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.

Cancer vaccines receive orphan drug designation for advanced head and neck cancer

Two experimental vaccines from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) recently received a federal orphan drug designation for advanced head and neck cancer, according to a company official.

9 Apr 2009

Breastmilk test may reveal cancer risk early

Beginning this month and for the next year, environmental toxicologist Kathleen Arcaro of the University of Massachusetts Amherst will be recruiting subjects nationwide for a study to see if cells expressed in nursing mothers' breastmilk might one day provide a quick, easy way to assess a woman's future breast cancer risk.

5 Apr 2009

Varicella zoster infection causes severe autoimmune hepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic liver inflammation of unknown etiology that is characterized by the presence of circulatory autoantibodies and ongoing liver tissue damage.

2 Apr 2009

Colonoscopy versus virtual colonoscopy

Today, patients have a wide selection of colorectal cancer screening exams from which to choose, unlike with other types of cancers.

2 Apr 2009

New light-based system reveals breast tumor oxygen status

Light directed at a breast tumor through a needle can provide pathologists with biological specifics of the tumor and help oncologists choose treatment options that would be most effective for that individual patient.

1 Apr 2009

Heart burn surgery reverses chronic rejection in transplant patient

Acid reflux is thought to be - at most - an irritating condition easily controlled with medication, diet and weight loss.

1 Apr 2009

Octogenarian muscles don't strengthen with exercise

Octogenarian women were unable to increase muscle mass after a 3-month weight lifting program targeted at strengthening the thigh muscle, according to a new study from the Journal of Applied Physiology.

31 Mar 2009

New approach to prostate cancer detection - Sarcosine may distinguish between slow-growing and aggressive prostate cancers

On Friday 20 March, US researcher Dr. Chris Beecher from the University of Michigan gave a well attended lecture about sarcosine, an N-methyl derivative of the amino acid glycine, at the 24th Annual EAU Congress in Stockholm, Sweden.

25 Mar 2009

New test for breast cancer metastasis

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have previously shown that the co-mingling of three cell types can predict whether localized breast cancer will spread throughout the body.

24 Mar 2009

Belfast gets new cancer centre

Belfast joins a unique chain of Cancer Research UK Centres that are being launched across the UK.

23 Mar 2009

Human adult testes cells can become embryonic-like

Using what they say is a relatively simple method, scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center have extracted stem/progenitor cells from testes and have converted them back into pluripotent embryonic-like stem cells.

23 Mar 2009

Biopsy of recurrent breast cancer can alter treatment

For women with recurrent breast cancer, the treatment the doctor chooses is usually based on the properties of their original breast cancer.

20 Mar 2009

PSA screening delivers a 20% reduction in mortality from prostate cancer

Screening for prostate cancer can reduce deaths by 20%, according to the results of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) published online in at NEJM, Online First.

20 Mar 2009

Prostate cancer expert say keep screening in face of contradicting data

New data evaluating the impact of screening on mortality provides mixed messages on the value of prostate cancer screening.

20 Mar 2009

Selected men with low-risk prostate cancer have good clinical outcomes without immediate treatment

A multi-center study of prostate cancer patients appearing in today's Journal of Urology recommends that for some men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer, opting not to initially receive treatment can be safe if they are closely monitored.

16 Mar 2009

Test successfully identifies arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

11 Mar 2009

New test successfully identifies arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

A study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has demonstrated that a new immunohistochemical test is reliable in diagnosing a dangerous arrhythmic heart disease known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC.) Reported in the March 12 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine ( NEJM ), the new findings offer the possibility of a highly sensitive and specific means of identifying this life- threatening condition at an early stage, when it can be treated with by implanting a cardiac defibrillator.

11 Mar 2009

Study methods influence estimates of lead time and overdiagnosis in prostate cancer

In prostate cancer, estimates of lead time (how long screening advances diagnosis of cancer) and overdiagnosis (the fraction of cancers detected by screening that would not have been diagnosed during the patient's lifetime without screening) vary widely, depending on the definition of lead time used, the population, and the estimation methodology, according to a report in the March 10 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

11 Mar 2009

Breath or urine analysis with optical gas sensors may detect cancer, diabetes

A future sensor may take away a patient's breath while simultaneously determining whether the patient has breast cancer, lung cancer, diabetes or asthma.

11 Mar 2009

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals announces positive results from Bio-Seal study

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced positive clinical study results for its Bio-Seal Lung Biopsy Tract Plug System at the Society of Interventional Radiologists Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, CA.

11 Mar 2009