Rise in Cervical Cancer Mortality; Drug Active in Kids’ Glioma; Vit D and Melanoma

A California study showed a concerning increase in cervical cancer mortality among women 65 or older, the age at which routine screening is no longer recommended. (UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention)

AstraZeneca will discontinue sales of moxetumomab pasudotox (Lumoxiti) for hairy cell leukemia in the U.S. because of competition and other factors unrelated to the drug’s safety or efficacy. (Endpoints News)

In a first-of-its-kind study, community gardening was associated with increased physical activity and consumption of dietary fiber, factors known to reduce cancer risk. (University of Colorado, The Lancet Planetary Health)

Two-thirds of pediatric patients with relapsed/progressive low-grade glioma had objective responses to the pan-RAF kinase inhibitor tovorafenib, Day One Biopharmaceuticals announced.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen PET/MRI imaging accurately identified men who had an increased risk of prostate cancer recurrence within 2 years of radical prostatectomy. (Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging)

Blood levels of the protein ERK1/2 measured 24 hours after the start of treatment had a significant association with response to chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia. (University of Bergen, Nature Communications)

Men who received apalutamide (Erleada) during active surveillance for early prostate cancer had significantly fewer positive prostate biopsies. (Journal of Urology)

Regular use of vitamin D supplements was associated with a reduced risk of melanoma. (University of Eastern Finland, Melanoma Research)

A phase II clinical trial showed preliminary evidence of activity for a cancer vaccine targeting IDO and PD-L1 in non-small cell lung cancer, IO Biotech announced.

As the pharmaceutical industry pushes the envelope with potentially risky new cancer therapies, the FDA is hitting the pause button more often for clinical trials. (Wall Street Journal)

For the second time, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Bristol Myers Squibb and its Juno Therapeutics subsidiary to overturn a lower court decision that invalidated a $1.2 billion patent-infringement award the companies’ won against Gilead Sciences related to the CAR T-cell therapy axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel; Yescarta). (Reuters)

Setting the stage for increased use of CAR T-cell therapy, Medicare officials have taken preliminary steps to make the therapy available in doctors’ offices. (STAT)