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

Scientists study fruit fly to identify key molecular signal in cancer metastasis

Scientists trying to understand how cancer cells invade healthy tissue have used the fruit fly's metamorphosis from maggot to flying insect as a guide to identify a key molecular signal that may be involved in both processes.

20 Jan 2010

Blocking release of VEGFs may inhibit tumor growth

Researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, Switzerland, have determined the crystal structure of the ligand binding domain of a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor in complex with one of its ligands (VEGF-C).

19 Jan 2010

Treatment for metastatic tumor based on its unique protein makeup

Imagine if treatments for disease could be based not on a patient's diagnosis but instead on the characteristics of their tissue. By identifying and decoding the cryptic messages hidden deep inside the human proteome, scientists and physicians who study personalized medicine are seeking more effective treatments and disease management for patients.

18 Jan 2010

Scientists discover potential biomarkers to predict the spread of colon cancer

Scientists in China are reporting discovery of two proteins present in the blood, of people with colon cancer that may serve as the potential biomarkers for accurately predicting whether the disease will spread.

18 Jan 2010

Zebrafish publishes special issue on cancer biology

The zebrafish, a translucent fish often used as a model of human development and disease, offers unique advantages for studying the cause, growth, and spread of tumors using strategies and methods presented in the current "Cancer Biology" special issue of Zebrafish, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The entire issue is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/zeb

8 Jan 2010

RFA reduces pain in bone metastases patients

Image-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA), a minimally invasive cancer treatment which can be performed in the outpatient setting, significantly reduced the level of pain experienced by cancer patients with bone (osseous) metastases, limiting the need for strong narcotic pain management, and supporting improved patient frame of mind, according to results of an American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) study published online in the journal Cancer.

5 Jan 2010

Scientists uncover an important link between inflammation and breast cancer stem cells

Scientists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered an important link between inflammation and breast cancer stem cells that suggests a new way to target cells that are resistant to current treatments.

4 Jan 2010

Self-seeding process of cancer cells can enhance tumor growth, says study

Cancer progression is commonly thought of as a process involving the growth of a primary tumor followed by metastasis, in which cancer cells leave the primary tumor and spread to distant organs.

27 Dec 2009

Comprehensive review of cell migration

Cell migration is a highly complex process which involves several compartments of the cell, including surface receptors, signalling elements and the cytoskeleton.

23 Dec 2009

UPMC reports 10,000th patient treated using Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife system

On the morning of December 17, 2009, UPMC physicians used Gamma Knife® surgery to treat the center's 10,000th patient, an 81-year-old male with a tumor deep in his brainstem, a site where traditional surgery would have been impossible. Gamma Knife surgery is performed using Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife system, which directs up to 201 pencil-thin beams of therapeutic radiation precisely on brain tumors and other targets in the head.

From Elekta 23 Dec 2009

Emisphere's oral salmon calcitonin product addresses persistent musculoskeletal pain

Emisphere Technologies, Inc. today announced a meta-analysis published in the December 2009 edition of Rheumatology Reports examining independent evidence of the analgesic action of the hormone calcitonin. This publication restates the potential of calcitonin in filling a significant unmet need for alternative treatments for persistent musculoskeletal pain.

22 Dec 2009

Researchers follow steps that lead some tumor cells to establish metastases

Up to 25% of cancer patients develop metastases in the brain - often long after successful treatment of the primary tumor. In almost all such cases, the prognosis is poor. The mechanisms responsible for the appearance of brain metastases have long been mysterious.

21 Dec 2009

FDA clears Agendia's MammaPrint breast cancer recurrence test for all ages

Agendia, a world leader in molecular cancer diagnostics, announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared its MammaPrint breast cancer recurrence test for all ages. MammaPrint is the only FDA-cleared breast cancer recurrence test available to patients and physicians.

17 Dec 2009

Silence Therapeutics and Intradigm merge to form RNAi

The Boards of Silence Therapeutics plc and Intradigm Corporation are delighted to announce the merger of their businesses to form a leading company in the field of RNAi (RNA interference).

17 Dec 2009

Researchers discover new gene involved in lung cancer using DNA sequencing technology

Aided by next-generation DNA sequencing technology, an international team of researchers has gained insights into how more than 60 carcinogens associated with cigarette smoke bind to and chemically modify human DNA, ultimately leading to cancer-causing genetic mutations.

17 Dec 2009

Encouraging results from DAVANAT in combination with chemotherapies and biologics

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Brussels Branch of the Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research is testing the ability of DAVANAT® to stop Galectin-3 from blocking the immune system’s action on cancer cells. Peer reviewed studies have demonstrated that Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 induce apoptosis (cell death) in immune system T cells (“Galectins,” Chapter 7, Wiley, 2008).

15 Dec 2009