranuFlo was seen as … Continue reading →

(PRWEB) May 31, 2013 Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic hormone previously manufactured by several companies and formerly prescribed to pregnant women to prevent miscarriages and premature births, could potentially cause cancer in those womens children. The Rottenstein Law Group LLP acknowledges a Centers for Disease Control report of the struggles of "DES Daughters" with a series of life-threatening cancers related to their mothers use of the drug while pregnant. The firm maintains a DES Cancer Lawsuit Center at http://www.descancerlawsuit.com that features more details about lawsuits and the side effects of the drug. The CDC report* notes ongoing research into the manifestation of "clear cell adenocarcinoma, structural abnormalities in the reproductive organs, infertility and pregnancy complications." Rottenstein Law Group LLP Principal Rochelle Rottenstein comments on the research and how it relates to the communication she has received from those looking to file DES lawsuits. The first DES cancer lawsuits began as far back as the 1970s, but recently there have been more suits filed because of the drugs serious alleged lifelong side effects, Rottenstein said. Some side effects dont show up until later in the lives of so-called DES children and grandchildren. DES was prescribed to more than 10 million women from … Continue reading →

Public release date: 30-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jackie Oberst NIMHPress@nih.gov 301-443-4536 NIH/National Institute of Mental Health GLYX-13, a molecular cousin to ketamine, induces similar antidepressant results without the street drug side effects, reported a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) that was published last month in Neuropsychopharmacology. Major depression affects about 10 percent of the adult population and is the second leading cause of disability in U.S. adults, according to the World Health Organization. Despite the availability of several different classes of antidepressant drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), 30 to 40 percent of adults are unresponsive to these medications. Moreover, SSRIs typically take weeks to work, which increases the risk for suicide. Enter NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor modulators. In the 1970s, researchers linked the receptors to learning and memory. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the 1980s attempted to apply chemical blockers to these receptors as a means to prevent stroke. But blocking these receptors led to the opposite effect--the rise of cardiovascular disease. Research in the field dampened until a glutamate receptor antagonist already approved for anesthesia, and known on the streets as "Special K," ketamine, made headlines in the … Continue reading →

Are the side effects of cancer treatment worse than the cancer itself? My immediate response to that question is Yes. But for me, the reality is that I have stage 4 cancer, so I have no choice but to suck it up. As awful as this chemo is, I have to try, try, try to focus on the fact that it is working. I just hate the way it makes me feel. When I was admitted into this phase one clinical trial , I was elated even more so when I was told this drug had no side effects. This is fantastic! I thought. It seemed almost too good to be true. And of course, it was. I am exhausted. My white count, red count and platelet levels are dangerously low. The neuropathy in my feet is getting worse, and I now have jaw necrosis which basically involves having your gums disappear, leaving jaw bone exposed. Talk about pain! Alright, enough complaining. No one wants to read bad news, so I apologize. I am just so tired of all of it. But, I need to focus on the fact that this drug seems to be working, and the cancer in … Continue reading →