Dr. Swain Discusses Studies From the 2013 ASCO Meeting

Sandra Swain, MD, medical director of the Washington Cancer Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, highlights information presented at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Meeting.

Swain says she is particularly excited about the data surrounding immunotherapy for the treatment of melanoma. For years, researchers and physicians tried to figure out how immunotherapy would work. Now that it does work in melanoma, it's possible that patients with solid tumors could also see benefit. Recently, a lot of the mysteries surrounding the immune system have been solved.

In an unrelated study, researchers found that using vinegar to screen for cervical cancer is effective. This inexpensive method that can be administered by a public health worker has great global implications to save many lives, Swain says.