Oncology News and Research

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Oncology, meaning bulk, mass, or tumor, and the suffix ''-logy'', meaning "study of") is a branch of medicine that deals with tumors (cancer). A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''.

Promising chemo, therapeutic viruses, cutting-edge surgery debut at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Brain tumor specialists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are poised on the brink of a new era.

10 May 2006

Space technology to help hospitals contain spread of avian flu infection

In response to concerns from hospitals to prepare for eventual pandemic flu outbreaks, the French company AirInSpace, with support from ESA's Technology Transfer Programme, has successfully adapted technology developed to protect astronauts for use in critical care centres to protect immune-deficient patients against airborne pathogens such as the avian flu virus.

10 May 2006

Does age matter in selection of treatment for men with early-stage prostate cancer?

For men under the age 55 with localized prostate cancer, external beam radiation may be an effective alternative to both conservative and more invasive treatments, according to a new study.

8 May 2006

Online infusion calculator and a computerized drug ordering system reduces medication errors in children

Two new studies from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center show that computerizing ordering of chemotherapy and other types of intravenous drug infusions for children greatly reduces the risk of potentially dangerous medical errors.

8 May 2006

Obtaining and documenting informed patient consent prior to surgery

Obtaining and documenting informed patient consent prior to surgery is of vital importance, but both the process and documentation of consent can be inadequate.

3 May 2006

Etanercept and chemo might reduce fatigue in cancer patients

Researchers here have found evidence that combining a drug typically used to treat rheumatoid arthritis with chemotherapy might help reduce fatigue and muscle wasting that often afflicts cancer patients.

3 May 2006

Chemotherapy regimen predicts steatohepatitis and an increase in 90-day mortality after surgery for hepatic colorectal metastases

Patients and their physicians should be careful when selecting a chemotherapy drug to treat colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

3 May 2006

Polymer-based therapy for breast cancer

Women who undergo surgery for breast cancer followed by radiation therapy often experience breast deformities that can only be corrected through reconstructive surgery.

3 May 2006

Initial experience of FDG-PET/CT guided IMRT of head and neck carcinoma

Doctors have discovered that combining images derived from positron emission tomography and computed tomography in the planning and delivery of radiation treatment for patients with head and neck cancer leads to more accurate delivery of the radiation dose and an increased chance for survival.

3 May 2006

Epstein reviews recommendations for rebiopsy in patients with high grade pin or atypical foci in prostate biopsy

In the era before extended biopsy schemes, patients with prostate biopsy results showing high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia were recommended for re-biopsy in 3 to 6 months.

2 May 2006

Study indicates how drug efficacy can be increased by manipulating the signalling mechanism

Researchers believe they have found a way to change the action of 60 percent of currently available medications, in some cases making them many times more effective, according to an article published in the April 21 edition of the journal Science. The discovery has the potential to improve treatments for diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression and arthritis. The study describes a new way to manipulate perhaps the most important signaling mechanism in human cells: G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs).

28 Apr 2006

New method designed to analyze the genes that regulate the immune system

Seattle scientists have developed a new method for analyzing the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) of the human genome.

20 Apr 2006

New London based centre for clinical genetic research

The London Genetics Centre will provide access to knowledge and expertise in clinical genetics across London's biomedical institutions, and help position London as the leading European centre for genetic medicine.

19 Apr 2006

Primagen awarded U.S. patent for using mitochondrial DNA quantification as biomarker

Primagen Holding BV has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent for its Mitox mitochondrial DNA quantification technology as biomarkers for efficacy and adverse events of treatment.

19 Apr 2006

St. Jude develop strategy to speed future development of more effective and less toxic treatments for medulloblastoma

Investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have developed a strategy to speed future development of more effective and less toxic treatments for medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Medulloblastomas arise in the back of the brain and account for about 20 percent of childhood brain tumors.

18 Apr 2006

Prostate cancer research may be faster with prostate-specific antigen endpoints

A new study from Columbia University Medical Center researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia, who are members of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), suggests that certain changes in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels may serve as surrogate endpoints for prostate cancer survival.

18 Apr 2006

Osteoporosis drug Raloxifene shown to be as effective as Tamoxifen in preventing invasive breast cancer

Initial results of the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene, or STAR, show that the drug raloxifene, currently used to prevent and treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, works as well as tamoxifen in reducing breast cancer risk for postmenopausal women at increased risk of the disease.

18 Apr 2006

Direct link between high cholesterol levels and prostate cancer

A possible association has been suggested before but evidence has been limited. This new study, published in Annals of Oncology shows a statistically significant direct relationship between the two conditions.

13 Apr 2006

Advances in chemotherapy significantly reduce risk of disease recurrence in breast cancer patients

Recent advances in chemotherapy have significantly reduced the risk of disease recurrence and death in breast cancer patients whose tumors are not hormone sensitive, according to a study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and 10 other institutions.

13 Apr 2006

Active ingredient in soy may explain why Asians have lower rates of obesity and cancer

A single nutrient found in soy products elicits changes in gene behavior that permanently reduce an embryo's risk of becoming obese later in life, according to an animal study at Duke University Medical Center.

13 Apr 2006

Oncology News and Research

Further Reading

Promising chemo, therapeutic viruses, cutting-edge surgery debut at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Space technology to help hospitals contain spread of avian flu infection

Does age matter in selection of treatment for men with early-stage prostate cancer?

Online infusion calculator and a computerized drug ordering system reduces medication errors in children

Obtaining and documenting informed patient consent prior to surgery

Etanercept and chemo might reduce fatigue in cancer patients

Chemotherapy regimen predicts steatohepatitis and an increase in 90-day mortality after surgery for hepatic colorectal metastases

Polymer-based therapy for breast cancer

Initial experience of FDG-PET/CT guided IMRT of head and neck carcinoma

Epstein reviews recommendations for rebiopsy in patients with high grade pin or atypical foci in prostate biopsy

Study indicates how drug efficacy can be increased by manipulating the signalling mechanism

New method designed to analyze the genes that regulate the immune system

New London based centre for clinical genetic research

Primagen awarded U.S. patent for using mitochondrial DNA quantification as biomarker

St. Jude develop strategy to speed future development of more effective and less toxic treatments for medulloblastoma

Prostate cancer research may be faster with prostate-specific antigen endpoints

Osteoporosis drug Raloxifene shown to be as effective as Tamoxifen in preventing invasive breast cancer

Direct link between high cholesterol levels and prostate cancer

Advances in chemotherapy significantly reduce risk of disease recurrence in breast cancer patients

Active ingredient in soy may explain why Asians have lower rates of obesity and cancer

Cancer Research eBook

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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