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Necitumumab drug shows minor added benefit in patients with metastatic NSCLC

The monoclonal antibody necitumumab has been approved since February 2016 for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expressing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have not received prior chemotherapy for this condition.

5 Jul 2016

Circulating angiogenic factor shows PAH biomarker potential

Hepatoma-derived growth factor predicts disease severity and survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, showing some possible clinical advantages over N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, researchers report.

5 Jul 2016

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy 'a reasonable option' for ER-positive breast cancer

Endocrine therapy should be reconsidered as a potential option in the neoadjuvant setting for localised oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, say the authors of a meta-analysis.

1 Jul 2016

Kataegis linked to better prognosis for breast cancer patients

Kataegis is a recently discovered phenomenon in which multiple mutations cluster in a few hotspots in a genome. The anomaly was previously found in some cancers, but it has been unclear what role kataegis plays in tumor development and patient outcomes.

1 Jul 2016

Scientists aim to explore how gestational diabetes can put babies at lifelong risk for cardiovascular disease

Gestational diabetes can put babies at a lifelong risk for cardiovascular disease, and scientists want to better understand how.

21 Jun 2016

New blood test could help predict severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that rising blood levels of a protein called hematoma derived growth factor (HDGF) are linked to the increasing severity of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a form of damaging high blood pressure in the lungs.

20 Jun 2016

Cabozantinib extends advanced RCC overall survival

Patients with advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma derive a significant overall survival benefit from second-line treatment with the multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib relative to everolimus.

18 Jun 2016

IGF-1 protein may be key to prevent heart disease in older adults

As men and women grow older, their chances for coronary heart disease also increase. Atherosclerosis is a condition in which plaque builds up inside the arteries, which can lead to serious problems, including heart attacks, strokes or even death.

16 Jun 2016

Diet modification could help improve quality of life in women with ovarian cancer

New research conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has shown that a particular type of diet could help women with ovarian cancer to lose weight and improve their quality of life and cancer-related measures.

16 Jun 2016

New nano-fabricated platform provides accurate post-surgery prognosis for glioblastoma patients

A new nano-fabricated platform for observing brain cancer cells provides a much more detailed look at how the cells migrate and a more accurate post-surgery prognosis for brain cancer (glioblastoma) patients.

14 Jun 2016

Researchers find link between specific genetic pathway and development of mouth ulcers in lupus patients

The results of a study presented today at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress showed for the first time an association between a specific genetic pathway and the development of mouth ulcers in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).

13 Jun 2016

Johns Hopkins researchers develop lab test that accurately predicts glioblastoma aggression and spread

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report they have developed an experimental laboratory test that accurately clocks the “speed” of human brain tumor cell movement along a small glass “track.”

13 Jun 2016

New qPAINT technology helps develop more precise, less expensive microscopes

Knowing the exact number of molecules located at specific junctures in cells can be a critical measure of health as well as disease. For example, abnormally high numbers of growth factor receptors on cells can be an indication of cancerous and precancerous states; specific proteins located at the junction where neurons connect in the brain may affect brain function as they accumulate or disperse.

10 Jun 2016

New mathematical model helps examine metabolism of breast epithelium

Researchers have built a model to investigate the metastasis of cancer by examining the metabolism of breast epithelial cells and look at the role of signaling. This research, published in PLOS Computational Biology, may contribute to the development of cell specific anti-cancer interventions.

8 Jun 2016

Study shows no higher cancer risk in patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery with rhBMP

Adding to previous evidence, a study based on a statewide cancer database shows no increase in cancer risk in patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery with the bone-promoting growth factor recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP). The study appears in Spine, published by Wolters Kluwer.

8 Jun 2016

New study identifies PDGFRα as key molecule for HCMV viral entry

A publication in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology identifies PDGFRα as the receptor for the trimeric gHgLgO complex of Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV).

7 Jun 2016

Researchers aim to find new approach to improve chronic wound repair

Chronic wounds cause nearly 80,000 lower leg amputations annually in the U.S. alone and are associated with an increased likelihood of death.

6 Jun 2016

FDA approves blood-based cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2 for NSCLC patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2, a blood-based companion diagnostic for the cancer drug Tarceva (erlotinib). This is the first FDA-approved, blood-based genetic test that can detect epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

2 Jun 2016

Multiple cell and gene therapies can enhance cardiac function in mice modeled with MI

Researchers at the University of Utah compared the therapeutic potential of umbilical cord-derived sub-epithelial cells (UC-SECs), bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) -- all derived from human tissue -- along with genes (S100a1 and SDF-1a) and growth factor (VEGF165) to evaluate how injected biologics might enhance cardiac function in mice modeled with myocardial infarction (MI; commonly referred to as heart attack).