Hem/Onc Roundup: Melflufen Combo Approved for MM; Plus, Geography Impacts Bladder Cancer Severity

This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to melphalan flufenamide (melflufen) in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). The approval is supported by data from the phase II HORIZON study, which evaluated intravenous melflufen with dexamethasone in patients with heavily pretreated RRMM. The overall response rate was 23.7%, with a median progression-free survival of 4.2 months.

https://www.docwirenews.com/condition-center/multiple-myeloma-knowledge-hub/melflufen-combination-approved-for-heavily-pretreated-multiple-myeloma/

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In other news, current screening guidelines may not detect liver cancer in African Americans until the prognosis is dire, according to a study published in Cancer. Nearly one-third of Black patients would not have qualified for liver cancer screening using common cirrhosis measures, and when diagnosed, liver cancer in Black patients tended to be more advanced and invasive.

https://www.docwirenews.com/docwire-pick/are-current-liver-cancer-screening-guidelines-failing-african-americans/

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Men with localized prostate cancer on active surveillance had a lower risk of Gleason grade group progression if they followed the Mediterranean diet, according to a study. 2021 marked the fourth year in a row that the Mediterranean diet claimed the number one spot on U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the best diets.

https://www.docwirenews.com/hematology-oncology/mediterranean-diet-beneficial-for-patients-with-prostate-cancer/

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Finally, a study published in IOS Press showed that bladder cancer is more advanced and aggressive in South Texas residents compared to many parts of the country. “The residents in South Texas have lower per capita personal incomes … less access to health care services; and higher obesity prevalence than the state as a whole, which may uniquely impact both incidence and survival rates for cancer patients,” wrote the study authors. The disease was also found to be deadlier among Latinos and women, regardless of geography.

https://www.docwirenews.com/docwire-pick/bladder-cancer-is-more-deadly-in-south-texas-and-among-latinos-and-women-study-finds/