Combined effect of ipilimumab and nivolumab improves oncology endpoints in metastatic melanoma patients

Metastatic melanoma has less frequency, but considered as the most dreaded cancer. The combination of nivolumab & ipilimumab is proving their mettle in treating metastatic melanoma. The patients when administered with the combination of nivolumab & ipilimumab have shown improved median progression free survival, objective response rate and overall survival rate compared with nivolumab and ipilimumab monotherapy. The combination shrinks the tumor cells by attacking different checkpoints viz. CTLA-4 and PD-L1, respectively. The combination treatment reveals reduced disease progression and suggests nivolumab's non-cross resistant nature. The median progression free survival in "nivolumab plus ipilimumab" group has shown an increase of 66.7% and 296.6% in comparison to nivolumab and ipilimumab monotherapy. The other parameter viz. objective response rate improvement is equivalent to almost 14% and 38.6% when compared to nivolumab and ipilimumab monotherapy, respectively.

Barriers to Effective Drug Treatment for Brain Metastases: A Multifactorial Problem in the Delivery of Precision Medicine

The treatment of metastatic lesions in the brain represents a serious unmet medical need in the field of neuro-oncology. Even though many effective compounds have demonstrated success in treating peripheral (non-CNS) tumors with targeted agents, one aspect of this lack of success in the brain may be related to poor delivery of otherwise effective compounds. Many factors can influence the brain delivery of these agents, but one key barrier is a heterogeneously "leaky" BBB that expresses efflux transporters that limit the BBB permeability for many targeted agents. Future success in therapeutics for brain metastases must take into account the adequate delivery of "active, free drug" to the target, and may include combinations of targeted drugs that are appropriate to address each individual patient's tumor type. This review discusses some issues that are pertinent to precision medicine for brain metastases, using specific examples of tumor types that have a high incidence of brain metastases.

Multiple intracranial aneurysms followed left atrial myxoma: case report and literature review

Cerebral aneurysms follows atrial myxoma is a rare neurological complication. We report a patient with multiple cerebral aneurysms three years after resection of left atrial myxoma and further review the literature. The characteristics of these aneurysms are indefinite and variable. They can occur prior or post the resection of cardiac myxoma. "Metastasize and Infiltrate" theory may be the key mechanism in the formation of these aneurysms. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) and angiography are useful in the diagnosis while digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is the best choice. There are no definite guidelines for therapy of these aneurysms. Resection of the cardiac myxomas, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, coil embolization and surgical treatment could be helpful.