Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Research on pancreatic cancer diagnostic test wins QED award

Hwyda Arafat, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University and co-director of the Jefferson Pancreatic, Biliary and Related Cancers Center, and Mon-Li Chu, Ph.D., Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology, were awarded $200,000 from the University City Science Center's QED Proof of Concept Program for their breakthrough work on a diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer.

14 Dec 2011

Positive data from Nektar's NKTR-181 Phase 1 clinical study for chronic pain

Nektar Therapeutics today announced positive data from a Phase 1 clinical study of NKTR-181 evaluating multiple ascending oral doses of NKTR-181 over an 8-day treatment period in healthy subjects.

14 Dec 2011

Study: High cancer screening rates seen among elderly adults

Adults older than 75 years continue to have regular screenings for colorectal, breast, cervical, and prostate cancer despite guidelines that recommend against such routine screenings in this population, according to a study by Keith M. Bellizzi, MD, MPH, from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, and colleagues.

14 Dec 2011

Celgene announces data from REVLIMID Phase III study on high-risk asymptomatic smoldering MM

Celgene International Sàrl, a subsidiary of Celgene Corporation, announced that updated data evaluating continuous treatment with REVLIMID (lenalidomide) in patients with high-risk asymptomatic smoldering multiple myeloma were presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

14 Dec 2011

Maraviroc reduces incidence of GvHD in blood cancer patients after ASCT

An HIV drug that redirects immune cell traffic appears to significantly reduce the dangerous complication graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in blood cancer patients following allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT), according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented today at the 53rd American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

14 Dec 2011

ACS revises guideline formation process for cancer screening

The American Cancer Society has revised its guideline formation process to achieve greater transparency, consistency, and rigor in creating guidance about cancer screening.

14 Dec 2011

Children of childhood cancer survivors do not have increased risk for birth defects

A large, retrospective study of the children of childhood cancer survivors who were treated with radiation therapy and/or some forms of chemotherapy found that the offspring do not have an increased risk for birth defects compared to children of cancer survivors who did not receive such treatments.

14 Dec 2011

Promising results from Fate Therapeutics' ProHema Phase 1b trial on hematologic malignancies

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today promising clinical results from a Phase 1b trial of ProHema (FT1050-enhanced umbilical cord blood) as part of double-umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplants in adult patients with hematologic malignancies who have undergone reduced-intensity conditioning therapy.

14 Dec 2011

Lifestyle and environmental factors may increase risk of cancer

It has been well established that certain lifestyle habits relate to the risk of certain cancers (e.g., smoking and lung cancer). In a well-done analysis, the authors estimate the proportion of cancer in the population associated with a variety of lifestyle and environmental factors. They find that smoking has, by far, the largest effect on the risk of cancer, with 19.4% of cancer cases in the UK attributable to tobacco use.

14 Dec 2011

CTI, Chroma announce final results from tosedostat phase II study on AML

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. and Chroma Therapeutics Ltd. announced that final results from the phase II OPAL study of tosedostat in elderly patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were presented by Jorge Cortes, M.D. of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center during the Acute Myeloid Leukemia - Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Clinical Studies session at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

14 Dec 2011

Older women may face negative consequences with weight regain after loss

The holidays are upon us and, for many Americans that means some degree of weight gain and the subsequent New Year's resolution to diet. However, shedding the pounds may have some negative consequences on the overall health of older women if the weight loss is not maintained, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

14 Dec 2011

Researchers create vaccine that reduces tumors in mice

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and the University of Georgia (UGA) have developed a vaccine that dramatically reduces tumors in a mouse model that mimics 90 percent of human breast and pancreatic cancer cases - including those that are resistant to common treatments.

14 Dec 2011

NYUCI experts present latest research findings about hematologic cancers at 53rd ASH meeting

Experts from the NYU Cancer Institute, an NCI-designated cancer center at NYU Langone Medical Center, presented their latest research findings about hematologic cancers at the 53rd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition held December 10-13, 2011 in San Diego, California.

14 Dec 2011

Aethlon Hemopurifier can capture Nef protein exosomes linked with HIV

Aethlon Medical, Inc., the pioneer in developing therapeutic filtration devices to address infectious disease and cancer, announced today that researchers have discovered that the Aethlon Hemopurifier is able to capture particles known as Nef protein exosomes, which contribute to the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

14 Dec 2011

Researchers identify interactive pathway that regulates cancer metastasis

Finding ways to counteract or disrupt the invasive nature of cancer cells, called "metastasis," has been a long-term goal of cancer researchers. Now, researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., have identified an interactive pathway that regulates metastases in some cancers that may be vulnerable to chemical targeting in order to prevent cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth.

14 Dec 2011

People with myotonic muscular dystrophy more likely to develop cancer

People who have the most common type of adult muscular dystrophy also have a higher risk of getting cancer, according to a paper published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

14 Dec 2011

Standard chemotherapy regimen may increase survival rates in limited stage Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

New research led by the NCIC Clinical Trials Group (CTG) at Queen's University has proven patients with limited stage Hodgkin's lymphoma have a better chance of long-term survival if they undergo a standard chemotherapy regimen as opposed to radiation-based treatment.

14 Dec 2011

U.S. DoD awards $11M to study two different ways to treat PTSD in war veterans

A team of researchers who have pioneered novel treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been awarded an $11 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to investigate the differences between virtual reality and traditional prolonged exposure therapy.

14 Dec 2011

Vorinostat in addition to chemotherapy drugs improves remission rates in AML patients

Adding a drug that activates genes to frontline combination therapy for acute myeloid leukemia resulted in an 85 percent remission rate after initial treatment, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

14 Dec 2011

Scientists identify gene mutation behind Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a gene mutation that underlies the vast majority of cases of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, a rare form of lymphoma that has eluded all previous efforts to find a genetic cause.

13 Dec 2011