WHO asks China for details after surge in respiratory illness among children

China is seeing the circulation of multiple infectious respiratory illnesses this winter, with surging cases of mycoplasma pneumonia, and rising cases of influenza flu.

The WHO on Thursday said it has made an official request to China for detailed information on a spike in respiratory illnesses after the Chinese health authorities reported multiple infectious respiratory diseases with surging cases of mycoplasma pneumonia and influenza flu among children.

Earlier this month, Chinese experts also sounded an alert about the relapse of COVID-19 infections during the current winter season and asked elderly and vulnerable populations to get vaccinated.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a statement issued in Geneva said it had requested China to provide additional epidemiologic and clinical information, as well as laboratory results from reports of clusters of pneumonia in children through the International Health Regulations mechanism.

The WHO statement calling on information from China was seen as an attempt to secure official information in time unlike in 2019 when the global health body came under strong criticism for the delay in getting timely reports from Beijing on the breakout of the coronavirus, which later spiralled into a massive pandemic causing millions of deaths all over the world.

“We have also requested further information about recent trends in the circulation of known pathogens including influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and mycoplasma pneumoniae, and the current burden on health care systems,” the WHO statement said.

“WHO is also in contact with clinicians and scientists through our existing technical partnerships and networks in China,” it said.

The statement by the global health body was in response to remarks by Mi Feng, spokesman of the National Health Commission, at a news conference here on November 13 that as winter approaches, China has entered the peak season for respiratory illnesses, and different viruses or pathogens are circulating simultaneously.

“Efforts should be made to monitor the spread of mycoplasma pneumonia, COVID-19, influenza flu, as well as dengue fever and norovirus infections, to step up surveillance and early warnings so as to understand the spread of these viruses and their mutations,” he said.

Chinese health experts said mycoplasma pneumoniae—a pathogen that commonly causes sore throat, fatigue, fever and a lingering cough that can last for months in children aged five and above—has drawn heightened attention this winter as hospitals nationwide have seen young patients swarming there to seek treatment.

China is seeing the circulation of multiple infectious respiratory illnesses this winter, with surging cases of mycoplasma pneumonia, and rising cases of influenza flu, but a downward trend in COVID-19 cases in recent days, according to a report in the state-run China Daily.

Chinese officials and experts have so far attributed the spread of pneumonia and other respiratory diseases among children to the lifting of Covid-19 measures, which included the wearing of masks, and the simultaneous circulation of multiple common pathogens.

Though Covid-19 is among the circulating pathogens, it has not been named as a top cause for the surge, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.

In September and October, the mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria was the major cause of respiratory diseases among children across China, with many hospitals reporting a spike in young patients seeking treatment, the report said.

Paediatrics expert Wei Tianli at the Beijing Friendship Hospital was quoted by the city’s health authorities as saying that while mycoplasma pneumoniae infections surged every three to five years, the symptoms had become more serious this time.

The severity could be a result of the bacteria developing drug resistance against azithromycin, an antibiotic, Wei said. Some children can also become seriously sick when they are infected with more than one pathogen at once.

Wang Dayan, director of the China National Influenza Centre administered by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said that flu activities across the nation have been rising, with H3N2 the dominant strain.

In past years, the flu season for winter and spring usually runs from about mid-October to early March and peaks in January, she said.

Wang stressed that an effective way to prevent flu infections and reduce related serious cases and deaths is by expanding vaccinations.

Regarding COVID-19, Wang said the number of domestic cases has been on a downward trend since late August and the positivity rate of the disease at fever clinics and hospitals is declining consistently, according to the China Daily report.

China reported 209 severe COVID-19 cases and 24 related deaths in October, according to the China CDC.

However, Zhong Nanshan, a prominent respiratory illness expert, said during a conference recently that modelling shows that small spikes of COVID-19 infections will likely appear this month through to January.

The WHO statement said China has systems in place to capture information on trends in influenza, influenza-like illnesses, RSV and SARS-CoV-2, and reports to platforms such as the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System.

“While WHO seeks this additional information, we recommend that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness, which include recommended vaccination; keeping distance from people who are ill; staying home when ill; getting tested and medical care as needed; wearing masks as appropriate; ensuring good ventilation; and regular hand-washing,” it said.

Vitamin B12 could boost tissue repair, help treat ulcerative colitis

Share on PinterestA new study looks at how vitamin B12 could accelerate tissue repair, and why that matters. Image credit: Berena Alvarez/Stocksy.

• Tissue regeneration is the process of reconstructing damaged tissues and organs in the body to heal or replace them.
• The area of regenerative medicine is still new and researchers are looking at how they can use tissue regeneration for certain diseases.
• Researchers from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Spain found that vitamin B12 plays an important role in tissue regeneration.
• Scientists also reported vitamin B12 supplementation accelerated tissue repair in a model of ulcerative colitis.

Tissue regenerationTrusted Source — also commonly referred to as regenerative medicine — is the process of reconstructing damaged tissues and organs in the body to heal or replace them.

These tissues and organs could have been injured through aging, trauma, disease, or congenital defects.

The area of regenerative medicine is still new and experimental. ResearchersTrusted Source are looking at ways to use tissue regeneration in the treatment of diseases like heartTrusted Source injuries and disease, bone fracturesTrusted Source, cartilage diseasesTrusted Source, pancreatitisTrusted Source, and inflammatory bowel diseaseTrusted Source.

Now researchers from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Spain report evidence suggesting that vitamin B12 plays an important role in cellular reprogramming and tissue regeneration.

The findings were recently published in the journal Nature MetabolismTrusted Source.

Scientists tested their theory in a model of ulcerative colitis — a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — showing that intestinal cells trying to repair themselves would benefit from vitamin B12 supplementation.

Why look at vitamin B12? 

According to Dr. Manuel Serrano, a researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Spain during the time of the study — who has recently moved to Altos Labs in the United Kingdom — and co-lead author of this study, they decided to study the impact of vitamin B12 on cellular reprogramming and tissue regeneration after an unexpected finding when they analyzed how the microbial populations of the colon change during reprogramming.

“The microbiota of mammals is in equilibrium with the host,” Dr. Serrano explained to Medical News Today. “If the host metabolism changes, it affects the microbiota and vice versa. We found that during reprogramming in mice, the microbiota presented changes indicative of a shortage of [vitamin] B12. [Vitamin] B12 is essential for mammals and also for bacteria.”

Past research shows vitamin B12 assists the body with repair, such as stimulating neurological tissues needed for restoring musclesTrusted Source or after nerves are damaged, such as by traumatic brain injuryTrusted Source.

Vitamin B12 has also been shown to play a protective role in bone healthTrusted Source.

And a study published in August 2022 found that vitamin B12 can help repair and regenerate skin damaged by radiodermatitisTrusted Source, a side effect of radiotherapy in cancer treatment.

Vitamin B12 and tissue regeneration

Using both mouse and cultured cell models, the researchers found that vitamin B12 supplementation increased the efficiency of cell reprogramming, which is considered to be an early stage of tissue repair.

Dr. Marta Kovatcheva, a researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Spain and co-lead author of this study, explained to MNT how vitamin B12 assists with cellular reprogramming and tissue regeneration.

“[Vitamin] B12 is involved in just two metabolic reactions in mammals — including mice and humans — and one of these reactions is critical to [producing)] a chemical tag, more technically ‘a methyl donorTrusted Source’,” she told us. “This chemical group is used to ‘tag’ many regulatory proteins of the DNA and the DNA itself, and in doing so, the activity of the DNA is modified — the DNA is ‘reprogrammed’.”

“This ‘tagging’ is very complex and dynamic and, although not yet fully understood, it is key for determining the behavior of cells, including their ability to repair or regenerate tissue,” Dr. Kovatcheva detailed.

Treatment for ulcerative colitis and beyond

Drs. Serrano and Kovatcheva also led their team through testing their vitamin B12 theory on a mouse model of ulcerative colitis.

Researchers found that intestinal cells initiating repair undergo a process similar to cellular reprogramming, which could benefit from vitamin B12 supplementation. And they reported vitamin B12 supplementation accelerated tissue repair in the mouse model of ulcerative colitis.

Both scientists believe these findings may open new doors for regenerative medicine.

“B12 supplementation is simple, inexpensive, and safe,” Dr. Serrano commented. “I would be very curious to know how this affects, for example, the recovery of surgery patients.”

“There are diseases that could also benefit, such as colon ulcers,” Dr. Kovatcheva added. “In theory, every disease that involves an active process of injury could benefit from this. But of course, this will require proper clinical tests.”

Dr. Serrano was also part of anotherTrusted Source recently published study on vitamin B12, this one looking at the vitamin’s potential health benefits in lowering inflammation.

“In this study, led by Prof. Rosa Lamuela and Ramon Estruch from the University of Barcelona, we found that elevated levels of B12 in the blood of volunteers were associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers,” Dr. Serrano explained.

“These inflammatory markers reflect the existence of ongoing injuries and damages that may occur on a very local scale. The association between high B12 and low inflammation is in agreement with the idea that high B12 helps the body to resolve and repair tissue damage,” he added.

Shedding light on complex processes

After reviewing this study, Dr. Rosario Ligresti, chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and director of The Pancreas Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, and associate professor of medicine at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine told MNT he found the research fascinating.

 “As highlighted in this paper, in the gastrointestinal tract this depends on two functioning systems: the microbiome and adequate levels of vitamin B12,” he added. “If either of these two factors are deficient or altered, intestinal tract regeneration is not nearly as effective as it could be.”

Dr. Babak Firoozi, a board-certified gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, agreed and said this adds to our current knowledge of regenerative medicine.

“Specifically for my field, for gastroenterology, because intestinal cells need to regenerate on a very constant level, anytime there’s damage you want to repair that damage in the right way, so you need to have the right tools,” Dr. Firoozi explained to MNT. “And specifically for vitamins, you need to have the right nutrients in order to have that done effectively and in the best way.”

Dr. Firoozi said he would like to see a therapy developed using B12 for ulcerative colitis.

“The problem with ulcerative colitis is that you get a lot of inflammation, very high cell turnover,” he added. “And it would be nice to see if you can not only halt that but also reverse it so that you could end up having normal tissue again.”

What foods are highest in vitamin B12? 

According to Dr. Ligresti, vitamin B12 deficiency is found in populations that consume a largely vegan diet, in older people due to malabsorption, and in people with chronic Helicobacter pylori infection.

For those looking to up their vitamin B12 intake, Dr. Firoozi said they will mainly find itTrusted Source in meat — including fish and chicken.

However, dairy products and eggs also naturally contain vitamin B12. Vegan- and vegetarian-friendly B12 sources include fortified plant milks, nutritional yeasts, fortified cereals, or supplements.

“Older patients may find that visiting their doctors for a monthly B12 shot is the easiest way to supplement their intake — oral B12 replacement is largely ineffective in older patients,” Dr. Firoozi also noted.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/who-asks-china-for-details-after-surge-in-respiratory-illness-among-children-565238

Managing LDL cholesterol: Is a Mediterranean diet not as effective? A new study has some pointers

Celebrity nutritionist Nupur Patil, brand ambassador of Fit India and a selection member of Olympic India, shares how to plan meals that work for you

Has the Mediterranean diet been overhyped as a cholesterol-lowering tool?

Has the Mediterranean diet been overhyped as a cholesterol-lowering tool? For a long time, most studies found it lowered low density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol and made for healthier meals because of its focus on vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, healthy fats, fish and seafood. Now a new study by Lausanne University in Switzerland has indicated that following the Mediterranean diet may not have as much impact on cholesterol levels as previously reported.

According to celebrity nutritionist Nupur Patil, brand ambassador of Fit India and a selection member of Olympic India, the efficacy of a Mediterranean diet depends on other aspects of health such as the presence of co-morbidities and food allergies. This is why Indians, particularly those with pre-existing conditions like diabetes or heart disease, should consult their treating doctor before embracing a Mediterranean diet and see if the changeover suits their body condition or not.

 

What are the pros of a Mediterranean diet?

A Mediterranean diet is rich in essential micronutrients, antioxidants and fibres derived primarily from a plant-based diet as opposed to only meat consumption.

 

When can a Mediterranean diet go wrong?

Although the Mediterranean diet includes healthy food items, we must not overindulge ourselves. Overeating healthy fats and whole grains, which are important ingredients of a Mediterranean diet, can do more harm than good. Therefore, keeping a watch on when and how much you eat is equally important as what you eat.

 

How does the diet impact cholesterol levels?

Olive oil is a key component of this diet, being rich in monounsaturated fats. These help increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or the good cholesterol while reducing LDL. Heavily reliant on fish, a rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids, as the source of protein, these can lower triglycerides.

Does the Mediterranean diet suit Indians?

Undoubtedly, it is one of the healthiest diets in the world and works equally well for Indians. However, its effectiveness depends on other aspects of health such as the presence of comorbidities and food allergies. Most Indians live with pre-existing conditions like diabetes or heart disease. These could hinder them from availing the full benefits of such a diet. Moreover, since this diet includes calorie-dense foods like olive oils and nuts, consulting a dietitian to prepare your meal plan is the best approach.

 

What are some of the food items of a Mediterranean diet that we can easily access and cook?

Following a Mediterranean diet need not involve breaking the bank. One can make use of easily available and affordable ingredients and get maximum health benefits. These items include fruits like apples, bananas and oranges; vegetables like cauliflower, onions, garlic and carrots; legumes such as beans, lentils and chickpeas; whole grains such as oats and whole wheat bread; animal products, including dairy, like cheese, yogurt and milk; fish such as salmon and tuna; chicken and eggs; and healthy fats such as olives and avocados.

 

What should we keep in mind while having a Mediterranean diet?

Follow fitness routines, participate in physical activities and watch out for your hydration to maximise the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet. As for stubborn cholesterol, one has to take statins. Include plenty of fibre in your diet if you have a healthy gut as that will clean out the cholesterol from your body.

https://indianexpress.com/article/health-wellness/managing-ldl-cholesterol-mediterranean-diet-9040287/

Anti-rheumatic medicines may be able to prevent thyroid illness: Study

The study shows that anti-rheumatic medicines that are used for treating rheumatoid arthritis can help in reducing autoimmune thyroid disease development.

According to a new observational study, anti-rheumatic medicines used to treat rheumatoid arthritis may help reduce the development of autoimmune thyroid disease.

The study was published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to develop autoimmune thyroid illnesses such as Hashimoto's disease and Graves' disease. While immunomodulatory medicines that influence the immune system are commonly used to treat RA patients, they are rarely utilised to treat autoimmune thyroid problems. Instead, thyroid hormone is used to compensate for the abnormalities in normal thyroid function that occur with autoimmune thyroid disease.

The current study sought to determine whether immunomodulatory medicines that lower inflammation in the joints of RA patients could also lessen the chance of these patients acquiring autoimmune thyroid illness. Previous research in mice suggests that DMARDs, a type of immune-modulatory medicine used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, can lower thyroid gland inflammation. According to the research team, knowledge of whether this impact also extends to humans is limited.

The researchers analysed data from over 13,000 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and their treatments between 2006 and 2018, as well as data from over 63,000 people in a matched control group who did not have rheumatoid arthritis.

The researchers discovered that the chance of acquiring an autoimmune thyroid illness in RA patients was lower after the disease's commencement than before diagnosis.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were treated with immunomodulatory medications, or 'biological DMARDs,' had the greatest reduction in the incidence of autoimmune thyroid illness. The probability of autoimmune thyroid illness in these patients was 46% lower than in the control group without rheumatoid arthritis.

"These results support the hypothesis that certain types of immunomodulatory drugs could have a preventive effect on autoimmune thyroid disease," said Kristin Waldenlind, researcher at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, specialist in rheumatology at Karolinska University Hospital and first author of the study. She continues:

He added, “Our results do not prove that it is the treatment with immunomodulatory drugs that led to the reduced risk of autoimmune thyroid disease, but provide support for this hypothesis. The results, if they can be replicated in further studies, open up the possibility of studying more directly in clinical trials whether the immunomodulatory drugs currently used for rheumatoid arthritis could also be used for the early treatment of autoimmune thyroid disease, i.e. for new areas of use of these drugs, known as drug repurposing.”

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/antirheumatic-medicines-may-be-able-to-prevent-thyroid-illness-study-101700724209711.html

How high cholesterol and hypertension increase heart disease risks in younger adults

Experts say it’s important for younger adults to monitor their blood pressure.

In a new study, researchers say younger people may be more vulnerable to developing cardiovascular problems than previously believed.

They say young adults need to pay more attention to cardiovascular risk indicators such as cholesterol and high blood pressure at an early age.

Experts say early lifestyle modifications can reduce the risk of heart problems later in life.

Cardiovascular issues aren’t just a concern for the young at heart.

A new study says younger adults may be at a greater risk for developing artery-narrowing atherosclerosis and may be especially vulnerable to the effects of elevated blood cholesterol and hypertension, two typical modifiable cardiovascular risk factors.

Undertaken at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) in Spain, the research concludes that people need to start paying attention to their cardiovascular health at a younger age.

Published this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the findings stress that younger adults need to aggressively control cardiovascular risk factors.

Researchers said that primary prevention strategies need to include “surveillance of subclinical atherosclerosis and early cardiovascular risk factor control.”

“Screening for subclinical atherosclerosis from an early age together with aggressive risk-factor control could help to reduce the global burden of cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Valentin Fuster, the study’s co-leader and CNIC general director as well as physician-in-chief at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, in a statement.

Younger adults and blood pressure, cholesterol

The research team said subclinical atherosclerosis often progresses in middle-aged individuals, especially when blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol levels are even mildly elevated.

They also said both medical professionals and the general public should be aware that atherosclerosis progression can be halted if risk factors are managed aggressively from an early age.

“In this study, we show that moderate increases in blood pressure and cholesterol have a much more pronounced impact on atherosclerosis progression in younger people,” said Dr. Borja Ibáñez, CNIC scientific director and a cardiologist at Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz in Madrid, in a statement.

The team said few studies have investigated the progression of silent atherosclerosis in people who are symptom free – whether they’re young or apparently healthy in middle-age – and how this disease progresses throughout life.

Details from the study on younger adults heart disease risks

The PESA-CNIC-Santander studyTrusted Source (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis) started in 2009 in close collaboration between the CNIC and Santander Bank.

More than 4,000 apparently healthy bank employees in Madrid ages 20 to 39 volunteered for an exhaustive, noninvasive analysis of the carotid, femoral, and coronary arteries and the aorta.

Participants also provided blood samples for advanced genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analysis.

The researchers said the study’s findings have important implications for cardiovascular prevention and personalized medicine. It shows controlling risk factors (principally elevated cholesterol and hypertension) should begin early in life, when arteries are more vulnerable to the effects of the risk factors.

Dr. Guiomar Mendieta, a cardiologist and the study’s first author said in a statement the study’s other key finding was atherosclerosis, which was previously believed to be irreversible, can disappear if risk factors are controlled from an early stage.

The importance of the hypertension and cholesterol study

Dr. Samantha Lee, a director of cardiac telemetry at Northwell Health in New York who was not involved in the research, told Medical News Today that the “incredibly thorough study” sends an important message.

She noted that the longer someone has high cholesterol and high blood pressure, the more likely they are to have atherosclerosis, which she called “a fancy term for plaque build-up in the arteries.”

“This isn’t a new idea,” Lee said. “But what is novel about this study is the amount of plaque in your arteries can actually go away (as seen in 8 percent of participants) by treating your cholesterol and blood pressure at a young age. By waiting to treat these risk factors, you might miss out on the opportunity for your atherosclerosis to improve.”

Dr. Rigved Tadwalkar, a cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in California who also was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today the study shows screening for subclinical atherosclerosis at an early age could play an important role in identifying those at risk.

“Given these findings, it would be worthwhile for healthcare professionals to start assessing cardiovascular risk earlier on, including during check-ups in early adulthood,” Tadwalkar said. “This approach is consistent with the idea of early intervention and aggressive control of cardiovascular risk factors as a means for reducing cardiovascular disease burden.”

Younger adults and cardiovascular health

Tadwalkar said most people at higher risk are still older, but the research highlights an important fact: younger individuals are also vulnerable to cardiovascular disease.

“Proactive strategies are of importance, even in apparently healthy young adults,” Tadwalkar said. “We know that those with a family history of cardiovascular diseases may face an increased risk, additionally warranting early testing and vigilant monitoring, especially considering that the progression of atherosclerosis is often silent.”

Tadwalkar said people should watch out for elevated blood cholesterol levels and hypertension.

“Moderate increases in these risk factors were shown to have a more pronounced impact on atherosclerosis progression in younger individuals,” Tadwalkar noted.

He said other indicators may include poor dietary habits, lack of physical activity, and smoking, all known contributors to elevated cholesterol and hypertension.

Dr. Nieca Goldberg is the medical director of Atria New York City and a clinical associate professor of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Goldberg, who wasn’t involved the study, told Medical News Today that young people are at risk for atherosclerosis, as “autopsy studies in young people who have died in car accidents have shown atherosclerosis.”

“What is new about this study is that it advocates for early risk factor intervention,” Goldberg said. “Genetics show that you are at risk and an unhealthy lifestyle accelerates the process.”

How to reduce cardiovascular risk factors

Goldberg said everyone needs to work on lowering their cardiovascular risk factors, the earlier the better.

“It is about advocating healthy lifestyles and living the talk,” she said. “It is important to address this in school children with healthy lunch programs and stop smoking campaigns for young people. We need to get better at our messaging to people of all ages.”

“One way is to encourage them to get a primary care doctor where risk factors like blood pressure, weight and laboratory testing can be ordered for cholesterol and glucose,” Goldberg said.

Dr. J. Wes Ulm, a bioinformatic scientific resource analyst and biomedical data specialist at the National Institutes of Health who wasn’t involved in the study, told Medical News Today that “as a rule, CAD (coronary artery disease) risk factors are remarkably modifiable by sustained lifestyle improvements across a vast genetic spectrum.”

“Increased exercise of various forms, moderation of refined sugar and saturated fat intake (and replacement of saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats), better stress management, meditation, smoking cessation, minimization of alcohol intake, healthy weight maintenance — all are quite effective in nudging the above CAD risk factors in a healthier direction, including in younger people,” Ulm said.

Ulm added that the study could have much broader societal significance.

“One of the most significant public health conundrums of our era is the markedly diminished life expectancy of Americans compared to citizens of other developed countries, even when controlling for common factors, genetic and otherwise,” Ulm said.

“It is here that the referenced research may have some of its most interesting and surprising implications, in helping to underscore the immense and often underappreciated importance of specific geographic, structural, and cultural factors that encourage certain lifestyle choices,” he said.

Tadwalkar added that sleep apnea and poor sleep quality are emerging as noteworthy factors for cardiovascular disease. He said lifestyle modifications play a pivotal role, including adopting a heart-healthy diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol, engaging in regular physical activity, and avoiding tobacco.

“These lifestyle changes can contribute significantly to managing contributory risk factors such as high cholesterol levels and blood pressure,” Tadwalkar said. “Regular health check-ups and screenings are critical for early detection of risk factors. This can also help identify individuals who need to move beyond lifestyle modifications alone and into pharmacological interventions, such as cholesterol-lowering medications or antihypertensive drugs.” 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-high-cholesterol-and-hypertension-increase-heart-disease-risks-in-younger-adults

Immunotherapy drug shows promise for treating non-small cell lung cancer

Researchers say an immunotherapy seem to help people with non-small cell lung cancer who have limited mobility.

A new study, supported by the National Cancer Institute and AstraZeneca, reports promise in treating people with non-small cell lung cancer with durvalumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor drug.

The study included participants with limited mobility, a population typically not included in clinical trials.

While survival rates for people with lung cancer can be low, experts say the findings provide some hope.

A new study is reporting on the benefits of an immune checkpoint inhibitor drug in treating the most common form of lung cancer.

Researchers from the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh say that an immune checkpoint inhibitor known as durvalumab may help improve overall survival for people with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The research, funded by the National Cancer Institute and the drug manufacturer AstraZeneca, was published this weekTrusted Source in the medical journal The Lancet.

The study’s senior author went in-depth with Medical News Today on the significance of these findings while an outside expert hailed the study as groundbreaking.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors versus chemotherapy

Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common form of lung cancer and is the third-most commonTrusted Source cancer overall in the United States.

Early detection and treatment boosts survival rates Trusted Source.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors such as durvalumab, which is sold under the brand name Imfinzi, work in essence by removing the brakes from the body’s immune system.

“It allows the release of checkpoints, so to speak, of a patient’s immune system and allows that patient’s own immune system to help their body fight the cancer,” explained Dr. Liza Villaruz, a senior study author and an associated professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and co-leader of the Immunotherapy and Drug Development Center at UPMC Hillman.

These drugs differ significantly from chemotherapy – another common treatment for cancers – because chemotherapy attacks cancer cells directly while immune checkpoint inhibitors engage the immune system.

Early results show promise for lung cancer drug

Villaruz and her UPMC colleagues conducted a phase 2 trial on 50 people with advanced or metastatic NSCLC, all of whom were given durvalumab intravenously about once a month for up to 12 months.

There was no control group to compare to this population, but researchers said the findings were promising.

The median survival rates were 6 months in people with PD-L1-negative tumors and 11 months in people with PD-L1-positive tumors, numbers that compare favorably to platinum doublet chemotherapy.

Durvalumab has been approvedTrusted Source by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for cancer. This means that it’s already available for cancer treatment.

“I think this adds to the body of research – that is growing – in terms of exploring the efficacy of these FDA-approved therapies,” Villaruz told Medical News Today. “So this builds upon prior studies and it’s just the tip of the iceberg. When we have these newer types of therapies, novel therapies, I think one of the things that should always be considered is the applicability to real-world populations. It’s important to demonstrate the ability to give it safely to patients with borderline performance status.”

A wide range of lung cancer study participants

The trial differed from many medical trials for cancer drugs in that it assessed people with a wider range on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, or ECOG, scale.

While many trials only assess people with lower ECOG scores, indicating better mobility and physical function, the UPMC Hillman study pulled data from people with a wider range of ECOG scores.

“These are patients who are a bit more compromised physically, in terms of their day-to-day activities,” Villaruz noted. “These patients traditionally would be excluded from a lot of the trials with checkpoint inhibitors that led to their FDA approval.”

Villaruz explained that many of the participants in the trial would be unable to make frequent visits to a testing hub, so she and her colleagues polled community clinics and rural and underserved areas of western Pennsylvania in order to assess a wider range of ECOG scores.

“The ability to enroll patients like this into a clinical trial and demonstrate safety is quite novel,” she said.

Dr. Wael Harb, a hematologist and medical oncologist at Orange Coast and Saddleback Medical Centers in California, told Medical News Today that the range of ECOG scores makes the findings very intriguing.

“I think the study is groundbreaking because it demonstrates that overlap of the safety and efficacy as a roadmap for first-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer,” said Harb, who was not involved in the research. “Particularly in patients with ECOG performance status issues who have been excluded from clinical trials. It’s important to understand how treatments such as immunotherapy work in patients who might not tolerate chemotherapy very well. It really addresses a critical gap in current research.”

Understanding lung cancer

While NSCLC isn’t the only type of lung cancer, it’s by far the most prevalent, making up about 85% of cases in the United States.

Harb said that the most common cause is smoking, although the disease can happen in people who have never smoked.

Thanks to advances in immunotherapy, clinicians now have more options in their toolkit than chemotherapy alone, but lung cancer is still a difficult disease to treat.

“Unfortunately for a significant number of patients, by the time it’s diagnosed, they have incurable cancer,” Harb said. “We do have options for these patients including chemotherapy, but newer treatments like immunotherapy give us a map to help the immune system fight the cancer.”

While lung cancers have traditionally been grouped into two categories – non-small cell and small cell – Harb says that understanding is evolving quickly to provide a more nuanced understanding.

“Now we’re identifying tumors based on the molecular profiles, so we send the tumors for genomic analysis, analyze hundreds of genes, and discover if there are tumors harboring mutations,” he said. “We have treatments for maybe a handful of them, but the goal is that we would develop a treatment for every single one of these mutations.”

“As our understanding of lung cancer becomes more refined, we could no longer be talking about the type of cancer, but the specific type of tumor, which could help us understand and develop targeted treatment,” Harb explained.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/immunotherapy-drug-shows-promise-for-treating-non-small-cell-lung-cancer