Pancreatic Cancer News and Research

RSS

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of all cancer deaths in the United States and the third leading cause of cancer deaths in individuals ages 40 to 60. Approximately 37,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year, and, each year, approximately the same number die from it. Often, pancreatic cancer is found too late for surgical intervention, and chemotherapy and radiation treatments have little effect.

Bayer, Onyx and Astellas announce results from Tarceva plus Nexavar Phase 3 trial on HCC

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Astellas Pharma Inc. today announced that a Phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of the addition of Tarceva (erlotinib) tablets to Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets did not improve overall survival for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) vs. Nexavar alone.

23 Jul 2012

Antibody detects progenitor cells in cancers and cirrhosis of liver

The study, published in the journal Stem Cell, adds to our understanding of the role of stem and next stage progenitor cells in tissue regeneration and in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

21 Jul 2012

Chemotherapy improves survival for patients with periampullary cancer following resection

Patients who had surgery for periampullary cancer (a variety of types of cancer that are located in and near the head of the pancreas, including an area called the ampulla where the bile duct joins up with the pancreatic duct to empty their secretions into the upper small intestine) and received chemotherapy had a statistically significant survival benefit, compared to patients who did not receive chemotherapy, after adjusting for prognostic variables, according to a study in the July 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Jul 2012

First robot-assisted distal pancreatectomy performed at TJUH

Eugene Allen, a retired police officer and teacher from Sicklerville, N.J., had a decision to make in February, after an MRI revealed a precancerous cyst in his pancreas. It had to be removed, but the question was how?

6 Jul 2012

Tolfenamic acid appears to reduce esophageal tumors

A new study by researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando finds that Tolfenamic acid (TA), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), commonly used to relieve pain, inflammation and migraines has now been found to reduce esophageal tumors.

4 Jul 2012

New treatment target against metastatic pancreatic cancer

Detailed analysis of genes expressed in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) -- cells that break off from solid tumors and travel through the bloodstream -- has identified a potential treatment target in metastatic pancreatic cancer.

2 Jul 2012

New volumetric functional MRI scan figures out beneficiaries of chemotherapy in liver cancer patients

Studies on some 55 U.S. men and women with potentially deadly liver or pancreatic cancers show that specialized MRI scans can tell within a month whether highly toxic chemotherapy is working and killing tumor cells long before tumors actually shrink - or fail to shrink.

2 Jul 2012

New approach improves survival in patients with inoperable complex pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Investigators at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, have reported on a new approach to treating previously inoperable complex pancreatic adenocarcinoma that has significantly increased long-term survival for some patients.

27 Jun 2012

MRI scans determine whether chemotherapy is working long before tumors shrink

26 Jun 2012

Metformin reduces overall cancer risk in patients with Type 2 diabetes

A commonly prescribed diabetes drug, metformin, reduces the overall cancer risk in people with Type 2 diabetes, a large systematic review study finds. The results will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

26 Jun 2012

De novo somatic gene mutations likely to cause hemimegalencephaly

Hemimegalencephaly is a rare but dramatic condition in which the brain grows asymmetrically, with one hemisphere becoming massively enlarged. Though frequently diagnosed in children with severe epilepsy, the cause of hemimegalencephaly is unknown and current treatment is radical: surgical removal of some or all of the diseased half of the brain.

25 Jun 2012

Disorganized cancers more difficult to treat and consistently result in lower survival rates

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta reviewed test results from thousands of patients with various types of cancer and discovered that "disorganized" cancers were more difficult to treat and consistently resulted in lower survival rates.

23 Jun 2012

A potential drug target for NK/T-cell lymphoma

A discovery by Van Andel Institute researchers has identified a potential drug target for NK/T-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer responsible for claiming the life of a close friend and fellow researcher.

22 Jun 2012

Sun exposure, vitamin D and pancreatic cancer risk

High levels of ultraviolet radiation at an individual's birth location, sun-sensitive skin type and a history of skin cancer each decreased risk for pancreatic cancer, according to study results presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges conference, held here June 18-21.

20 Jun 2012

Combination therapy may help defeat pancreatic cancer

Combining a new targeted therapy with standard chemotherapy may help defeat pancreatic cancer, according to results presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges conference, held here June 18-21.

20 Jun 2012

FORMA, TD2 leverage synergistic capabilities to jointly develop transformative cancer therapies

FORMA Therapeutics and TGen Drug Development (TD2) today announced an agreement to jointly develop transformative cancer therapies, leveraging the synergistic capabilities of both organizations.

19 Jun 2012

TGen, Scottsdale Healthcare open INNO-206 Phase 2 trial for pancreatic cancer

An investigational drug that acts like a Trojan Horse to deliver cancer killing agents for pancreatic cancer is being studied at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials, a partnership between Scottsdale Healthcare and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) that treats cancer patients with promising new drugs.

15 Jun 2012