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First-line treatment with the triplet combination of encorafenib, cetuximab and mFOLFOX6 significantly improved survival compared to the standard of care in patients with BRAF V600E-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer, according to data from the Phase III BREAKWATER trial. The findings demonstrated significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to standard chemotherapy-based regimens. The median PFS was 12.8 months with the triplet combination compared to 7.1 months in the standard-of-care group, and the median OS was 30.3 months compared with 15.1 months, respectively. "The latest data from the BREAKWATER trial further confirms that targeting the BRAF V600E mutation up...

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that it was tracking a new, highly mutated lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19. The lineage is named BA.2.86, and has been detected in the United States, Denmark and Israel, the CDC said in a post on messaging platform X. “As we learn more about BA.2.86, CDC’s advice on protecting yourself from COVID-19 remains the same,” the agency said. The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier on Thursday said in a post on X that it had classified BA.2.86 as a “variant under monitoring” due to the large number of...

The pill works by killing a mutated protein which helps cancers to repair Scientists hope it can be used as a standalone therapy or alongside treatments Scientists have developed a holy grail cancer drug that kills all solid cancer tumors while leaving other cells unharmed. The new molecule targets a protein present in most cancers that helps tumors grow and multiply in the body. It is significant because this protein - the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) - was previously thought to be 'undruggable'. The drug was tested on 70 different cancer cells in the lab - including those derived...

“They mutated, become worse. It’s entertainment for them.” Now, investigators are exploring the possibility that a violent cell that had pistol-whipped and fired shots during a streak of robberies over the past two months is now even more dangerous. Just two weeks ago, the same source told us, “It’s a pretty quick trip from firing into the air and beating someone with a pistol to shooting someone in the leg, or worse.” But the hold-up activity stopped after one of those vehicles slammed head-on into a CPD unit on the West Side. But none of the car’s occupants were charged...

A new COVID variant that infected vaccinated residents and staff at a Kentucky nursing home has been detected in 47 U.S. states, according to data. The R.1 variant spread through 45 residents and staff at the nursing home after an unvaccinated staff member triggered the infections in March, the Kentucky Department of Public Health revealed. Due to its mutation, the variant, first detected in Japan, was able to bypass the antibody protection present in the fully vaccinated. According to Outbreak.info, a website that collects data on COVID variants, as of September 21, R.1 has now infected more than 10,567 people...

A COVID-19 variant first detected in South Africa could be more infectious than other mutations – and may have the potential of being resistant to vaccines, according to a report. The C.1.2 strain has been linked to “increased transmissibility” and is said to have mutated the most from the original virus, which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the Mirror reported. The strain has a mutation rate of about 41.8 mutations per year, almost double the global mutation rate seen in any other existing Variant of Concern, or VOC, according to experts at South Africa’s National Institute for...

A sampling of flu cases so far this season suggests the current flu vaccine may not be a good match for the most common seasonal flu strain currently circulating in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The U.S. health agency issued an advisory to doctors noting that flu virus samples the agency took from Oct. 1 through Nov. 22, showed that just under half were a good match for the current influenza A (H3N2) component contained in flu shots for the 2014-2015 season, suggesting the virus has drifted. According to the CDC,...

Scientists in Norway have identified a mutated form of the swine flu virus that is raising concern because it was found in two patients who died of the flu and a third who was severely ill with the disease, officials announced Friday. In a statement, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said the mutation "could possibly make the virus more prone to infect deeper in the airways and thus cause more severe disease," such as pneumonia.

The level of swine flu activity in the United States appears to be declining, although officials are worried about another increase of cases during the Thanksgiving holiday when many people travel and families gather. The news came as scientists in Norway announced that they had detected a mutated form of the swine flu virus ... It is the most recent report of mutations in the virus that is being watched closely for any change that could make it more dangerous. The two patients who had the mutation and died were the first swine flu fatalities in Norway. The third patient...

Bird Flu Has Mutated and Is Spreading Sunday January 25, 2004 5:31 AM By DANIEL LOVERING Associated Press Writer BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The bird flu virus spreading through Asia appears to have mutated and development of a more effective vaccine is not likely for more than six months, the World Health Organization said Sunday. Vietnam, which reported its sixth death due to the avian influenza virus on Saturday, and Thailand are the only countries this year where the avian influenza virus has been passed onto humans. But the virus has hit millions of chickens in four other countries as...