Metastasis News and Research

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Metastasis is the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. A tumor formed by cells that have spread is called a “metastatic tumor” or a “metastasis.” The metastatic tumor contains cells that are like those in the original (primary) tumor. The plural form of metastasis is metastases

More than 40 plant-based compounds can turn on genes that slow the spread of cancer

More than 40 plant-based compounds can turn on genes that slow the spread of cancer, according to a first-of-its-kind study by a Washington State University researcher.

28 Aug 2012

New computer simulation reveals how cancer cells enter the bloodstream

Cancer metastasis, the escape and spread of primary tumor cells, is a common cause of cancer-related deaths. But metastasis remains poorly understood. Studies indicate that when a primary tumor breaks through a blood vessel wall, blood's "stickiness" tears off tumor cells the way a piece of tape tears wrapping paper. Until now, no one knew the physical forces involved in this process, the first step in metastasis. Using a statistical technique employed by animators, scientists created a new computer simulation that reveals how cancer cells enter the bloodstream.

26 Aug 2012

Salivary IL-6 could predict recurrence after surgery in mouth cancer patients

Salivary levels of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 could be a useful predictor for locoregional recurrence in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients who are treated surgically, report researchers.

23 Aug 2012

TREM-1 gene disrupts inflammatory process implicated in liver cancer

Researchers at the Georgia Health Sciences University Cancer Center have identified a gene that disrupts the inflammatory process implicated in liver cancer.

23 Aug 2012

HPV genotype may alter chemoradiotherapy outcome

Human papillomavirus genotype predicts whether patients with cervical cancer will benefit from concurrent chemoradiation therapy, study findings suggest.

20 Aug 2012

Anti-cancer regimens with multiple modes of action increase treatment effectiveness

Cancer may be the Harry Houdini of diseases—it often finds devious ways to escape treatment. Because cancer disables our cellular quality control mechanisms, rampant mutations that cause tumor cells to grow uncontrollably can also generate resistance to anticancer drugs. Even if 99 percent of the tumor is destroyed, that 1 percent can come roaring back. How do we knock out that 1 percent? By attacking the cancer from multiple angles, using multiple treatments and strategies.

20 Aug 2012

Two Johns Hopkins scientists receive NCI grant for Provocative Questions project

Two Johns Hopkins scientists are among the first recipients of grants geared to answer "Provocative Questions" in cancer research, a new project funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Cynthia Sears, M.D., and Peter Searson, Ph.D., will receive more than $500,000 combined in the first of five years of funding.

17 Aug 2012

Blocking PHD2 oxygen sensor can render cancer treatments more effective

Researchers in Leuven (VIB/KU Leuven) have confirmed their hypothesis that normalizing blood vessels by blocking oxygen sensor PHD2 would make chemotherapy more effective.

15 Aug 2012

Study examines shared traits of cancer cells and bacteria

Experts agree that, more than ever before, modern wars will be fought in the cyber zone, targeting an enemy's communications technology to cause untold damage. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher is suggesting that the same tactics should be employed in the battle against one of the body's deadliest enemies - cancer.

15 Aug 2012

Cathepsins may attack one another instead of the bodily proteins

Researchers for the first time have shown that members of a family of enzymes known as cathepsins - which are implicated in many disease processes - may attack one another instead of the bodily proteins they normally degrade. Dubbed "cathepsin cannibalism," the phenomenon may help explain problems with drugs that have been developed to inhibit the effects of these powerful proteases.

15 Aug 2012

High-cost imaging increasingly used for stage IV cancer patients

High-cost diagnostic imaging was increasingly used for elderly patients with stage IV cancer of the breast, lung, and prostate, and colorectal cancer in the USA, research demonstrates.

13 Aug 2012

Verastem second quarter net loss increases to $6.8 million

Verastem, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat breast and other cancers by targeting cancer stem cells, today reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2012, and also commented on certain corporate accomplishments and plans.

13 Aug 2012

Recurrences of ovarian cancer can be detected earlier and more accurately with PET/CT

Due to the lack of studies, there is currently no proof that patients with ovarian cancer can benefit from positron emission tomography (PET) alone or in combination with computed tomography (CT). As regards diagnostic accuracy, in certain cases, recurrences can be detected earlier and more accurately with PET or PET/CT than with conventional imaging techniques.

9 Aug 2012

Interface zone fibroblasts play key role in gastric cancer

Interface zone fibroblasts in gastric adenocarcinoma promote the invasion, migration, and proliferation of cancer cells, as well as prevent apoptosis, to a greater degree than normal or tumor zone fibroblasts, say researchers.

8 Aug 2012

Chemotherapy is appropriate adjunct to surgery for oral melanoma in dogs

The addition of chemotherapeutic treatment with carboplatin for dogs with oral malignant melanomas that have undergone surgical excision may be a reasonable alternative to adjunctive radiotherapy, report researchers.

8 Aug 2012

New research hopes to uncover mystery behind breast cancer metastasis

If detected early, most cases of breast cancer are curable. But if the tumour has metastasized - or spread to a site outside of the breast - cure rates decline. A team of researchers from Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University have received $449,733 from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Ontario Region to study a rare subpopulation of tumour cells called cancer stem cells (CSCs) in hopes of uncovering the mystery behind metastasis.

8 Aug 2012