Half of advanced melanoma patients live for 10 years with double drug treatment
More than half of people diagnosed with advanced melanoma now survive for at least 10 years when they receive a double hit of immunotherapy drugs, a trial has found.The combined treatment has transformed survival rates for a form of skin cancer that once had a grim prognosis, with some patients now living long enough that they die from other causes.Fifteen years ago, only one in 20 patients with advanced melanoma survived for five years, with many dying within six to nine months of the condition being confirmed.“The definition of cure is to return someone to their normal life expectancy for their age and state of health,” said James Larkin, a consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS foundation trust and a professor at the Institute of Cancer Research.“Having treated a lot of these patients over the past 10 years it seems that some are cured: they’re back to their normal lives, they’re getting on with things.
”More than 20,000 people are expected to be diagnosed with melanoma in the UK this year, a record high that is largely being driven by rising cases in older people.The vast majority of cases are preventable and caused by too much exposure to UV light.The trial explored two drugs, ipilimumab and nivolumab, both immune checkpoint inhibitors, in 945 patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, where tumours were spreading.The drugs work by disabling “brakes” built into the immune system to prevent it from turning on healthy tissues.Cut the brakes and the immune system can recognise and attack the cancer cells.
The approach is highly effective,Results presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology in Barcelona on Sunday, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, show that the melanoma-specific survival rate for patients in the trial was higher than the overall survival rate, meaning they were starting to live long enough to die from other causes,At 10 years, the melanoma-specific survival rate for patients treated with both drugs was 52%,Larkin called the results “remarkable”,Many toxic anti-cancer drugs that destroy tumours cells stop working over time, but the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors is long-lasting.
The trial marks the longest follow-up to date of patients receiving the drugs for advanced melanoma, giving doctors crucial information on how long the treatment is effective for, the overall survival rates and side-effects.While some patients experienced side-effects early on, no new problems arose later.Patients who stopped treatment early because of significant side-effects still benefited from the combination therapy, as the drugs had already taken effect on their immune systems.Lucy Davis, 47, joined the trial funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb, the drug manufacturer, after being diagnosed in 2011 with stage 3 melanoma.She had surgery to remove the cancer and surrounding lymph nodes, but two years later was told the disease had progressed to stage 4 and she had only months to live.
“Before I started the trial I was really ill, I could barely eat, I was losing weight and was in a lot of pain, but three months later I felt completely different, my appetite was back and scans showed that the treatment was working,” Davis said.“My children were five and seven years old when I received the news that I had just months to live; and they are now 16 and 18.I have been able to see them complete their exams and go to college, which is absolutely amazing.”While the results are impressive, efforts are now focused on the substantial portion of patients who do not respond to the immunotherapies.It is unclear why the drugs fail in many patients, and there is probably no single answer, with roles for the biology of the patient’s tumour and their immune system.
Larkin said: “It’s great to see these data from a disease where 15 years ago average life expectancy was six to nine months,But we still have a significant group of people in the clinic who do not respond to this treatment,Where we’re focusing our energies as a field, in melanoma and in other cancers, is to try and understand that: why aren’t these people responding?”Dr Sam Godfrey, the science engagement lead at Cancer Research UK, said: “Over the last decade, there have been big improvements in survival for people with advanced melanoma skin cancer, partially because of the introduction of a group of immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors,“This study indicates that combining two of these checkpoint inhibitors led to more people surviving their disease for 10 years or more,Promising results like this show how vital ongoing research into cancer is, to help people live longer, better lives.
”
Fed chair Jerome Powell says US interest rate cut has nothing to do with election – business live
Fed chair Jerome Powell is delivering remarks right now about the half-point rate cut. Powell suggests, essentially, that the Fed is working toward a so-called “soft-landing” – bringing inflation down without hurting the jobs market.“This decision reflects our growing confidence that within appropriate recalibration of our policy stance, strength in the labor market can be maintained in a context of moderate growth and inflation moving sustainably down to 2,%” Powell said.Powell said that the labor market has “cooled from its formerly overheated state” and inflation has “eased substantially” – a marked difference in tone from press conferences over the last year, where Powell mostly spoke on concerns about price increases.Here’s a quick summary of what happened today:The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a sizeable half-point, the first cut since rates hit zero in 2020
What will a Federal Reserve interest rate cut mean for you?
The Federal Reserve announced a half-percentage point interest-rate cut on Wednesday, the first decrease in four years. It’s a moment that many economists see as the end of an era, and the beginning of the end of the central bank’s fight against inflation.The Fed’s prime rate – used to set the rates on everything from mortgages to car loans – has sat at a 20-year high for the last year, making it more expensive to borrow money.This rate cut is a big deal for the economy. But it’ll take some time for American consumers to feel the effects
Albanese government forging ahead with social media age restrictions despite Meta’s new Instagram teen accounts
The Albanese government is forging ahead with its plans for an age restriction on social media despite Meta announcing new restrictions for teens on Instagram, with the communications minister arguing children’s use of social media is unbalanced.On Wednesday Instagram announced changes to teen accounts, including giving parents the ability to set daily time limits for using the app, block teens from using Instagram at certain times and to see accounts their child is exchanging messages with and the content categories they are viewing.Teens under the age of 16 will need parental permission before any of the settings can be changed. Meta said the move had been planned for months, but the announcement came a week after the federal government announced plans to introduce legislation to parliament, by the end of the year, to raise the age children can access social media up to an as-yet-undefined age – likely between 14 and 16.The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said the government welcomed the announcement, but “it does not negate the government’s intention to introduce legislation this year to mandate a minimum age for access to social media
Meta to put under-18 Instagram users into new ‘teen accounts’
Meta is putting Instagram users under the age of 18 into new “teen accounts” to allow parents greater control over their activities, including the ability to block children from viewing the app at night.The change will apply to new teen users but will also be extended to existing accounts held by teenagers over the next few months.Changes under the teen account setting include giving parents the ability to set daily time limits for using the app, block teens from using Instagram at certain times, see the accounts their child is exchanging messages with and being shown the content categories they are viewing.Teenagers signing up to Instagram are already placed by default into the strictest privacy settings, which include barring adults from messaging teens who don’t follow them and muting notifications at night.However, under the new “teen account” feature users under the age of 16 will need parental permission to change those settings, while 16- and 17-year-olds defaulted into the new features will be able to change them independently
Lancashire frustrate Somerset, Surrey forge ahead of Durham: county cricket – as it happened
The heavy roller, the sun, five penalty runs and a hue and cry over a contentious not out decision in the final overs all added up to a gripping day at Old Trafford in the crucial promotion-relegation headlock.After 21 wickets fell on the first day, only seven fell on the second, as Lancashire played with earthy grit to grind a lead of 292 over Somerset, who are chasing Surrey for a tilt at the title. Josh Bohannon’s 60 and an unbeaten 78 from Luke Wells, plus plucky innings from Rocky Flintoff and Harry Singh, frustrated Somerset, and nostrils later flared when George Balderson was adjudged not out after Craig Overton appeared to throw down his stumps from slip.At the Oval, perennial understudy Ryan Patel hit a merry 134 to give Surrey a vital 153-run first innings lead over Durham. Durham then lost the nightwatcher Callum Parkinson to the first ball of their second innings as the sun dropped and Conor McKerr held a snorter at third slip
Maro Itoje rejects Eddie Jones’ claims he is not suited to England captaincy
Maro Itoje has rejected claims by the former England head coach Eddie Jones that he is “very inward-looking” and not suited to Test captaincy, after being unveiled as Saracens’ skipper.Itoje takes over from Owen Farrell, after the fly-half’s move to Racing 92, in what is his first senior captaincy role. The 29-year-old was earmarked as a future England captain early in his career after bursting on to the Test scene eight years ago but Jones never saw fit to install him in the role, claiming in a 2021 book that he had sent Itoje to acting classes in an effort to improve his leadership.“I might be wrong, but I am not sure Maro is a future England captain,” Jones wrote. “He is going to be one of the great players, but Maro is very inward-looking
Georgina Hayden’s recipe for charred corn, chorizo and avocado
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy hot smoked salmon frittatas with watercress and radishes – recipe | Quick and easy
‘We called her the vegetable whisperer’: Rachel Roddy on the cook who inspired her
Scissor-cut, stir-fry and ‘a hug in a bowl’: six great noodle recipes
Jeremy King: ‘The first time I was ever impressed by anyone was Meryl Streep’
Rahel Stephanie’s secret ingredient: pandan