Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

18F-FDG PET/CT may become important distant staging modality in patients with breast cancer

New research published in the January issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows that 18F-fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) imaging offers significant prognostic stratification information at initial staging for patients with locally advanced breast cancer. When compared to conventional imaging, 18F-FDG PET/CT more accurately showed lesions in the chest, abdomen and bones in a single session, changing management for more than 50 percent of the patients in the study.

3 Jan 2013

Gut bacterial communities play an integral role in protecting against human intestinal disorders

Instability in the composition of gut bacterial communities (dysbiosis) has been linked to common human intestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer; however, it is unclear if dysbiosis can instigate disease or if it is a consequence of the underlying disorder.

3 Jan 2013

No significant difference in patient outcomes with RBC transfusions using lower threshold levels

The level at which red blood cells are transfused, a common treatment in clinical practice, is often deliberated among physicians. Guidelines for blood transfusion levels were only recently issued in March 2012 diminishing some of the debate. Today, in a new section called JAMA Clinical Evidence Synopsis, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), published a summary of the systematic review of the 19 clinical trials that compare higher versus lower hemoglobin thresholds in red blood cell transfusion.

3 Jan 2013

Molecular signals make some women prone to miscarriage

Scientists have identified molecular signals that control whether embryos are accepted by the womb, and that appear to function abnormally in women who have suffered repeated miscarriages.

3 Jan 2013

Perceived reduction in penis size linked to regrets of prostate cancer treatment choice

A small percentage of men in a prostate cancer study complained that their penis seemed shorter following treatment, with some saying that it interfered with intimate relationships and caused them to regret the type of treatment they chose.

3 Jan 2013

Johns Hopkins scientists uncover itch-specific nerve cells in skin

Johns Hopkins researchers have uncovered strong evidence that mice have a specific set of nerve cells that signal itch but not pain, a finding that may settle a decades-long debate about these sensations, and, if confirmed in humans, help in developing treatments for chronic itch, including itch caused by life-saving medications.

3 Jan 2013

UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine establishes Biomarker Discovery Center

Following recent discoveries by its researchers that could significantly change the diagnosis and treatment of a number of diseases, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-School of Osteopathic Medicine has established the Biomarker Discovery Center on its Stratford campus.

3 Jan 2013

Adrenomed creates Adrecizumab to decrease death rates from sepsis

The German corporation Adrenomed AG today announced its intentions to contribute to the reduction of mortality from sepsis and septic shock. Sepsis is an advanced systemic infection that travels via the blood stream to many of the body's vital organs, which can lead to death and disability.

3 Jan 2013

Texas judge refuses to stop Texas' Planned Parenthood defunding ahead of trial

A state district court ruled Monday that Texas' Women's Health Program can go forward without Planned Parenthood until a Jan. 11 trial is held in which the organization is challenging the state's rule excluding it from the new health care program for women.

3 Jan 2013

Mortality risk from long-term exposure to traffic pollution

Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with increased rates of all-cause, cardiopulmonary, and lung cancer mortality, a large German study indicates.

2 Jan 2013

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