Cancer Therapy News and Research

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Hypoxia may be a primary cause of uncontrollable tumor growth in cancers

Low oxygen levels in cells may be a primary cause of uncontrollable tumor growth in some cancers, according to a new University of Georgia study. The authors' findings run counter to widely accepted beliefs that genetic mutations are responsible for cancer growth.

4 May 2012

State of health, not age, should decide treatment for cancer

In a study of patients 65 and older with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), younger patients were more likely to receive treatment than older patients, regardless of overall health and prognosis.

3 May 2012

HiLo trial sets new gold standard for thyroid cancer treatment

The results of a large Cancer Research UK trial have set a new gold standard for treating thyroid cancer, reducing radiation doses to just one third of the current level, according to research in The New England Journal of Medicine.

3 May 2012

Misleading information about breast brachytherapy

One of the leading experts on radiation therapy for breast cancer says a new study in JAMA -- about breast cancer treatment - has misleading information and may unnecessarily deter women from getting breast brachytherapy, a safe and effective treatment.

2 May 2012

Expression of tyrosine kinases may limit effectiveness of agents against sarcomas

To better understand the signaling pathways active in sarcomas, researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center used state-of-the-art mass spectrometry-based proteomics to characterize a family of protein enzymes that act as "on" or "off" switches important in the biology of cancer. The tyrosine kinases they identified, the researchers said, could act as "drivers" for the growth and survival of sarcomas.

2 May 2012

SMC rules abiraterone as too expensive for routine prostate cancer treatment

Cancer Research UK is extremely disappointed that the advanced prostate cancer drug, abiraterone, has been ruled too expensive for routine use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC).

2 May 2012

Cell-based test to discover molecules for treatment of ER-positive breast cancer

Cancer Research UK and its commercial arm, Cancer Research Technology have developed a unique test to discover molecules that could lead to potential new treatments for oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer.

2 May 2012

Scientists identify how cell architecture changes during formation of gametes

Scientists using high-powered microscopes have made a stunning observation of the architecture within a cell - and identified for the first time how the architecture changes during the formation of gametes, also known as sex cells, in order to successfully complete the process.

2 May 2012

Tyrosine kinases could act as drivers for growth and survival of sarcomas

2 May 2012

Roundup: Mass. premium increases muted; Iowa cuts payment to charity after fraud probe; Ga. asks EMS providers to save scarce drugs

State regulators on Monday approved third-quarter health insurance rates that will raise premiums an average of just 1.2 percent in the market serving small businesses and individuals, continuing a trend of more modest increases seen over the past three quarters. And several carriers, including Tufts Health Plan of Watertown and Fallon Community Health Plan, based in Worcester, will reduce their rates -- a rarity in Massachusetts health care -- according to data from the state Division of Insurance.

2 May 2012

Protein vital for cell survival and immune balance has another form with different function

Research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators suggests that safeguarding cell survival and maintaining a balanced immune system is just the start of the myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1 (MCL1) protein's work.

30 Apr 2012

AlderMed enters distribution agreement with Gulmay Medical for Xstrahl-100 therapy system

AlderMed announced today it has entered into a three-year exclusive distribution agreement with Gulmay Medical, manufacturer of the Xstrahl-100 therapy system.

From Xstrahl 30 Apr 2012

MCC researchers aim to improve cancer patient's quality of life and care

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have placed new emphasis on gathering data on cancer patient quality of life during both treatment and survivorship. Their focus is on gathering and using that data to develop interventions to improve the quality of life for patients in treatment and for cancer survivors.

30 Apr 2012

Accuray launches Prostate Advances in Comparative Evidence Study

Accuray Incorporated, the premier radiation oncology company, announced today the launch of the Prostate Advances in Comparative Evidence (PACE) Study, an international, multi-center, randomized study to compare CyberKnife® Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), da Vinci assisted and manual laparoscopic surgery and conventionally fractionated intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), for the treatment of localized prostate cancer.

27 Apr 2012

Irreversible Electroporation can more effectively kill cancer cells with BNNTs

A new study has shown that adding boron-nitride nanotubes to the surface of cancer cells can double the effectiveness of Irreversible Electroporation, a minimally invasive treatment for soft tissue tumors in the liver, lung, prostate, head and neck, kidney and pancreas.

27 Apr 2012

Aspirin reduces bowel cancer death and lung cancer incidence: Research suggests

There is previous evidence suggesting aspirin might prevent certain cancers from developing in the first place. And more recent work suggests it might also work as a cancer therapy - slowing down or preventing a cancer's spread. But the drug can also have unpleasant and dangerous side effects, causing irritation of the stomach lining and internal bleeds in a very small minority of patients.

26 Apr 2012

Robot assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy better than other surgical techniques

Outcomes from use of a robot to assist surgeons in removal of a cancerous prostate are at least as good, if not better, than the other two techniques used for a radical prostatectomy -- open or laparoscopic surgery -- according to a large meta analysis led by researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.

26 Apr 2012

Cancer therapy with common cold virus

Common viruses have become the latest weapon against cancer. There is the case of the eight-year-old African boy diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma at a Ugandan health clinic. He was exposed to the measles virus and in the next few weeks his tumour regressed completely and he entered remission. But only relatively recently have scientists clinically examined the interaction between viruses and cancers in the growing area of oncolytic virotherapy.

24 Apr 2012

Scientists discover tumor-targeting neural stem cells

Could engineered human stem cells hold the key to cancer survival? Scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute, have discovered that neural stem cells possess the innate ability to target tumor cells outside the central nervous system. This finding, which was demonstrated successfully on breast cancer cells, was recently published in leading peer reviewed journal, Stem Cells.

21 Apr 2012

Patients with head and neck cancer can benefit from swallowing exercises

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have found that targeted swallowing exercises can help alleviate swallowing dysfunction - a debilitating side effect in people undergoing chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for head and neck cancer.

20 Apr 2012