Biopsy News and Research

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Biopsy is the removal of cells or tissues for examination by a pathologist. The pathologist may study the tissue under a microscope or perform other tests on the cells or tissue. There are many different types of biopsy procedures. The most common types include: (1) incisional biopsy, in which only a sample of tissue is removed; (2) excisional biopsy, in which an entire lump or suspicious area is removed; and (3) needle biopsy, in which a sample of tissue or fluid is removed with a needle. When a wide needle is used, the procedure is called a core biopsy. When a thin needle is used, the procedure is called a fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

New endoscopic OCT system enables 3-D imaging of esophagus, colon cancers

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a new imaging system that enables high-speed, three-dimensional (3-D) imaging of microscopic pre-cancerous changes in the esophagus or colon.

2 Aug 2011

Positive results from Alnylam's ALN-VSP Phase I trial for liver cancer

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has completed its Phase I study with ALN-VSP, a systemically delivered RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of advanced solid tumors with liver involvement.

1 Aug 2011

New fluorescent tool can track mysterious workings of cellular RNAs

The ability to tag proteins with a green fluorescent light to watch how they behave inside cells so revolutionized the understanding of protein biology that it earned the scientific teams who developed the technique Nobel Prizes in 2008.

30 Jul 2011

Yaupon seeks FDA marketing approval of mechlorethamine gel for mycosis fungoides

Yaupon Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company, announced today the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its propriety gel formulation of mechlorethamine hydrochloride (mechlorethamine).

28 Jul 2011

Breast cancer survival and lymph nodes

A large new study has found that a lymph node-sparing test hailed as revolutionary for its conservative approach does not lead to longer survival times for women undergoing lumpectomies whose early-stage breast cancer has spread microscopically.

27 Jul 2011

Women with early-stage breast cancer do not benefit from lymph node removal

A new study shows that removing lymph nodes due to the presence of occult, or microscopic, cancer cells found in the sentinel lymph node - the one closest to the tumor -- has no impact on survival outcomes of women with early-stage breast cancer.

27 Jul 2011

Lipofilling found safe after breast cancer surgery

Preliminary experience suggests that lipofilling—using fat from elsewhere in the patient's body for contouring of the breasts—is a safe procedure for women who have undergone breast cancer surgery, reports a study in the August issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

27 Jul 2011

Enrollment begins in Repligen's RG1068 pilot study to improve detection, staging of pancreatic cancer

Repligen Corporation today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in a pilot study to evaluate the ability of RG1068 to improve detection and characterization of pancreatic cancer in combination with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography.

22 Jul 2011

Roche signs agreement to acquire mtm laboratories

Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that Roche has signed an agreement under which it will acquire 100 percent of mtm laboratories AG (mtm), a privately-held company based in Heidelberg, Germany.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 19 Jul 2011

Cancer rates increase among middle-aged people in Great Britain

CANCER rates in middle-aged men and women in Great Britain have gone up by nearly 20 per cent in a generation - an increase of 17,000 cases a year - according to new figures released today (Monday) by Cancer Research UK.

18 Jul 2011

UIC study reveals potential of lycopene in prostate cancer prevention among African American men

Lycopene, a red pigment that gives tomatoes and certain other fruits and vegetables their color, could help prevent prostate cancer, especially in African American men, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

14 Jul 2011

Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin establishes MagForce NanoTherm therapy center for treatment of tumors

Nanostart subsidiary MagForce Nanotechnologies AG, a leading medical technology company focusing on nanomedicine in oncology, announced that the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin published the establishment of its NanoTherm therapy center for the treatment of recurrent brain tumors.

8 Jul 2011

Enrollment commences in InterMune's Esbriet Phase 3 study for IPF

InterMune today announced that patient enrollment has begun in ASCEND, a new Phase 3 study of pirfenidone for patients who suffer from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

8 Jul 2011

Endoscopic testing prior to lung cancer surgery improves quality of life

Patients who underwent endoscopic testing prior to surgery for lung cancer had significantly better quality of life at the end of the staging process, with no significant difference in costs between the two strategies, according to data presented at the 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Amsterdam, hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

7 Jul 2011

Cumulus cells can provide information about genetic and chromosomal status of eggs

At present, when a woman undergoes preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) in a fertility clinic, doctors are trying to select an egg or an embryo that is healthy and doesn't have a chromosome abnormality such as an extra copy of chromosome 21, which causes Down's syndrome. In order to establish this, they either have to biopsy a part of the egg called the polar body or remove a cell from the embryo for screening. Both procedures are expensive, invasive and can damage the egg or embryo.

6 Jul 2011

Cleavage stage embryo with aneuploidy can undergo genetic normalisation process

Professor William G. Kearns told the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology that a three-day-old embryo with an incorrect number of chromosomes was capable of undergoing "a dynamic process of genetic normalisation" so that by day five, when it had developed to the blastocyst stage, it had become euploid, with the correct number of chromosomes.

5 Jul 2011

Mammograms should be personalized based on woman's age, breast density

Mammograms should not be done on a one-size fits all basis, but instead should be personalized based on a woman's age, the density of her breasts, her family history of breast cancer and a number of other factors including her own values.

5 Jul 2011

Lung cancer screenings reduce risk of dying by 20%: Study

A lnew study shows some smokers' lives could be saved by screening with lung scans and the chances improve further if there is a false alarm.

30 Jun 2011

New model estimates impact of lifestyle changes on absolute breast cancer risk

How much can a woman lower her risk of breast cancer by losing weight, drinking less, or exercising more? A study published online June 24 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute describes a new model to estimate the impact of these lifestyle changes on absolute breast cancer risk, suggesting risk reductions that could translate into a substantial number of prevented cancers across an entire population.

27 Jun 2011

New strategy to prevent amputations

Blood vessels and supporting cells appear to be pivotal partners in repairing nerves ravaged by diabetic neuropathy, and nurturing their partnership with nerve cells might make the difference between success and failure in experimental efforts to regrow damaged nerves, Johns Hopkins researchers report in a new study.

24 Jun 2011