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Otago Daily Times
10-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Cancer patients welcome Pharmac boost
By Rachel Helyer Donaldson of RNZ Cancer specialists and patients with advanced melanoma have welcomed the news that three potentially life-saving skin cancer medicines are to be funded from 1 June. The state drug-buying agency Pharmac announced on Friday it would fund more medicines for people with late stage skin cancer (stage 3B to stage 4 melanoma). The decision includes widening access to pembrolizumab (branded as Keytruda), and funding dabrafenib, (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist), for the first time. Pharmac director pharmaceuticals Geraldine MacGibbon said the move would help 285 people by preventing their cancer from spreading or coming back. Melanoma NZ trustee and oncologist Dr Rosalie Stephens said the drugs were "both life-saving and life extending" and the decision was "welcome news". "I think this news will come as a huge relief because New Zealanders with melanoma are well-informed. They know the impact that these medicines are having overseas and stakeholders have been asking for this decision for some time, so psychologically I think there will be a huge degree of relief. "And also psychosocially, more broadly, as it will have a big impact on people's financial status because many New Zealanders have been paying out of pocket for these important medicines." Aucklander Fin Bergin, who was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma in September 2024, agreed the funding would make a huge difference. After two surgeries, the 28-year-old had been paying for the immunotherapy medicine combination of dabrafenib and trametinib, through a combination of personal savings, parental and family support, and donations through a Givealittle page. "This [funded treatment] will... put me at ease, because the biggest stress since my diagnosis has been money related." Stephens said it had been a "10-year progress" to get some of the medicines funded, and cancer specialists had felt "anxious about the gap, particularly when we compare ourselves to similar health systems, notably Australia and the UK". But she added engagement with Pharmac over the past year had left her feeling "much more positive". "We've had really constructive engagement, I would say. So yes, there's been the frustration. But we have really seen improvements and the transparency of the process, and we're pleased for that and we hope that continues." Minister of Health Simeon Brown said National campaigned on boosting Pharmac funding to cover 13 additional cancer treatments and this week's announcement meant that, come 1 June, this would be achieved.
Otago Daily Times
10-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
New cancer drugs get Pharmac boost
By Rachel Helyer Donaldson of RNZ Cancer specialists and patients with advanced melanoma have welcomed the news that three potentially life-saving skin cancer medicines are to be funded from 1 June. The state drug-buying agency Pharmac announced on Friday it would fund more medicines for people with late stage skin cancer (stage 3B to stage 4 melanoma). The decision includes widening access to pembrolizumab (branded as Keytruda), and funding dabrafenib, (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist), for the first time. Pharmac director pharmaceuticals Geraldine MacGibbon said the move would help 285 people by preventing their cancer from spreading or coming back. Melanoma NZ trustee and oncologist Dr Rosalie Stephens said the drugs were "both life-saving and life extending" and the decision was "welcome news". "I think this news will come as a huge relief because New Zealanders with melanoma are well-informed. They know the impact that these medicines are having overseas and stakeholders have been asking for this decision for some time, so psychologically I think there will be a huge degree of relief. "And also psychosocially, more broadly, as it will have a big impact on people's financial status because many New Zealanders have been paying out of pocket for these important medicines." Aucklander Fin Bergin, who was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma in September 2024, agreed the funding would make a huge difference. After two surgeries, the 28-year-old had been paying for the immunotherapy medicine combination of dabrafenib and trametinib, through a combination of personal savings, parental and family support, and donations through a Givealittle page. "This [funded treatment] will... put me at ease, because the biggest stress since my diagnosis has been money related." Stephens said it had been a "10-year progress" to get some of the medicines funded, and cancer specialists had felt "anxious about the gap, particularly when we compare ourselves to similar health systems, notably Australia and the UK". But she added engagement with Pharmac over the past year had left her feeling "much more positive". "We've had really constructive engagement, I would say. So yes, there's been the frustration. But we have really seen improvements and the transparency of the process, and we're pleased for that and we hope that continues." Minister of Health Simeon Brown said National campaigned on boosting Pharmac funding to cover 13 additional cancer treatments and this week's announcement meant that, come 1 June, this would be achieved.
Scoop
09-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Decision To Increase Medicines Access
Press Release – New Zealand Government About 285 people with melanoma will benefit from these medicines, funded for people with stage 3B to 4 skin cancers, in the first year of funding, Mr Seymour says. Associate Minister of Health Hon Simeon Brown Minister of Health Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour, and Health Minister Simeon Brown welcome Pharmac's decision to fund or widen access to three treatments, including for skin cancer, from 1 June 2025. 'Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the government,' Mr Seymour says. 'Today represents another step forward for cancer patients as the $604 million uplift from the government continues to facilitate access to new treatments. 'Pharmac continues to show what it is capable of when given the support it needs. Pharmac has made decisions to: Widen access to pembrolizumab (branded as Keytruda) Fund dabrafenib (branded as Tafinlar) and trametinib (branded as Mekinist) for the first time. Dabrafenib and trametinib are used as a combination treatment. 'About 285 people with melanoma will benefit from these medicines, funded for people with stage 3B to 4 skin cancers, in the first year of funding,' Mr Seymour says. 'The early signs of Pharmac's redirection remain positive, as expanding opportunities and access for patients and their families continue to be prioritised. 'Through consultation feedback, Pharmac heard of people experiencing side effects from receiving treatments with immune checkpoint inhibitors. This is due to funding more access and use of these medicines as part of the budget increase. As a result, Pharmac is widening access to infliximab and tocilizumab to treat side effects from having immune checkpoint inhibitors. Mr Brown says delivering better and faster access to cancer care in New Zealand has been a focus of this Government, which is why it is one of our five key health targets. 'As Minister of Health, I am focused on ensuring better access to more cancer medicines, better cancer management driven by our faster cancer treatment target, and earlier detection of cancers through screening programmes,' Mr Brown says. 'One of the important reasons why Kiwis elected this Government was because they knew we could keep our promises to fund more cancer medicines. This announcement from Pharmac means more New Zealanders will get the care they need. 'Today is a good day for cancer patients. We campaigned on boosting Pharmac's funding so that it could cover 13 additional cancer treatments, and from 1 June 2025, Pharmac will fund treatments for all those cancer types.' 'I'm pleased to see Pharmac's responsiveness to the voices of patients and their families by expanding access to more medicines for more groups. This decision reflects our commitment to a more adaptable and patient-centered approach,'Mr Seymour says.
CBS News
26-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
He had 2 months to live. Cancer research "that seemed like science fiction" saved his life.
Michael Wolff spent 18 months undergoing intensive treatment for follicular lymphoma, a slow-growing blood cancer. Despite the strict regimen, he was only getting sicker. Wolff's oncologist didn't understand it and sent the then 54-year-old to Dr. Mrinal Gounder at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Wolff underwent another biopsy. The test found that Wolff had an extremely rare, aggressive blood cancer called histiocytic sarcoma. Only about 300 patients are diagnosed with the condition each year in the U.S. Gounder, an oncologist who focuses on treating sarcomas, said the lymphoma that Wolff was being treated for earlier may have led to the development of the riskier cancer. Wolff said that Gounder told him he had only treated about 10 cases of the disease before. Wolff didn't want to ask what had happened to those patients. Soon, he was given his prognosis: Gounder estimated Wolff had two months to live. That was 10 years ago. Now, Wolff is considered cured after technology that he said "seemed like science fiction" was used to find an effective treatment for the rare cancer. Michael Wolff attends the 2011 WBGO-FM Champions of Jazz benefit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on November 2, 2011 in New York City. Charles Eshelman Using genetic sequencing to find treatment options Genetic sequencing is a process where the DNA that makes up a cancer tumor is analyzed for unique genetic mutations. Those changes can point researchers in the direction of possible treatments, said Dr. Shridar Ganesan, the director of NYU Langone's molecular oncology program and a physician–scientist who was not involved in Wolff's care. "For a long while, the classification of cancer was kind of dominated by anatomy, by where the lump is, and how it looks like under the microscope," Ganesan said. "But we realize now that in addition to kind of rise and lumps, we have to also take into account the exact changes that make the cancer cells different than normal cells, because that, in many ways, is the clue to both telling us why these cells are misbehaving, and can give us insights into how to then specifically target the growth of these abnormal cells." Wolff was at the "edge of a cliff," Gounder said. So he put Wolff on another course of intensive chemotherapy, then began analyzing the sarcoma. The process took about six weeks. Wolff said the chemotherapy left him unable to sleep and beset with high fevers. Gounder said the treatment didn't do much to help. But by the time the chemotherapy course was complete, the genetic sequencing results had come back. The results showed "six or seven potential roads" that could have been used for treatment, Gounder said. He and others at Memorial Sloan Kettering looked at all the options, then settled on a pill called Mekinist, which is most often used to treat melanomas. Gounder believed a mutation found in Wolff's cancer made the pill a good option. There had never been a case where the drug had been used to treat histiocytic sarcoma. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center- David H. Koch Center. HVEPhoto / Getty Images "When he said 'I think I found something and I think we have a drug that can (treat you),' I said 'Well, what's the research?'" Wolff remembered. "He said 'You're the research.'" "I'm just so thankful" Wolff began taking the new regimen. He was skeptical that a medication that "looked like a little sugar pill" could help him when chemotherapy had failed. Within two days, the chemotherapy side effects he was experiencing were gone. Ten days into the treatment, Gounder did a PET scan. The exam found an 80% reduction in Wolff's tumors. Wolff said he considered the results "a miracle." "I was totally blown away that this thing could have any effect," he said. Gounder said Wolff's improvement was a welcome surprise — and helped change the game for future patients. In 2018, he published Wolff's case in the New England Journal of Medicine. Mekenist is now used to treat histiocytic sarcomas, and in 2022, the Food and Drug Administration also approved the use of another medication, Cotellic. The outcomes for patients are "night and day," Gounder said. Meanwhile, Wolff's cancer has not returned, 10 years after he was given just months to live. He was able to stop taking the medication, and last summer, Gounder told him he didn't need to return for annual checkups. He still sees a hematologist, an interventional radiologist and a dermatologist to treat side effects from the chemotherapy courses, but he's been able to return to his career as a renowned jazz musician. "I've been able to record so much music and play so many concerts around the world," Wolff said. "Every time I do something like that, I'm just so thankful to be able to do it." Musician Michael Wolff performs at the 2011 WBGO-FM Champions of Jazz benefit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on November 2, 2011 in New York City. Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images What's next for genetic sequencing? Wolff's case was 10 years ago, when genetic sequencing of cancers was in the early stages. Now, scientists can analyze a tumor's whole genome in a matter of days, Gounder said. Ganesan said the technology is being used more widely now, particularly in patients with advanced-stage cancers. In some cases, like Wolff's, doctors find a new use for an existing drug. In others, knowing the specific makeup of a cancer allows doctors to develop new treatment options. As genetic sequencing is used more widely, scientists are also learning more about the "enormous diversity of cancers," Ganesan said. He hopes that eventually, many cancers can be treated or cured using options discovered by genetic sequencing. "Two people with the same organ-based cancer diagnosis may have very different diseases. This is giving us a chance to understand that, and also to understand the very specific treatments," Ganesan said. "In the old days, we used to give a therapy and say 'Oh, 30% respond, I wonder why?' Now, it starts to tease apart why patients respond to some therapies and not to others, and also define, build and craft specific treatments for individual patients."
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Blood test to predict tumor recurrence of advanced skin cancer called highly accurate
ST. PAUL, Minn., April 15 (UPI) -- New York University researchers say a simple, gene-based blood test has shown to be highly accurate in predicting whether some stage III melanoma patients are likely to suffer recurrences of cancerous tumors. The new test looks for a specific type of DNA shed by tumors of stage III melanoma patients who, if found, indicates a strong likelihood their cancer will return in the aftermath of lymph node surgery, according to the authors of a study published Tuesday in The Lancet Oncology. Stage III melanoma is an advanced form of skin cancer in which the malignancy has spread beyond the original site to nearby lymph nodes or surrounding tissue, requiring aggressive treatment such as surgery, immunotherapy or targeted therapy to restrict its progression. Using the new test, an analysis of hundreds of blood plasma samples taken from stage III melanoma patients with mutated BRAF genes -- who make up about half of all skin cancer sufferers -- determined that approximately 80% of those who had evidence of circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA, in their samples eventually went on to develop recurrences of their cancers. The research was funded by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis, maker of the melanoma-inhibiting drugs Tafinlar and Mekinist. The high level of prediction accuracy means oncologists and dermatologists may soon have a valuable new tool to quickly and easily tell which patients are most likely to respond well to follow-on "adjuvant" therapy after surgery, according to Dr. David Polsky, the Alfred W. Kopf Professor of Dermatologic Oncology in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at NYU, as well as an advisory board member for Novartis. "We think [patients with resected stage III melanoma] would most likely benefit from ctDNA measurements shortly after their surgery -- [for example} within 12 weeks or less as was done in this study -- and periodically thereafter," Polsky told UPI in emailed comments. Those patients, he said, would for the first time have a "clear, direct measure of the disease itself" -- a significant improvement over the current method of tissue-based analyses of tumor cells that can only suggest the likelihood of recurrence. Potential benefits Where the new test could have particularly strong benefits is among melanoma patients who have undergone successful lymph node resections and are currently cancer-free, but who choose to forego follow-up drug therapy due to financial burdens or other reasons. An accurate test for ctDNA could identify which of them are at higher risk and most in need of adjuvant therapy, Polsky said. "Also, we did have samples from some patients who completed a year of treatment and then stopped their treatment according to the protocol rules," he added. "In some of those patients we detected ctDNA beginning mostly three months after stopping treatment. "So, another group of patients who might benefit from the test are those patients with resected stage III melanoma who stop their adjuvant therapy and would like to have a blood test to help identify melanoma recurrence should it happen." Although the test did not detect ctDNA in every patient who eventually recurred, when the test was positive, nearly everybody in that group developed a recurrence detectable on a radiographic scan, Polsky said, adding, "We're hoping that with additional study this test can become part of the routine work-up for patients with melanoma that has escaped the skin and spread to other parts of the body." Doctors who see a positive ctDNA test result in patients carrying a mutation of the BRAF gene could then take proactive steps, such as ordering a computed tomography, or CT, scan ahead of schedule or requesting a more sensitive PET-CT scan, the authors suggest. Latest evidence The study "adds to the increasing evidence that circulating tumor DNA has a useful role in patients where the cancer has been surgically resected and patients are at high risk of recurrence," said Dr. Alastair Greystoke, an oncologist at the Northern Center for Cancer Care in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, and an authority on genetic cancer biomarkers. He was not involved in the NYU study. "[The authors] showed with a robust and relatively cheap blood test that you could predict patients who were likely to relapse following surgery for melanoma that had spread to the lymph nodes, where we hope patients are cured but there is a high chance it will come back," Greystoke told UPI. "At the moment, these patients are offered extra treatment with targeted drugs or immunotherapy, which reduce the chance of recurrence, but these drugs are expensive can be associated with significant and life changing side-effects and are not needed by all." Overall, the noted oncologist added, "this study adds to the utility of ctDNA, moving it strongly into the detection and measurement of minimal residual disease to inform decision-making in patients who have had surgery for BRAF-mutated melanoma. It is likely we will see increasing use in this and other tumor types." Meanwhile, the leader of the world's largest private nonprofit funder of melanoma research told UPI the results of the NYU study are "exciting" and part of a "promising" front in the fight against the disease. "CtDNA monitoring appears promising to help guide treatment escalation, switching, or de-escalation," said Dr. Marc Hurlbert, CEO of the Melanoma Research Alliance. Evidence is mounting that keeping an eye on levels of tumor-related genetic material can help in many areas of melanoma treatment, such as identifying patients at high risk of recurrence, monitoring response to treatments, helping to guide treatment selection, signaling "when a switch from an approved agent to a clinical trial might be necessary, and lastly to augment imaging tests for monitoring for disease recurrence," he said. Hurlbert noted his alliance has funded previous research on analyzing bloodstream biomarkers to detect cancer risk, including an study published this month in which scientists applied low-cost, whole-genome sequencing techniques to ctDNA to identify risks of mutations.
