Malignant News and Research

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Study sheds new light on children with a severe form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A new international study of children with a severe form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) shows that certain chromosome losses can signal an especially poor response to therapy, but that other chromosome abnormalities have no effect on treatment survival.

5 May 2004

World's first gene therapy trial aimed at preventing cancer

The concept seems straightforward. If, at its heart, cancer is a disease of genes, then giving patients new genes should disarm cancer. Such treatment would replace missing or faulty genes that keep cell growth in check, or would flush the body with "super genes" that could attack and destroy cancer.

5 May 2004

Discovery of molecular switch could lead to new treatments for lymphoma and other forms of cancer

Turning a vital component of cancer cells from bodyguard to assassin could form the basis of new cancer treatments, according to a report published this week.

4 May 2004

Australian company receives FDA orphan drug designation for product to treat malignant melanomas

Progen Industries Limited, an Australian anti-cancer drug development company, announced today that it has received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their lead anti-angiogenesis product PI-88 for treatment of malignant melanoma.

3 May 2004

Developing smart drugs

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Researchers, sensing an opening in the cancer battle, are mounting a quick thrust to flush out suspected molecular cancer triggers in tumor cells.

30 Apr 2004

UK, skin cancer specialists to check out moles

Macmillan skin cancer nurse, Denise Hancock, and colleagues from the Dermatology Department at Southampton University Hospitals Trust are inviting members of the public to 'check out their moles' at a Mole Watch Day in Marks and Spencer in West Quay on Wednesday 12 May, from 9am-5pm.

30 Apr 2004

Combination of real-time PET and CT is a highly sensitive tool for identifying non-small cell lung cancer

The combination of real-time PET and CT is a highly sensitive tool for identifying non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and can assist in identifying patients whose cancer has not yet spread to lymph nodes, according to results of a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins.

30 Apr 2004

Elderly black male cancer patients stay in hospital longer than white

The risk of death from cancer increases sharply after 50 years of age and most cancers occur in middle-aged and older persons. The incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and thyroid cancer are increasing along with the nation’s population of elderly Americans.

30 Apr 2004

Wine may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer

Scientists at The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) have determined that moderate wine intake may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.

29 Apr 2004

Mutation of a gene involved in non-small cell lung cancer linked to drug effectiveness

Mutation of a gene involved in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) increases the likelihood that the drug gefitinib (Iressa™) will show a beneficial response, researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) - part of the National Institutes of Health - and two other institutions announced today in the online version of Science.

29 Apr 2004

Pediatric thyroid cancer is most common amongs teenage girls

Thyroid carcinoma is the third most common tumor malignancy in children. This pediatric cancer shares several characteristics with adult thyroid cancer patients including common cellular subtypes that are papillary, follicular and medullary; a female to male ratio is approximately 6:1; and a cervical nodal disease that can be observed at the time of presentation in 30-60 percent in both papillary and follicular malignancies.

29 Apr 2004

Skin cancer is now the UK's most common cancer in both men and women

Macmillan skin cancer nurse specialists will be promoting sun awareness and the dangers of skin cancer during Sun Awareness Week which runs from 10 to 16 May.

23 Apr 2004

CellCept linked to reduced cancer incidence

A study presented today at an international transplant meeting showed that heart transplant patients treated with the immunosuppressant CellCeptÒ (mycophenolate mofetil) in standard immunosuppressive regimens had a significantly lower risk of developing cancer compared to those receiving non-CellCept-based treatment regimens.

23 Apr 2004

The April 2004 issue of Otolaryngology focuses on head and neck surgery

The efficacy of a new cancer-fighting virus is tested in the study, “Treatment of Solid Sarcomas in Immunocompetent Mice with Novel Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Viruses.” A team of multi-disciplinary Japanese researchers found that a weakened version of herpes simplex virus (HSV) effectively eradicated neck and flank tumors in mice.

23 Apr 2004

Cancer could be inactivated by RNA library

CANCER RESEARCH UK and the Netherlands Cancer Institute have completed the first stage of a landmark initiative to systematically uncover the function of our genes, the charities announce today.

14 Apr 2004

FDA approves advanced malignant melanoma drug

Maxim Pharmaceuticals today announced that its treatment protocol to provide its investigational drug Ceplene(TM), in combination with interleukin-2 (IL-2), for the treatment of patients with advanced malignant melanoma, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

14 Apr 2004

New research into Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is the second-most prevalent cancer in women and, despite encouraging improvements in screening leading to earlier detection, cervical cancer still kills many women every year. The risk of cervical cancer is increased by infection with certain types of human papilloma virus (HPV).

12 Apr 2004

New online prostate calculator

A study just completed by researchers at the Josephine Ford Cancer Center has resulted in the most comprehensive long-term prostate cancer survival model available to date. An interactive version of the survival model is available online at prostatecalculator.org.

12 Apr 2004

Study shows frequent masturbation reduces chance of developing prostate cancer

An Amercian study has shown sexual activity has been hypothesized to play a role in the development of prostate cancer, but epidemiological data are virtually limited to case-control studies, which may be prone to bias because recall among individuals with prostate cancer could be distorted as a consequence of prostate malignancy or ongoing therapy.

7 Apr 2004

New MRI Liver Contrast Agent Primovist(TM) Approved in Sweden

Schering AG Group, Germany has announced that the Swedish health authority MPA has granted marketing approval for its innovative liver imaging product Primovist(TM) (gadoxetic acid disodium). Primovist(TM) is designed for the detection and characterization of liver lesions by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including liver tumors, metastases as well as other malignant and benign lesions.

5 Apr 2004