Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

FSU assistant professor unlocks mysteries of KSHV infection

In the early days of the AIDS epidemic, a once-rare form of cancer known as Kaposi's sarcoma emerged as a frequent harbinger of HIV. Its stigma was best illustrated by Tom Hanks, who portrayed a gay man trying to conceal the cancerous skin lesions from his co-workers in the 1993 movie "Philadelphia."

4 Jun 2011

Research roundup: More spending can lead to better care; Calif. exchange lessons; high-volume hospitals

Medical Spending And The Health Of The Elderly -- Does more medical spending lead to better health care for people over age 64? To answer that question, "researchers from George Mason University and the Urban Institute used data of 17,438 elderly who entered the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey in the fall of each year from 1991 to 1999, and conducted multiple interviews over three years," according to one description of the study.

4 Jun 2011

Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society to raise funds towards conquering cancer

A landmark partnership announced today between Canada's two largest cancer charities, The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society, will raise significant amounts of money towards conquering cancer through the national expansion of Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer.

4 Jun 2011

Battelle, Perma-Fix sign exclusive option agreement to make medical isotopes

Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc. today announced it has signed an exclusive option agreement with Battelle, which operates Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, to license technology from PNNL for use with Perma-Fix's proprietary process to safely and cost-effectively produce Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), which is used to make Technetium 99m (Tc-99m).

4 Jun 2011

Medical oncologists confirm benefits of crizotinib in ALK positive lung cancer

A drug that targets a specific type of lung cancer shows a dramatic response in more than half of the people who take it. The drug, called crizotinib, has been in clinical trials since 2006, and the results from the largest group of patients to take it within the first of these clinical trials are being presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

4 Jun 2011

Ipilimumab and bevacizumab drugs effective in treating metatastic melanoma

A duo of drugs, each targeting a prime survival strategy of tumors, can be safely administered and are potentially more effective than either drug alone for advanced, inoperable melanomas, according to a phase 1 clinical trial led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators.

4 Jun 2011

Nuvera announces results of blinded study on breast cancer assay for taxane chemotherapy response

Nuvera Biosciences, a molecular diagnostics company that develops gene-based diagnostic assays for personalized medicine in cancer, announced the results of a blinded validation study on its breast cancer assay for taxane chemotherapy response.

4 Jun 2011

NIH approves BioTime's two human embryonic stem cell lines for clinical use

BioTime, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of regenerative medicine, today announced that two human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines, ESI-014 and ESI-017, developed by a BioTime subsidiary have been approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for inclusion in the NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry.

4 Jun 2011

Cancer vaccine shows improved response rate in patients

A vaccine for one of the most lethal cancers, advanced melanoma, has improved response rate and progression-free survival for patients when combined with the immunotherapy drug Interleukin-2, according to research led by scientists from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Indiana University Health Goshen Center for Cancer Care.

3 Jun 2011

National Cancer Survivors Day to be held on June 5th 2011

The 24th National Cancer Survivors Day will be held on June 5th this year. "This annual event is a national recognition that we have made significant progress in the fight against cancer," said Dr. Patricia Robinson, director of Loyola University Health System's Cancer Survivorship Program. Robinson sees cancer survivors at Loyola's main campus in Maywood and at the Loyola Center for Health at Wheaton.

3 Jun 2011

Delayed treatment could prove effective in certain medical conditions

In today's fast-paced world, waiting — whether it's at the doctor's office, in line at the grocery store or for an Internet connection — is rarely considered a good thing.

3 Jun 2011

Bexarotene and erlotinib drugs effective in treating advanced lung cancer

Scientists have identified a drug combination, when used in advanced lung cancer patients, shows a survival advantage in patients who no longer respond to existing therapies.

3 Jun 2011

Mimicry allows bacteria to evade host's defense responses

Deadly bacteria may be evolving antibiotic resistance by mimicking human proteins, according to a new study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

3 Jun 2011

Telethermographic device is not approved for screening breast cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned women not to substitute breast thermography for mammography to screen for breast cancer.

3 Jun 2011

ARIAD's ponatinib initial Phase 1 study data on acute myeloid leukemia to be presented at ASCO 2011

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced initial clinical findings on ponatinib in patients with advanced acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

3 Jun 2011

Longer looks: Is American medicine destroying itself?

Ever since Republicans took control of half the country's statehouses this year, the anti-abortion movement has won one victory after another. At least 64 new anti-abortion laws have passed, with more than 30 of them in April alone. The campaign is the largest in history and also the most creative.

3 Jun 2011

AHF to host 'Remember AIDS' event on June 5

Hundreds of community members are expected to join AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) at a candlelight vigil and march to mark the 30th anniversary of the discovery of HIV. The "Remember AIDS" event—which will take place on Sunday, June 5th—will begin with a gathering at Matthew Shepard Memorial Park at 7:00 pm.

3 Jun 2011

ZYTIGA clinical study data on prostate cancer to be presented at ASCO 2011

Data related to ZYTIGA (abiraterone acetate) will be presented at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.

3 Jun 2011

Many women over 70 with stage I breast cancer opt for radiation therapy: ASCO

Patterns of radiation usage in breast conserving therapy for women 70 years and older with stage I breast cancer are changing: more women are opting for radioactive implants and those with estrogen positive tumors are opting out of radiation therapy, according to an abstract being presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago by Thomas Jefferson University Hospital researchers on Saturday, June 4.

3 Jun 2011

AHRQ: States see improvements in health care quality, but disparities persist

States are seeing improvements in health care quality, but disparities for their minority and low- income residents persist, according to the 2010 State Snapshots, released today by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

3 Jun 2011