Study shows long-term survival benefit for certain patients with advanced lung cancer

According to the results of a large, global study led by Yale Cancer Center researchers, even a tiny amount of a biomarker known as PD-L1 (programmed death-ligand1) can predict a long-term survival benefit from using pembrolizumab (Keytruda). The drug is one of the first checkpoint inhibitors to be developed and used in cancer treatment. The findings are published online today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Study shows UV technology raises the standard in disinfecting ORs and medical equipment

Ultraviolet (UV) technology developed by the New York-based firm PurpleSun Inc. eliminates more than 96 percent of pathogens in operating rooms (ORs) and on medical equipment, compared to 38 percent using manual cleaning methods that rely on chemicals to disinfect surfaces, according to a study published this month in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC).
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Clinical trial exposes deadly kidney cancer’s Achilles’ heel

An experimental drug already shown to be safe and help some patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a deadly form of kidney cancer, effectively disables its molecular target. The finding from a team of researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Kidney Cancer Program, published in the Feb. 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, reveals a weakness in this cancer that could be further exploited with other targeted treatments in the future.
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