Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Viewpoints: Dems vs. Ryan on entitlement cuts; defending planned parenthood

Every time Republicans have proposed serious entitlement reform, they've taken a beating. ... But it's far from clear the average voter appreciates what's at stake. Incredibly, 54 percent of those in a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll said they didn't believe Medicare cuts were essential to meaningfully trim the deficit. I'd say Republicans have a lot of work to do.

15 Apr 2011

RXi Pharmaceuticals acquires Apthera

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing innovative therapies addressing major unmet medical needs using RNA-targeted and immunotherapy technologies, today announced the completion of its previously announced acquisition of Apthera, Inc.

15 Apr 2011

Catherine Zeta Jones treated for bipolar disorder

Catherine Zeta Jones – the 41-year-old Welsh actor checked into a day clinic in Connecticut for five days earlier this month for the treatment of bipolar disorder. “After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check in to a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her Bipolar II Disorder,” said publicist Cece Yorke said in a statement adding, “She's feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on her two upcoming films.”

13 Apr 2011

Improving ‘home care’ critical to addressing chronic disease and reducing health care costs nationwide

Val J. Halamandaris, president of The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s decision to exclude proposals that would impact seniors’ access to critical home care services:

13 Apr 2011

Medicinal applications of fullerenes, filled with radioactive material

Fullerenes have attracted considerable attention in different fields of science since their discovery in 1985. Investigations of physical, chemical and biological properties of fullerenes have yielded promising information. It is inferred that size, hydrophobicity, three-dimensionality and electronic configurations make them an appealing subject in medicinal chemistry. Their unique carbon cage structure coupled with immense scope for derivatization make them a potential therapeutic agent.

13 Apr 2011

Pig stem cell transplants key to future research into retina treatment

A team of American and Chinese scientists studying the role of stem cells in repairing damaged retina tissue have found that pigs represent an effective proxy species to research treatments for humans. The study, published in STEM CELLS, demonstrates how cells can be isolated and transplanted between pigs, overcoming a key barrier to the research.

13 Apr 2011

FDA panel votes in favour of Sunitib (Sutent) for pancreatic tumors

Pfizer Inc. announced this Tuesday that its oral multi-kinase inhibitor Sutent was determined as having a favorable benefit-risk profile by an oncology advisory committee of the FDA for the treatment of unresectable pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The panel voted 8-2 in favor of Sutent – generically called Sunitib malate.

12 Apr 2011

Robotic prostatectomy speeds recovery

Robotic cancer surgery is being introduced into the public hospital system for the first time in Victoria. The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne has been trialing the robotic key-hole surgery technology for the past six months.

12 Apr 2011

Study finds SAVI applicator for breast brachytherapy safe for women with breast implants

The SAVI® applicator for breast brachytherapy was used to safely deliver post-lumpectomy radiation therapy to a woman with breast implants, according to a newly published paper in a peer-reviewed journal. The case study showed that SAVI produced an "optimal" clinical outcome and "excellent cosmetic results that pleased the patient," wrote the authors.

12 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 12, 2011

Today's headlines include details of what made up the short-term budget deal's $38 billion in cuts and how President Obama's longer term budget vision may take shape.

12 Apr 2011

Yissum announces successful Docetaxel pre-clinical data in cancer

Yissum Research Development Company Ltd., the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, announced today successful pre-clinical data of oral delivery of Docetaxel, an anti-cancer drug, utilizing a novel nanotechnology platform.

12 Apr 2011

Breast cancer patients can benefit from new nanobodies

A new discovery published online in The FASEB Journal promises to help physicians identify patients most likely to benefit from breast cancer drug therapies. If the compound, called "Nanobody," proves effective in clinical trials, it would represent a significant advance for breast cancer drug therapy because some drugs are effective only in some people.

12 Apr 2011

New research confirms high-fat diet can contribute to type 2 diabetes

A diet high in saturated fat is a key contributor to type 2 diabetes, a major health threat worldwide. Several decades ago scientists noticed that people with type 2 diabetes have overly active immune responses, leaving their bodies rife with inflammatory chemicals.

12 Apr 2011

Specific oestrogen might serve as effective treatment for osteoporosis

Oestrogen treatment for osteoporosis has often been associated with serious side-effects. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have now, in mice, found a way of utilising the positive effects of oestrogen in mice so that only the skeleton is acted on, current research at the Academy shows.

12 Apr 2011

Sirolimus may help treat lymphangioleiomyomatosis in women

An Oregon Health & Science University researcher has co-authored an international study that revealed a drug approved to prevent rejection in organ transplant patients helped treat a rare lung disease in women.

12 Apr 2011

Rockefeller University professor earns recognition in developmental psychobiology

Weill Cornell Medical College and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons have announced that The Mortimer D. Sackler, M.D. Prize for Distinguished Achievement in Developmental Psychobiology has been awarded to The Rockefeller University's Dr. Fernando Nottebohm for his seminal work in songbirds that has led to the discovery of neuronal replacement.

12 Apr 2011

New study aims to improve care of African Americans with cancer pain

Nearly all patients with advanced cancer experience severe pain, and almost half of all other cancer patients have some pain, regardless of the type or stage of the disease.

12 Apr 2011

Positive results from ULCA's Phase 1 dendritic cell vaccine trial in glioblastoma

A novel brain tumor vaccine clinical trial study demonstrates a longer survival time in patients with glioblastoma, according to findings being presented at the 79th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in Denver.

12 Apr 2011

Sea squirt study unravels complex mechanisms underlying heart defects

Each year in the U.S., approximately 40,000 babies are born with a heart defect. Without the proper diagnosis and treatment, many of these babies would die before their first birthday, according to Dr. Scott Klewer, a cardiologist at the UA's College of Medicine.

12 Apr 2011

Scientists develop new method for enzyme immobilization

Virtually all processes in the human body rely on a unique class of proteins known as enzymes. To study them, scientists want to attach these molecules to surfaces and hold them fast, but this can often be a tricky undertaking.

12 Apr 2011