Source: medicalxpress.com Author: staff, University of Oklahoma People who are diagnosed with head and neck cancer often receive a standard type of chemotherapy as part of their treatment. If they are exposed to secondhand smoke during chemotherapy—even if they have never smoked themselves—the treatment may be far less effective at killing cancer cells. That finding, considered the first of its kind, was revealed in a study recently published by researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences. Tobacco use is a well-established risk factor for cancer and a signal of poor outcomes, especially if a person continues to smoke during treatment. However, researchers have understood much less about the effects of secondhand smoke on cancer treatment. Lurdes Queimado, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of otolaryngology at the OU College of Medicine, led the investigation into secondhand smoke exposure, which was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Her findings have major implications for cancer patients and the physicians who treat them. "Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and is prevalent in Oklahoma, where we also have a high rate of smoking. This is the first time that researchers have examined the impact of secondhand smoke exposure on cancer patients and the mechanism of why it is happening." "Our studies will continue, but we think it is important to raise awareness now that people who are exposed to secondhand smoke during treatment will likely have a worse prognosis," said Queimado, who also directs the Tobacco Regulatory [...]

Source: www.targetedonc.com Author: Sabrina Serani In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Mark Dybul, MD, discussed a breakthrough method of immunotherapy in solid tumors. Mark Dybul, MD Treatments for difficult-to-treat tumors like pancreatic cancer and triple-negative breast cancer are lacking in availability and efficacy. However, Mark Dybul, MD, identified that a key to treating these cancers lies in retraining a patient’s immune system. Unlike some approaches using exogenous immunomodulators, this method focuses on the patient's immune system. The dendritic cells are genetically modified from another person, enhancing immune stimulation. The combination of allergenic cells from another person, genetically modified dendritic cells, and tumor pieces aims to retrain the immune system to recognize and combat cancer differently. Preliminary data show promising results. In an interview with Targeted OncologyTM, Dybul, chief executive officer of Renovaro Biosciences, professor in the Department of Medicine at Georgetown University, and senior advisor at the Center for Global Health Practice and Impact, discussed how Renovaro’s breakthrough immunotherapy works and how it differs from currently available therapies. Targeted Oncology: What are some of the new immunotherapy technologies on the horizon? Dybul: The immunotherapies are, in our view, incredibly promising and exciting. [Renovaro’s] mission is to create a future free from toxic chemotherapy by retraining the immune system to recognize and control or eliminate a possible cancer and to have an ongoing ability to surveil and prevent recurrence. We believe it is very possible, and our preliminary data suggest that is the case. Our approach is to, again, [...]