Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Dangers of colon cleansing: More harm than good

According to a new study released today in the Journal of Family Practice colon cleaning may be harmful. Researchers from Georgetown University Medical School looked at 20 studies published in the last decade and found little evidence of benefit to colon cleansing. But they did find dozens of cases of problems: cramping, bloating, vomiting, electrolyte imbalance, renal failure, and even death.

1 Aug 2011

New birth control guidelines in U.S.

Planned parenting groups are cheering while some religious organizations are unhappy with the move that would require health insurance companies to provide women free birth control, in keeping with new Obama administration guidelines. The Department of Health and Human Services call it “historic” and also say that insurance companies must provide women with other preventive services free of charge.

1 Aug 2011

Mathematical model predicts progress of tumors from early stages to metastasis

Researchers from the University of Miami (UM) and the University of Heidelberg in Germany have developed a mathematical model to understand and predict the progress of a tumor, from its early stages to metastasis, in hopes of creating highly personalized treatment strategies for patients who have cancer. The findings are published in Nature's new online journal Scientific Reports.

1 Aug 2011

Disparities persist despite insurance

A pair of studies highlights how health disparities continue to take shape and unravels some of the factors that are involved in differences in health outcomes.

1 Aug 2011

Prohibitive costs prevent elders from sticking to prescribed medication

As many as one in ten elderly people in the US, registered with Medicare, do not stick to their prescribed medication because it is too expensive, according to Dr. Larissa Nekhlyudov and colleagues from Harvard Medical School.

1 Aug 2011

Bipartisan support for NIH funding eroding

Voting to boost funding for the National Institutes Health has long been a source of pride for Democrats and Republicans alike. But the drive to shrink the federal government is now eroding bipartisan backing for an agency that supports scientific research to prevent illnesses such as strokes, heart attacks and cancer.

1 Aug 2011

Positive results from Alnylam's ALN-VSP Phase I trial for liver cancer

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has completed its Phase I study with ALN-VSP, a systemically delivered RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of advanced solid tumors with liver involvement.

1 Aug 2011

Merck submits ridaforolimus MAA with EMA for treatment of metastatic soft-tissue, bone sarcomas

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its ridaforolimus partner, Merck, has submitted a marketing authorization application (MAA) for ridaforolimus with the European Medicines Agency.

1 Aug 2011

Stealth presents Bendavia at AHA's Cardiovascular Scientific Sessions

Stealth Peptides Inc. (Stealth), a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing innovative mitochondrial therapies for diseases with unmet medical needs, presented its lead clinical candidate, Bendavia, during the 2011 American Heart Association's (AHA) Cardiovascular Scientific Sessions.

1 Aug 2011

Affymetrix to commercialize four Axiom genotyping arrays for the major populations

Affymetrix, Inc. today announced plans to commercialize four Axiom population-optimized arrays used to analyze 100,000 samples collected from volunteers in one of the nation's largest and most diverse genomics projects funded by the National Institutes of Health.

1 Aug 2011

Tips for obtaining life insurance after heart attack

Life Quotes, Inc. wants heart attack survivors to know that, while it may be tough to get a life insurance policy, it's not impossible. Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in America and many survivors are unaware of the life insurance options that may be open to them.

1 Aug 2011

Fischer retains TransMedia to launch Israel's most popular sunscreen in the U.S.

Fischer Pharmaceutical Ltd., a multi-national company specializing in R&D and manufacture of a wide variety of skin and health care products, has retained TransMedia Group to introduce Israel's most popular sunscreen, Dr. Fischer ULTRASOL, in the United States.

1 Aug 2011

Researchers identify new plasma membrane sculpting protein

The research group of Professor Pekka Lappalainen at the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, has identified a previously unknown mechanism which modifies the structure of plasma membranes in intestinal epithelial cells.

1 Aug 2011

Scientists reveal genetic region that increases risk of meningioma

Cancer Research UK funded scientists have conducted the first whole-genome scan of the brain tumour meningioma and revealed a genetic region that increases the risk of developing the disease, according to research published in Nature Genetics today.

1 Aug 2011

Myb protein suppression can help eliminate acute myelogenous leukemia

A team of scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has laid bare the mechanism behind a phenomenon called oncogene addiction in mice suffering from a form of leukemia that mimics acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in humans.

1 Aug 2011

New device can produce blood-based diagnostic results in minutes

Samuel K. Sia, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has developed an innovative strategy for an integrated microfluidic-based diagnostic device-in effect, a lab-on-a-chip-that can perform complex laboratory assays, and do so with such simplicity that these tests can be carried out in the most remote regions of the world.

1 Aug 2011

Kenya Medical Services Minister to establish African Cancer Foundation

When Anyang' Nyong'o, Medical Services Minister of Kenya, returned cancer-free to his native land in March of this year, he made a commitment to the people of Kenya. "My experience is a wake-up call for us in Kenya," he proclaimed.

1 Aug 2011

AAO-HNSF scientific program to discuss latest research on hearing loss, voice disorders

The 2011 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), the largest meeting of ear, nose, and throat doctors in the world, will convene September 11-14, 2011 in San Francisco, CA.

1 Aug 2011

Accuray to showcase CyberKnife, TomoTherapy systems at AAPM/COMP meeting

Accuray Incorporated, the premier radiation oncology company, announced today that it will showcase the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System and the TomoTherapy Radiation Therapy Treatment System in the company's booths at the 2011 Joint American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)/Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP) Meeting.

1 Aug 2011

Colon cleansing can cause side effects like cramping, renal failure and death

Colon cleansing - it's been described as a natural way to enhance well-being, but Georgetown University doctors say there's no evidence to back that claim. In fact, their review of scientific literature, published today in the August issue of The Journal of Family Practice, demonstrates that colon cleansing can cause side effects ranging from cramping to renal failure and death.

1 Aug 2011