COVID Vax Platform Expands; A Devil of a Cancer Link; Talking About the C(ure)-Word

The same molecular platform that led to effective vaccines against the novel coronavirus — messenger RNA — has begun expanding into other therapeutic areas, including cancer. (CNN)

Men with a family history of prostate cancer should begin screening for the disease 2 to 11 years earlier than currently recommended, according to an analysis of a large Swedish database. (PLOS Medicine)

A penile traction device increased penile length and improved erectile function in men who had undergone surgery for prostate cancer. (Journal of Urology)

Smoking contributed to almost eight million deaths worldwide in 2019, and 90% of smokers developed nicotine addiction by age 25. (The Lancet, The Lancet Public Health)

The return of the Tasmanian devil to the Australian mainland may have hopeful implications for cancer. (Fox News)

Delaying surgery for early-stage lung cancer more than 12 weeks after diagnosis increased the likelihood of recurrence and death. (Washington University in St. Louis, JAMA Network Open)

EQRx and CStone Pharmaceuticals announced that the anti-PD-L1 antibody sugemalimab significantly improved progression-free survival in non-small cell lung cancer following chemoradiation.

BridgeBio Pharma’s affiliate, QED Therapeutics, as well as Helsinn Group announced that the FDA granted accelerated approval of the fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitor infigratinib (Truseltiq) for previously treated advanced/metastatic cholangiosarcoma. Read MedPage Today‘s coverage of the pivotal trial that supported the approval.

Body mass index, a widely used method to calculate and define obesity, may not be the best way to evaluate the association between obesity and lung cancer. (Journal of Thoracic Oncology)

Big Pharma asked cancer experts what they think about using the C-word — cure — when talking about cancer therapies. (FiercePharma)

Frequent emergency department visits before cancer may foretell frequent ED visits after cancer diagnosis. (JCO Oncology Practice)

The virtual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology begins Friday and continues through Tuesday. MedPage Today will have complete coverage.