MDNews - San Antonio

October 2017

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IN MAY OF THIS YE AR, THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTR ATION GR ANTED ACCELER ATED APPROVAL FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR A CANCER TRE ATMENT BA SED ON A COMMON BIOMARKER R ATHER THAN THE LOCATION IN THE BODY WHERE THE TUMOR ORIGINATED. THE DRUG, KE Y TRUDA (PEMBROLIZUMAB), WHICH WA S FIRST TESTED AT START IN SAN ANTONIO'S MEDICAL CENTER, IS NOW APPROVED FOR TRE ATING SOLID TUMORS IN ANY ORGAN SO LONG A S THE MALIGNANCY BE ARS A SPECIFIC GENE TIC SIGNATURE. O N C O L O G Y N E W S ❰❰❰❰❰ 1 7 New Era of Precision Medicine for Cancer THIS MOVE BY the FDA marks an important milestone moving cancer from a disease that is treated according to the organ in which it is found rather than according to the common genetic mutations it displays. It's called "precision medicine" and holds that cancer therapies should target a tumor's specific molecular fingerprint and not, as most therapies do, attack healthy cells in the process of reaching malignant ones. Keytruda, the same drug credited with curing former president Jimmy Carter's cancer, has a well-known history here in San Antonio, where researchers with START were the first to show the drug can be an effective treatment for both lung cancer and melanoma. "We were the first researchers to work with this drug, and it is now a part of the standard of care for many cancers," says Anthony Tolcher, MD, Clinical Director for START. With the FDA's announcement, drugs like pembrolizumab are changing the way that physicians, patients and pharmaceutical companies think of cancer, shifting the focus away from the organ in which it is found, to the common genetic mutation it displays. For additional information, please call 210-593-5250. n *Loans subject to credit approval; terms and conditions apply. See banker for details. A division of ZB, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender © 2017 ZB, N.A. Amegy Bank specializes in construction financing for medical facilities. Your local Amegy banking team is committed to understanding the nuances of your profession, and the construction options available to you, so we can help your construction, refinance or expansion project succeed from the ground up. As a medical professional, you understand the concept of specialization. MEDIC AL OFFICE BUILDING FINANCING Call Today! START Researchers Continue to Usher In a SPECIAL CLINICAL SECTION: ONCOLOGY M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S S A N A N T O N I O ■ 2 017 1 7

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