Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

New fluorescent probe identifies cancer stem cells

Cells with stem-cell characteristics appear to be especially important in the formation and metastasis of tumors. Scientists have now developed a universal fluorescent probe for these "cancer stem cells". As reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie, this dye also selectively kills off the cells.

4 Apr 2018

Photoswitchable drugs may light the way to treat disease with fewer side effects

Side effects from drugs working in non-target locations within the body can cause debilitating symptoms, often resulting in patients stopping their course of treatment early.

4 Apr 2018

Researchers discover a new molecular cause for aggressive leukemia in children

Around 600 children under the age of 15 are diagnosed with leukemia each year in Germany. The effects are especially dramatic if this severe illness develops at birth or shortly afterwards.

4 Apr 2018

Sulfur amino acid restriction consistently demonstrates range of health benefits in animals

The longevity and health improvements seen in animals on sulfur amino acid-restricted diets could translate to people, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers who recently conducted a review of published studies. More research is needed to confirm the benefits in people, the scientists said.

4 Apr 2018

Atlanta struggles to meet MLK’s legacy on health care

While public safety commissioner Bull Connor's police dogs in 1963 attacked civil rights protesters in Birmingham, Ala., leaders in Martin Luther King Jr.'s hometown of Atlanta were burnishing its reputation as "the city too busy to hate."

4 Apr 2018

The effects of obesity can be seen in children as young as eight

Obesity may adversely affect liver health in children as young as 8 years old, according to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center.

4 Apr 2018

Visceral fat linked to shorter survival for women with kidney cancer

Belly fat affects the odds of women surviving kidney cancer but not men, according to a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

4 Apr 2018

Obesity may have negative impact on liver health in children as young as 8 years old

A new study published today in The Journal of Pediatrics is the first to show that weight gain may have a negative impact on liver health in children as young as 8 years old. The study found that bigger waist circumference at age 3 raises the likelihood that by age 8, children will have markers for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

4 Apr 2018

Older Americans are hooked on vitamins despite scarce evidence they work

When she was a young physician, Dr. Martha Gulati noticed that many of her mentors were prescribing vitamin E and folic acid to patients. Preliminary studies in the early 1990s had linked both supplements to a lower risk of heart disease.

4 Apr 2018

Exercise and diet can help fight side effects of hormone therapy in prostate cancer patients

Men on hormone therapy for prostate cancer may benefit significantly from hitting the gym with fellow patients and choosing more veggies and fewer cheeseburgers, a new study suggests.

3 Apr 2018

New insights into 100-year-old mystery open novel possibilities for breast cancer treatment

New insights into how cancer cells fuel their growth are opening novel possibilities for cancer treatment. A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has identified a long sought after connection between how cancer cells use the sugar glucose to generate energy - the Warburg pathway - and cancer growth.

3 Apr 2018

Ionizing radiation can reduce stiffness of tumor cell microenvironment

Nearly half of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy to curb the growth of malignant cells. But little is known about how ionizing radiation affects the extracellular matrix (ECM), a patchwork of proteins and other biomolecules that surrounds cells and plays a vital role in their shape, movement and signaling functions.

3 Apr 2018

MIT researchers develop new portable device to monitor white blood cell levels

One of the major side effects of chemotherapy is a sharp drop in white blood cells, which leaves patients vulnerable to dangerous infections. MIT researchers have now developed a portable device that could be used to monitor patients' white blood cell levels at home, without taking blood samples.

3 Apr 2018

Researchers working to develop new system for early prostate cancer diagnosis

Researchers of the Universitat Politècnica de València and the Universidad de Granada, together with doctors from the Hospital Clínic Universitari de València are working on the development of a new system to help diagnose prostate cancer. The work being developed is part of the SICAP project.

3 Apr 2018

Researchers discover how muscles regulate oxygen consumption

A new study by researchers from Karolinska Institutet shows that an enzyme called FIH determines how muscles consume oxygen. Without the enzyme, the need for oxygen increases during physical exercise. The finding is of potential significance to elite athletes, who have been found to have higher levels of FIH in their muscles than others.

3 Apr 2018

Scientists develop futuristic gene therapy for liver cancer

Genetically engineered human T cells that are effective at fighting liver cancer in mice may one day help patients fight liver cancer, say researchers.

3 Apr 2018

'Molecular scissors' could play pivotal role in fighting diseases including HIV infection

One way to fight diseases including HIV infection and autoimmune disorders could involve changing how a naturally occurring enzyme called SAMHD1 works to influence the immune system, new research suggests.

3 Apr 2018

Gut bacteria may hold clues to predict effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies

The composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract may hold clues to help predict which cancer patients are most apt to benefit from the personalized cellular therapies that have shown unprecedented promise in the fight against hard-to-treat cancers, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

3 Apr 2018

Study uncovers mechanism causing chronic GVHD after bone marrow transplant

Allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT) is an essential treatment to cure patients with blood cancers such as leukemia. In patients who have undergone chemotherapy and radiation, a small number of cancer cells can remain in the bloodstream and allow the malignancy to recur.

3 Apr 2018

Psychiatrist stays close to home and true to her childhood promise

Dr. Yamanda Edwards, the daughter of a truck driver and a stay-at-home mom, grew up just a few miles from Martin Luther King/Drew Medical Center, at the time an iconic yet troubled hospital in South Los Angeles.

3 Apr 2018