Cancer Vaccines' Emergence; More Focus on Side Effects; A Nudge for Exercise

— News, features, and commentary about cancer-related issues

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Onco Break over a computer rendering of a cancer cell.

The backstory of cancer vaccines' rise to clinical relevance. (MIT Technology Review)

Adding an immune system booster to a personalized cancer vaccine enhanced immune response to malignant glioma. (UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Nature Communications)

The FDA has told drug companies to spend more time on dose exploration and optimization to reduce side effects. (Washington Post)

Nearly half of cancer patients and survivors have medical debt, according to the American Cancer Society.

Eight years after his death, a cancer researcher gets his due for potentially groundbreaking work to advance treatment. (UVAToday)

Combining radiation therapy (RT) with hormonal therapy may delay the need for chemotherapy in prostate cancer and help men avoid side effects. (Institute for Cancer Research)

Merck announced that adjuvant pembrolizumab (Keytruda) plus chemotherapy, with or without RT, failed to improve disease-free survival in high-risk endometrial cancer as compared with placebo plus chemotherapy, with or without RT.

The dramatic increase in colorectal cancer among younger patients has expanded into teenagers. (NBC News)

Among eight drug companies engaged in price negotiations with Medicare, Merck was the only one that spent more on research and development than it did on executive compensation, marketing, administration, and shareholder payments, according to a report. (The Hill)

A modification to standard CAR T-cell therapy, currently used to treat blood cancers, significantly increased cell-killing in solid tumors. (Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Science Advances)

Integrating a screening tool for exercise referral into cancer care plans tripled the number of patients actually referred, as compared with historical rates. (University of Pittsburgh Hillman Cancer Center)

Participants in a National Comprehensive Cancer Network policy summit encouraged more emphasis on how sexual and fertility issues affect people with cancer.

Bispecific T-cell engagers are poised to become the next disruptive therapeutic category in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. (GlobalData)

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    Charles Bankhead is senior editor for oncology and also covers urology, dermatology, and ophthalmology. He joined MedPage Today in 2007. Follow