Oncology News and Research

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Oncology, meaning bulk, mass, or tumor, and the suffix ''-logy'', meaning "study of") is a branch of medicine that deals with tumors (cancer). A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''.

Ortho Biotech submits NDA for Trabectedin in relapsed ovarian cancer

Ortho Biotech Products, L.P. has announced the submission of a new drug application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for trabectedin when administered in combination with DOXIL (doxorubicin HCI liposome injection) for the treatment of women with relapsed ovarian cancer (ROC).

20 Nov 2008

Lactic acid found to be important energy source for tumor cells

Many tumors have cells that burn fuel for activities in different ways. Tumor cells near blood vessels have adequate oxygen sources and can either burn glucose like normal cells, or lactic acid (lactate). Tumor cells further from vessels are hypoxic and inefficiently burn a lot of glucose to keep going. In turn, they produce lactate as a waste product.

20 Nov 2008

Gefitinib just as effective as chemotherapy for lung cancer

Gefitinib, also known as Iressa, the once-promising targeted therapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, has proven as effective as chemotherapy as a second-line therapy for the disease with far fewer side effects, according to an international Phase III clinical trial, led by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

20 Nov 2008

New insight into the response of human skin to radiation

Scientists have new insight into the response of human skin to radiation and what drives the most aggressive and deadly form of skin cancer.

20 Nov 2008

FDA approves GSK's Promacta (Eltrombopag)

GlaxoSmithKline has announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for PROMACTA (eltrombopag) for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic immune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins or splenectomy.

20 Nov 2008

Bionovo to present phase 1B trial results of BZL101 in metastatic breast cancer

Bionovo, Inc. has announced the company will present results from the Phase 1B clinical trial of their lead drug candidate for advanced metastatic breast cancer, BZL101, at the Society for Integrative Oncology's Fifth International Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

20 Nov 2008

New compounds break up cancer-causing protein STAT3 and destroy breast cancer tumors.

Two new compounds created by a University of Central Florida professor show early promise for destroying breast cancer tumors.

19 Nov 2008

Study identifies causes of bone loss in breast cancer survivors

Osteoporosis is a growing concern among breast cancer survivors and their doctors, because certain cancer drugs can cause bone loss.

19 Nov 2008

REOLYSIN shown to benefit some sarcoma patients

New data shows that some sarcoma patients are benefiting from treatment with REOLYSIN, developed from a harmless virus called the reovirus that most people are exposed to at some point in their lives.

19 Nov 2008

Amgen, Takeda and Millennium update on phase 3 trial of Motesanib in non-small cell lung cancer

Amgen and Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, a subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited , today announced that enrollment in the Phase 3 MONET1 trial evaluating motesanib (AMG 706) in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin for the first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been temporarily suspended following a planned safety data review of 600 patients by the study's independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC). Motesanib is part of a broad co-development program between Amgen and Takeda.

19 Nov 2008

New imaging technique tracks cancer-killing cells over prolonged period

Coaxing a patient's own cells to hunt down and tackle infected or diseased cells is a promising therapeutic approach for many disorders.

18 Nov 2008

A post-code lottery still exists for cancer patients with "exceptional circumstances"

A study of patients, at the Christie Hospital, Manchester, has shown that the decision to fund patient care depends more on where the patient lives, than the patient's health circumstances, raising public concern regarding a "postcode lottery" since each decision is made solely by the patients' local Primary Care Trust (PCT). The findings of this study are published in a letter to Clinical Oncology.

18 Nov 2008

NCI sponsors Canadian cold/flu remedy trial in leukemia patients

Cancer patients, with their weakened immune systems, are particularly vulnerable when the cold and flu season hits. The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health and the world's most prestigious cancer research body, is sponsoring a landmark trial to evaluate if a unique Canadian cold remedy - ginseng extract COLD-FX - can help.

18 Nov 2008

Palladin may play important role in metastasis of breast cancer cells

If scientists knew exactly what a breast cancer cell needs to spread, then they could stop the most deadly part of the disease: metastasis.

17 Nov 2008

Study suggests Siemens non-invasive blood test may have a role in monitoring breast cancer patients' response to Herceptin

Siemens Healthcare announced that data from a new study published in the American Cancer Society journal Cancer, supports using the Siemens Serum HER-2/neu test to monitor patients with an aggressive type of metastatic breast cancer.

17 Nov 2008

CAPHOSOL shown to benefit cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy

New data show that CAPHOSOL, an advanced electrolyte solution, results in low rates of oral mucositis and pain in patients with head and neck (HN) cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

17 Nov 2008

Discovery of new mechanism that regulates formation of blood vessels

Researchers in one of the external groups of the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC), in Portugal, have discovered a novel mechanism which regulates the process whereby new blood vessels are formed and wounds heal, including chronic wounds, such as those found in diabetic patients and those suffering from morbid obesity.

17 Nov 2008

Tissue analyses indicate survival benefits for some lung cancer patients

Taking small tissue samples from patients with lung cancer and examining them under a microscope (a procedure called histology) is now being utilized to better tailor the chemotherapy treatments to improve survival in some patients with non-small cell lung cancer, according to a study presented at the 2008 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology, cosponsored by ASTRO, ASCO, IASLC and the University of Chicago.

16 Nov 2008

Proton therapy may reduce serious side effect of lung cancer treatment

Patients with locally advanced lung cancer who receive chemotherapy and proton therapy, a specialized form a radiation therapy only available in a few centers in the United States, have fewer instances of a serious side effect called bone marrow toxicity than patients who receive chemotherapy and another type of radiation therapy called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), according to a study presented at the 2008 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology, sponsored by ASTRO, ASCO, IASLC and the University of Chicago.

16 Nov 2008

PEA-15 protein points to potential targeted approach for ovarian cancer

A protein known to inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer works in part by forcing cancer cells to eat themselves until they die, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the Nov. 15 issue of Cancer Research .

16 Nov 2008