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''.

Family communication impacts attitude about genetic counseling/testing for breast cancer

Whether or not relatives talk about the family's history of cancer significantly impacts attitudes and knowledge about genetic counseling and testing for those at moderate risk of developing breast cancer, according to a new preliminary study presented today at the American Society for Preventive Oncology meeting in Bethesda, Md.

19 Mar 2008

Long-term follow-up after percutaneous pulmonary radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) - an interventional treatment that "cooks" and kills lung cancer tumors with heat - greatly improves survival time from primary or metastatic inoperable lung tumors, according to a study released at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting.

18 Mar 2008

Testicular cancer gauge often not used

A standard part of testicular cancer care isn't used in more than half of all patients who have the condition, researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found.

18 Mar 2008

Researchers study new drug and indications for heated chemotherapy treatment

Studies have shown that surgery combined with Intraperitoneal Hyperthermic Chemotherapy (IPHC) can improve survival rates for select patients with peritoneal carcinoma (cancer of the lining of the abdominal cavity) that has spread from colorectal or appendix cancer.

17 Mar 2008

Breast cancer more aggressive among overweight or obese women

Women with breast cancer have more aggressive disease and lower survival rates if they are overweight or obese, according to findings published in the March 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

17 Mar 2008

BMI may serve as prognostic tool for advanced, aggressive breast cancers

Body Mass Index (BMI), the measure of a person's fat based on their height and weight, may be an effective prognostic tool for specific types of breast cancer, according to research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

17 Mar 2008

Thermo Fisher Scientific creates breakthrough gene-silencing tool

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has developed a breakthrough gene-silencing tool that greatly simplifies RNA- interference (RNAi) technology and eliminates barriers associated with previous cellular delivery methods.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 12 Mar 2008

New behavioral risk factors for head and neck cancers

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have teased out two distinct sets of risk factors for head and neck cancers, suggesting that there are two completely different kinds of the disease.

12 Mar 2008

Postoperative chemotherapy does not improve survival in gastric cancer patients

The use of combination chemotherapy following surgery did not improve survival in patients with gastric cancer, according to a randomized clinical trial published online March 11 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute .

12 Mar 2008

New cancer research model bridges health disparity gap

The Accelerated Community Oncology Research Network (ACORN), a national oncology clinical trial network, has announced that it is bridging the disparity gap in healthcare to underserved communities by enrolling more than double the national average of African Americans in cancer-related clinical trials.

12 Mar 2008

Recurrent low-grade carcinoma of the ovary less responsive to chemo than more common ovarian cancers

Recurrent low-grade serous carcinoma, a rare type of ovarian cancer, is less sensitive to chemotherapy and therefore more difficult to treat than more common high-grade ovarian cancers, according to researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

11 Mar 2008

Better management of ovarian cancer

The results of a study presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology's 39th Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer offer a promising development on the path toward better management of ovarian cancer.

11 Mar 2008

Late treatment with letrozole (Femara) can reduce breast cancer recurrence risk

Treatment with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole (Femara) can reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence even when initiated one to seven years after a course of tamoxifen therapy.

11 Mar 2008

Femara helps protect against return of breast cancer after completing Tamoxifen therapy

Women may reduce the risk of their breast cancer returning by starting treatment with Femara (letrozole tablets) anywhere from one to seven years after finishing tamoxifen therapy, according to a new analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

11 Mar 2008

Advanced-stage ovarian cancer patients with BRCA live longer, may respond better to treatment

Two abstracts underscoring the importance of testing for BRCA1/2 mutations in women with ovarian cancer were presented at this week's Society of Gynecologic Oncologists 39th Annual Meeting on Women's Cancers, by researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

11 Mar 2008

Gardasil reduces abnormal Pap test results

A significant drop in abnormal Pap test results happened after girls and women were given a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, according to a researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

10 Mar 2008

Cardiac effects associated with breast cancer treatment appear lower

A new pilot study by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) found that breast cancer patients can be treated safely with a “dose-dense” regimen of standard chemotherapy agents and the antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin®), a drug that has previously been shown to cause cardiac toxicity.

10 Mar 2008

PET/CT planning beneficial for head and neck cancer patients

Using a combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography for radiation therapy treatment planning in head and neck carcinoma patients provides for excellent, local and regional disease control when compared to CT alone, according to a study in the March 1 issue of the International Journal for Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

6 Mar 2008

New test to assess risk of ovarian cancer

European women facing "the silent killer" now have access to a breakthrough test to identify their risk of ovarian cancer.

6 Mar 2008

New less invasive procedure for lumbar spinal stenosis

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a common spinal problem suffered mainly by people over 50 and is often associated with leg, buttock, groin and some times back pain.

4 Mar 2008