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New brain metastases treatment guidelines

New treatment guidelines for patients with brain metastases are now available from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS).

10 Dec 2009

Robarts researcher identifies protein which regulates cell suicide

When cells experience DNA damage, they'll try to repair it. But if that fails, the damaged cells are supposed to self-destruct, a process called apoptosis. A cancer researcher at Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario has identified a protein that regulates apoptosis, a new discovery which has implications for both the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Caroline Schild-Poulter's findings are now published online in the journal Molecular Cancer Research.

10 Dec 2009

IQWiG's report on autologous stem cell transplantation for soft tissue sarcoma

Due to a lack of suitable studies, it is unclear whether patients with soft tissue sarcoma can benefit from autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. With this type of therapy, some of the patient's own (autologous) stem cells are removed at a convenient time and generally re-implanted after a course of high-dose chemotherapy.

9 Dec 2009

Multi-institutional study identifies potential treatment target for ovarian cancer

A multi-institutional study has identified a potential personalized treatment target for the most common form of ovarian cancer. In the December 8 issue of Cancer Cell, the research team describes finding that a gene called MAGP2 - not previously associated with any type of cancer - was overexpressed in papillary serous ovarian tumors of patients who died more quickly. They also found evidence suggesting possible mechanisms by which MAGP2 may promote tumor growth.

9 Dec 2009

Updated clinical data of Calistoga Pharmaceuticals’ delta selective PI3K inhibitor presented

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leader in the development of isoform-selective phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitors for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced updated clinical data on CAL-101, the Company’s oral, delta selective PI3K inhibitor, presented during two oral presentations at the 51st American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

8 Dec 2009

Micromet presents final data from its blinatumomab Phase 2 study for ALL

Micromet, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, proprietary antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases, today announced data from its completed phase 2 clinical trial with blinatumomab in patients with B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

8 Dec 2009

Veran Medical Technologies' SPiN Drive System receives FDA marketing clearance

Veran Medical Technologies announced today that it received clearance (K091934) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market a product for the delivery of instruments through the pulmonary tract. "Veran is excited about this clearance as it allows the company to address a huge unmet clinical need in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment," said Jerome R. Edwards, Veran president and chief executive officer.

8 Dec 2009

QuantRx Biomedical launches its new flagship POC diagnostic reader device at MEDICA 2009

QuantRx® Biomedical Corporation, a broad-based diagnostic company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative diagnostic products, announced today the successful debut of its new flagship point-of-care (POC) diagnostic reader device, Q-Reader™, at MEDICA 2009 on November 18-21, 2009, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

8 Dec 2009

Ambit Biosciences presents study results of its AC220 FLT3 inhibitor for AML

Ambit Biosciences Corporation announced today that preliminary results from a clinical trial of its lead product candidate, AC220, in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in New Orleans. AC220 is a novel, orally available, small molecule that was expressly optimized as a FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT3) inhibitor for the treatment of AML.

8 Dec 2009

JAK2 inhibitor can control myelofibrosis, report researchers

A first-in-its class oral medication provides significant and durable relief for patients with a rare, debilitating and lethal bone marrow disorder called myelofibrosis, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported today at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

8 Dec 2009

Social isolation and stress can raise breast cancer risk

Social isolation and related stress could contribute to human breast cancer susceptibility, research from a rat model designed at the University of Chicago to identify environmental mechanisms contributing to cancer risk shows.

8 Dec 2009

Gloucester Pharmaceuticals to be acquired by Celgene

Celgene Corporation and Gloucester Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately held pharmaceutical company, announced a definitive merger agreement under which Celgene Corporation will acquire Gloucester Pharmaceuticals. Celgene says the acquisition will continue to advance its leadership position in the development of disease-altering therapies through innovative approaches for patients with rare and debilitating blood cancers.

7 Dec 2009

Positive data from Gloucester Pharmaceuticals' ISTODAX study presented at the ASH meeting

Gloucester Pharmaceuticals announced today the presentation of positive data from an analysis of ISTODAX® (romidepsin) in a subset of patients from Gloucester’s registration study in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) at the 51st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting being held in New Orleans, LA.

7 Dec 2009

Vitamin D supplements may aid in treating cancer

The findings support the growing association between vitamin D and cancer risk and outcomes, and suggest that vitamin D supplements might help even those patients already diagnosed with some forms of cancer, says Dr. Drake.

7 Dec 2009

New diagnostic guidelines for inexpensive and accurate detection of lung cancer

A simple, inexpensive computer tool that measures volume changes in the size of suspicious nodules in the lungs picked up by a CT scanner can rule out non-cancerous ones with almost perfect accuracy and enable doctors to diagnose true cancers with fewer, less expensive and less invasive tests.

5 Dec 2009

'Twist' gene plays a key role in the development of breast cancer

Working with mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins publishing in the December issue of Neoplasia have shown that a protein made by a gene called "Twist" may be the proverbial red flag that can accurately distinguish stem cells that drive aggressive, metastatic breast cancer from other breast cancer cells.

5 Dec 2009

Cancer-free status does not lead to resumption of smoking among former smokers

Assurance of a cancer-free status did not prompt people participating in a long-term computerized tomography (CT) lung-cancer screening program to pick up their cigarettes again, researchers wrote in a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

4 Dec 2009

Osseon Therapeutics' Osseoflex and Osseoflex DR systems receive Canadian Medical Device Licenses

Osseon Therapeutics announced today that its Osseoflex (steerable and curvable bone cement delivery needle) and Osseoflex DR (steerable and curvable bone drill) systems for percutaneous vertebral augmentation received Canadian Medical Device Licenses from Health Canada for marketing and clinical use in Canada.

4 Dec 2009

Protein plays a key role in cancer and DNA repair

A protein that plays a key role in copying DNA also plays a vital role in repairing breaks in it, UC Davis scientists have found. The work is helping researchers understand how cancer cells can resist radiation and chemotherapy, as well as how cells become cancerous in the first place.

4 Dec 2009

TGen scientists win $1,000 prize for best scientific paper presented at BIBM09

A team of scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) won a $1,000 prize for best scientific paper presented at BIBM09, a premier bioinformatics and biomedicine conference.

3 Dec 2009