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Screening tests find colorectal cancer in its earliest stages when it can be treated more successfully

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. In 2004, it’s estimated that CRC caused nearly 57,000 deaths.

18 Jan 2005

Broadening treatment to battle recurrence of endometrial cancer

Mayo Clinic researchers studying endometrial cancer have found that patients at risk for relapse based on identified risk factors had a 46 percent probability of experiencing recurrence within five years despite treatment with state-of-the-art therapy.

18 Jan 2005

Home HIV-AIDS test could be a reality within two years

A portable device similar to a home pregnancy test that can quickly detect the presence of infectious diseases, including HIV-AIDS and measles as well as biological agents such as Ricin and anthrax, is the goal of a new joint research project

17 Jan 2005

Alvesco now available for asthma sufferers in the United Kingdom

Altana AG has announced that Alvesco (Ciclesonide), a novel inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) for the treatment of adults (18+ years) suffering from persistent asthma is now available for the first time in the United Kingdom (UK).

17 Jan 2005

Scientific evidence on passive smoking is inconclusive

Scientific evidence on environmental tobacco smoke (ETS or so-called "passive smoking") is inconclusive and does not justify a total ban on smoking in public places, it was argued at a conference on public smoking in Edinburgh today.

17 Jan 2005

GenoMed files patent application on two genes linked to common cancers

GenoMed announced today that it has filed a patent application on two genes linked to common cancers. These are the first new disease genes the company has filed on since its multiple patent applications about ACE, a "master" disease gene.

17 Jan 2005

Avastin available across Europe within the next few weeks

Roche has announced that the European Commission has approved Avastin (bevacizumab, rhuMAb-VEGF), the new innovative anti-angiogenesis drug, for the treatment of patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer.

16 Jan 2005

High health care burden of acute chest pain

Chest pain accounts for almost three quarter of a million emergency care visits in England and Wales every year - around double previous estimates - indicates research in Heart.

16 Jan 2005

Tobacco industry involvement in p53 gene research impairs integrity of the scientific process

The strategies used by the tobacco industry to counteract research linking tobacco smoke to cancer-causing mutations in a gene called p53 are detailed in a study published in The Lancet.

13 Jan 2005

Evaluation of BAY 43-9006 (Sorafenib) for pancreatic cancer

Oncologists from USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center are running tests on a new pancreatic cancer drug that targets the cancer from two directions.

13 Jan 2005

Alarming ignorance about cancer in Britain

There is an alarming ignorance about cancer and how to reduce the risk of the disease which is Britain's biggest killer – a special survey reveals today.

13 Jan 2005

Smoking marijuana is associated with increased risk of many of the same symptoms as smoking cigarettes

Smoking marijuana is associated with increased risk of many of the same symptoms as smoking cigarettes--chronic bronchitis, coughing on most days, phlegm production, shortness of breath, and wheezing, according to a Yale study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

13 Jan 2005

First new guidelines in more than a decade for managing asthma during pregnancy

The report reflects new medications that have emerged and updates treatment recommendations for pregnant women with asthma based on a systematic review of data on the safety of asthma medications during pregnancy. An executive summary ("Quick Reference") of the guidelines is published in the January issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

12 Jan 2005

New portable infectious disease detector

A portable device similar to today's home pregnancy tests that can quickly detect the presence of infectious diseases, including HIV-AIDS and measles, as well as biological agents such as ricin and anthrax, is the object of a new joint university/industry research project.

10 Jan 2005

Scientists examine the role of small sputum macrophages in the widespread disease chronic obstructive bronchitis

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is one of the most common fatal diseases worldwide. In Germany alone, there are about 3-5 million patients affected. COPD includes both chronic obstructive bronchitis and emphysema. Both represent irreversible changes of the central and lower respiratory tract which are accompanied by coughing, mucus production and difficulty in breathing.

10 Jan 2005

Potential new therapies for cancer and bleeding disorders

Lexicon Genetics announced today that it has advanced two of its drug discovery programs into preclinical development in preparation for investigational new drug (IND) applications.

10 Jan 2005

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis study points to survival as key endpoint in future actimmune studies

InterMune, Inc. today announced that CHEST, the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, published an important analysis of variables that measure clinical outcomes in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a deadly and debilitating lung disease.

10 Jan 2005

Rotary blood pump shows promise for pediatric patients

Ventricular assist devices (VADs), blood pumps used in heart failure situations, now have the potential for use in additional patient groups. Scientists and clinicians gathered at the 11th Congress of the International Society of Rotary Blood Pumps in Germany last year to discuss past lessons learned and future directions for this technology.

10 Jan 2005

Scientists identify genes that promote the growth and recurrence of skin cancer

Andrzej Dlugosz, M.D., a professor of dermatology in the U-M Medical School, and colleagues at the University of Michigan and the National Cancer Institute examined the functions of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway in basal cell carcinoma – the most common form of cancer – and uncovered a subset of tumor cells that were resistant to inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway.

10 Jan 2005

First program to apply RNA interference (RNAi) technology to asthma

Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. has announced the first program to apply RNA interference (RNAi) technology to asthma, a highly prevalent, chronic disease accounting for an estimated $13 billion in healthcare costs in the United States, a number which is forecast to grow considerably by the end of the decade.

7 Jan 2005