Liver Cancer

Nearly one-quarter of inoperable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas shrank enough to make surgery possible after selective internal radiation was added to chemotherapy, a study shows.

Both men and women have seen an increase in liver cancer diagnoses and death over the past nearly 20 years, according to new study findings.

For Liver Cancer Awareness Month, here’s a round-up of the latest news and updates in this disease space.

Frontline treatment with Opdivo improved overall survival and response rates among patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, however, the trial missed its primary endpoint.

As immunotherapies emerge in the treatment of liver cancer, experts examine whether two or more is better than one.

Taking aspirin was found to improve liver function and extend survival among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma – the most common primary liver cancer.

Researchers at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center found a biomarker that may help to determine which patients with hepatocellular carcinoma will respond to treatment with Nexavar, leading to more individualized treatment options.

A team of researchers examine funding among different cancer types, exposing disparities in cervical, colon, endometrial, liver and bile duct, lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancer.

With a wealth of drugs available for the treatment of liver cancer, one expert explained how combination therapy may be where the future is headed.

Blue Faery provides patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and their caregivers a range of focused resources. The goal of Blue Faery’s patient community is to improve the quality of life for patients, support their caregivers and give them hope, information and a voice.

The president and founder of Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association discussed new initiatives and what’s on the horizon in the treatment of liver cancer.

While advances have been made in the treatment landscape of hepatocellular carcinoma, researchers are now looking into the optimal sequence for which patients should be treated.

The combination use of Abraxane plus gemcitabine and cisplatin for the treatment of advanced biliary tract cancers prolonged survival, according to phase 2 study findings.

Through community outreach, the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation aims to increase tumor profiling and clinical trial participation.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Cyramza for certain patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Because of the rarity of a neuroendocrine tumor (NET) diagnosis, the Healing Net Foundation aims to educate physicians on the disease – an initiative many patient advocates feel can improve outcomes.

A Taiwanese study compares disease rates among people who used the medication daily with those who do not.

The Healing Net Foundation gathers patients, caregivers and health care providers to collaborate in raising awareness and educating the medical community about an underserved disease: neuroendocrine tumors.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute opens the first-ever Lynch Syndrome Center to help patients and families with the inherited condition.

Patients with previously untreated liver cancer, or hepa­tocellular carcinoma (HCC), lived twice as long if they responded to a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, a type of targeted therapy.

Researchers call for universal testing after study finds high prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections.

The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation has won a grant from Bayer to create a website and outreach to patients and doctors to let them know that all patients with the disease need to have their tumors sequenced, because there are existing medicines and clinical trials that may help patients with actionable mutations more than the standard of care.

Targeted drugs and immunotherapies are still on the horizon for people with cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer.

A lot is still unknown about the causes of cholangiocarcinoma, because this type of cancer, which affects the bile ducts inside or outside the liver, is so rare.

African-Americans who received a racially matched liver had better survival outcomes compared with unmatched patients, according to a review of national data.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Cabometyx (cabozantinib) tablets for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with Nexavar (sorafenib).

AN ANTIOXIDANT APPROVED FOR use as an antidote to cyanide poisoning may also prevent hearing loss, a potential side effect of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, in children who take the anticancer drug.

Immunotherapy pioneers James P. Allison and Dr. Tasuku Honjo have won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research that eventually led to the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Lenvima (lenvatinib) for the firstline treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted a priority review to Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for the treatment of previously treated patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).