Malignant News and Research

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Researchers discover one of the reasons why melanoma is so ruthless

About 60,000 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma this year, says the American Cancer Society, and 10,000 of those cases will be fatal. If not caught in the early stages, melanoma can be a particularly virulent form of cancer, spreading through the body with an efficiency that few tumors possess.

5 Sep 2005

Rev/Dex combo looks like a breakthrough treatment for multiple myeloma

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center investigators report that combination therapy with lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone (combination is called Rev/Dex) looks like a breakthrough treatment for multiple myeloma. Results of a Phase II clinical trial were published online Aug. 23 in Blood.

1 Sep 2005

Toluidine blue dye reveals oral cancers

A team of Canadian scientists may have discovered a way to use a simple dye as a litmus test to identify abnormal areas of the mouth that may become cancers.

1 Sep 2005

Study shows potential treatment for brain cancer

A compound that kills cancer can sneak past the blood brain barrier, which protects the brain from foreign substances, to do its work in fighting a particularly invasive brain cancer, according to a new Saint Louis University animal study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition the week of Aug. 22.

22 Aug 2005

Protein thought to promote lymphoma by merely preventing cancer cells from dying appears to actively promote cancer cell growth

A protein previously thought to merely hinder the activity of a key cellular protein linked to cancer cell death, now appears to mimic the cellular signaling of that protein; potentially leading to the development of lymphoma.

22 Aug 2005

Adult stem cells may play a role in the development of some forms of cancer

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that stem cells in a certain region of the brain may be the source of a particular type of incurable brain tumor and may be implicated in other types of brain cancers as well.

16 Aug 2005

FDA approval sought for Pfizer's new cancer drug

Drug company Pfizer has announced it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) for its cancer drug Sutent, to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

11 Aug 2005

Doubt cast over study that says milk linked to ovarian cancer

Swedish researchers say that drinking just one glass of milk a day may increase the risk of women developing ovarian cancer.

7 Aug 2005

Combined computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) - may detect the spread of head and neck cancer more accurately

"PET/CT is very helpful in determining where we should pinpoint our biopsies for recurrent disease," said Dr. Carol Shores, assistant professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at UNC and the report's senior author. Shores is a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

26 Jul 2005

Adding spectroscopy to breast MR examinations may improve the efficiency and quality of patient care

Measuring the biochemical changes in breast tumors with magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy enables radiologists to more accurately distinguish benign tumors from cancerous ones, according to a study appearing in the August issue of the journal Radiology.

26 Jul 2005

Rates of breast biopsy remained stable over a 12 year period even as mammogram use increased

Rates of breast biopsy (removal of tissue for diagnostic evaluation) remained stable over a 12 year period even as mammogram use increased and new and less invasive biopsy techniques were introduced, according to a study in the July 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

25 Jul 2005

Role of IL-24 in regulating the immune system

Researchers at Introgen Therapeutics and their collaborators at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have published new findings on the role of IL-24 in regulating the immune system in the current online issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.

21 Jul 2005

Biological breakthrough that could offer new hope in the fight against liver cancer

Professor John Mayer and Dr Simon Dawson, in collaboration with colleagues at Japan's Kyoto University, have discovered the function of a new liver oncoprotein - or cancer causing protein - which could be the first step to finding effective new treatments for the deadly illness.

21 Jul 2005

Minimally invasive colorectal surgery may have a less pronounced inflammatory response

Minimally invasive colorectal surgery may have a less pronounced inflammatory response and less of a suppressing effect on the immune system than conventional surgery, resulting in a possible reduction in post-operative complications, according to a study in the July issue of Archives of Surgery.

19 Jul 2005

Studies explore genetic interactions between two well-known tumor suppressor proteins, PTEN and TSC2

Two papers in the August 1 issue of Genes & Development explore the genetic interactions between two well-known tumor suppressor proteins, PTEN and TSC2.

19 Jul 2005

Data directly support a pathogenetic model of acute leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is frequently caused by genetic alterations that affect transcription factors, such as AML1-ETO and mutations affecting genes involved in signal transduction pathways, such as FLT3.

15 Jul 2005

Asbestos in rocks cause lung cancer

According to a study by a team at UC Davis Department of Public Health Sciences, everyday exposure to naturally occurring asbestos, increases the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma.

14 Jul 2005

New search method could aid in the discovery of biomarkers for breast cancer

Using a super-efficient method they invented to search for a type of cancer-related change in all genes of a cell, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers have discovered new evidence about how the "microenvironment" of breast cancers helps drive the cancers' growth and migration.

13 Jul 2005

Mesothelioma may be caused by exposure to ultramafic rock

Everyday exposure to naturally occurring asbestos increases the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma, according to a study by UC Davis researchers.