Cancer Drugs That Didn’t Work; Another HIV Cure; Kiss of Success With Mistletoe

A study of more than 4,000 patients treated with anticancer drugs that received FDA accelerated approval showed that a fourth of the patients received a drug whose approval was subsequently withdrawn. (JAMA Oncology)

Older adults with terminal cancer received aggressive end-of-life care more often when they were in nursing homes versus community settings. (JAMA Network Open)

Researchers from Germany announced that a third patient has been cured of HIV following stem cell transplantation. (German Center for Infection Research, Nature Medicine)

The formerly controversial drug thalidomide showed promise for reducing radiation-induced injury to the blood-brain barrier. (Science Translational Medicine)

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, outlined a series of “next steps” to strengthen the agency’s tobacco control program.

Discovery of previously unreported effects of human papillomavirus (HPV) on genomic structure during viral incorporation into DNA may lead to a better understanding of how the virus causes cancer and possibly to more effective treatment strategies. (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Cancer Discovery)

A preliminary study of a treatment derived from mistletoe extract yielded evidence of improved quality of life and possibly anticancer activity in patients with advanced solid tumors. (Johns Hopkins Medicine, Cancer Research Communications)

Researchers reported new insights into how colorectal cancer cells develop resistance to chemotherapy. (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Nature Communications)

Using a new form of endoscopy, gastrointestinal cancer specialists achieved greater than 90% accuracy for detection and diagnosis of small, early-stage esophageal cancers without the need for biopsy. (Second Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Gastroenterology and Endoscopy)