Liver Cancer News and Research

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Liver cancer is more common in older people. Over half of people newly diagnosed with liver cancer are age 65 and over. Liver cancer is more common in men than in women. Liver cancer rates are highest among Asians and Pacific Islanders, most likely because of higher prevalence of viral Hepatitis infection. Liver cancer rates are lower among whites than Blacks or Asians and Pacific Islanders. At this time, we do not know exactly what causes cancer of the liver. There are several different types of liver cancer. The most common type is associated with long-term excessive alcoholic beverage use, scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), and Hepatitis B virus or Hepatitis C virus infection. Long-term use of anabolic steroids can also increase the risk of getting liver cancer. Smoking is also believed to increase the risk of getting liver cancer.

Curis reports first quarter net loss of $6.8 million

Curis, Inc., a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, today reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011.

28 Apr 2011

Hepatitis B virus rebound common in patients receiving nucleoside analogs for chronic hepatitis B

A rebound of the Hepatitis B virus is common in patients receiving nucleoside analogs for chronic hepatitis B, according to a study from U-M hepatologists. But nearly 40% of the rebounds or virological breakthroughs (VBTs) were not related to antiviral drug resistance.

28 Apr 2011

IL28B gene plays a key role in spontaneous HCV clearance in infants

New research shows that high maternal viral load and co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus are the only risk factors associated with vertical transmission of the hepatitis C virus.

28 Apr 2011

New screening marker can detect pancreatic cancer

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a protein that shows distinct changes in structure between pancreatic cancer, non-cancerous diseases and normal blood serum. The protein also changes from early stage pancreatic cancer to advanced disease.

28 Apr 2011

Children, adolescents with liver disease may not benefit from vitamin E or metformin

In contrast to previous preliminary data, use of vitamin E or the diabetes drug metformin was not superior to placebo on a measured outcome for treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children and adolescents, according to a study in the April 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Apr 2011

FDA grants orphan drug status to Provectus' PV-10 for liver cancer treatment

Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage oncology and dermatology biopharmaceutical company, has received orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Rose Bengal, the active ingredient in its novel oncology drug PV-10, for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of primary liver cancer.

27 Apr 2011

MRG: Radioembolization is expected to grow from $50M in sales in 2011 to $128M in 2015

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, embolization particles will show the most significant growth, both in procedure volume and in revenue, among all devices in the transcatheter embolization and occlusion (TEO) market. Radioembolization is expected to grow from $50 million in sales in 2011 to $128 million in 2015, while drug-eluting beads will grow from $11 million to $28 million over the same period.

21 Apr 2011

Jennerex and Green Cross report positive phase 2 JX-594 clinical trial for liver cancer

Jennerex, Inc., a private clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class targeted oncolytic products for cancer, and Green Cross Corporation, a leading company in the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of viral vaccines and other biological products, today reported positive clinical data from a Phase 2 trial evaluating JX-594 for liver cancer which was conducted in South Korea.

21 Apr 2011

Cancer Centers of North Carolina buys WROS from Wake Radiology

Cancer Centers of North Carolina (CCNC), an affiliate of the United Network of US Oncology and the first practice to offer community-based outpatient cancer care in the Triangle with locations in Raleigh, North Raleigh, Cary, Dunn and Clayton, has purchased Wake Radiology Oncology Services (WROS) from Wake Radiology, the oldest and largest multi-site radiology group in central North Carolina.

21 Apr 2011

Quest Diagnostics launches AccuType IL28B test for HCV

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced the availability of its AccuType® IL28B test for aiding in the prediction of patient response to peginterferon alpha-based therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

From Quest Diagnostics 18 Apr 2011

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease linked to coronary artery disease

Because of the prevalence of obesity in our country, many Americans are expected to develop a serious condition called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which can lead to cirrhosis, fibrosis, and in some cases liver failure. It is also one of the best predictors for coronary artery disease.

18 Apr 2011

Transgene, Inovio and ChronTech collaborate for novel vaccine phase I trial in HCV

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today it has signed a collaboration agreement with Transgene S.A. and ChronTech Pharma AB to evaluate a novel therapeutic vaccination strategy against genotype 1 hepatitis C virus in a phase I clinical study.

18 Apr 2011

Study: Low-carb diet greatly reduces liver fat

Curbing carbohydrates is more effective than cutting calories for individuals who want to quickly reduce the amount of fat in their liver, report UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers.

15 Apr 2011

Depression can sabotage efforts to effectively treat Hepatitis C

Adherence to interferon, an important medication used to treat Hepatitis C, is critical to successfully clearing the virus that causes the disease. A new observational analysis by Medco Health Solutions, Inc. finds that when Hepatitis C patients are also being treated for depression -- a frequent side effect of interferon use -- they are more likely to remain on their interferon therapy.

12 Apr 2011

Experimental Biology 2011 to be held April 9-13 in Washington, D.C.

The meeting Experimental Biology 2011 (EB 2011) begins April 9 and runs through April 13 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

8 Apr 2011

Increased mortality rates seen in chronic Hep C patients with pre-cirrhotic advanced fibrosis

A three-year follow-up study of patients in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term Treatment against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) trial revealed that increased mortality among patients with advanced chronic hepatitis C who received long-term peginterferon therapy was attributed to non-liver related causes and occurred primarily in patients with bridging fibrosis. No pattern to this excess mortality was evident to researchers, but deaths were unrelated to the peginterferon treatment. Full findings are published in the April issue of Hepatology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

7 Apr 2011

Alcohol raises risk of cancers: Study

This comes from a large Europe-wide study published in the British Medical Journal that found that one-in-10 of all cancers in men and one-in-33 of all cancers in women are caused by past or current alcohol intake. For alcohol-related cancers, one-in-three in men and one-in-20 in women are caused by any excessive drinking. According to cancer charities say people should limit their drinking to lower the risk.

7 Apr 2011

TBL1 levels may help identify obese persons at risk of developing fatty liver

Excess fat around the hips and belly may not really be compatible with current beauty ideals, but, to a certain degree, it is a normal, even vital energy store of our body. However, it is a different matter if the organism stores fat in organs such as the liver, pancreas or muscles. This is a clear sign of a metabolic disorder.

7 Apr 2011

Navigator-3 gene plays a key role in liver development

Scientists of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch have demonstrated for the first time that a gene regulating neuronal cell migration during embryogenesis also plays a role in the development of the liver.

7 Apr 2011

Jennerex, Transgene present JX-594 Phase 1 and 2 study data in liver cancer at EASL meeting

Jennerex, Inc., a private clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on the development and commercialization of first-in-class targeted oncolytic products for cancer, and Transgene,a bio-pharmaceutical company specialized in the development of immunotherapeutic products, today announced that new data from Phase 1 and 2 clinical studies of JX-594 were presented in an oral presentation at the 46th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver over the weekend at the Internationales Congress Centrum in Berlin, Germany.

5 Apr 2011