Malignant News and Research

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Stem cell microenvironment reverses malignant melanoma

Northwestern University researchers have demonstrated how the microenvironments of two human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines (federally approved) induced metastatic melanoma cells to revert to a normal, skin cell-like type with the ability to form colonies similar to hESCs.

20 Nov 2005

Pancreatic cancer vaccine extends survival

In a long awaited positive development, an experimental pancreatic cancer vaccine seems to be extending survival rates higher.

16 Nov 2005

Gene therapy potential of the protein vasostatin for treatment of pancreatic cancer

A gene responsible for the production of a protein called vasostatin may prove a promising new way of treating pancreatic cancer, suggests research published ahead of print in Gut.

15 Nov 2005

Researchers can now identify patients likely to respond to cancer drug therapy

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer have identified key characteristics in certain deadly brain tumors that make them 51 times more likely to respond to a specific class of drugs than tumors in which the molecular signature is absent.

13 Nov 2005

Young scientists turn to gel to ease side-effects of cancer treatment

Three young scientists in the University of York’s Department of Chemistry have developed a gel that could spare cancer patients some of the unpleasant and dangerous side-effects of radiotherapy.

8 Nov 2005

Aspirin may prevent skin cancer

Australian scientists say that common drugs such as aspirin may hold the key to reducing the risk of developing skin cancer.

8 Nov 2005

Survival odds for cancer 3 times better but after-care pretty scant

Modern day advances in surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment have meant that now, more than three times as many cancer victims survive the disease than three decades ago.

8 Nov 2005

Cholesterol lowering drugs do not appear to decrease the risk of melanoma

No clear evidence exists that some widely-prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs can decrease the risk of melanoma, a deadly and malignant skin cancer, according to a new review of recent studies.

7 Nov 2005

Research project to advance understanding of how cancer cells evade the immune system

A pre-clinical research project coordinated by The University of Manchester, which will advance understanding of how cancer cells evade the immune system, has been awarded nearly 12m Euro by the EU.

From The University of Manchester 7 Nov 2005

Ospemifine may also help to prevent breast cancer

A tamoxifen-like drug developed by UC Davis and Finnish researchers, now in clinical testing as a treatment for vaginal atrophy, may also help to prevent breast cancer, two preliminary studies suggest.

3 Nov 2005

Role of alpha tocopherol associated protein in prostate cancer

Researchers have identified a protein that disrupts an important signaling pathway in prostate cancer cells and suppresses growth of the cancer.

1 Nov 2005

Discovery of signaling mechanism may help prevent metastatic melanoma

Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered a key signaling mechanism that may promote the ability of highly aggressive malignant melanoma cells to metastasize, or spread from a primary tumor to distant sites within the body.

1 Nov 2005

Buccal mucosa may help test for lung cancer

In a new study presented at CHEST 2005, the 71st annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), scientists found that buccal mucosa, or cells scraped from the inner part of the cheek, may contain information that separates patients with lung cancer from high-risk negatives

1 Nov 2005

Novel mouse model of medulloblastoma

A collaboration of researchers, led by Dr. Martine Roussel of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, has developed a novel mouse model of medulloblastoma -- the most prevalent malignant pediatric brain tumor -- that the researchers hope will more accurately represent the genetic changes involved in human brain tumor development.

30 Oct 2005

Discovery of how communication between cancer cells is controlled

The discovery, by scientists at Monash University and the Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, of how communication between cancer cells is controlled has promised new treatment options for malignant tumours.

30 Oct 2005

Measurement of telomerase activity in urine appears useful for detection of bladder cancer in men

The incidence of human bladder cancer has greatly increased over the last few decades, with more than 60,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States alone, and now represents the 4th most common malignancy in men and the 10th most common in women, according to background information in the article.

25 Oct 2005

New treatments suggest that cancer is on the run!

People suffering from cancer will be encouraged by a cluster of recent reports on successful new treatments for several different forms of cancer.

24 Oct 2005

Researchers learn to rapidly rebuild immunity in immune-suppressed cancer patients

Patients with multiple myeloma suffer from a malignant proliferation of plasma cells in their bone marrow. The standard treatment for this form of cancer is high-dose chemotherapy and transplantation of one's own blood-producing adult stem cells; however, this aggressive treatment wipes out the mature immune-system cells of patients – leaving them vulnerable to infection.

20 Oct 2005

Treating malignant melanoma of the uvea with radiation therapy can spare patients from significant vision loss

Treating a rare form of eye cancer with radiation therapy can spare patients from significant vision loss, according to new research at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

18 Oct 2005

People who carry a mutation in the melanoma susceptibility gene CDKN2A have a much lower risk of melanoma

In addition, most familial clusters of melanoma occur in families without identifiable mutations in this gene, according to a new study that appears in the October 19 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

18 Oct 2005