Recent clinical trials on cancer immunotherapy drugs have demonstrated improved breast cancer patient outcomes. Pembrolizumab, a cancer immunotherapy checkpoint inhibitor, has been utilized in clinical breast cancer trials due to its reasonable safety profile. Pembrolizumab acts on cancer cells by blocking programmed death-ligand-1 (PD-L1), allowing our adaptive immune system to function as it normally would. PD-L1 is a cell surface protein that induces T cell apoptosis upon binding to PD-1 receptors on T cells, a key mechanism for immune evasion. Through measuring overall response rate (ORR) and pathological complete response (pCR), researchers have measured the efficacy of Pembrolizumab. While it was generally found that there was no statistically significant difference for ORR, the data collected for pCR shows a statistically significant difference in patients who received pembrolizumab treatment compared to those who received the control. This data offers promising results that pembrolizumab could potentially improve breast cancer patient survival outcomes.
Ultraviolet radiation is a wavelength of light invisible to the human eye, but responsible for catastrophic damage to our DNA. Although our bodies have built-in mechanisms to repair DNA damage, these systems are not perfect. Essential genes in our skin cells still experience mutations as a result of UV radiation (UVR), and in some cases, this results in skin cancer. Melanoma is the deadliest form, responsible for thousands of deaths a year, and although its causes aren’t fully understood, it is clear that UV exposure is a key player in melanomagenesis. To fully understand how best to protect against melanoma, it is important to elucidate exactly how UV radiation causes the mutations that ultimately result in our melanocytes becoming cancerous. This paper will examine the current understanding of the mechanisms of UV-generated DNA damage, mutations, and tumor formation to determine what causes melanoma.
Would you take a drug, knowing there was a risk of developing secondary cancer, for a chance to beat the cancer you have now? This gamble is a difficult reality thousands of people face each year when they don’t respond favorably to conventional cancer treatments.
Cervical cancer can be successfully prevented or mitigated through routine cervical cancer screening. However, a significant disparity in screening exists in the Muslim American women population due to societal pressures, healthcare inequities, and a lack of recognition as a disparate community. This review explores these barriers and strategies in addressing them, to ultimately aims raise awareness of the health disparities of Muslim American women.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered a relatively new, but effective treatment for cancer attributed to its minimal invasiveness and versatility for a wide variety of existing cancers. However, PDT is underapplied in clinical settings due to various limitations. Despite the restriction of PDT for cancer treatment, there is increasing research that aims to find solutions to its limitations. This review analyzes the limitations of PDT for oncological use and report current solutions to them.
Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogs are a promising androgen deprivation treatment option for patients suffering from prostate cancer. However, there has been no survey of LHRH analog treatment efficacy that considers potential side effects and compatibility with other therapies, such as external beam radiotherapy. This review aims to discover how different types of LHRH drugs can be used to treat prostate cancer, by exploring their efficacies, cardiovascular side effects, and combinatory effects with external beam radiotherapy.
The plant molecule Abrus agglutinin (AGG) is a promising anti-tumor molecule that has been shown to increase pro-apoptotic—or pro-death—biomolecules and decrease proliferative ones in multiple different cancer cell lines. Another main benefit to AGG in potential cancer treatment is its selectiveness. In mice, AGG did not show any toxic side effects at 1mg/kg and below, and at this dose, AGG still successfully targeted cancerous cells without harming normal cells. This review confirms the potential of AGG as a chemotherapeutic agent through intracellular and extracellular methods and selective cytotoxicity.
A 2021 research study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that the key to killing cancerous cells is allowing a period of rest for healthy cancer-fighting cells to mobilize and thrive.
The high mortality rate of pancreatic cancer is closely linked to the lack of noticeable symptoms until the disease has advanced, making early detection and intervention exceedingly challenging. However, recent advancements in diagnostic methods, medical therapies, and other contributing factors have provided avenues for detecting pancreatic cancer in its early stages. This literature review aims to shed light on the potential interventions and advancements that can aid in the battle against pancreatic cancer.
Integrating dietary treatments with chemotherapy and immunotherapy has emerged as a viable technique to improve cancer treatment success in recent years. One such example are ketogenic diets, which have garnered attention for their anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory characteristics among various dietary treatments. This review examines the effect of a ketogenic diet in combination with chemotherapy or immunotherapy on cancer patient survival rates.
