Gastrointestinal Cancer News and Research

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Gastrointestinal cancer refers to malignant conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus, stomach, liver, biliary system, pancreas, bowels, and anus.

New center for gastrointestinal cancer research established

Georgetown University Medical Center today announced the creation of a center that may help advance a cure for one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The Otto J. Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers will fund gastrointestinal cancer research, drug discovery and patient advocacy efforts at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

30 Sep 2009

Rise in primary liver cancer cases attributed to increased alcohol consumption

Cases of primary liver cancer have tripled in the last 30 years according to statistics published today by Cancer Research UK.

7 Sep 2009

Research suggests that nitrates and nitrites in plants may be beneficial to health

A Michigan State University researcher is challenging health standards that consider nitrates and nitrites in food to be harmful.

21 Aug 2009

Future cancer care, can we afford it?

When a cancer patient and his or her doctor discuss the value of a treatment option, the conversation usually centers on a consideration of the treatment's medical benefits versus its possible side effects for the patient. Increasingly, however, as the already high costs of cancer care continue to rise, a full view of the patient's welfare must also take into account the economic impact of the treatment on the patient and his or her family.

26 May 2009

Disruption of immune-system pathway key step in cancer progression

Human immune cells communicate constantly with one another as they coordinate to fight off infection and other threats.

18 May 2009

Radiofrequency ablation is an effective treatment for dysplasia in people with Barrett's esophagus

Interim results from a nationwide clinical trial led by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher suggest that radiofrequency ablation is an effective treatment for dysplasia in people with Barrett's esophagus, a condition that can lead to deadly gastrointestinal cancer.

19 May 2008

Benefits of some cancer drugs exaggerated because trials were stopped early

Italian scientists say the benefits of some cancer drugs may be exaggerated as a rising number of trials are stopped early.

9 Apr 2008

Study shows that a key protein appears to enable spread of melanoma to the small intestine

A study by researchers at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center has shown that a receptor protein found on melanoma cells appears to facilitate the disease's spread to the small intestine.

5 Feb 2008

Fruits and raw veggies reduce the risk of cancer

The latest research says that by eating just three servings a month of raw broccoli or cabbage a person can reduce their risk of bladder cancer by as much as 40 percent.

9 Dec 2007

Re-engineered Gleevec reduces heart risks

Using a new bottom-up approach for rational drug design, researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have reengineered the powerful anticancer drug imatinib - best known by its brand name Gleevec - to more specifically target one type of cancer while potentially curbing a rare life-threatening cardiotoxic side effect.

4 Dec 2007

When to change the course of treatment

Counting circulating tumor cells before and after the start of treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer could help doctors determine when or if a change in treatment should be made.

5 Jun 2007

Wrapping version of Gleevec fights drug-resistant cancer

A new study highlighted on the cover of this week's issue of Cancer Research finds that the anti-cancer drug Gleevec? is far more effective against a drug-resistant strain of cancer when the drug wraps the target with a molecular bandage that seals out water from a critical area.

2 May 2007

Researchers find genetic "signature" that accurately identifies colon cancer

Researchers at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia have uncovered a genetic "signature" that accurately identifies colon cancer--a key, they hope, to better understand how the cancer develops.

13 Apr 2006

FOLFOX now treatment standard for colorectal cancer in the United States

One of the newest and most potent chemotherapies for colon cancer is as safe and effective for the elderly as it is for younger patients, based on a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-led data review.

16 Feb 2006

Excessive alcohol consumption increases risk of certain cancers

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new chemical analysis method that has assisted researchers at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institutes of Health, in demonstrating a potentially important chemical link between alcohol consumption and cancer.

11 Aug 2005