Oncology News and Research

RSS

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''.

An overview of AAPM annual meeting

AAPM is the premier organization in medical physics, a broadly-based scientific and professional discipline encompassing physics principles and applications in medicine and biology. Its membership includes medical physicists who specialize in research that develops cutting-edge technologies and board-certified clinical medical physicists who apply these technologies in community hospitals, clinics, and academic medical centers.

16 Jul 2010

Philadelphia to host 52nd annual meeting of American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Next week the city of Philadelphia will host the 52nd annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), the premier organization in medical physics, a broadly-based scientific and professional discipline encompassing physics principles and applications in medicine and biology.

16 Jul 2010

Study analyzes global oncology community's Twitter utilization to enhance discussion at ASCO 2010

JuvoLab, a company focused on value creation in the life sciences industry, today announced the release of a unique study detailing the entire global oncology community's utilization of Twitter to enhance scientific discussion at the ASCO 2010 Annual Meeting. This pioneering study analyzed over 4450 tweets, generated by more than 680 users over the course of the conference, and provides clarity and insight into the use of Twitter from breaking clinical news and engaging in clinical discussion to compliant corporate promotion by industry leaders.

16 Jul 2010

Survival rates of nine types of cancer in Spain

Spanish epidemiologists have presented information on survival of nine types of cancer in Spain and have compared it with other European countries. At five years from diagnosis, the lowest survival rate is observed in lung cancer (less than 11%), and the highest in testicular cancer (95%). Cancer survival in Spain is at the European average.

16 Jul 2010

Study reveals improved process to obtain, store RNA from lung tumor biopsies

Analyzing the genes expressed by cancer cells allows for a better understanding of that patient's specific disease and in turn, a more personalized approach to treatment. But obtaining the RNA from a tumor in the lungs in order to conduct the genetic analysis is a challenging prospect. Currently, lung cancer researchers are limited to using RNA extracted from early-stage tumors removed during surgery. The small quantities of tissue extracted during routine diagnostic biopsies have not been useful to researchers, due to their small size and the variety of ways they have been processed.

16 Jul 2010

UCI first medical center on West Coast to perform robotic thyroidectomies

UC Irvine Healthcare is the first medical center on the West Coast and the only one in California to perform robotic thyroidectomies, a procedure that removes the diseased gland without leaving a visible scar on the neck. Dr. Jason Kim, associate clinical professor of otolaryngology and a head and neck cancer specialist, has performed robotic-assisted surgery using the daVinci Surgical System on three patients with thyroid tumors.

16 Jul 2010

First-of-its-kind patient, healthcare provider support program for management of HE

Concentric Pharma Advertising, an independent healthcare advertising and marketing agency, announces the creation of Salix Pharmaceuticals' Hepatic Encephalopathy Living Program. H.E.L.P. launched May 24, 2010, and coincides with the launch of Xifaxan550 (rifaximin) for the management of patients 18 or older at risk for overt hepatic encephalopathy recurrence.

16 Jul 2010

VCU Medical Center ranked in 2010-2011 Best Hospitals

The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center on Thursday was ranked in the 2010-2011 Best Hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report, making it one of 152 medical centers nationwide selected out of nearly 2,000 eligible institutions.

16 Jul 2010

Noscira presents results of Nypta Phase IIa clinical trial for AD at ICAD 2010

Noscira, the Grupo Zeltia (ZEL.MC) subsidiary specialized in researching and developing drugs for treating neurodegenerative diseases, presented the results of a Phase IIa clinical trial of Nypta(R) (Tideglusib) on Alzheimer's disease (AD) at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD), held in Honolulu (Hawaii) from July 10-15, 2010.

16 Jul 2010

Sumner M. Redstone donates $24M to Keck School of Medicine of USC to support cancer research

The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California has announced a $24 million charitable gift from media executive and philanthropist Sumner M. Redstone. The multi-million dollar gift will support cancer research directed by renowned oncologist David Agus, M.D., professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and director of the USC Center for Applied Molecular Medicine and the USC Westside Prostate Cancer Center.

16 Jul 2010

$235 million announced for expansion of biotech sector at CSL

A $235 million expansion of Australia's largest biotech facility in Melbourne is planned and this is expected to create hundreds of jobs. CSL biopharmaceutical research complex in Broadmeadows, in the north of Melbourne will be receiving this financial aid from both the State as well as Federal government over a five year investment plan. This will create an estimated 320 temporary construction jobs and later 333 new highly-skilled medical research openings by 2018.

15 Jul 2010

Premier, Xoft execute group purchasing contract

Premier Inc., an alliance of more than 2,300 U.S. hospitals and 67,000-plus other healthcare sites working together to achieve high quality, cost-effective care, and Xoft, Inc., the leading provider of FDA-cleared Electronic Brachytherapy Systems, announced the execution of a group purchasing contract. Xoft was awarded an exclusive three-year contract for brachytherapy systems with Premier Purchasing Partners L.P., the group purchasing unit of Premier, Inc.

15 Jul 2010

Endo acquires HealthTronics

Endo Pharmaceuticals announced today the completion of its acquisition of HealthTronics, Inc., a leading U.S. provider of urological products and services, located in Austin, Texas.

15 Jul 2010

Plexxikon announces promising preclinical data of PLX3397

Plexxikon Inc. today announced promising preclinical data from in vivo Alzheimer's Disease studies demonstrating a dramatic reduction in activated microglia in the brains of very old (22 months) 3xTG-AD mice, a triple transgenic model for Alzheimer's Disease. This reduction of activated microglia led to significantly improved learning in the treated group.

15 Jul 2010

NGOC to share expertise with United Network of US Oncology

Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers, a medical practice dedicated to delivering high quality, cost-effective oncology and hematology services to patients in Northwest Georgia, and US Oncology, Inc., the nation's leading integrated oncology company, announced today that NGOC has joined the United Network of US Oncology. The practice, which remains independently owned by its physicians, now has expanded resources from a nationwide network of physicians and clinicians who collaborate to enhance the science and delivery of cancer care.

15 Jul 2010

Medical standard of care triggers biological responses in brain that can fuel tumor cell survival: Researchers

The medical standard of care - comprised of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy - for the most common form of brain cancer triggers a number of biological responses that may actually feed the energy metabolism that supports the disease, according to Boston College researchers writing in the journal Lancet Oncology.

15 Jul 2010

Start-to-finish guidance for contemporary orthopaedic surgery technique published

Leading healthcare publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins today announced the publication of Operative Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery, a new, four-volume reference that provides start-to-finish guidance for virtually every contemporary orthopaedic surgery technique. LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and pharmacy.

15 Jul 2010

Aduro BioTech announces issuance of two important patents

Aduro BioTech, a clinical-stage immunotherapy company, announced today the issuance of two important patents, the formation of a distinguished scientific advisory board, the addition of key members to its Board of Directors, and the reporting of preliminary top line long-term survival data from a Phase 1 clinical trial with 2 year follow-up.

15 Jul 2010

Evotec to acquire DeveloGen

Evotec AG today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire DeveloGen, a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of metabolic and endocrine disorders, for up to €14m in shares plus performance-related deferred payments (earn-out).

15 Jul 2010

KRX-0401 receives Orphan Drug designation from FDA for treatment of neuroblastoma

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that KRX-0401 (perifosine) has received Orphan Drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nervous system affecting mostly children and infants for which there are no FDA approved therapies.

15 Jul 2010