Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Researchers discover a startling feature of early brain development

Researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered a startling feature of early brain development that helps to explain how complex neuron wiring patterns are programmed using just a handful of critical genes. The findings, published February 3 in Cell, may help scientists develop new therapies for neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and provide insight into certain cancers.

13 Feb 2012

Bexarotene appears to help clear out excess plaque in Alzheimer's

"In the last eight days, scientists have delivered a powerful one-two punch in the fight to defeat Alzheimer's disease," said Stacy Pagos Haller, President and CEO of the American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF), a nonprofit that identifies and funds exceptionally high-impact research worldwide through its Alzheimer's Disease Research program.

13 Feb 2012

Molecular secrets behind halofuginone's power

For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, a compound derived from this extract's bioactive ingredient, could be used to treat many autoimmune disorders as well. Now, researchers from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine have discovered the molecular secrets behind this herbal extract's power.

13 Feb 2012

Incident malignancy four times higher among children with JIA

New research reports that incident malignancy among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is four times higher than in those without the disease. Findings now available in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), suggest JIA treatment, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, does not necessarily explain the development of cancer in this pediatric population.

13 Feb 2012

KSU, St. Michael's receive U.S. patent to use BRCA1 gene for cardiovascular disease

St. Michael's Hospital and King Saud University have received their first joint U.S. patent to use the BRCA1 gene as a therapy for cardiovascular disease.

13 Feb 2012

OptumHealth names Women & Infants as Center of Excellence for Neonatal Care

For the sixth consecutive year, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island has been named a Center of Excellence for Neonatal Care by the Clinical Sciences Institute of OptumHealth, an independent audit company.

13 Feb 2012

Curcumin may block growth of castrate-resistant prostate tumors

Curcumin, an active component of the Indian curry spice turmeric, may help slow down tumor growth in castration-resistant prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), a study from researchers at Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center suggests.

13 Feb 2012

Cancer drug bexarotene effective in mouse model of Alzheimer’s

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine neuroscientist Gary Landreth and colleagues reported Thursday that the drug - bexarotene quickly cleared away beta-amyloid plaque, believed to cause the cognitive deficits of Alzheimer's disease, from the brains of genetically engineered mice.

12 Feb 2012

Preliminary results from Soligenix SGX201 Phase 1/2 trial on acute radiation enteritis

Soligenix, Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, announced preliminary results today from a Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating SGX201, a time-release formulation of oral beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate (oral BDP), for the prevention of acute radiation enteritis.

10 Feb 2012

Exelixis prices underwritten public offering of common stock

Exelixis, Inc. today announced the pricing of its underwritten public offering of 11,000,000 shares of newly issued common stock at a price to the public of $5.50 per share.

10 Feb 2012

Study investigates how cytokine IFN-λ release is regulated

In new research appearing in this month's issue of the journal Nature Immunology, Roy Curtiss, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, along with international collaborators, investigates the coordination of a particular type of immune response, involving the release of of IFN-λ- a cell-signaling protein molecule known as a cytokine.

10 Feb 2012

Scientists discover ferocity of immune system after viral infection

A scientific team led by researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the Charité Berlin Medical University has made a completely unprecedented discovery showing how much our immune system is provoked into action when confronted by viral intruders.

10 Feb 2012

Komen's Brinker apologizes for 'how we mishandled this situation'

In her first public statement since her organization reversed a decision to stop donating to Planned Parenthood, Nancy Brinker, the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, said that "I made some mistakes" in the case, which swelled into a massive controversy. Brinker, in a letter to Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn, also noted that many commentators had blamed "culture wars" for the intensity of the criticism over the foundation's cutoff of funding.

10 Feb 2012

New 3D computer model to understand cancer development

Observing that certain cancer cells may exhibit greater flexibility than normal cells, some scientists believe that this capability promotes rapid tumor growth. Now computer simulations developed by Boston University Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor Muhammad Zaman and collaborators at the University of Texas at Austin appear to support this view.

10 Feb 2012

Injecting MWCNTs can kill tumor initiating breast cancer stem cells

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers have again proven that injecting multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into tumors and heating them with a quick, 30-second laser treatment can kill them.

10 Feb 2012

IKBKE protein plays two roles in tobacco-related NSCLC

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., have discovered that the immune response regulator IKBKE (serine/threonine kinase) plays two roles in tobacco-related non-small cell lung cancers. Tobacco carcinogens induce IKBKE and, in turn, IKBKE induces chemotherapy resistance.

10 Feb 2012

Eighth grader develops AnimalGrams to support pediatric cancer research at UCLA

When he was 11, Cameron Cohen created the hit drawing app iSketch for the iPhone and donated $20,000 of the proceeds from its sales to the Chase Child Life program at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA.

10 Feb 2012

UC Riverside uncovers new insight into colon cancer

An international research team led by cell biologists at the University of California, Riverside has uncovered a new insight into colon cancer, the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. The research provides potential new avenues for diagnosing and treating the disease.

10 Feb 2012

Adaptive radiotherapy may benefit patients with head and neck cancer

Researchers led by a senior investigator at Hofstra-North Shore LIJ School of Medicine and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have released initial findings from a first-of-a-kind clinical trial in adaptive radiotherapy (ART) for head and neck cancer.

10 Feb 2012

Cancer-related fatigue linked to muscle mass and strength

Many patients with advanced cancer suffer from cachexia, a condition also called body-wasting or wasting syndrome, which causes significant weight loss, extreme fatigue and reduces quality of life.

10 Feb 2012