Paclitaxel News and Research

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Paclitaxel is a drug used to treat breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma. It is also used together with another drug to treat non-small cell lung cancer. Paclitaxel is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. It blocks cell growth by stopping cell division and may kill cancer cells. It is a type of antimitotic agent. Also called Taxol.

The Paclitaxel compound is extracted from the Pacific yew tree Taxus brevifolia with antineoplastic activity. Paclitaxel binds to tubulin and inhibits the disassembly of microtubules, thereby resulting in the inhibition of cell division. This agent also induces apoptosis by binding to and blocking the function of the apoptosis inhibitor protein Bcl-2 (B-cell Leukemia 2). Check for active clinical trials or closed clinical trials using this agent.

Drug-eluting stents more beneficial to patients undergoing saphenous vein graft angioplasty

Drug-eluting stents had a clear advantage over bare metal stents in patients undergoing revascularisation of saphenous (leg) vein grafts, results of the BASKET-SAVAGE trial show.

30 Aug 2016

New drug delivery system slows and controls tumors not aiming for complete elimination

Researchers have created a new drug delivery system that could improve the effectiveness of an emerging concept in cancer treatment - to dramatically slow and control tumors on a long-term, sustained basis, not necessarily aiming for their complete elimination.

26 Aug 2016

Added benefit not proven for orphan drug in treatment of adults with stomach cancer

Ramucirumab (trade name: Cyramza) is a monoclonal antibody, which blocks a receptor, reducing the growth of blood vessels and so reducing blood supply to the tumours.

19 Aug 2016

MDI Biological Laboratory receives NIH grant for research on peripheral neuropathy

The MDI Biological Laboratory has announced that it has received a grant of $456,500 over two years from the National Institutes of Health for the study of peripheral neuropathy.

17 Aug 2016

Researchers find promising new therapy for both pediatric and adult cancers

A study conducted at Nationwide Children's Hospital has found that a new chemotherapy is effective against both pediatric and adult cancers, and that it allows other chemotherapies to more readily reach their targets.

28 Jul 2016

First-line nivolumab promising in advanced NSCLC

Phase I results published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggest that nivolumab, either given alone or alongside platinum-based doublet chemotherapy, could have a role in the first-line treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

5 Jul 2016

Paclitaxel drug may promote cancer spread at low doses

New research indicates that paclitaxel, which is the most commonly used chemotherapy for breast cancer, suppresses tumors when given at a certain dosage, but at low doses, it actually promotes cancer spread to the liver.

22 Jun 2016

Rice University researchers synthesize new anti-cancer agent

Rice University scientists have synthesized a novel anti-cancer agent, Thailanstatin A, which was originally isolated from a bacterial species collected in Thailand.

20 Jun 2016

Oncologists to present latest research findings at ASCO annual meeting

Oncologists from NewYork-Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine will discuss their latest research findings at the American Society for Clinical Oncology annual meeting, June 3-7 in Chicago.

28 May 2016

Rice University researchers set stage for large-scale synthesis of cytotoxic agent to treat cancer

The lab of Rice University synthetic organic chemist K.C. Nicolaou has reported the streamlined total synthesis of delta12-prostaglandin J3, a molecule previously claimed to kill leukemic cancer cells.

24 May 2016

Scottish women with metastatic carcinoma of cervix could now benefit from Avastin treatment

From today, women in Scotland with an advanced and incurable form of cervical cancer could benefit from the targeted treatment Avastin, which has been given the green light by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for routine use on the NHS.

11 May 2016

Bayer-new phase 3 liver cancer data

Bayer has announced that a Phase III trial evaluating its oncology compound Stivarga® (regorafenib) tablets for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant improvement in overall survival. The study, called RESORCE, evaluated the efficacy and safety of regorafenib in patients with HCC whose disease has progressed after treatment with sorafenib. The safety and tolerability were generally consistent with the known profile of regorafenib. Detailed efficacy and safety analyses from this study are expected to be presented at an upcoming scientific congress.

4 May 2016

Multivitamin use prior to diagnosis may reduce effects of CIPN in breast cancer survivors

Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, in collaboration with investigators from the cooperative group SWOG, have found that use of multivitamins prior to diagnosis may reduce the risk of neuropathy in breast cancer patients treated with the class of drugs known as taxanes. The team will present their findings at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2016, to be held April 16-20 in New Orleans.

21 Apr 2016

New drug combination before surgery may improve outcomes in breast cancer patients

Results from the I-SPY 2 trial show that giving patients with HER2-positive invasive breast cancer a combination of the drugs trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and pertuzumab before surgery was more beneficial than the combination of paclitaxel plus trastuzumab.

19 Apr 2016

Scientists discover underlying mechanisms of nerve damage

Recent research by Sandra Rieger, Ph.D., of the MDI Biological Laboratory identifying the underlying mechanisms of peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage, has raised the prospect that drug therapies can be developed for the treatment of this condition, which causes pain, numbness and/or tingling in the hands and feet. The research was published March 28 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

16 Apr 2016

Newly developed implantable device can deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to pancreatic tumors

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, in part because it is very difficult for chemotherapy drugs to reach the pancreas, which is located deep within the abdomen.

16 Apr 2016

Halozyme Therapeutics doses first patient in Halo-301 | Pancreatic study

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel oncology and drug-delivery therapies, today announced the first patient has been dosed in its Halo-301 | Pancreatic study, a Phase 3 clinical trial in previously untreated metastatic pancreatic cancer patients.

16 Mar 2016

Research unveils standard front-line treatment for advanced ovarian cancer

Research led by a Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center physician on ovarian cancer was published in the Feb. 24, 2016 issue of New England Journal of Medicine. The research was directed by Bradley J. Monk, M.D. and researchers at 12 other medical facilities around the nation.

27 Feb 2016

Moffitt researchers develop novel therapeutic strategy to keep resistant cells in check

Despite numerous advances in oncology since the War on Cancer began, many patients develop resistance to standard therapies and eventually relapse. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers hope to improve treatment outcomes with development of a novel therapeutic strategy, called adaptive therapy, which is based on evolutionary principals and aims to keep resistant cells in check by maintaining a population of chemo-sensitive cells.

25 Feb 2016

MDI Biological Laboratory scientist identifies potential drug therapy to reverse peripheral nerve damage

The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory has announced that assistant professor Sandra Rieger, Ph.D., has identified two drugs that could potentially be used to reverse peripheral nerve damage, or peripheral neuropathy, resulting from chemotherapy treatment for ovarian, breast, lung, pancreas and other cancers. The drugs also have potential applications for the treatment of peripheral nerve damage caused by diabetes, traumatic injuries and other conditions.

23 Feb 2016