Malignant News and Research

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Scientists develop new imaging technique to create three-dimensional images of melanoma

Melanoma is one of the less common types of skin cancer but it accounts for the majority of the skin cancer deaths (about 75 percent).The five-year survival rate for early stage melanoma is very high (98 percent), but the rate drops precipitously if the cancer is detected late or there is recurrence.So a great deal rides on the accuracy of the initial surgery, where the goal is to remove as little tissue as possible while obtaining "clean margins" all around the tumor.So far no imaging technique has been up to the task of defining the melanoma's boundaries accurately enough to guide surgery.Instead surgeons tend to cut well beyond the visible margins of the lesion in order to be certain they remove all the malignant tissue.Two scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed technologies that together promise to solve this difficult problem.

12 Aug 2010

Study examines link between breath, cancer detection

A test using a patient's breath could be developed to detect lung, breast, bowel and prostate cancers, a team of scientists have discovered. While these results are only preliminary, the study1 published in the British Journal of Cancer today (Wednesday), found that sensors could distinguish between the breath of healthy patients and those who have cancer.

11 Aug 2010

Stoecker and Associates develops new software for early diagnosis of malignant melanoma

Detection of malignant melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, will soon be quicker and easier thanks to the work of researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology.The research, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health, recently received a patent titled "Automatic Detection of Critical Dermoscopy Features for Malignant Melanoma Diagnosis." The patent applies to a method for computer-aided analysis of photographs of skin lesions to detect the cancer. Melanoma can be cured if it is diagnosed early enough.

11 Aug 2010

Georgia Institute receives EUREKA grant to design brain tumor treatment

The Georgia Institute of Technology has received a EUREKA grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to design a new way to treat invasive brain tumors by capturing the migrating cells that spread the disease. The EUREKA -- Exceptional, Unconventional Research Enabling Knowledge Acceleration -- program helps scientists test new, unconventional ideas or tackle major methodological or technical challenges.

11 Aug 2010

Breath test to detect cancer: Study

According to researchers cancer may soon be detectable using a breath test. They are now developing sensors that can detect chemical markers of lung, breast, bowel and prostate cancer in a person's breath. The new portable device has been purported as an “electronic nose” that can detect early cancers. As a cancer grows, the surface of the cells emits chemicals. The research found that sensors – involving gold nanoparticles – could be used to detect these chemicals in the breath.

10 Aug 2010

Scientist to research on molecular machinery of breast cancer

Someone in the world is diagnosed with breast cancer every 23 seconds. It is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide among women and approximately 456,000 die from the disease each year. At The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), a scientist is taking aim at the molecular machinery behind this disease.

10 Aug 2010

Scientist develops nano-methods to destroy tumors with fewer side effects

Though a valuable weapon against cancerous tumors, radiation therapy often harms healthy tissue as it tries to kill malignant cells. Now, Prof. Israel Gannot of Tel Aviv University's Department of Biomedical Engineering is developing a new way to destroy tumors with fewer side effects and minimal damage to surrounding tissue.

10 Aug 2010

Apte wins Elkeles Prize for outstanding scientist in field of medicine

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) Professor Ron N. Apte has been awarded the 2010 Samuel and Paula Elkeles Prize for Outstanding Scientist in the Field of Medicine.

9 Aug 2010

New laboratory to speed up research for melanoma treatment set up at University of Bristol

A new Skin Cancer Research Fund Laboratory has been set up in Bristol to study cancer cells collected from skin cancer patients attending Frenchay Hospital. It is hoped the new facility will speed up research into treatments for malignant melanoma - the most deadly form of skin cancer. The new laboratory at the Microvascular Research Laboratories at the University of Bristol will be officially opened today (Tuesday August 22nd) by the director of the Skin Cancer Research Fund, Mr Paul Townsend.

6 Aug 2010

Scientists suggest home genetic tests may cause unnecessary stress

In the age of the Internet, where cybercondriacs are just a mouse click away from a diagnosis, do-it-yourself home genetics test may seem like the next logical step in managing health. But these tests, which are relatively new and available online, are often not comprehensive and may cause unnecessary stress, warns Suzanne Mahon, DNSc., a clinical professor of hematology and oncology at Saint Louis University.

5 Aug 2010

Infinity reports $18.4 million total revenue for second-quarter 2010

Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an innovative drug discovery and development company, today detailed recent developments in its product development portfolio and announced second quarter 2010 financial results.

4 Aug 2010

Study shows link between fructose and pancreatic cancer proliferation

Pancreatic cancers use the sugar fructose, very common in the Western diet, to activate a key cellular pathway that drives cell division, helping the cancer to grow more quickly, a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.

4 Aug 2010

Proton therapy to treat patient’s tumor without compromising quality of life

The radiation oncologist's mantra is to deliver the maximum dose of radiation to the malignant tumor, while limiting damage to healthy surrounding tissue. In proton therapy, this balance is achieved by using proton particles, accelerated to nearly the speed of light, to mimic the shape of a tumor and effectively deposit their energy within the confines of it with sub-millimeter precision.

4 Aug 2010

Scientists discover single-chain protein to destroy GBM cancer cells

A major breakthrough in how to target and destroy the most malignant and aggressive brain cancer cells has been made by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.Scientists have identified a way to target and destroy Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells without harming healthy cells.

4 Aug 2010

DUSA Pharmaceuticals total product revenues for second-quarter 2010 increase 25% to $8.7 million

DUSA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a dermatology company that is developing and marketing Levulan Photodynamic Therapy and other products focused on patients with common skin conditions, reported today its corporate highlights and financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

3 Aug 2010

New trend in management of post-liver transplantation biliary strictures

Endoscopic intervention has emerged to become the first line treatment for benign biliary strictures following liver transplantation. The current endoscopic approach involves repetitive dilatation of the stricture and placement of multiple large-diameter parallel plastic stents with frequent stent exchange to prevent biliary infection.

3 Aug 2010

Antisense Pharma receives FDA IND authorisation for clinical studies with trabedersen for high-grade glioma

The biopharmaceutical company Antisense Pharma announced today that the US-American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Investigational New Drug (IND)-authorisation for clinical studies with trabedersen for patients with high-grade glioma. This authorisation entitles the company to include US-American clinics both in the phase III study SAPPHIRE and in further studies.

3 Aug 2010

Particles of iron oxide enhance tumor visibility through MRI

Tiny particles of iron oxide could become tools for simultaneous tumor imaging and treatment, because of their magnetic properties and toxic effects against brain cancer cells. In mice, researchers from Emory University School of Medicine have demonstrated how these particles can deliver antibodies to implanted brain tumors, while enhancing tumor visibility via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

3 Aug 2010

Alphavirus vaccine blocks tumor growth in advanced cancer: Research

An experimental vaccine based on a virus that causes encephalitis in the wild appears to block tumor growth in some cases of advanced cancer, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center. Scientists say the vaccine is able to stimulate an immune response, even in the face of profound immune system suppression, a condition most patients with advanced cancer experience.

3 Aug 2010

Cell-of-origin for prostate cancer identified

UCLA scientists have identified for the first time a cell-of-origin for human prostate cancer, a discovery that could result in better predictive and diagnostics tools and the development of new and more effective targeted treatments for the disease.

31 Jul 2010