Hong Kong mourns 128 victims of apartment complex fire
Hong Kong on Saturday mourned the 128 people known to have died in a massive fire at a high-rise apartment complex, a toll that is likely to rise with...
A groundbreaking study presented at ASCO reveals that AstraZeneca’s experimental pill camizestrant, when used based on blood test results, can halve the risk of breast cancer progression or death—potentially reshaping treatment for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer
AstraZeneca’s experimental drug camizestrant significantly reduced the risk of disease progression or death in patients with advanced hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer by 56%, when prescribed based on early blood test results rather than visible tumor growth, experts announced Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago.
The international trial marks a major shift in cancer treatment strategy by using liquid biopsy—a blood test that detects ESR1 gene mutations indicating early resistance to standard hormone therapies. Camizestrant, a selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD), was shown to be effective in patients with early treatment resistance, even before tumors could be detected via imaging.
“This is going to be very impactful for our patients,” said Dr. Hope Rugo, head of breast medical oncology at City of Hope, California. “We’re staying ahead of the curve rather than reacting after the disease has already progressed,” added Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky, another ASCO expert.
The Phase 3 clinical trial involved 3,256 women, all previously treated with aromatase inhibitors and CDK4/6 inhibitors like Pfizer’s Ibrance or Novartis’ Kisqali. Among them, 315 women who developed ESR1 mutations were selected for a randomized trial. Those who switched to camizestrant plus CDK4/6 inhibitors experienced a median 16 months of progression-free survival compared to 9.2 months in the control group that continued standard therapy.
Camizestrant is not yet FDA-approved, but based on these findings, it may soon be adopted as part of a new treatment paradigm for early intervention in breast cancer progression.
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot acknowledged that integrating liquid biopsy into routine practice would initially be challenging but emphasized it as the future of cancer care.
In a separate announcement at the same ASCO meeting, another AstraZeneca drug, Imfinzi (durvalumab), showed promise in improving outcomes for early-stage stomach and esophageal cancer patients. When added to chemotherapy before and after surgery, Imfinzi reduced the risk of cancer recurrence, progression, or death by 29%.
Both sets of results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and are expected to have lasting implications for the future of oncology.
At least 47 people have died and another 21 are reported missing following ten days of heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides across Sri Lanka, local media reported on Thursday (27 November).
Hong Kong fire authorities said they expected to wrap up search and rescue operations on Friday after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex, killing at least 128 people, injuring 79 and leaving around 200 still missing.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the Latin American region on Thursday, amid a military buildup by President Donald Trump’s administration that has heightened tensions with Venezuela.
Rescuers in Sri Lanka are racing against rising floodwaters and treacherous terrain today after a powerful storm system slammed into the island nation, killing at least 46 people and displacing tens of thousands in a disaster that threatens to strain the country’s resources.
The Spanish agricultural sector has been placed on high alert following the confirmation that African Swine Fever (ASF) has resurfaced in the country for the first time in over thirty years.
The Spanish agricultural sector has been placed on high alert following the confirmation that African Swine Fever (ASF) has resurfaced in the country for the first time in over thirty years.
French health experts are warning that the highly pathogenic H5 strain of bird flu, already devastating wild and farm animals, could evolve into a virus capable of human-to-human transmission — potentially sparking a pandemic worse than COVID-19.
China has overtaken the United States in the volume of medical research it publishes, showing a major shift in global scientific influence, according to the chief editorial leadership of Swiss-based scientific publisher Frontiers.
A recent study shows that women face a higher risk of job loss due to artificial intelligence (AI) and are 20% less likely than men to use generative AI tools, reducing their chances of working in AI-reliant roles.
There are 29 confirmed cases of the mpox virus in Portugal according to local authorities, which reported in the past three months that there were 10 people in August, three in September, and 16 others in October.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment