Colon News and Research

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Key hole colon surgery effective

When performed by experienced surgeons, minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery is a safe and effective alternative to standard open surgery for most patients with cancer that is confined to the colon.

13 May 2004

Biochip technology to revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry

Advancements in biotechnology have culminated in its integration with semiconductor technologies such as micro-electromechanical systems, resulting in the evolution of biochips. Biochips provide pharma companies with sophisticated tools for speedy development of drugs and accurate diagnosis and understanding of biological mechanisms.

13 May 2004

Vegetables yield anticancer chemical

Plant chemicals created during the preparation of some vegetables could kill colon cancer cells in a similar way to some cancer drugs.

10 May 2004

Soybeans may reduce the risk of colon cancer

A substance found in soybeans may reduce the risk of colon cancer, the third most common form of cancer in the world according to the World Health Organization.

10 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

Women underrate importance of colon cancer

Women significantly underrate their risk for colon cancer and are not as concerned about the disease as they should be, according to a new Good Housekeeping survey conducted on behalf of the Entertainment Industry Foundation's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (EIF's NCCRA).

3 May 2004

Researchers find mucus plays key role in cancer

Investigators at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center in Boston became intrigued with the thick, slimy stuff when they learned that breast, lung, colon, and other tumor cells make more than 50 times more of a certain type of it than normal cells.

29 Apr 2004

A new prognostic marker has shown potential to predict recurrence in certain colon cancer patients

In the study, a team of researchers led by Veridex, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, used gene expression profiling to identify the new marker – a 23-gene signature – which may predict disease recurrence in patients initially diagnosed with Dukes' B colon cancer.

29 Apr 2004

Sprouts and broccoli may reduce risk of high blood pressure

Glucoraphanin, also known as sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS(TM)), a naturally-occurring compound found in broccoli sprouts and broccoli, may reduce risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to new research published in the May 4 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

28 Apr 2004

AGT Biosciences Limited and ChemGenex Therapeutics today announced merger agreement

AGT Biosciences Limited of Melbourne, Australia and privately held ChemGenex Therapeutics, Inc. of Menlo Park, California, today announced that they have signed a merger agreement. The cross-border merger creates a new, genomics-driven pharmaceutical company with leading edge capabilities for drug discovery and development, as well as two drug candidates in Phase II human trials for cancer.

28 Apr 2004

The cancer death rate for African-American males would drop by nearly two-thirds if their exposure to tobacco smoke was eliminated

The overall cancer death rate for African-American males would drop by nearly two-thirds -- without any other intervention -- if their exposure to tobacco smoke was eliminated, a new study suggests.

25 Apr 2004

New developments in the treatment of pancreatic cancer

A booster dose of a substance already found in the body appears to be safe and non-toxic for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, and shows signs of arresting pancreatic cancer cell growth in patients, Penn State College of Medicine researchers report.

20 Apr 2004

Proteomics helps fight colon cancer

Using new technology associated with the study of proteins, or proteomics, scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and their colleagues have made a step toward predicting which people with familial adenomatous polyposis.

19 Apr 2004

Mayo Clinic debunks myths cancer myths

Believing cancer myths can be dangerous to your health, because they could prevent you from having the tests and treatments needed to detect and treat cancer.

16 Apr 2004

Proteomics techniques to find a possible predictor of response in a chemoprevention trial

16 Apr 2004

CT colonography not presently a viable option for colorectal cancer screening

Findings of a new multicenter study by Cotton et al. published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association comparing standard colonoscopy with CT colonography for the detection of colorectal cancer reveal that this technology, in the form used most often in the United States, while of significant interest, is not presently a viable option for routine colorectal cancer screening.

14 Apr 2004

Differing views on virtual colonoscopy accuracy

Demonstrating clearly that not all virtual colonoscopies are equal, the study, published in the December 2003 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine and the American Journal of Roentgenology, found the results found using the Viatronix V3D-Colon system for primary 3D reading to be equal to or better than optical colonoscopy results.

14 Apr 2004

Cancer rates have decreased in men and remained stable in women

Data newly compiled by the American Cancer Society finds death rates for most major cancers continue to decline, but a growing and aging population continues to produce a rise in the total number of cancer deaths.

14 Apr 2004

CT colonography lacks the sensitivity of conventional colonoscopy

A new study published in JAMA on CT colonography or 'virtual' colonoscopy using 2-D imaging finds that this test lacks the sensitivity and specificity of conventional colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening. Study co-author and American College of Gastroenterology President Douglas K. Rex, M.D. is available for interviews.

13 Apr 2004

Results of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease research in people who received human growth hormone from cadavers

The largest study of its kind, designed to track the development of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in people who received human growth hormone from cadavers, has found that the vast majority of those who received the hormone did not contract the fatal condition. However, some recipients (26 out of approximately 7,700) did develop the disease.

7 Apr 2004