Biopsy News and Research

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Biopsy is the removal of cells or tissues for examination by a pathologist. The pathologist may study the tissue under a microscope or perform other tests on the cells or tissue. There are many different types of biopsy procedures. The most common types include: (1) incisional biopsy, in which only a sample of tissue is removed; (2) excisional biopsy, in which an entire lump or suspicious area is removed; and (3) needle biopsy, in which a sample of tissue or fluid is removed with a needle. When a wide needle is used, the procedure is called a core biopsy. When a thin needle is used, the procedure is called a fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

Simple blood test can detect genetic faults in patients with cancer

A simple and cost-effective blood test could be used to monitor how a patient is responding to treatment and detect genetic faults in their cancer as they happen, according to a Cancer Research UK study.

31 May 2012

GE to provide attendees with overview of new oncology solutions at ASCO annual meeting

GE Healthcare, is working to help physicians potentially improve patient care throughout the breast cancer journey through one of the most comprehensive portfolios of technologies in the industry available today.

31 May 2012

Genetic analysis on Korean mummy reveals unique HBV genotype C2 sequence

The discovery of a mummified Korean child with relatively preserved organs enabled an Israeli-South Korean scientific team to conduct a genetic analysis on a liver biopsy which revealed a unique hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C2 sequence common in Southeast Asia.

30 May 2012

DiagnoCure’s PCA3 prostate cancer diagnostic test showcased at AUA meeting

DiagnoCure Inc., a Quebec life sciences company that develops and commercializes high-value cancer diagnostic tests, reported that the PROGENSA PCA3 prostate cancer diagnostic test has been featured in a number of presentations and discussions at the American Urological Association (AUA) meeting in Atlanta, GA.

25 May 2012

Doctors disagree on new prostate cancer screening guidelines

One doctor suggests the problem is the rush to treatment, not the screening; another suggests that a failure to screen men could be more costly in the long run.

25 May 2012

PSA test benefits are questionable, yet physicians struggle to stop them

Recent recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) advising elimination of routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer in healthy men are likely to encounter serious pushback from primary care physicians, according to results of a survey by Johns Hopkins investigators.

24 May 2012

Study shows how chromosomal mutation likely contributes to early development of prostate cancer

Up to half of all prostate cancer cells have a chromosomal rearrangement that results in a new "fusion" gene and formation of its unique protein -- but no one has known how that alteration promotes cancer growth. Now, Weill Cornell Medical College researchers have found that in these cancer cells, the 3-D architecture of DNA, wrapped up in a little ball known as a chromatin, is warped in such a way that a switch has been thrown on thousands of genes, turning them on or off to promote abnormal, unchecked growth. Researchers also found that new chromosomal translocations form, further destabilizing the genome.

23 May 2012

MDxHealth announces availability of ConfirmMDx for Prostate Cancer test

MDxHealth SA, a leading molecular diagnostic company that develops and commercializes epigenetic tests to support cancer treatment, today announced it has presented data demonstrating that its epigenetic ConfirmMDx for Prostate Cancer test can aid urologists in identifying patients who may avoid a repeat prostate biopsy.

23 May 2012

Data from Alvine’s ALV003 Phase 2A trial on celiac disease presented at DDW 2012

Alvine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of data from a Phase 2A trial of its lead compound, ALV003, at the 2012 Digestive Diseases Week (DDW) meeting held in San Diego, California. The study results met the primary endpoint of demonstrating that oral ALV003, administered in the context of a gluten free diet (GFD), can diminish gluten-induced intestinal mucosal injury in well-controlled celiac disease patients. The company plans to initiate a Phase 2B trial later this year.

23 May 2012

New research reveals effective treatments for gastrointestinal conditions

New research being presented at Digestive Disease Week- (DDW) reveals effective treatments for a number of gastrointestinal conditions, which are often chronic and costly.

22 May 2012

Polarization Gating Spectroscopy may detect pancreatic cancer

By simply shining a tiny light within the small intestine, close to that organ's junction with the pancreas, physicians at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida have been able to detect pancreatic cancer 100 percent of the time in a small study.

22 May 2012

Intermountain signs collaborative research agreement with Myriad

Intermountain Healthcare and Myriad Genetics today announced they have signed a collaborative research agreement. The purpose of this agreement is to perform research and validation studies on transformative molecular diagnostic tests being developed by Myriad in an effort to improve the care and treatments for patients at Intermountain and around the world.

22 May 2012

Cook Medical adds 25 gage needle to line of FNB histology portfolio

Cook Medical has added a 25 gage needle to its EchoTip ProCore line of fine needle biopsy (FNB) histology needles, which are designed for use in a procedure known as endoscopic ultrasound, or EUS. The EchoTip ProCore is a single-use, disposable needle for FNB intended for sampling of submucosal lesions, mediastinal masses, lymph nodes and intraperitoneal masses.

21 May 2012

Study uncovers distinct subtype of prostate cancer

A collaborative expedition into the deep genetics of prostate cancer has uncovered a distinct subtype of the disease, one that appears to account for up to 15 percent of all cases, say researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

21 May 2012

Three-drug combo harmful for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

A combination of three drugs used worldwide as the standard of care for a serious lung disease puts patients in danger of death or hospitalization, and should not be used together to treat the disease, called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, according to the surprising results of a rigorous independent study.

21 May 2012

Prostate Cancer Risk Calculator offers men ‘individual risk assessment’

Men worried about prostate cancer have a new online resource, freely available, to help them assess their risk. The multi-step Prostate Cancer Risk Calculator, www.prostatecancer-riskcalculator.com*, has been created by the founders of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC).

18 May 2012

Researchers identify novel base modification in RNA

Over the past decade, research in the field of epigenetics has revealed that chemically modified bases are abundant components of the human genome and has forced us to abandon the notion we've had since high school genetics that DNA consists of only four bases.

18 May 2012

Medgenics’ EPODURE receives FDA clearance to proceed into clinical trials

Medgenics, Inc., developer of the novel Biopump technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, today announced receipt of clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to proceed with a Phase IIb clinical trial of EPODURE for the treatment of anemia in patients undergoing renal dialysis.

18 May 2012

TJU researchers to investigate Cu-64 imaging agent for prostate cancer

Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center and the Department of Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University received a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate a potentially revolutionary method that can stage prostate cancers and detect recurrent disease so accurately, it would significantly reduce the number of confirmation biopsies. Such biopsies can be invasive, costly, and often lead to false-positive readings.

17 May 2012

Colonic tissue may help predict Parkinson's disease

Two studies by neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center suggest that, in the future, colonic tissue obtained during either colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy may be used to predict who will develop Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder of aging that that leads to progressive deterioration of motor function due to loss of neurons in the brain that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential to executing movement.

16 May 2012