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''.

Younger breast cancer patients have greater chance of recurrence

Breast cancer patients 35 years old and younger have higher rates of their cancer returning after treatment than older women patients with the same stage of cancer, and their risk of recurrence is greatly impacted by the type of treatment they received, according to a March 1 study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

4 Mar 2009

Colonoscopy and virtual colonoscopy, either way get screened!

Today, patients have a wide selection of colorectal cancer screening exams from which to choose, unlike with other types of cancers.

3 Mar 2009

Angiogenesis inhibitors, study points to limitations, solutions

A new generation of cancer drugs designed to starve tumors of their blood supply - called "angiogenesis inhibitors"-succeeds at first, but then promotes more invasive cancer growth-sometimes with a higher incidence of metastases, according to a new study in animals.

2 Mar 2009

New guide helps physicians understand oncofertility

The powerful chemotherapy and radiation used to save cancer patients' lives can also destroy their fertility.

26 Feb 2009

Medivation announces new positive efficacy data from trial of MDV3100 in Castration-resistant prostate cancer

Medivation, Inc. has announced the presentation of new efficacy and safety data from an ongoing Phase 1-2 clinical trial of the Company's novel androgen receptor antagonist MDV3100 in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients.

25 Feb 2009

Yoga helps women with breast cancer

Women undertaking a ten week program of 75 minute Restorative Yoga (RY) classes gained positive differences in aspects of mental health such as depression, positive emotions, and spirituality (feeling calm/peaceful) compared to the control group.

25 Feb 2009

Radiation therapy equipment vendors to test system integration

The American Society for Radiation Oncology will host a connectathon at its headquarters in Fairfax, Va., this September as part of the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise - Radiation Oncology (IHE-RO) initiative to promote seamless connectivity and integration of radiotherapy equipment and patient health information systems.

24 Feb 2009

Xencor and CSL Limited establish antibody optimization collaboration

Xencor, Inc., an antibody discovery and development company, announced today that it has entered into an antibody optimization collaboration with CSL, Ltd. The collaboration will provide CSL with access to Xencor's XmAb technology platform to enhance the ADCC effector function of its therapeutic antibodies.

23 Feb 2009

B-cell clones as early markers for chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Testing of blood specimens may detect abnormal white blood cells in patients years before the chronic form of lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) develops, according to research published in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

22 Feb 2009

Blood pressure drug losartan may benefit brain tumor patients

A widely used blood pressure medication may be the key to preventing brain function loss common after radiation treatment, according to a newly published study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

20 Feb 2009

Mutations in two genes linked to most common brain cancers

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and Duke University Medical Center have linked mutations in two genes, IDH1 and IDH2, to nearly three-quarters of several of the most common types of brain cancers known as gliomas.

20 Feb 2009

An adjuvant chemotherapeutic agent in gastric cancer therapy

Peritoneal carcinomatosis can be thought of as a series of events that together form a peritoneal metastatic cascade.

18 Feb 2009

New guidelines emphasize use of breast MRI to supplement standard imaging

Updated guidelines for physicians that represent best practices for using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to newly diagnose breast cancer and to make treatment decisions for breast cancer were published today in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

17 Feb 2009

Doctors' resources for off-label prescribing may be incomplete, unclear

The resources doctors use to get important information about indications and reimbursement for use of cancer drugs off-label may be out-of-date and incomplete, according to a study led by researchers in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.

16 Feb 2009

New understanding on how Myc gene promotes cancer

Cancer cells need a lot of nutrients to multiply and survive. While much is understood about how cancer cells use blood sugar to make energy, not much is known about how they get other nutrients.

16 Feb 2009

Trial of Quadramet (153 Samarium-lexidronam) in combo with Velcade shows positive results

Quadramet (153 Samarium-lexidronam) is a radioactive medication that targets the bone, specifically bone cancer, and is used to treat pain caused by cancer that has metastasized or spread to the bone.

15 Feb 2009

Bone marrow transplant patients may benefit from new immune research

Bone marrow transplant (BMT) researchers at The Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center in Milwaukee may have found a mechanism that could preserve the leukemia-killing effects of a transplant graft, while limiting the damage donor immune cells might do to the recipient host's vital organs.

11 Feb 2009