Leukemia News and Research

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Leukemia (Leukaemia) is a cancer of the blood cells. It is the most common type of blood cancer and affects 10 times as many adults as children. Most people diagnosed with leukemia are over 50 years old. No one knows why some people develop leukemia and others do not. However, scientists have identified some risk factors for the disease. Most people who have known risk factors do not get leukemia, while many who do get the disease have none of these risk factors. During the early stages of leukemia, there may be no symptoms. Many of the symptoms of leukemia don't become apparent until a large number of normal blood cells are crowded out by leukemia cells.

Swissmedic approves REVLIMID for treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes

Celgene International Sàrl, a subsidiary of Celgene Corporation, today announced that REVLIMID (lenalidomide) has been granted approval by the Swiss agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) for use in patients with transfusion-dependent anemia due to low-or intermediate-1-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) associated with a deletion 5q cytogenic abnormality with or without additional cytogenic abnormalities.

21 Nov 2011

Omega-3 linked with reduced joint pain and cognitive side effects of breast cancer therapy

"I know I need this medicine to help lower my chance of cancer recurrence, but it makes my joints ache and stiff. It makes me feel old and I am not sure I can take this medication much longer."

19 Nov 2011

FDA approves EUSA's orphan drug ERWINAZE for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

EUSA Pharma, a transatlantic specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology, oncology supportive care and critical care, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its orphan drug ERWINAZE (asparaginase Erwinia chrysanthemi) for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in patients with hypersensitivity to E. coli-derived asparaginase.

19 Nov 2011

Cancer Research UK embarks on new initiative to unravel genetic secrets behind cancers

Unravelling the genetic secrets behind a range of cancers - from understanding how certain genes control cancer to determining how the disease evades treatment - is the aim of a new initiative from Cancer Research UK.

18 Nov 2011

EUSA Pharma receives FDA approval for Erwinaze to treat ALL

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Erwinaze to treat patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), who have developed an allergy (hypersensitivity) to E. coli derived asparaginase and pegaspargase chemotherapy drugs used to treat ALL.

18 Nov 2011

Inovio announces results from SynCon avian influenza vaccine Phase I study

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which is advancing synthetic vaccines to fight cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that a single intradermal (ID) electroporation boost of its SynCon avian influenza vaccine generated HAI titers against six different, unmatched strains of H5N1 - a distinct new clinical achievement on the global research community's path to develop universal influenza vaccines.

18 Nov 2011

Biothera completes enrollment in Imprime PGG Phase II combination study on NSCLC

EBiothera's Phase II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) clinical trial evaluating Imprime PGG administered in combination with cetuximab (Erbitux), carboplatin and paclitaxel has met its goal of 90 patients and is fully enrolled, the company announced today.

17 Nov 2011

Male breast cancer patients report tamoxifen side effects

About half of male breast cancer patients who take the drug tamoxifen to prevent their disease from returning report side effects such as weight gain and sexual dysfunction, which prompts more than 20 percent of them to discontinue treatment, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

17 Nov 2011

New 2-DG-ABT combination cancer therapy triggers apoptosis

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Kyushu University Medical School say a novel combination of a specific sugar molecule with a pair of cell-killing drugs prompts a wide variety of cancer cell types to kill themselves, a process called apoptosis or programmed cell death.

17 Nov 2011

Researchers identify potential marker for leukemic relapse

The development of simple tests to predict a leukemic relapse in young patients is a step closer thanks to researchers from the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and the University of Montreal. Approximately 20 percent of young leukemia patients who are treated with stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood will experience leukemic relapse.

17 Nov 2011

Incyte receives FDA approval for Jakafi to treat intermediate or high-risk MF

Incyte Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for Jakafi (ruxolitinib) for the treatment of patients with intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis (MF), including primary MF, post-polycythemia vera MF and post-essential thrombocythemia MF.

17 Nov 2011

Researchers to begin drug development projects for rare and neglected diseases

Researchers will begin drug development projects for rare and neglected diseases that include potential treatments for a musculoskeletal disorder, a cognitive dysfunction disorder, a virus that affects the central nervous system of newborns, a parasitic worm infection, a form of muscular dystrophy and a rare lung disease.

16 Nov 2011

Tigecycline antibiotic shows promise against leukemia

Clinician-scientists in the Princess Margaret Cancer Program have found a promising approach to treating leukemia, using an old drug in a new way.

15 Nov 2011

Cord Blood America third quarter revenues increase 56% to $1.49 million

Cord Blood America, Inc., the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells to families nationwide and internationally, today announced revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 totaled $4.38 million, up 59 percent compared to revenues of $2.75 million in the same period in 2010.

14 Nov 2011

EntreMed third quarter net loss decreases to $1.3 million

EntreMed, Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today reported financial results for the three and nine-month periods ending September 30, 2011.

14 Nov 2011

New stem cell technique hopes to replace damaged cells in Parkinson's

Australian scientists have developed a new technique using stem cells, in the hope to replace damaged cells in Parkinson's disease. The technique could be developed for application in other degenerative conditions.

13 Nov 2011

CCCBD scientist to receive 2011 V Foundation Translational Research Grant

Scientists at the Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases (CCCBD) and the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, have been awarded a highly competitive translational research grant of $600,000 from The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

10 Nov 2011

Combination of azacitidine and entinostat shows promise against NSCLC

A new type of therapy aimed at reversing the gene-silencing that promotes cancer-cell growth has shown promising results in a small clinical trial conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

10 Nov 2011

New epigenetic therapy may treat recurrent metastatic NSCLC

Patients with recurrent metastatic non-small cell lung cancer have a morbid prognosis, but a new epigenetic therapy may have potential in this population, according to data published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

10 Nov 2011

Ligand third quarter total revenues decrease to $5.7 million

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and provided a business update.

9 Nov 2011