Leukemia News and Research

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Leukemia (Leukaemia) is a cancer of the blood cells. It is the most common type of blood cancer and affects 10 times as many adults as children. Most people diagnosed with leukemia are over 50 years old. No one knows why some people develop leukemia and others do not. However, scientists have identified some risk factors for the disease. Most people who have known risk factors do not get leukemia, while many who do get the disease have none of these risk factors. During the early stages of leukemia, there may be no symptoms. Many of the symptoms of leukemia don't become apparent until a large number of normal blood cells are crowded out by leukemia cells.

Congestive heart failure is rare among leukemia patients who take imatinib

Congestive heart failure rarely occurs among leukemia patients who take imatinib, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center found after an exhaustive review of the detailed medical histories of 1,276 patients who enrolled in clinical trials for the drug.

10 Sep 2007

Revlimid receives approval in Switzerland for treatment of multiple myeloma

Celgene International Sarl has announced that it's oral cancer drug, Revlimid (lenalidomide) has been granted approval by the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) for use in combination with dexamethasone as a treatment for patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy.

5 Sep 2007

Genetics of imatinib resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

In the September 15th issue of Genes & Development, Drs. Richard T. Williams, Willem den Besten, and Charles J. Sherr at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis TN, lend new insights into how an aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) develops, and how sensitivity to the targeted chemotherapeutic drug, imatinib, can be diminished through interactions between tumor cells and the host microenvironment.

30 Aug 2007

Biologic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and the risk of cancer

The relationship between rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease marked by chronic inflammation of the joints and tissue surrounding vital organs, and the incidence of cancer is complicated.

30 Aug 2007

Fingolimod shows promise in 2 lethal leukemias

A new study suggests that an experimental drug being tested for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and to prevent organ rejection might also help people with certain deadly forms of chronic and acute leukemia.

29 Aug 2007

FDA grants orphan drug designation to TREANDA

Cephalon, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Orphan Products Development granted orphan drug designation for the company's investigational therapy, TREANDA (bendamustine HCl), for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

29 Aug 2007

St. Jude discovers factors that accelerate resistance to Gleevec targeted therapy in lymphoblastic leukemia

Results of a study by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital provide strong evidence for why the drug imatinib (Gleevec), which has revolutionized the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), is often unable to prevent relapse of a particularly aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

29 Aug 2007

Potential new leukemia drug

In a new study, Danilo Perrotti and colleagues from Ohio State University, Columbus, show that treatment with a drug known as FTY720 prevents disease in a mouse model of many leukemias caused by the cancer protein BCR-ABL (nearly all cases of blast crisis chronic myeloid leukemia [CML-BC] and some cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia [ALL]).

24 Aug 2007

Nuclear nanocapsules to target tiny tumors

Rice University chemists have found a way to package some of nature's most powerful radioactive particles inside DNA-sized tubes of pure carbon -- a method they hope to use to target tiny tumors and even lone leukemia cells.

24 Aug 2007

First large-scale study of proteins inside human cells called Jurkat T cells

The study, which appears in the August issue of Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, could lead to a better understanding of how proteins inside a specific type of cell work together and may pave the way for future detailed studies of how proteins work in other types of cells.

24 Aug 2007

Rapamycin study is first stage in development of new treatment

Rapamycin isn't your ordinary potential anti-cancer drug…It had a long and somewhat exotic history before undergoing preclinical (laboratory-based) studies at St. Jude as part of a national Pediatric Preclinical Testing Program (PPTP) investigation of its anticancer activity.

23 Aug 2007

Study helps predict anesthesia-linked risks for children with chest tumors

Children with mediastinal masses - tumors in their chest outside the lungs - are at special risk for developing breathing problems when they undergo anesthesia. These young patients are of special concern to clinicians who must anesthetize them as part of their medical treatment.

23 Aug 2007

Cancer stem cell scientists get $1.7 million to develop new leukemia drugs

"Modern cancer treatments fail to get to the root of the cancer - the stem cells - which is why many cancers recur despite aggressive treatment."

23 Aug 2007

Critical blood shortage in southeastern Michigan

The American Red Cross Southeastern Michigan Blood Services Region is issuing an urgent appeal for blood donors. Recent extraordinary patient needs and consistent low donor turnout this month have caused the local blood supply to drop to critically low levels.

21 Aug 2007

New formula to gauge risk of disease clusters

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a mathematical formula to assess whether concentrated disease outbreaks can be ascribed to random-chance events or, instead, suggest a contagious or environmental effect that requires epidemiological investigation.

17 Aug 2007

Combination of drugs might decrease the chance of chronic myeloid leukemia returning

Individuals with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are treated first with a drug known as imatinib (Gleevec), which targets the protein known to cause the cancer (BCR-ABL).

17 Aug 2007

Detection of gene fusions in prostate cancer

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered how genes turn on the switch that leads to prostate cancer.

3 Aug 2007

Aggressive therapy best for certain acute myeloid leukemia patients

A new study suggests that acute leukemia patients whose cancer cells show a genetic change that usually predicts a swift return of the disease following remission may remain disease-free longer when given aggressive therapy.

2 Aug 2007

New St. Jude alliance with San Diego institutions helps advance fight against cancer

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital continues to define the forefront of clinical care and research by announcing the creation of a new alliance with two Southern California institutions: Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego; and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

1 Aug 2007