Oncology News and Research

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Oncology, meaning bulk, mass, or tumor, and the suffix ''-logy'', meaning "study of") is a branch of medicine that deals with tumors (cancer). A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''.

Researchers identify promising new compound for targeting triple-negative breast cancer

Researchers at the University of Michigan have identified a promising new compound for targeting one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer.

9 Jun 2016

New technology can detect KRAS gene mutations, facilitate targeted therapies for lung and colorectal cancers

A new technology suitable for practical clinical testing can detect KRAS gene mutations in lung and colorectal cancers and could thereby facilitate targeted therapies, according to a new report in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

8 Jun 2016

LA-NSCLC patients treated at high-volume centers survive longer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States and is estimated to have contributed to 221,200 new cases and 158,040 deaths in 2015 alone. A secondary analysis of NRG Oncology's clinical trial RTOG 0617, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, was initiated in an effort to evaluate the effect of institution accrual volume on clinical outcomes among patients receiving chemoradiation for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC).

8 Jun 2016

PCP screening could be effective way to improve early melanoma diagnosis

Skin cancer screenings performed by primary care physicians (PCPs) during routine office visits improve the detection of potentially deadly melanomas and find them in earlier stages, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

8 Jun 2016

Researchers find link between obesity and disease relapse in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma patients

Obesity has been identified as an adverse risk factor for survival in many adult and childhood cancers, but not in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma, the most common cancer in adolescents.

7 Jun 2016

Nivolumab drug benefits metastatic RCC patients who continued treatment beyond progression

In a large randomized study, the immunotherapy drug nivolumab, a checkpoint inhibitor, was shown to be a safe and effective therapy for kidney cancer even in patients who continued treatment after their disease progressed.

7 Jun 2016

Two autologous stem-cell transplants improve survival of children with high-risk neuroblastoma

Children with high-risk neuroblastoma whose treatment included two autologous stem-cell transplants were more likely to be free of cancer three years later than patients who underwent a single transplant, a Phase 3 clinical trial has found.

7 Jun 2016

Personalized therapy shows improved response in cancer patients

In a meta-analysis of hundreds of clinical trials involving thousands of patients, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that therapeutic approaches using precision medicine, which emphasizes the use of individual genetics to refine cancer treatment, showed improved response and longer periods of disease remission, even in phase I trials.

7 Jun 2016

Panel of microRNAs can predict patients at risk for developing HBV-driven liver cancer

Hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, is increasing in incidence in the United States, and infection with the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes about 50 percent of cases.

7 Jun 2016

Existing immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab shows promise for specific sarcoma subtypes

An existing cancer immunotherapy drug reduces tumor size in some types of rare connective tissue cancers, called sarcomas, report researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

7 Jun 2016

New clinical study data could redefine treatment for mCRPC patients

Janssen-Cilag International NV today announced that data from an interim analysis of The Prostate Cancer Registry, Europe’s first and largest prospective study of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), indicate that the presence of distant metastases (M1) at initial diagnosis may be a critical indicator of future treatment and prognosis for mCRPC patients.

7 Jun 2016

Multi-center study may help reassure breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen drug

A study led by Loyola Medicine researchers may help reassure patients who worry the breast cancer drug tamoxifen could increase their risk of uterine cancer.

7 Jun 2016

Study shows aggressive end-of-life care for young cancer patients may be less effective

In the last month of their lives, younger cancer patients continued to be hospitalized and receive other aggressive treatment at high rates, a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center-led study found.

7 Jun 2016

Combination immunotherapy may be better than one to combat metastatic melanoma

A new metastatic melanoma study suggests that a combination of two immunotherapies may be better than one.

7 Jun 2016

Pembrolizumab drug shows significant clinical responses in metastatic head and neck cancer patients

Treating head and neck cancer patients with recurrent or metastatic disease with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab resulted in significant clinical responses in a fifth of the patients from a phase II clinical trial, researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions reported at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

7 Jun 2016

Innovative mouse model could provide new strategy to arrest growth of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common of pancreatic cancers, is extraordinarily lethal, with a 5-year survival rate of just 6 percent. Chemotherapy treatments are poorly effective, in part due to a high degree of drug-resistance to currently used regimens.

7 Jun 2016

Taking hormone therapy drugs for additional five years improves outcomes in breast cancer patients

Breast cancer patients significantly benefit by taking hormone therapy drugs called aromatase inhibitors for an additional five years, according to a major study presented at the Plenary Session of the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Jun 2016

Researchers find increased cancer incidence among patients with primary immunodeficiency disorders

Primary immunodeficiency disorders are a group of more than 300 single gene defects that affect the role of the immune system and prevent it from functioning properly. When Roswell Park Cancer Institute researchers evaluated the overall and site-specific incidence of cancer among patients registered in the United States Immune Deficiency Network, they found increased cancer incidence rates among patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases — and, in particular, a significant increase in lymphoma cases.

7 Jun 2016

Higher blood levels of methotrexate impair executive functioning in long-term pediatric ALL survivors

Research from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital suggests that pediatric leukemia patients exposed to higher concentrations of the chemotherapy drug methotrexate are more likely to struggle with mental flexibility, organization and related skills as long-term survivors.

7 Jun 2016

Financial pressures prevent access to much-needed care for cancer patients

Financial pressures kept cancer patients from filling prescription medications and attending their doctors' visits, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers found in a new study.

6 Jun 2016

Oncology News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers identify promising new compound for targeting triple-negative breast cancer

New technology can detect KRAS gene mutations, facilitate targeted therapies for lung and colorectal cancers

LA-NSCLC patients treated at high-volume centers survive longer

PCP screening could be effective way to improve early melanoma diagnosis

Researchers find link between obesity and disease relapse in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma patients

Nivolumab drug benefits metastatic RCC patients who continued treatment beyond progression

Two autologous stem-cell transplants improve survival of children with high-risk neuroblastoma

Personalized therapy shows improved response in cancer patients

Panel of microRNAs can predict patients at risk for developing HBV-driven liver cancer

Existing immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab shows promise for specific sarcoma subtypes

New clinical study data could redefine treatment for mCRPC patients

Multi-center study may help reassure breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen drug

Study shows aggressive end-of-life care for young cancer patients may be less effective

Combination immunotherapy may be better than one to combat metastatic melanoma

Pembrolizumab drug shows significant clinical responses in metastatic head and neck cancer patients

Innovative mouse model could provide new strategy to arrest growth of pancreatic cancer

Taking hormone therapy drugs for additional five years improves outcomes in breast cancer patients

Researchers find increased cancer incidence among patients with primary immunodeficiency disorders

Higher blood levels of methotrexate impair executive functioning in long-term pediatric ALL survivors

Financial pressures prevent access to much-needed care for cancer patients

Industry Focus eBook - Oncology (3rd edition) eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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