Cancer and COVID; Booze and Cancer; ‘Screech’ Starts Chemo

Patients in cancer remission had a high risk of developing severe COVID-19; however, patients who received in-person cancer care at a facility with aggressive prevention efforts had a low risk of acquiring the infection. (Penn Medicine)

Merck KGaA of Germany ended a phase III trial of the bifunctional immunotherapy drug bintrafusp alfa in non-small cell lung cancer after an independent advisory committee concluded the study was unlikely to meet the co-primary endpoint of progression-free survival.

Regular aspirin use may help improve survival in bladder and breast cancers. (newsGP, JAMA Network Open)

A simplified DNA screening test accurately identified specific alterations in mismatch-repair deficiency associated with colon, endometrial, and other cancers. (Journal of Molecular Diagnostics)

An upcoming cardio-oncology program will include the latest information about diagnosis and management of cardiovascular risk in cancer survivors. (American College of Cardiology)

Immuno-oncology will continue to be a key driver of the biopharmaceutical industry during 2021. (GlobalData)

More pediatric cancers have a certain type of genetic mutation than expected, making more patients eligible for a treatment that targets the mutation. (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)

AstraZeneca announced that the FDA expanded approval of fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) to include locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer.

More evidence about the cancer burden associated with alcohol consumption. (Cancer Epidemiology)

Oncologists get more help in predicting which patients will have severe chemotherapy-associated side effects. (City of Hope, Journal of Clinical Oncology)

Japanese researchers discovered a potentially important link between oral bacteria and esophageal cancer. (Tokyo Medical and Dental University)

Dustin Diamond, better known as “Screech” Powers from the popular TV series “Saved by the Bell,” received his first round of chemotherapy for stage IV small-cell carcinoma, according to his publicist. (Fox News)