Brielle Benyon, Assistant Managing Editor for CURE®, has been with MJH Life Sciences since 2016. She has served as an editor on both CURE and its sister publication, Oncology Nursing News. Brielle is a graduate from The College of New Jersey. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, CrossFit and wishing she had the grace and confidence of her toddler-aged daughter.
Follow Brielle on Twitter @Brielle_Benyon.
Body Mass Index Plays a Surprising Role in Immunotherapy's Effectiveness
February 6th 2018“Obesity has been previously investigated for its role in cancer and promoting tumor growth, at least partially by inducing a chronic inflammatory state,” the authors wrote. “However, it’s unclear how this would play out in the era of immunotherapy, where inflammation has been linked to treatment response.”
Patients With Myeloproliferative Neoplasms May Have Increased Thrombosis Risk
February 6th 2018For years, many health care professionals noticed that patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) tend to experience thrombosis more than the average person. Now, a recent population-based study conducted in Sweden confirmed their suspicions.
Bipartisan Act Puts Focus on Women With Lung Cancer
February 6th 2018Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death for women in the United States, but often does not get as much attention as other malignancies. In an effort to change that, and to one day decrease the number of women who are dying from the disease, the bipartisan Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventative Services Act was reintroduced into Congress.
Childhood Pneumonia May Be Associated With Cancer Risk
February 2nd 2018While causes for pneumonia were varied – including bacteria (14 percent), virus (22 percent) and unspecified (64 percent) – the majority of children did not have immune deficiencies recorded at the time of their pneumonia diagnosis.
Joe Biden Says Toxic Burn Pits May Have Contributed to His Son's Cancer
February 2nd 2018For years, former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Beau, was stationed near large, potentially toxic burn pits. After Beau died of glioblastoma (GBM) in May 2015, Joe Biden grew skeptical and started to question if the burn pits contributed to his son’s cancer diagnosis.
Adding Tecentriq to Chemo Regimen Improves Lung Cancer Outcomes
January 31st 2018Not all patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) respond to immunotherapy, so researchers are exploring the use of combination regimens, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy, to improve outcomes in these patients.
Patients Concerned as Humana Takes Herceptin Off Preferred Drug List in South Florida
January 30th 2018Until recently, Herceptin, which is used to treat patients with metastatic breast cancer, was fully covered under Humana’s South Florida Medicare Advantage plans. But, after taking it off the preferred drug list, patients will now be responsible for 20 percent of the drug’s cost, better aligning South Florida’s plans with Humana’s other Medicare Advantage plans.
Exploring Unanswered Questions on CAR-T Cell Therapy in Myeloma
January 29th 2018The success of CAR- (chimeric antigen receptor) T cell therapy is causing landmark change in the way that patients with multiple myeloma are being treated, but more research needs to be done to better understand the role that these agents will play.
Darzalex Combination Granted Priority Review for Myeloma Treatment
January 22nd 2018The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted priority review to the combination use of Darzalex (daratumumab), Velcade (bortezomib), melphalan and prednisone for the treatment of newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma who are not eligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ACST).
Leukemia Research Foundation Accelerates Research, Hope in Blood Cancers
January 19th 2018While the treatment of leukemia has greatly advanced since 1946, so has the organization. In the past seven decades, LRF has raised more than $75 million for its mission of conquering not only leukemia, but all blood cancers.
Burning the Midnight Oil: Night Shift Work May Increase Cancer Risk
January 19th 2018Research constantly highlights how adequate sleep impacts health outcomes. A recent meta-analysis, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, delved in a bit further to see if people who stayed up all night for work had an increased chance of developing cancer.
Monitoring for AML Remissions: Are We Measuring Properly?
January 18th 2018So, wouldn't it be nice to have a quantitative way to say how deep the remission is? Historically, it’s been felt that if you just scratch the surface and get below the 5 percent blast level, you’re probably going to relapse. And if you get deeper, you might not.
Molecular Testing Is Key in Understanding MSI-H Colorectal Cancer
January 16th 2018In recent years, next-generation sequencing has allowed physicians and researchers alike to gather more genetic data for patients with gastrointestinal cancers. And while this kind of profiling continues to advance, so do treatment options for this patient population.
Personalized Care Plans Must Consider Social Disparities
January 11th 2018Racial and socioeconomic status disparities can affect all types of lung cancer treatment – including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. However, researchers may not be aware of this, since many of these groups are underrepresented in lung cancer clinical trials.
Combinations May Be the Future of Immunotherapy in Ovarian Cancer
January 10th 2018To date, trials testing the use of immunotherapy in the treatment of ovarian cancer yielded disappointing results. However, researchers are not giving up. Instead, they’re investigating to see if immunotherapy drugs – such as PD1 and PDL-1 inhibitors – can be combined with other agents to benefit patients.
Popular Myeloma Drug Associated With Higher Rates of Heart Toxicity
January 5th 2018A drug commonly used to treat patients with multiple myeloma may lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, according to recent research conducted at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
Inner-Ear Buildup of Cisplatin May Cause Hearing Loss
January 5th 2018“As the population of cancer survivors continues to grow, so does the importance of addressing the long-term sequelae of cancer treatment,” the authors wrote. “This hearing loss can result in multifaceted decrease in quality of life, and in pediatric patients it can impact social and academic development.”
CLL Survivors Worried About Life Expectancy, Quality of Life
December 25th 2017While patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) tend to have long life expectancies, with many prescribed to a “watch-and-wait” approach, a recent study by the Cancer Support Community (CSC) found that more than half of patients living with the disease reported that having CLL affects their viewpoints regarding their life expectancy.