Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Thromboprophylaxis does more harm than good in head and neck surgery

Patients undergoing oncologic head and neck surgery do not benefit from thromboprophylaxis, report researchers.

2 Jan 2013

RaySearch and Siemens terminate development and licensing agreement

In May 2009 RaySearch Laboratories entered into a long-term development and licensing agreement with Siemens Healthcare. Under the agreement RaySearch provided a number of treatment planning modules for integration in Siemens' syngo Suite for Oncology, which is Siemens' integrated workflow solution for radiation therapy.

2 Jan 2013

Nation-wide campaign to address myths and attitudes about dementia

Imagine a close friend tells you she has dementia. Would you avoid her for fear of being embarrassed by what she might say or do? According to a recent poll by Alzheimer's Disease International, 40 per cent of people with dementia reported they had been avoided or treated differently after diagnosis. It's no surprise, then, that one in four respondents cited stigma as a reason to conceal their diagnosis.

2 Jan 2013

Small numbers of ANA- and RP-negative patients with systemic sclerosis

There exists a very small subgroup of patients with systemic sclerosis who lack circulating antinuclear antibodies and who do not have Raynaud's phenomenon, research shows.

31 Dec 2012

World Trade Center rescue workers may face increased cancer risk

People who were involved in the rescue and recovery operation at the World Trade Center are at an increased risk for certain types of cancer, including prostate, thyroid, and myeloma, study findings suggest.

31 Dec 2012

Active surveillance of prostate cancer patients encouraged

Active surveillance is an effective way of monitoring patients with low-risk prostate cancer and is associated with a low risk for systemic progression, say researchers.

31 Dec 2012

Senate talks on 'fiscal cliff' moving slowly

Negotiations over a last-ditch agreement to head off large tax increases and sweeping spending cuts in the new year appeared to resume Sunday afternoon after Republican senators withdrew their demand that a deal must include a new way of calculating inflation that would lower payments to beneficiaries programs like Social Security and slow their growth.

31 Dec 2012

Study reveals modest association between presence of tumor boards and types of cancer care

There is little association of multidisciplinary tumor boards with measures of use, quality, or survival, and measuring only the presence of tumor boards may not be adequate in determining their effects on cancer care, according to a study published December 28 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

29 Dec 2012

Developer of Boron Neuron Capture Therapy bestowed National Medal of Science honor

President Barack Obama named University of Missouri researcher M. Frederick Hawthorne as recipient of the National Medal of Science, the highest honor bestowed by the country to scientists. Hawthorne is the director of the International Institute of Nano and Molecular Medicine at the University of Missouri, as well as Curators' Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Radiology.

29 Dec 2012

Aeterna Zentaris reaches SPA agreement with FDA for AEZS-108 Phase 3 trial in endometrial cancer

Aeterna Zentaris Inc. today announced that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") on a Special Protocol Assessment ("SPA") for an upcoming Phase 3 registration trial in endometrial cancer with its doxorubicin peptide conjugate, AEZS-108. The SPA agreement states that the proposed trial protocol design, clinical endpoints and planned analyses are acceptable to the FDA to support a regulatory submission.

29 Dec 2012

Cancer is rare among children, but is also a leading cause of death

Childhood cancer is rare—children with cancer account for less than 1 percent of all new cancer cases in the United States. But did you know that cancer is the second leading cause of death (after accidents) among children ages 1 to 14? It is estimated that in 2012 in the United States, more than 12,000 children (ages 0 to 14) will be diagnosed with cancer and more than 1,300 will die from it.

29 Dec 2012

Surgeons: Support your low-income neighbor

Patients with cancer in low-income nations present for surgical treatment at a young age, advanced stage of disease, and often receive palliative rather than curative procedures, suggests a study in Malawi.

28 Dec 2012

DNA adducts linked to oral cancer in smokers

Having a high susceptibility to certain types of DNA damage caused by tobacco smoking could significantly increase the risk for oral cancer, show results of a Taiwanese study.

28 Dec 2012

Make palliative care available to Parkinson's patients

A modified version of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System Scale is quick and effective at assessing patients with late-stage Parkinson's disease, and reveals that they have similar levels of symptoms as their peers with metastatic cancer, show study results from Canada.

28 Dec 2012

Manipulating transcription factor can change subtype of breast cancer

Australian scientists have shown how a 'transcription factor' causes breast cancer to develop an aggressive subtype that lacks sensitivity to oestrogen and does not respond to anti-oestrogen therapies such as Tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors.

28 Dec 2012

FDA clears Cepheid Xpert CT/NG molecular diagnostic test

Cepheid today announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to market Xpert CT/NG. Running on Cepheid's GeneXpert Systems, Xpert CT/NG is a qualitative in vitro molecular diagnostic test for the detection and differentiation of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. For the first time, same-day patient consultation and treatment is possible for the two most common sexually transmitted bacterial infections in the United States.

28 Dec 2012

Broader criteria for background checks can help prevent firearm violence

Garen Wintemute, a leading authority on gun violence prevention and an emergency medicine physician at UC Davis, believes broader criteria for background checks and denials on gun purchases can help prevent future firearm violence, including mass shooting catastrophes such as those that occurred at Sandy Hook, Aurora, Virginia Tech and Columbine.

28 Dec 2012

New light on how epigenetic signals may function together to determine fate of stem cell

Long-standing research efforts have been focused on understanding how stem cells, cells capable of transforming into any type of cell in the body, are capable of being programmed down a defined path to contribute to the development of a specific organ like a heart, lung, or kidney. Research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has shed new light on how epigenetic signals may function together to determine the ultimate fate of a stem cell.

28 Dec 2012

Key regulator of energy metabolism in cancer cells may play a crucial role in restricting cancer cell growth

Researchers at McGill University have discovered that a key regulator of energy metabolism in cancer cells known as the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) may play a crucial role in restricting cancer cell growth. AMPK acts as a "fuel gauge" in cells; AMPK is turned on when it senses changes in energy levels, and helps to change metabolism when energy levels are low, such as during exercise or when fasting.

28 Dec 2012

Bariatric surgery succeeds when new year resolutions to lose weight fail

For years Blanca Ramirez, like many Americans, started each new year with a resolution to lose weight. But no more. "I lost 55 pounds this year and the weight is rolling off and will stay off," said the 42 year-old, married, mother of three. Ramirez underwent bariatric surgery at Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care in August and has lost 55 pounds in four months.

28 Dec 2012