Categories Tumor Testing

Study: Treating advanced breast cancer with ESR1 mutations shows promise

Treatment with the new hormonal drug camizestrant benefited people with certain advanced breast cancers with a biomarker called an ESR1 mutation. People who participated in the SERENA6 study experienced a longer time before their cancer worsened and had a better quality of life than those who received the standard treatment. This study used a blood test to track changes in the cancer to clarify whether treatment worked before symptoms developed. (posted 2/19/26)

Update: News from the FDA: Updates on metastatic prostate cancer treatment

This update highlights recent FDA approvals and expanded uses for three drugs related to metastatic prostate cancer treatment. These updates affect how prostate cancer may be found and treated, including new options that may allow some men with advanced prostate cancer to delay or avoid chemotherapy. Overall, these updates may provide more choices for people with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). (posted 2/13/26)

Topic: What Patients Need to Know About Liquid Biopsies in Cancer Care

Liquid biopsies are tests that look for signs of cancer in blood or other body fluids. These signs can include cancer cells that have broken away from a tumor, pieces of cancer cell DNA and proteins or other biomarkers found in cancer cells. Liquid biopsies can be used to screen for cancer before a cancer diagnosis or guide treatment after a diagnosis. (posted 2/6/26)

Study: FDA approves new targeted therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer

A new treatment called Bizengri has been approved by the FDA for patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. This treatment targets pancreatic cancer or non-small cell lung cancers that have a rare tumor mutation called an NRG1 fusion. (Posted 7/24/25)

Study: New FDA approval of Itovebi, a drug that may improve treatment for certain advanced or metastatic breast cancers

About one-third of hormone receptor-positive (HR-positive), HER2-negative metastatic breast cancers have a PIK3CA tumor mutation that can increase cancer growth and lead to treatment resistance. A new targeted therapy, Itovebi (inavolisib), improved patient outcomes when combined with standard treatment. This led to the recent FDA approval of the drug. (Posted 7/3/25)

Study: Enhertu shows promising results for HER2-low and HER2-ultralow metastatic breast cancer

Recent study results show that a new targeted treatment works better than standard chemotherapy for people with metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancers with low or ultralow HER2 status. (Posted 5/15/25)

Study: Two immunotherapy drugs are better than one for some metastatic colorectal cancers

Combining two immunotherapy drugs is a more effective treatment for certain metastatic colorectal cancers than using either treatment drug alone. Used together, Opdivo (nivolumab) plus Yervoy (ipilimumab) slowed cancer growth in MSI-High metastatic colorectal cancers, a type of colorectal cancer often found in Lynch syndrome. The FDA approved this combined treatment for MSI-High metastatic colorectal cancer after progression with chemotherapy. (Posted 4/30/25)

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Study: Colorectal cancer in people with Lynch syndrome can include types of cancer found more typically in people without Lynch syndrome

When people with Lynch syndrome (LS) develop cancer, their tumors typically have a related set of features or biomarkers known as deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) and high microsatellite instability (MSI-High). However, occasionally people with Lynch syndrome have cancers that are proficient in mismatch repair (pMMR or MMR-P) and have microsatellite stability (MSS or MSI-Low) –more like the colorectal cancers found in people without Lynch syndrome. This study shows that 10 percent of people with Lynch syndrome may have these types of cancers. This can change treatment recommendations. (Posted 9/5/24)

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Topic: The drug Enhertu is FDA-approved for any advanced or metastatic HER2-positive tumors

The FDA granted accelerated approval of Enhertu for people with any HER2-positive tumor that is metastatic or cannot be surgically removed. Eligible patients must have had previous treatment such as chemotherapy or hormone therapy. (Posted 7/19/24)

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Update: News from the FDA - Two new metastatic colorectal cancer treatments

The FDA recently approved two new treatments for metastatic colorectal cancer. (Posted 3/22/24)

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