Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

BioConnections, Yissum to commercialize kits that detect MDR and XDR infections

Yissum, the research and development company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, had signed a licensing agreement with BioConnections, a UK based microbiology company, for the commercialization of kits that enables immediate detection of all multidrug resistant (MDR) and of any extremely drug resistant (XDR) infections.

27 Feb 2012

GSK, Angiochem to develop and commercialize LSD treatments

Angiochem announced today a global collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to discover, develop and commercialize treatments for lysosomal storage diseases.

27 Feb 2012

Montefiore director to host Twitter chat about neuroendocrine tumors on Feb. 29

On February 29, which is Rare Disease Day, Steven Libutti, MD, Vice Chairman of Surgery and Director of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care will host a Twitter chat about the signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors, or NETs, a rare form of cancer.

27 Feb 2012

Roche extends cash tender offer to acquire all shares of Illumina

Roche announced today that it has extended its cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Illumina, Inc., at a price of $44.50 per share, to 6:00 p.m., New York City time, on March 23, 2012.

From Illumina, Inc. 27 Feb 2012

SLU investigator aims to reduce chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

A Saint Louis University investigator noted for her pain research is working to reduce a painful chemotherapy side effect, thanks to a $126,500 grant from the Mayday Fund, an organization dedicated to alleviating the incidence, degree and consequence of human physical pain.

27 Feb 2012

MGH scientists isolate OSCs from ovaries of reproductive age women

For the first time, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have isolated egg-producing stem cells from the ovaries of reproductive age women and shown these cells can produce what appear to be normal egg cells or oocytes.

27 Feb 2012

CML patients can benefit from imatinib after unsuccessful interferon therapies

A new study has found that patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have not responded to interferon treatments experience long-term benefits when they switch to the targeted drug imatinib.

27 Feb 2012

Two-target approach may effectively stop pancreatic cancer metastasis

Simultaneous targeting of two different molecules in cancer is an effective way to shrink tumors, block invasion, and stop metastasis, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have found—work that may improve the effectiveness of combination treatments that include drugs like Avastin.

27 Feb 2012

Cabozantinib blocks c-MET and VEGF signaling in mouse model of pancreatic cancer

Dual inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor and c-MET signaling inhibited tumor invasion and metastasis in a laboratory model of pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, according to a paper published in Cancer Discovery, the newest journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

27 Feb 2012

CINJ experts available to discuss importance of healthy diet and its role in cancer prevention

March is National Nutrition Month. "Get Your Plate in Shape" is the national theme for this year's month-long reminder that good nutrition is essential for your heath. Throughout the month, experts from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) will be available to discuss the importance of a healthy diet and its role in cancer prevention.

27 Feb 2012

Study finds genetic variants that elevate risk for skin lesions in people exposed to arsenic

One of the first large-scale genomic studies conducted in a developing country has discovered genetic variants that elevate the risk for skin lesions in people chronically exposed to arsenic. Genetic changes found near the enzyme for metabolizing the chemical into a less toxic form can significantly increase an individual's risk for developing arsenic-related disease.

26 Feb 2012

New technique effective in jumpstarting defective immune systems against many diseases

In a study published in Nature Medicine, Loyola researchers report on a promising new technique that potentially could turn immune system killer T cells into more effective weapons against infections and possibly cancer.

26 Feb 2012

Exelixis announces cabozantinib preclinical data on pancreatic cancer

Exelixis, Inc. today announced the company's lead compound, cabozantinib, is highlighted in a new peer-reviewed publication demonstrating that simultaneous inhibition of MET and VEGF signaling reduces tumor invasiveness and metastasis in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer.

26 Feb 2012

Cost of NHS prescriptions set to rise

Mr. Burns outlined a number of changes in the amounts charged for NHS services in a written statement to MPs. He added that patients purchasing a three-month or annual prescription payment certificate (PPC) will not face any increase, with the costs remaining at £29.10 and £104, respectively. The health minister pointed out that PPCs “offer savings for those needing four or more items in three months or 14 or more items in one year”.

26 Feb 2012

Skin cancer drug may prolong survival in advanced cases: Study

Researchers say 132 patients in the U.S. and Australia who were given the drug vemurafenib gained several extra months of life. The study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that those on the drug lived an average of 16 months, compared with nine months on conventional treatment.

26 Feb 2012

Citrus fruits may keep stroke at bay for women

In the study published last Thursday in Stroke, a journal of the American Heart Association, researchers analyzed the flavonoid intake of 69,622 women from the U.S.-based Nurses’ Health Study, which has followed nurses since 1976 to assess risk factors for cardiovascular disease and cancer. The total flavonoid intake of the 69,622 women was calculated after they completed food intake questionnaires collected every four years using a U.S. Department of Agriculture database. They found that during 14 years of follow up surveys beginning in 1990, 1,803 incidents of strokes were confirmed from the women.

26 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Elizabeth Warren on contraception mandate, comparison shopping for drugs, 'dismantling' Illinois

In this Kaiser Health News Different Takes feature, The University Of Maryland's Dr. E. Albert Reece and The Heritage Foundation's Stuart Butler discuss how health enterprise zones, a new take on an old economic development idea, might be used to improve the health of the state's minority populations (2/23). Read the commentaries by Reece and Butler.

24 Feb 2012

Senate contests touch on contraception, health reform issues

Media outlets report on how these issues are being debated in Senate campaigns in Massachusetts and Texas.

24 Feb 2012

Research roundup: Hospital medication errors; Key Medicaid issues in 2014

Use Of Preventive Services Could Be Better Aligned With Clinical Recommendations -- This report looks at Medicare patients' use of eight specific preventive services, which have "the potential to improve health outcomes and lower health care expenditures," according to the authors. Use of cardiovascular and cervical cancer screenings "generally aligned with clinical recommendations, ... but use of other cancer screenings" did not.

24 Feb 2012

UCSF: 1-2 punch blocks tumor growth, invasion and metastasis

Simultaneous targeting of two different molecules in cancer is an effective way to shrink tumors, block invasion, and stop metastasis, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have found-work that may improve the effectiveness of combination treatments that include drugs like Avastin.

24 Feb 2012