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''.

Direct link between high cholesterol levels and prostate cancer

A possible association has been suggested before but evidence has been limited. This new study, published in Annals of Oncology shows a statistically significant direct relationship between the two conditions.

13 Apr 2006

Advances in chemotherapy significantly reduce risk of disease recurrence in breast cancer patients

Recent advances in chemotherapy have significantly reduced the risk of disease recurrence and death in breast cancer patients whose tumors are not hormone sensitive, according to a study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and 10 other institutions.

13 Apr 2006

Active ingredient in soy may explain why Asians have lower rates of obesity and cancer

A single nutrient found in soy products elicits changes in gene behavior that permanently reduce an embryo's risk of becoming obese later in life, according to an animal study at Duke University Medical Center.

13 Apr 2006

Environmental scientists identify new culprits in the cancer equation

In the granite-rich region of Western North Carolina, taking a daily shower could pose a risk of developing lung cancer. So could working from home every day. That's because granite emits a carcinogenic gas, radon.

13 Apr 2006

Prostate cancer risk linked to high cholesterol

Italian Researchers say they have found what they believe to be the first direct link between high cholesterol levels and prostate cancer.

12 Apr 2006

Benefit of chemotherapy in breast cancer depends on estrogen status of tumors

When it comes to chemotherapy treatment for women whose breast cancer has spread to their lymph nodes, the estrogen status of their tumors matters, says a team of researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

11 Apr 2006

Lack of response to herceptin may be reversed with PI3K inhibiting agents

Breast cancer patients with HER2-positive tumors who don't respond to Herceptin (trastuzumab) may benefit from cocktail therapy that includes Herceptin along with one or more PI3K inhibiting agents, say researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

11 Apr 2006

Fullerene shows promise in reducing radiation side effects

Using transparent zebrafish embryos, researchers at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia have shown that a microscopic nanoparticle can help fend off damage to normal tissue from radiation.

11 Apr 2006

Discovery of virus implicated in genetics of prostate cancer

The Open Access journal PLoS Pathogens has published an article detailing research that identifies a new retrovirus in the tissue of human prostate tumors.

10 Apr 2006

Ginger causes ovarian cancer cells to die

Ginger is known to ease nausea and control inflammation. But researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center are investigating a new use for this age-old remedy: treating ovarian cancer.

6 Apr 2006

Inflammation cuts both ways

Inflammation cuts both ways. When invaded by an infectious agent, for example, the body calls on the forces of inflammation to fight and defeat the intruder.

6 Apr 2006

High glucose-uptake tumors can be identified with PET scans

Cervical cancers that take up a lot of blood sugar, or glucose, are more resistant to treatment than those that are less glucose-hungry, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

4 Apr 2006

Protein in urine may point to more sensitive screening tests for women with ovarian cancer

According to the National Cancer Institute, ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. An estimated 20,180 new cases of ovarian cancer are expected in the United States this year.

4 Apr 2006

Teenagers and young adults more likely to survive cancer in Australia than in the USA

Countries that have national health services easily accessible to people of all ages are more likely to have better survival rates for their teenagers and young adults (TYAs) with cancer, than are countries where individuals have to pay for their own medical insurance.

4 Apr 2006

Radiofrequency ablation is as effective as surgery for small liver tumors

Three-year data shows that radiofrequency ablation is as effective as surgical resection for overall survival and tumor recurrence, for the treatment of single small hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis, according to a study presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 31st Annual Scientific Meeting.

4 Apr 2006

Panitumumab shows promise for patients with colorectal cancer

Results from a Phase III study of a new drug show promise for patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, according to a study presented during the 97th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

4 Apr 2006

Why do men choose one prostate cancer treatment over another?

Men with prostate cancer generally make treatment decisions based on differences in the information they receive rather than their own preferences, according to a new review.

4 Apr 2006

St. Jude develop relatively simple and inexpensive test for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have developed a relatively simple and inexpensive test that identifies children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who have responded well enough to their first round of chemotherapy that they might be successfully treated with a much less aggressive follow-up treatment.

3 Apr 2006

Doctors able to predict recurrence of high-risk breast cancers

International researchers have developed a prediction model to assist doctors in determining the chance of recurrence of cancer in high-risk breast cancer patients who have undergone a mastectomy followed by radiation therapy.

3 Apr 2006