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''.

Genetically engineered herpes simplex virus keeps arteries free-flowing

A genetically engineered herpes simplex virus, primarily known for causing cold sores, may help keep arteries "free-flowing" in the weeks following angioplasty or stent placement for patients, according to research published early in the online edition of PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America).

11 Jul 2007

Abiogen licenses RFB4 antibody from Cancer Research Technology

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), the oncology-focused development and commercialisation company, today announces it has agreed an exclusive worldwide licence with Abiogen Pharma S.p.A. (Italy).

11 Jul 2007

Peregrine licenses worldwide rights to a novel anti-angiogenesis technology

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that it has licensed worldwide exclusive rights to a novel anti-angiogenesis technology from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

10 Jul 2007

Breast cancers to be more aggressive in African-American women

A study of more than 2,200 women at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia shows that African American women have more advanced breast cancer at the time of diagnosis than Caucasian women.

10 Jul 2007

ERG gene's activity points to more lethal subtype of acute myeloid leukemia

A new study shows that the activity of a particular gene can identify people who have a more lethal form of acute myeloid leukemia, singling out those patients who should receive more intense therapy.

10 Jul 2007

Gene therapy offers promising approach to tackle pancreatic cancer

A molecularly engineered therapy selectively embeds a gene in pancreatic cancer that shrinks or eradicates tumors, inhibits metastasis, and prolongs survival with virtually no toxicity, researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the July 9 edition of Cancer Cell.

10 Jul 2007

Modified herpes virus - a killer of cancer cells

Scientists have developed a virus specifically designed to target cancer tissue while not affecting normal healthy tissue.

9 Jul 2007

Roche and Alnylam form RNAi therapeutics alliance

Roche and the US-based biopharmaceutical company Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a major alliance in which Roche obtains a non-exclusive license to Alnylam's technology platform for developing RNAi (RNA interference) therapeutics.

9 Jul 2007

New working principle in cancer treatment

Due to defects in chromosomal distribution, a majority of tumor cells would not be able to survive were it not for a trick that cancer cells have developed to avoid this chaos in the genetic material.

5 Jul 2007

OncoLife web-based cancer survivorhip care plan

A team of cancer specialists from OncoLink.org, the award-winning cancer Web-based resource of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, has launched OncoLife, the first and only individualized plan-of-care based on the national Institute of Medicine's recommendations for adult cancer survivors.

4 Jul 2007

Stem cell procedure successfully treats amyloidosis patients

Researchers from the Stem Cell Transplant Program and the Amyloid Treatment and Research Program at Boston University Medical Center (BUMC) have found that tandem cycles of high-dose chemotherapy and blood stem cell transplantation can help treat patients with immunoglobulin-light chain (AL) Amyloidosis who did not respond to initial treatment with this method.

4 Jul 2007

Genetic mutation that may alter response to cancer therapeutics found

Researchers from Eli Lilly & Company and the Phoenix-based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) today announced finding a novel recurring mutation of the gene AKT1 in breast, colorectal and ovarian cancers.

4 Jul 2007

Induction chemotherapy adds to survival rates in lung cancer patients

Patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer who receive an initial high dose of chemotherapy before their treatment begins can expect an increase in overall survival, according to a study in the July 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.

29 Jun 2007

High dose rate brachytherapy treatment for prostate cancer

Up to 79% preservation of potency and less than 2% incontinence are the striking results of a clinical study in which over 300 men received an innovative treatment for prostate cancer.

29 Jun 2007

Biovest announces interim blinded data of fast-tracked pivotal phase 3 clinical trial of BiovaxID

Biovest International announced on June 27, 2007 blinded interim data from the start of its fast-tracked pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of BiovaxID for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) from September 2000 through June 2006.

29 Jun 2007

Bayer and Onyx submit supplemental NDA for Nexavar

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals have announced that a Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. Nexavar is currently approved in more than 50 countries for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer.

28 Jun 2007

Substance from lapacho tree could lead to new lung-cancer treatment

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined how a substance derived from the bark of the South American lapacho tree kills certain kinds of cancer cells, findings that also suggest a novel treatment for the most common type of lung cancer.

26 Jun 2007

Roche makes offer to acquire Ventana Medical Systems

Roche will make a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Ventana Medical Systems for $75.00 per share in cash, or an aggregate of approximately $3 billion on a fully diluted basis.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 26 Jun 2007

Levels of protein CA 19-9 in blood predicts pancreatic cancer outcome after surgery

A team of researchers, led by surgeons at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia, has found further evidence supporting the ability of a protein to predict how well a patient with advanced pancreatic cancer will do after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

23 Jun 2007

Inherited genes linked to toxicity of leukemia therapy

St. Jude investigators have discovered inherited variations in certain genes that make children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) susceptible to the toxic side effects caused by chemotherapy medications.

23 Jun 2007