Newsworthy

In February 2017, the FDA approved the oral drug Revlimid (lenalidomide) for maintenance (continuing) therapy for patients with multiple myeloma who had autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplant. Revlimid was previously approved for multiple myeloma and for other types of cancer.

In January 2017, the FDA approved Imbruvica (ibrutinib) for the treatment of patients with marginal zone lymphoma who need systemic therapy and have received at least 1 previous anti-CD20-based therapy.

In February 2017, the FDA approved Opdivo (nivolumab), anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer (urothelial carcinoma) whose disease progressed during or after platinum-containing chemotherapy, or within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy.

In December 2016, the FDA approved Rubraca (rucaparib), a new oral PARP inhibitor, for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer with a BRCA mutation (alteration) in patients who had received at least 2 chemotherapies.

In February 2017, the FDA approved the oral drug Xermelo (telotristat ethyl) for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome diarrhea, in combination with a somatostatin analog (SSA), in adults with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) whose condition is inadequately controlled by SSA therapy. Xermelo is the first oral therapy available for patients with carcinoid syndrome diarrhea in patients with NETs.

The new site is aimed at providing education for people with carcinoid syndrome, caregivers, and medical providers.

The median survival rate for patients with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain tumor, is approximately 14 months. Approximately 17% of all brain tumors are glioblastomas.

In the first 3 months of 2015, new developments in myeloma drugs could have important implications for the survival and quality of life of patients with multiple myeloma.

Whether a child is fighting to refuse treatment or a terminally ill adult desperately wants to try an experimental drug, patients with cancer throughout the country are attempting to break barriers that keep them from making personal choices about their treatment.