World’s Smallest Skin Cancer; Exercise Boosts Immune Cells; Cannabis and Pain Relief

— News, features, and commentary about cancer-related issues

by
Mike Bassett, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
May 5, 2023

Dermatologists at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland have, as verified by Guinness World Records, detected the world’s smallest skin cancer — a tiny melanoma on a patient’s cheek that measured just o.025 inches and was almost invisible to the human eye. (Oregon Health & Science University)

In a cohort of patients with eight distinct advanced cancer types who were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, those with high tumor mutational burden (TMB) scores lived longer than those with low TMB scores. (JAMA Network Open)

Eligibility criteria for multiple myeloma treatment trials disproportionately exclude minority patients, even though Black people are twice as likely as white individuals to be diagnosed with the malignancy and have the highest mortality rates from the disease. (Blood)

In two Finnish studies, 10 minutes of acute exercise increased the number of cancer-killing immune cells in the bloodstream of lymphoma and breast cancer patients. (University of Turku, Frontiers in Physiology, Scientific Reports)

Changes in breast density over time may be associated with breast cancer risk. (JAMA Oncology)

Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks, who was diagnosed with stage IV non-Hodgkin lymphoma in December and is currently in remission, believes he pitched most of last season with the disease. (ESPN)

A confirmatory phase III trial (MIRASOL) in patients with folate receptor alpha-positive platinum-resistant ovarian cancer showed an overall survival advantage with mirvetuximab soravtansine (Elahere) compared with chemotherapy, ImmunoGen announced.

The U.S. Air Force was unable to identify any risk factors that would explain why an unusually high number of missileers stationed at a Montana nuclear missile base have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. (AP)

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) signed legislation this week that eliminates out-of-pocket costs associated with genetic testing for hereditary breast, ovarian, prostate, and other cancer syndromes, as well as costs related to supplemental breast screenings for women with a high lifetime risk of breast cancer.

A study of 358 adults with cancer found that medicinal cannabis was “a safe and effective complementary treatment for pain relief in patients with cancer.” (BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care)