Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Northern Ireland has higher survival rates for pancreatic cancer, leukaemia

The first audit of leukaemia treatment and survival in Northern Ireland by the Cancer Registry (NICR) at Queen's University Belfast has shown that survival rates for the disease here are at the highest levels since data collection began in 1993.

2 Mar 2012

Gastroenterologists provide five facts to reduce colon cancer risk

The number two cancer killer in the U.S. is often preventable and highly curable. "It's important for people to understand that, with proper screening, colon cancer can not only be detected early, but often can be prevented from developing," says Dr. Felice Schnoll-Sussman, a gastroenterologist and acting director of The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

2 Mar 2012

BioInvent completes enrollment in BI-204 phase IIa study for atherosclerosis

BioInvent International AB and its collaborator Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that all patients have completed enrollment in the GLACIER study, a phase IIa study with BI-204 in patients with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease.

2 Mar 2012

UCSD first to treat glioma with investigational viral vector

UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center researchers and surgeons are among the first in the nation to treat patients with recurrent brain cancer by directly injecting an investigational viral vector into their tumor. The treatment is being developed by a local San Diego Company, Tocagen Inc.

2 Mar 2012

New HS44 molecule inhibits lung metastasis

One type of white blood cell, the Natural Killer T Cells, fights against infections and tumours by freeing cytokine proteins which activate the body's immune response and destroy infected or malignant cells. To do so they must receive an activation signal. Specific receptors located on their surface act as switches: they activate the lymphocyte in presence of an antigen, a molecule which triggers alarm signals.

2 Mar 2012

New link between polyamine regulation and ESC biology

A*STAR scientists have for the first time, identified that precise regulation of polyamine levels is critical for embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal - the ability of ESCs to divide indefinitely - and directed differentiation.

2 Mar 2012

Report highlights benefits of Nuvilex's cell encapsulation technology for diabetes

Nuvilex, Inc., an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, today provided additional details based on the Goldman Small Cap Research report issued February 29, 2012, that highlighted the company's cell encapsulation technology and its benefits for treating chronic diseases such as diabetes.

2 Mar 2012

Serum taurine may protect against CHD in women with high cholesterol

A nutrient found in the dark meat of poultry may provide protection against coronary heart disease (CHD) in women with high cholesterol, according to a study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.

2 Mar 2012

Alternative subunits generate different functional subtypes of RNA polymerases

Indiana University biologists have found that specific types of RNA polymerase enzymes, the molecular machines that convert DNA into RNA, can differ in function based on variation in the parts -- in this case protein subunits -- used to assemble those machines.

2 Mar 2012

Induced hyperammonaemia increases daytime sleepiness in patients with cirrhosis

Italian and Swiss researchers confirm that induced hyperammonaemia significantly increases daytime sleepiness in patients with cirrhosis. The findings available in the March issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show that higher blood levels of ammonia reduced the ability of cirrhotic patients to produce restorative sleep.

2 Mar 2012

p14 ARF protein also regulates tumor-induced angiogenesis

Researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have identified a new function for a gene that normally prevents the development of cancer.

2 Mar 2012

Mayo researchers gain insights into function of histone chaperones

Mayo Clinic researchers have gained insights into the function of a member of a family of specialized proteins called histone chaperones. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, they have determined the 3-D structure and interactions of the histone chaperone Rtt106 down to the atomic details.

1 Mar 2012

Metastatic melanoma patients with specific genetic mutation benefit from vemurafenib

A report published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the 50 percent of metastatic melanoma patients with a specific genetic mutation benefit from the drug Vemurafenib - increasing median survival from about 6 months to 15.9 months. In patients who responded, the drug stopped cancer progression for a median 6.7 months.

1 Mar 2012

UMHS signs new master affiliation agreement with Trinity-Michigan

The University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) and Trinity Health-Michigan have signed a new master affiliation agreement that paves the way for close cooperation between the two health systems that will benefit patients around the state.

1 Mar 2012

Cancer cons preying on hope, SBS Dateline

Mexico’s border with America is clustered with clinics providing unusual treatments for cancer - alternatives to conventional medicine that claim to offer a complete cure, even for the terminally ill, in return for tens of thousands of dollars.

1 Mar 2012

1.3 million cancer deaths in 2012 in the EU: Report

New research released this Wednesday shows that almost 1.3 million people will die of cancer in the European Union this year, but death rates from the disease are on a steady decline.

1 Mar 2012

Judge overrules proposed graphic cigarette labels

A Washington judge overruled the federal mandate requiring tobacco companies to place graphic images on their products warning of the dangers of smoking. The judge said the requirements were a violation of free speech.

1 Mar 2012

Non-invasive hyperspectral imaging system for skin cancer screening relies on Andor technology

Malignant melanoma (MM), the most dangerous type of skin cancer, is caused mainly by intense episodes of UV exposure and originates in the pigment-producing melanocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis. Early detection and complete excision of the primary lesions is crucial for reducing melanoma-related deaths but current diagnostic practice is highly subjective. This leads to unnecessary surgical procedures, which are highly-invasive and expensive.

1 Mar 2012

Gaining culturally appropriate knowledge can help provide more effective healthcare

Mary E. Jones, MD, MPH, is the child advocacy program director and an essential part of the Loyola University Health System pediatric team. In addition to her extensive knowledge in the medical care of children, her expertise in understanding the signs of child maltreatment help Loyola provide complete care to some of the most at-risk patients.

1 Mar 2012

New robotic surgical system can treat early-stage lung cancer

In a Canadian first, thoracic surgeons at Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network used a robotic surgical system to treat early-stage lung cancer by removing the cancer, along with a lobe of the lung. The use of this system improves outcomes after surgery and will expand the numbers of patients who can benefit from this type of minimally invasive surgical treatment.

1 Mar 2012