MJ Cancer Patient Advocacy Group

06/27/2024

Patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) have a low chance of survival. Even with aggressive treatments, most patients will not live more than 5 years. There have not been many improvements in treatment for this condition in recent decades. trial

Early results from a major study (ADRIATIC trial) suggest that the immunotherapy drug, durvalumab could be a game-changer. In this trial, patients with LS-SCLC who already completed chemotherapy and radiation received either durvalumab or placebo for up to 2 years. The results are encouraging - those who received durvalumab stayed in remission and lived significantly longer than those on placebo. Fifty seven percent of the patients received durvalumab are still alive, three years after the starting the treatment.
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Durvalumab seems to be well-tolerated, with side effects similar to other immunotherapy treatments. Typically, patients treated with immunotherapy may experience inflammatory conditions in lungs, skin and other organs. Durvalumab also can cause a serious and sometimes fatal lung inflammatory disease, pneumonitis.

If these promising results hold up, durvalumab could become the first new standard treatment for LS-SCLC in decades. This is welcome news for patients and doctors, offering a much-needed ray of hope in the fight against this aggressive cancer.

08/04/2023

MJ Cancer Patient Advocacy Group, formerly known as MJ Cancer Patient Advocate, Limited Liability Company (LLC), has transitioned into a nonprofit organization. Our new identity reflects our unwavering dedication to serving cancer patients and their families.

Just as we have done in the past, our mission remains steadfast: providing support to cancer patients and their families by educating comprehensive information about their diagnoses, treatment plans, and available clinical trial options. Our primary goal is to empower individuals to make well-informed decisions that optimize their chances of both survival and overall well-being.

Moreover, we are committed to extending our assistance to individuals of racial and ethnic minorities, seniors, immigrants, refugees, and those with limited incomes. These vulnerable groups often face unique challenges when navigating through the complexities of cancer diagnoses, treatments, clinical trials, and the broader healthcare system. Our aim is to offer a guiding hand through these intricate pathways, ensuring that every individual receives equitable access to the care and information they deserve.

06/21/2023

FDA Approves Talazoparib Plus Enzalutamide for HRR Gene–Altered mCRPC

The FDA has approved a combination of talazoparib (Talzenna) and enzalutamide (Xtandi) for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have mutations in homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes.

This decision was based on the results of a phase 3 trial called TALAPRO-2, where the addition of talazoparib to enzalutamide significantly improved the time until cancer progression compared to enzalutamide alone. The trial showed that patients receiving the talazoparib combination had a longer period without radiographic progression compared to those receiving enzalutamide alone. The combination was particularly effective in patients with BRCA mutations. The trial included patients with HRR gene mutations who had previously progressed on androgen deprivation therapy.

The most common side effects experienced by patients receiving the talazoparib combination included decreased blood cell counts, fatigue, nausea, decreased appetite, fractures, and dizziness. Some patients experienced serious side effects, and a small percentage discontinued talazoparib due to side effects.

For more information, please contact your physician or us at Dr.minji@MJpatientadvocate.com.

06/21/2023

Targeted Chemotherapy gives hope to the patients with metastatic colon cancer

Physicians at Cedars-Sinai Cancer are using a special chemotherapy delivery system called hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pump chemotherapy to treat colore**al cancer patients with inoperable liver tumors. This therapy, available at only a few centers, has shown to extend both life and quality of life for patients who cannot undergo curative surgery. The pump is placed under the skin and connected to the liver through tubing, delivering chemotherapy directly to the liver while blocking blood flow to other areas. This targeted approach allows higher doses of chemotherapy without systemic toxicities. Studies have shown that over half of patients receiving this therapy can go on to receive curative surgery. The therapy is specifically designed for patients with metastatic colore**al cancer where curative surgery is not an immediate option. It provides an additional liver-directed treatment option that can potentially make them candidates for surgery. While the therapy has been used for some cases of cholangiocarcinoma, it is not yet standard practice. However, for colore**al cancer patients with liver metastases, it has shown positive outcomes. Hepatic artery infusion pumps have been available for a few decades, but their usage is now increasing as more medical centers recognize the benefits it offers to patients.

For more information, please contact us at Dr.minji@mjpatientadvocate.com

02/01/2023

Pirtobrutinib (Jaypirca) is a selective inhibitor of Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK), a protein that plays a role in the development and progression of Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL). By blocking the activity of BTK, pirtobrutinib helps to slow down the growth and spread of cancer cells in patients with MCL.

Pirtobrutinib was approved by the FDA based on the results of clinical trials (phase 1/2 BRUIN trial (NCT03740529) for use in the treatment of relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma, which means that it can be used for patients with MCL who have not responded well to previous treatments or whose cancer has returned after treatments.

The results of the trials showed that pirtobrutinib was effective in treating mantle cell lymphoma. Many patients experienced a reduction in the size of their tumors, and some even saw their cancer go into complete remission. The drug was also well-tolerated by most patients, with few serious side effects reported.

Pirtobrutinib is considered to be superior to older Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitors for several reasons:

Selectivity: Pirtobrutinib is a highly selective inhibitor of BTK, meaning that it specifically targets BTK without affecting other proteins in the body. This reduces the risk of side effects and improves efficacy.

Potency: Pirtobrutinib has been shown to be more potent than other BTK inhibitors, meaning that it is more effective in blocking the activity of BTK and slowing down the growth of cancer cells.

Durability: In clinical trials, patients treated with pirtobrutinib had longer lasting remissions compared to other BTK inhibitors.

Ease of administration: Pirtobrutinib is given orally, which makes it easier for patients to take compared to other BTK inhibitors that require intravenous infusion.

It is important to note that while pirtobrutinib is considered to be superior to other BTK inhibitors in several ways, it may not be the best option for every patient with mantle cell lymphoma. Your doctor will be able to advise you on the best course of treatment based on your individual circumstances.

02/01/2023

Yoga has been shown to have several benefits for patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer, including:

Reducing stress and anxiety: Yoga has been shown to decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, and promote feelings of relaxation and calmness.

Improving physical function: Regular yoga practice can improve physical functioning, increase flexibility, and build strength.

Improving the quality of life: Studies have shown that yoga can help improve the overall quality of life, including physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

Managing symptoms: Certain yoga poses can help alleviate symptoms such as fatigue, pain, and sleep disturbances.

Boosting the immune system: Some studies suggest that yoga may help boost the immune system and promote recovery from cancer treatment.

It is important to note that while yoga can be beneficial, it should be used as an adjuvant therapy and not as a replacement for conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

09/24/2022

Three PARP inhibitors, niraparib (Zejula), olaparib (Lynparza), and rucaparib (Rubraca) have been withdrawn voluntarily by their manufacturers.

FDA granted accelerated approval to niraparib (Zejula), olaparib (Lynparza) and rucaparib (Rubraca) for advanced ovarian cancer patients who were treated with more than three lines of chemotherapy. Niraparib (Zejula), olaparib (Lynparza), and rucaparib (Rubraca) are PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase) inhibitors, and preferentially kill tumor cells that have a mutation in the gene, “BRCA 1 and 2”. The accelerated approvals were granted based on the results from three separate phase 2 studies in 2014, 2016 and 2019, but regular approval by the FDA was contingent upon further demonstration of their efficacy in the confirmatory trials.

Unfortunately, the recently published results from phase 3 confirmatory studies of olaparib and rubaparib showed that more patients died from treatment of olaparib and rubaparib compared to chemotherapy, Thus, olaparib and rubaparib have been withdrawn as a treatment for advanced ovarian cancer. The manufacturer of niraparib also voluntarily withdrew indications for advanced ovarian cancer, although their confirmatory clinical trial is still ongoing.

However, niraparib still can be prescribed as the maintenance treatment for patients with advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who responded well to chemotherapy as the first line therapy.

07/07/2022

More women are diagnosed with Lung cancer than Men!


Do you know which cancer kills most women? The answer might surprise you. It is lung cancer!

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women, killing more women than breast cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer combined (1). Since the mid-1970s, the incidence of lung cancer in men has dropped by 36%; however, it has been going up in women by 84% in the same period (2). Lung cancer has been assumed as mainly a men’s disease since men likely smoke more and earlier in their lives; however, when smoking is excluded as a cause of lung cancer, 66% of lung cancer patients are women (3). More troubling statistics are that the lung cancer incidences have been rising in young women who are in their 30s and 40s and have never smoked (4). The reason for this is not known yet, but it is known that EGFR mutation is more prevalent in women with lung cancer than men with the same disease (5).

Although the lung cancer survival rates are higher among women than men, it takes 3 times longer for women to be diagnosed with lung cancer than men, and thus at the time of diagnosis, the disease is more likely to progress to the late stage of cancer for women. The discrepancy may be attributed to the societal gender bias, assumption of lung cancer being a male smoker’s disease. For example, lung cancer screening can be a life-saver, but only 6% of those who have high risk with lung cancer receive a regular screening (2). Moreover, women of color are recommended for lung cancer screening 6 times less than white males by their primary care physicians (6).

In addition, the majority of the participants in lung cancer drug clinical trials are white males, and only 36% of the participants are women. The number of women of color participants is miniscule (7). This has serious real-world consequences because women are more likely to respond to lower doses and to have more side effects than men with the same drug. Without accurate data from clinical trials, women may face the delay of life-saving treatments in order to adjust doses and other factors before and during treatments. The worst would be that women may give up the treatments altogether due to unforeseen severe side effects.
Dr. Narjust Duma at Brigham and Women’s Hospital said that women, especially young women with family are often discouraged to participate in clinical trials because their physicians think that they are too busy to take care of their children and home. She said that every cancer patient should be presented with three choices when they are diagnosed with cancer: no treatment, FDA-approved treatment options and clinical trial options. Of course, participating in clinical trials does not guarantee a positive outcome, but every cancer patient should have access to possible life-saving treatments.

Lung cancer screening saves lives! If you smoke or did in the past, do not forget to have lung cancer screening along with mammogram, pap smear, HPV test and other important tests.

If you are diagnosed with lung cancer, please ask your oncologist about clinical trial options as well as FDA-approved treatment options! Women tend to care more about the health of their children and other family members than their own health. Please remember that you need to be healthy to take care of your children and your loved ones!

Lastly, if you have a cough which lasts for more than 8 weeks, shortness of breath and/or unintentional weight loss, do not let your doctor dismiss them. You should insist on tests such as X-rays to get a diagnosis. Women are more likely dismissed by their doctors about their health than men are. Therefore, it is critical for women to be their own advocate for their own health, which may save their lives.

Resource:
1. United States Cancer Statistics, www.cdc.gov/cancer/uscs/index.htm
2. Lung cancer Fact Sheet by American Lung Association, www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/resource-library/lung-cancer-fact-sheet
3. Dias M, Linhas R, Campainha S, Conde S, Barroso A. Lung cancer in never-smokers - what are the differences?. Acta Oncol. 2017;56(7):931-935. doi:10.1080/0284186X.2017.1287944
4. Fidler-Benaoudia MM, Torre LA, Bray F, Ferlay J, Jemal A. Lung cancer incidence in young women vs. young men: A systematic analysis in 40 countries. Int J Cancer. 2020;147(3):811-819. doi:10.1002/ijc.32809
5. Isla D, Majem M, Viñolas N, et al. A consensus statement on the gender perspective in lung cancer. Clin Transl Oncol. 2017;19(5):527-535. doi:10.1007/s12094-016-1578-x
6. Lake M, Shusted CS, Juon HS, et al. Black patients referred to a lung cancer screening program experience lower rates of screening and longer time to follow-up. BMC Cancer. 2020;20(1):561. Published 2020 Jun 16. doi:10.1186/s12885-020-06923-0
7. Duma N, Vera Aguilera J, Paludo J, et al. Representation of Minorities and Women in Oncology Clinical Trials: Review of the Past 14 Years. J Oncol Pract. 2018;14(1):e1-e10. doi:10.1200/JOP.2017.025288

06/30/2022

Free Patient Webinar for the metastatic breast cancer patients and their families by NCCN

06/25/2022

A new cancer vaccine therapy, VBI-1901 was granted orphan drug designation by FDA.
VanBibber Service Legacy

VBI-1901 is a cancer vaccine targeting cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens, glycoprotein B (gB) and pp65 in the cancer cells of glioblastoma patients.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus, and more than half of adults are infected with it by age 40. Its infection usually does not cause any illness in a healthy person but could cause mild cold-like symptoms. In a person with a weakened immune system, it could cause more serious symptoms in many different organs.

Although it is controversial, many studies have reported that over 90% of glioblastoma cases have cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Some studies have shown that glioblastoma has more CMV-infected tumor cells than those from low-grade gliomas. Whether CMV infection may contribute to the development and/or progression of GMB is unknown. So far, we have only in vitro (studying cancer cells in petri dishes) or mouse studies which may show that CMV infection may help GBM cells to multiply or survive. But there are no conclusive studies linking CMV infection to GMB development in humans.

Nevertheless, the prevalence of CMV infection in glioblastoma cases could be an excellent chance to develop therapeutics for glioblastoma patients. A biotech company in Massachusetts, VBI Vaccines developed a cancer vaccine called VBI – 1901, a virus-like nanostructure containing CMV antigens, glycoproteins (gB) and pp65. When it is administered to patients, it elicits the activation of patients’ own immune system such as cytotoxic T cells (a.k.a. killer T cells) which then kill GMB tumor cells infected with CMV.

In a phase 2a study (NCT03382977), GBM patients were administered with VBI-1901 and GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor) or AS01B, and 60-70% of patients were still survived at 12 months after initial diagnosis. (GM-CSF and AS01B are known to facilitate the efficacy of vaccines.) With the current standard of care treatment, only 30 % of GBM patients survive at 12 months.
In addition, 30 % of GBM patients still survived 18 months after initial diagnosis with treatment of VBI-1901/GM-CSF, 30-40 % of them with treatment of VBI-1901/AS01B. Moreover, two patients’ cancer stopped growing in response to the drugs, and one of them shrunk by 93% after two years of the treatment.

Additional recruitment of patients for a control group and the VBI-1901/GM-CSF group will be initiated soon. For more information, please contact your oncologists or Dr. Minji Jo at minji@mjpatientadvocate.com.

06/24/2022

Black women are more likely to die from cervical cancer than White women.

Cervical cancer occurs in cells in the cervix, a lower part of the uterus which connects to the va**na. Over 90% of cervical cancer cases are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV), although how exactly human HPV causes cervical cancer is unknown since not every woman who is infected with HPV develops cervical cancer. Other sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are also high-risk factors of cervical cancer development.

Cervical cancer is highly preventable thanks to regular screenings (Pep smear and HPV test) and HPV vaccines, and if it is diagnosed early, 5-year survival rate is at 92% (1). While the overall death rate from cervical cancer has decreased in the past several years, the mortality rate of Black women from cervical cancer is still 1.8 times higher than that of White women (2). Black women are more likely diagnosed with more advanced stages of cervical cancer compared to White women. In addition, the 5-year survival rate of Black women (56%) is significantly lower than that of White women (68%).

Unfortunately, Black people tend to have a lower socioeconomic status than White people in the US. Consequently, Black people are less likely to have health insurance, resulting in limited access to health care, and in addition, Black women particularly have been facing racial bias and mistreatment by medical professionals, leading to their reluctance to seek medical care including regular screenings. The structural racism and discrimination toward Black women as well as systemic poverty have led to persistent health care disparity in this group (3). Now, we see the devastating consequences in the form of high mortality rate in Black women from cervical cancer, which can be easily preventable if they are screened for cervical cancer regularly, or it is diagnosed early.

CDC recommends for women of 21-64 years of age to have pep smear and HPV test every three years. Pep smear is to look for precancerous cells which may develop into cancerous cells. HPV test is to see if you are infected with HPV or not. CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) can provide free or low-cost screenings for women who have no insurance. Please visit the website, www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/screenings.htm to find a provider near you.

There might be no symptoms in the early stages of cervical cancer, but if you have bleeding after sexual in*******se, unusual discharge from va**na, pain during sexual in*******se or pain in the pelvic area, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. If you are more comfortable to see Black medical professionals, please visit blackdoctor.org.

If you are currently diagnosed with cervical cancer and need support, please visit cervivor.org. Cervivor was founded by a black woman, Tamika Felder who was diagnosed with cervical cancer at age 25. Immerman Angels (imermanangels.org) is also a great organization where you can find support from cancer survivors.

If you have questions about your cervical cancer diagnosis, treatment and clinical trial options, please contact Dr. Minji Jo at minji@mjpatientadvocate.com

Resource
(1) Cervical cancer, American Cancer Society: www.cancer.org/cancer/cervical-cancer.html
(2) Joint report by the Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative for Economic and Social Justice (SRBWI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW):www.hrw.org/report/2022/01/20/we-need-access/ending-preventable-deaths-cervical-cancer-rural-georgia
(3) Chinn JJ, Martin IK, Redmond N. Health Equity Among Black Women in the United States. J Women’s Health (Larchmt).2021;30(2):212-219. doi:10.1089/jwh.2020.8868

CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) provides breast and cervical cancer screenings and diagnostic services to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women across the United States.

06/07/2022

An immune-checkpoint inhibitor, dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli) vanishes any signs of re**al cancer in all patients in a clinical trial
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By now, many people heard the incredible news about patients’ re**al cancer just vanished after a drug trial. Let’s look at the details more carefully about the results of a phase 2 trial (NCT04165772) with a PD-1 inhibitor, dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli) for the treatment of the patients with re**al cancer which were presented at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and published in New England Journal of Medicine (1).

A team of investigators from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center initiated a phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate whether treatment of a PD-1 inhibitor, dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli) before the standard of care (surgery and chemotherapy) improves the outcome of re**al cancer patients. For that, the investigators treated 12 patients with stage 2 or 3 re**al cancer which lack proteins called "mismatch repair enzyme (MMRs)" in their cancer cells.
Mismatch repair enzymes (MMRs) are responsible for correcting errors when DNA is copied during cell division. If cells lack any mismatch repair enzymes, therefore errors in DNA can not be corrected, mutations can occur, resulting in the production of abnormal proteins which may lead to the development of cancer.
Dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli) is a type of immunotherapy called immune-checkpoint inhibitors, which target proteins called PD-1 or PD-L1, resulting in blocking the engagement of tumor cells and cytotoxic or killer T-Cells. This allows cytotoxic or killer T cells to be free to do their job, which is to kill tumor cells. For more information about immune -checkpoint inhibitors, please read our post on April 12, 2021.

After 12 patients were treated with dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli) every 3 weeks for 6 months, they were to be treated with chemotherapy and surgery, a standard of care. However, all twelve patients did not show any sign of cancer after 6 months by MRI, PET-CT, endoscopy, digital re**al examination or biopsy. Thus, no patient received further treatments. Furthermore, no patients showed any signs of return of cancer for 24 months. None of the patients had severe side effects from dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli).

This clinical trial result is unprecedented; however, the remarkable results are from only 12 patients. Thus, it is critical to have a confirmatory clinical trial with many more participants for longer period of time. In addition, not all re**al cancer patients were eligible to receive dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli). Only those whose re**al cancer cells lack MMRs might be respond to the treatment of dostarlimab-gxly (Jemperli). Approximately, 5-10 % of re**al cancer cases have MMR deficiency. Thus, it is important to screen whether one's re**al cancer has MMRs or not when diagnosed.

Nonetheless, this study is giving us a great hope that we may be able to care for re**al cancer patients to provide longer survival, perhaps cure and better quality of life in near future.

(1) Cercek A, Lumish M, Sinopoli J, et al. PD-1 Blockade in Mismatch Repair-Deficient, Locally Advanced Re**al Cancer [published online ahead of print, 2022 Jun 5]. N Engl J Med. 2022;10.1056/NEJMoa2201445. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2201445