EMBARGOED until 17 December 2016, 17:05 hours CET
Please find below the teasers for six press releases being presented at the ESMO ASIA 2016 Congress today.
For more information, abstracts and interview opportunities please contact media@esmo.org
- Depressed patients are less responsive to chemotherapy
- Routine blood test predicts how long cancer patients will survive
- Immunotherapy with pembrolizumab deemed cost-effective for advanced melanoma patients in Hong Kong
- Cancer costs leaving patients in debt
- Ribociclib improves progression-free survival in Asian women with advanced breast cancer
- Anxiety and depression a major issue for cancer survivors
Depressed patients are less responsive to chemotherapy
LUGANO-SINGAPORE, 18 December, 2016 – A brain-boosting protein plays an important role in how well people respond to chemotherapy, researchers report at the ESMO Asia 2016 Congress in Singapore.
A study (1) has found that cancer patients suffering depression have decreased amounts of brain-derived neurotophic factor (BDNF) in their blood. Low levels make people less responsive to cancer drugs and less tolerant of their side-effects.
Lead author Yufeng Wu, head of oncology, department of internal medicine, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China, said: “It’s crucial doctors pay more attention to the mood and emotional state of patients.
“Depression can reduce the effects of chemotherapy and BDNF plays an important role in this process.”
Read more on http://esmo.org/Press-Office/Press-Releases
Routine blood test predicts how long cancer patients will survive
LUGANO-SINGAPORE, 18 December, 2016 – A routine blood test can predict how long cancer patients in palliative care will survive, researchers report at the ESMO Asia 2016 Congress in Singapore.1
“Cancer patients in palliative care want honest and accurate prognostic information but this information needs to be shared sensitively and in a way that respects their desire to maintain hope,” said lead author Dr Yu Uneno, an oncologist at Kyoto University, Japan.2,3
“Patients with advanced cancer and their families have to make decisions about treatment, where to spend the end-of-life, and when to discontinue palliative chemotherapy,” added Dr Uneno. “Continuing ineffective therapy increases life-threatening adverse events, reduces quality of life, delays hospice referral, and deprives patients of the chance to die in their preferred place. Accurately predicting prognosis improves end-of-life care for cancer patients and their caregivers.”
Read more on http://esmo.org/Press-Office/Press-Releases
Immunotherapy with pembrolizumab deemed cost-effective for advanced melanoma patients in Hong Kong
LUGANO-SINGAPORE, 18 December, 2016 – Immunotherapy with pembrolizumab has been deemed a cost-effective first line treatment for advanced melanoma patients in Hong Kong, researchers report at the ESMO Asia 2016 Congress in Singapore.1
“This is the first study to address the cost-effectiveness of checkpoint inhibitors in the management of advanced cancer in Hong Kong,” said lead author Dr Herbert Loong, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Oncology of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. “We have determined that whilst pembrolizumab is expensive, the increase in quality adjusted life years (QALYs) compared with standard cytotoxic chemotherapy, and even more so with ipilimumab, qualifies it as a cost-effective approach.”
Advanced melanoma historically had a dismal prognosis but checkpoint inhibitors - the anti-CTLA4 antibody ipilimumab and more recently the anti-PD1 antibodies nivolumab and pembrolizumab - have dramatically improved disease control. Pembrolizumab has been shown to improve overall survival and progression-free survival compared to ipilimumab. However, Dr Loong said: “The high costs of these drugs may be prohibitive to the average patient who has to pay out-of-pocket, and may place significant burdens on healthcare systems. There is a need to rationally assess cost-effectiveness by addressing the potential benefits to patients and society balanced against price.”
Read more on http://esmo.org/Press-Office/Press-Releases
Cancer costs leaving patients in debt
LUGANO-SINGAPORE, 18 December, 2016 – Cancer patients are ending up in debt because they have to cover the costs of treatment as well as other care related expenses, researchers report at the ESMO Asia 2016 Congress in Singapore.
Previous studies have demonstrated that cancer patients face financial difficulties even in countries where the national public health system covers most of the expense. The economic hardship experienced by patients and survivors is often refered to as the “financial toxicity” of cancer (1). Research presented at ESMO Asia 2016 shows new aspects of the burden of cancer care on patients.
A study (2) from Malaysia has found that more than half of cancer survivors spend at least a third of their yearly household income on treatment, as well as on costs such as transport to hospital and childcare. They have to pay for cancer drugs because many are not funded by the government despite the availabilty of free healthcare.
Read more on http://esmo.org/Press-Office/Press-Releases
Ribociclib improves progression-free survival in Asian women with advanced breast cancer
LUGANO-SINGAPORE, 18 December, 2016 – Ribociclib significantly improves progression-free survival in Asian women with advanced breast cancer, according to a sub-analysis of the MONALEESA-2 trial presented at the ESMO Asia 2016 Congress in Singapore.1
“Breast cancer is a significant health burden in Asia, with 24% of cases worldwide diagnosed in this region alone,” said lead author Dr Yoon-Sim Yap, Senior Consultant, Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore. “A higher proportion of patients have advanced disease at diagnosis in certain regions within Asia, with potential differences in tumour biology.”
Endocrine therapy is the backbone of treatment for hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer but efficacy is often limited by de novo or acquired resistance. Disease progression eventually occurs in most patients receiving endocrine therapy. The CDK4/6 pathway is implicated in endocrine therapy resistance, and therefore, combined endocrine and CDK4/6-targeted therapy may prolong treatment benefit and delay the use of chemotherapy.
Read more on http://esmo.org/Press-Office/Press-Releases
Anxiety and depression a major issue for cancer survivors
LUGANO-SINGAPORE, 18 December, 2016 – Cancer has a major impact on mental and physical wellbeing, researchers report at the ESMO Asia 2016 Congress in Singapore.
Results from a Malaysian study (1) of 1,362 patients found more than four in five survivors were suffering from anxiety and a similar number had depression a year after diagnosis.
Read more on http://esmo.org/Press-Office/Press-Releases
For abstracts and interview opportunities please contact media@esmo.org
About the European Society for Medical Oncology
ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. Comprising more than 15,000 oncology professionals from over 130 countries, we are the society of reference for oncology education and information. We are committed to supporting our members to develop and advance in a fast-evolving professional environment.
Founded in 1975, ESMO has European roots and a global reach: we welcome oncology professionals from around the world. We are a home for all oncology stakeholders, connecting professionals with diverse expertise and experience. Our educational and information resources support an integrated, multi-professional approach to cancer treatment. We seek to erase boundaries in cancer care as we pursue our mission across oncology, worldwide.
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