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''.

BRCA1 gene inhibits estrogen and progesterone

It's been known that the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 regulates use of estrogen in breast and other cells, but now researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered that it also controls activity of a second sex steroid hormone, progesterone.

27 Jan 2006

Breast ducts - A new site for cancer treatment!

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers are studying whether delivering chemotherapy drugs directly to breast "plumbing" might make treatment of early breast cancer easier on the patient and at least as good as surgery or radiation.

26 Jan 2006

Warning of risk of from vaginal oestrogen

Breast cancer specialists from one of the UK's leading cancer centres cautioned doctors of the risks in prescribing vaginal oestrogen to breast cancer patients being treated with the new aromatase inhibiting drugs, anastrozole, letrozole and exemestane.

26 Jan 2006

Norwegian doctor bigger cheat than first thought

The Norwegian doctor who has already admitted faking data for an article about oral cancer has now come clean about two other fake pieces of research.

24 Jan 2006

Early prediction of endocrine therapy effect in advanced breast cancer patients using nuclear medicine imaging

Innovative use of somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS), a nuclear medicine imaging technique looking at how the body functions at the molecular level, may provide near immediate selection of breast cancer patients for endocrine therapy and offers a new tool in fighting the disease

23 Jan 2006

Protein amplifies DNA injury signals - cues genetic repair mechanism to prevent tumors

A Mayo Clinic-led research collaboration has discovered that the protein MDC1 amplifies weak DNA injury signals so genetic repair can begin.

23 Jan 2006

Galapagos and Cancer Research Technology announce new anti-cancer drug discovery collaboration

Galapagos NV and Cancer Research Technology ("CRT"), specialists in oncology drug discovery and commercialization, a wholly owned company of Cancer Research UK, announced today that they have entered into a new collaboration in anti-cancer drug discovery research.

19 Jan 2006

Results of a five-year study on peripherally inserted catheters

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced the results of a five-year retrospective study on Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICCs) with Pressure Activated Safety Valve (PASV(R)) Technology, indicating a significant reduction in rates of both occlusion (closure) and infection.

18 Jan 2006

Fabricated cancer study published in the Lancet

In a somewhat shocking revelation it has been disclosed that a Norwegian cancer expert made up fictitious patients for an article about treatment of oral cancer published in a leading medical journal.

16 Jan 2006

Abdominal chemotherapy boosts survival in ovarian cancer patients

Women with Stage III ovarian cancer given a combination of intravenous and intraperitoneal chemotherapy following surgical debulking of tumor had a median survival nearly 16 months longer than women who received IV chemotherapy alone

10 Jan 2006

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy prolongs survival for women with advanced ovarian cancer

A study featured in this month's edition of Gynecologic Oncology examines the challenges associated with the administration of intra-abdominal chemotherapy, also known as intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy.

8 Jan 2006

DNA polymerase zeta gives cells with damaged DNA a new lease on life

Fortunately, our cells contain many enzymes devoted strictly to detecting and repairing any damage caused by these insults. In fact, failure of these enzymes to make needed repairs to genes can lead to the accumulation of mutations and, eventually, cell death or possibly cancer.

6 Jan 2006

Delivering chemotherapy directly into the abdomen boosts survival in ovarian cancer patients

A 50-year-old method for delivering chemotherapy directly into the abdomen is making a comeback as investigators have found that it increases survival - by more than a year - in some women with advanced ovarian cancer. Results from a seven-year study of more than 400 patients nationwide are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

6 Jan 2006

One day radiation may become an option for breast cancer patients

Doctors in Canada are studying the effectiveness of permanent radiation seed implants following lumpectomy as an alternative to whole or partial breast irradiation for early-stage breast cancer patients

4 Jan 2006

Art sessions can benefit cancer patients

Northwestern Memorial Hospital research shows that cancer patients benefit from one-hour art sessions.

2 Jan 2006

Oncologist should be the primary decision maker in some pediatric cancer situations

The oncologist should be the primary decision maker in some pediatric cancer situations, say researchers at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston in an article appearing today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

29 Dec 2005

Blacks more likely to die of curable lung cancer than whites

Even when they have equal access to specialized care, blacks with potentially curable lung cancer are about half as likely as whites to undergo surgery that could save their lives, according to a study by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers.

28 Dec 2005

Targeted cancer therapies: Another step forward

While it is clear that the treatment of cancer has already begun to undergo a paradigm shift with the inclusion of innovative targeted therapies into current regimens, it would be wrong to assume these products will entirely replace traditional chemotherapy as the standard treatment for cancer sufferers.

22 Dec 2005

Targeted cancer therapies: Another step forward

22 Dec 2005

Children could be saved from neuroblastoma using antibody therapy

Combination of T cell, antibody to neuroblastoma cells and molecule that spurs T cell growth is designed to treat low initial tumor levels or small cancer cell populations that survive initial treatment, according to St. Jude.

22 Dec 2005