Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Scottsdale Healthcare is first in Arizona to perform TAVR procedure

Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center is the first hospital in Arizona to perform a new nonsurgical heart valve replacement procedure, the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). TAVR valves are inserted via a catheter through the femoral artery, without requiring open heart surgery.

6 Jan 2012

PDL settles exchange offer, announces final results

PDL BioPharma, Inc. today announced the settlement and final results of its offer to exchange up to $180,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of outstanding 2.875% Convertible Senior Notes due 2015 (Old Notes), for a like principal amount of new 2.875% Series 2012 Convertible Senior Notes due 2015 (New Notes), and a cash payment.

6 Jan 2012

Varenicline may reduce smoking rates before people try to quit

Smokers planning to kick the habit may have more success if they begin using a cessation medication several weeks before they actually try to quit.

6 Jan 2012

Study shows how Epstein-Barr virus triggers MS

A new study from researchers at Queen Mary, University of London shows how a particular virus tricks the immune system into triggering inflammation and nerve cell damage in the brain, which is known to cause MS.

6 Jan 2012

U.S. cancer death rates drop, new report says

In a new report from the American Cancer Society, researchers indicate that cancer death rates in the United States fell 1.8 percent in men and 1.6 percent in women each year between 2004 and 2008, but those gains weren't as pronounced in young adults.

6 Jan 2012

QIAGEN introduces QIAensemble Decapper to facilitate handling of liquid samples

QIAGEN N.V. announced today the launch of the QIAensemble Decapper automation system that will facilitate the handling of liquid-based cytology and various other types of liquid samples that are processed by clinical laboratories around the world.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 6 Jan 2012

Researchers use qHTS approach to examine clinical drugs on thyroid cancer cells

Drugs already approved for clinical use across a variety of therapeutic categories can be screened to identify effective agents for thyroid cancer according to a recent study accepted for publication in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

6 Jan 2012

Photoacoustic device can detect melanoma cancer at cellular level

Early detection of melanoma, the most aggressive skin cancer, is critical because melanoma will spread rapidly throughout the body. Now, University of Missouri researchers are one step closer to melanoma cancer detection at the cellular level, long before tumors have a chance to form. Commercial production of a device that measures melanoma using photoacoustics, or laser-induced ultrasound, will soon be available to scientists and academia for cancer studies.

6 Jan 2012

State roundup: Colo. reports 'record' number of Medicaid recipients; Hollywood nursing home stymied by Congress?

Nearly 615,000 Coloradans were on Medicaid in November, by far a record high, officials said Wednesday, attributing the vast bulk of the growth to economic hard times rather than recent eligibility expansions. ... the 614,146 Coloradans enrolled in Medicaid in November represented a 57.7 percent increase over January 2007. ... roughly 13 percent of all Coloradans are covered by state health-insurance programs.

6 Jan 2012

Proton therapy safe and effective for men with prostate cancer

Proton therapy, a type of external beam radiation therapy, is a safe and effective treatment for prostate cancer, according to two new studies published in the January issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics (Red Journal), the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO) official scientific journal.

6 Jan 2012

Incidence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension increases with exposure to NOx

The incidence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension increases with cumulative levels of exposure to nitrogen oxides, according to a new study led by researchers from the Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC) at Boston University.

6 Jan 2012

SonoPhoto Dynamic Therapy shows promise against squamous cell carcinoma

George Miller developed an ulcer on his bottom lip that began to bleed. His doctor sent cell scrapings to a pathologist, and diagnosed Miller with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). According to TMD Limited, a medical tourism company, squamous cell carcinoma is the 2nd most common cancer in humans and other animals.

6 Jan 2012

Researchers discover that flatworm lacks centrosome

A tiny, freshwater flatworm found in ponds and rivers around the world that has long intrigued scientists for its remarkable ability to regenerate has now added a new wrinkle to biology.

6 Jan 2012

Fibroblasts play an apparent role in melanoma tumor growth

Fibroblasts, cells that play a role in the structural framework of tissues, play an apparent role in melanoma tumor growth. Fibroblasts also contribute to melanoma drug resistance and may also facilitate the "flare" response when a tumor's metabolism is enhanced following a patient being removed from a targeted therapy, said researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla.

6 Jan 2012

AACR, IASLC sponsor conference on molecular origins of lung cancer

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States and often the most fatal unless caught early, but scientists are working on ways to improve their understanding of the disease. Several hundred of scientists will gather in San Diego at the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina during Jan. 8-11, 2012, for the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer: Biology, Therapy and Personalized Medicine.

6 Jan 2012

Isis announces results from ISIS-TTRRx Phase 1 study on TTR amyloidosis

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today results from a Phase 1 study with ISIS-TTRRx. The results demonstrated that treatment with ISIS-TTRRx produced dose-dependent statistically significant reductions of greater than 80 percent in transthyretin (TTR) protein.

6 Jan 2012

LCA calls for more aggressive integration of imaging advances and biomedical research

As the War on Cancer enters its fifth decade and the number of people being diagnosed with cancer continues to rise, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) called for more aggressive integration of advanced imaging technology and biomedical research to improve prevention, earlier detection and treatment of cancer.

6 Jan 2012

Royals designated hitter to receive 47th annual Hutch Award

Billy Butler, designated hitter for the Kansas City Royals, will receive the 47th annual Hutch Award. The award is given each year to a Major League Baseball player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of baseball great Fred Hutchinson, both on and off the field.

6 Jan 2012

Wake Forest Baptist participates in novel brain tumor vaccine clinical trial

A national clinical trial testing the efficacy of a novel brain tumor vaccine has begun at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the only facility in the Southeast to participate.

6 Jan 2012

Experts share 10 symptoms of cervical and other gynecologic cancers

Pelvic pain and abnormal bleeding aren't the only signs of gynecologic cancer. As part of Cervical Health Awareness Month in January, experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center share other symptoms that often are overlooked.

6 Jan 2012