Metastasis News and Research

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Metastasis is the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. A tumor formed by cells that have spread is called a “metastatic tumor” or a “metastasis.” The metastatic tumor contains cells that are like those in the original (primary) tumor. The plural form of metastasis is metastases

ScreenCell, Affymetrix partner to distribute CTC platform

Affymetrix, Inc. and ScreenCell, a privately-held company, today announced the signing of a worldwide distribution agreement for ScreenCell's isolation devices and dilution buffers, designed for the collection of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood.

18 May 2012

Dabrafenib drug shrinks tumors in patients with melanoma brain metastases

An experimental drug targeting a common mutation in melanoma successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial report in the May 18 issue of The Lancet.

18 May 2012

RAL proteins linked with aggressive cancer characteristics in human tumors

We have known for years that when the proteins RalA and RalB are present, cells in dishes copy toward aggressive forms of cancer. However, until this week, no study had explored the effects of RAL proteins in human cancers - an essential step on the path to developing drugs to target these proteins.

18 May 2012

Breast cancer cell surface protein blows cover of potent tumor-generating cells

Breast cancer stem cells wear a cell surface protein that is part nametag and part bull's eye, identifying them as potent tumor-generating cells and flagging their vulnerability to a drug, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report online in Journal of Clinical Investigation.

17 May 2012

Lecture discusses how negative emotions fuel cancer formation and metastasis

When it comes to cancer, there are obvious mind-body links. Stress, pessimism and other emotional factors have been proven to play a role, increasing the risk of cancer, metastasis and early mortality. This is a double-whammy for cancer patients, who must overcome anxiety from the moment they are diagnosed. In particular, stress has been shown to depress the immune system, increase inflammation and affect our bodies on the molecular level, even damaging DNA.

17 May 2012

CINJ prefers more personalized approach to prescribing cancer treatment

With recent advancements in technology and biomedical informatics, a more personalized approach to prescribing cancer treatment and developing these therapies is preferred over "one-size-fits-all" methods.

16 May 2012

Specific populations of tumor cells have different roles

A study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers suggests that specific populations of tumor cells have different roles in the process by which tumors make new copies of themselves and grow.

16 May 2012

Galectin Therapeutics commences Phase 1/2 trial of new treatment combination for advanced MM

Galectin Therapeutics, the leader in developing carbohydrate-based therapeutic compounds to inhibit galectin proteins for the therapy of liver fibrosis and cancer, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1/2 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of a novel treatment combination for the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma.

16 May 2012

Cyclophosphamide drug makes the bone marrow more tumor-friendly

Researchers found that administering a common chemotherapy drug before bone tumors took root actually fertilized the bone marrow, enabling cancer cells, once introduced, to seed and grow more easily.

15 May 2012

Genetic test can accurately predict spread of eye cancer

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a genetic test that can accurately predict whether the most common form of eye cancer will spread to other parts of the body, particularly the liver.

15 May 2012

Botanical formula inhibits breast to lung cancer metastasis in mice

Scientists at Indiana University Health's Cancer Research Laboratory have found that a sophisticated botanical formula slows human breast cancer growth and inhibits breast to lung metastasis in mice. The formula contains extracts from medicinal mushrooms, medicinal herbs and purified nutritional compounds, and showed no toxic side-effects.

9 May 2012

IBN develops biochip for investigating the effect of drugs on cancer stem cells

Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute, have developed a miniaturized biochip for investigating the effect of drugs on cancer stem cells (CSCs). Published recently in Nano Today, this new technology could boost the development of more effective cancer drugs.

9 May 2012

Regulatory T cell diversity provides cumulative protective effect against RA

Untangling the root cause of rheumatoid arthritis has been a difficult task for immunologists, as decades of research has pointed to multiple culprits in our immune system, with contradictory lines of evidence. Now, researchers at The Wistar Institute announce that it takes a diverse array of regulatory T cells (a specialized subset of white blood cells) to prevent the immune system from generating the tissue-specific inflammation that is a hallmark of the disease. Regulatory T cell diversity, the researchers say, provides a cumulative protective effect against rheumatoid arthritis. When that diversity is not present, it allows the immune system to attack joints.

9 May 2012

Researchers separate low and high-PSA prostate cancer cells

Prostate cancer cells that defy treatment and display heightened tumor-generating capacity can be identified by levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) expressed in the tumor cells, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports in the May 3 edition of Cell Stem Cell.

7 May 2012

New light on many biological differences between individual breast cancers

New findings presented at Europe's leading breast cancer translational research conference this year shed new light on the many biological differences between individual breast cancers.

4 May 2012

Study: Breast cancer in young women is enriched with aggressive basal-like tumors

Breast cancer in young women is a biologically unique disease that requires customized management strategies, researchers report at the 4th IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference, in Brussels, Belgium.

4 May 2012

Topline, interim results from Celldex Phase 2b EMERGE study of CDX-011 for advanced breast cancer

Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that interim, topline results of the Phase 2b EMERGE study of CDX-011 in patients with advanced breast cancer will be presented in a webcast on May 23, 2012. Linda Vahdat, MD, Professor of Medicine, Chief of Solid Tumor Service and Director of the Breast Cancer Research Program at Weill Cornell Medical College and the lead investigator of the EMERGE study, will join Celldex on the webcast to discuss data from the study.

2 May 2012

NCI-funded research to customize treatment for oral cancer patients

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a two-year grant to Dr. Brian L. Schmidt, professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the NYU College of Dentistry, and Dr. Donna G. Albertson, professor at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. The grant will fund groundbreaking research to customize treatment for oral cancer patients.

30 Apr 2012

FDA issues Complete Response Letter to Amgen’s sBLA for XGEVA

Amgen today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Complete Response Letter for the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for XGEVA (denosumab) to treat men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) at high risk of developing bone metastases.

27 Apr 2012

RANK inhibitor-chemotherapy combination may have important therapeutic effects against breast cancer

Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have shown that overactivation of the RANK signalling pathway promotes the initiation, progression and metastasis of tumours in human breast epithelial cells by dedifferentiation of breast cells to stem cells. The results of this study have been advanced in the electronic edition of the journal Cancer Research.

25 Apr 2012