Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Researchers to study effect of reovirus on cancer cells

A common virus that can cause coughing and mild diarrhea appears to have a major redemptive quality: the ability to kill cancer. Harnessing that power, researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Georgetown University Medical Center, are conducting a clinical trial to see if the virus can target and kill certain tumor types.

21 Oct 2010

Kinemed updates translational biomarkers strategy at 2010 Conference in Boston

Marc K. Hellerstein, M.D., Ph.D. Co-Founder and Chief of SAB, Kinemed, Inc. presented an "Updated Strategy for Using Disease Predictive Translational Biomarkers in the Rapidly Advancing Field of Causal Pathway Measurements" at the 2010 Personalized and Translational Medicine Conference. In Boston, on September 20-21, 2010.

21 Oct 2010

Unitedhealth says it will test lump sum payments for some cancer care, reports earnings

Health insurer UnitedHealth said Tuesday that it will test a new way payment method for cancer doctors. The program pays doctors a lump sum payment for providing care during an entire course of care for the disease instead of how it's done now with a fee for each service a doctor provides.

21 Oct 2010

Study: p63 gene stifles spread of cancer

Long overshadowed by p53, its famous tumor-suppressing sibling, the p63 gene does the tougher, important job of stifling the spread of cancer to other organs, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the Oct. 21 issue of Nature.

21 Oct 2010

DMC concludes Protege Phase 3 clinical trial for type 1 diabetes lacks efficacy

MacroGenics, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company today announced that the Protege Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), composed of independent experts in the fields of diabetes and biostatistics, has completed a planned analysis of one-year safety and efficacy data of the Protege Phase 3 clinical trial of teplizumab, an investigational biologic under development for the treatment of individuals with recent-onset type 1 diabetes.

21 Oct 2010

NYU Langone Medical Center announces establishment of Smilow Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Center

NYU Langone Medical Center is pleased to announce that it has established The Smilow Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Center with a $5 million gift from Joel E. Smilow, a member of the Board of Trustees at NYU Langone Medical Center and New York University. The Smilow Center is dedicated to providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art personalized care for men with prostate cancer as well as educating men and their families about the disease and the wide range of treatment options available today.

21 Oct 2010

Link between low testosterone and heart disease deaths: Study

In a new study it was seen that men diagnosed with coronary heart disease with low testosterone were almost twice as likely to die over a seven year period. The team led by Prof Kevin Channer a cardiologist of the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield looked at 930 men for the study. This study is in contrast to the popular belief that testosterone increases heart disease risk. The study was published in the journal Online First Heart.

21 Oct 2010

A new way to pay for chemotherapy

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports: "One of the nation's largest health insurers said today it is testing a new way to pay for some cancer treatments, aiming to identify the best medicines - and limit profits doctors make by dispensing in-office chemotherapy drugs" (Appleby, 10/20).

21 Oct 2010

Genzyme third quarter revenue increases to $1.0 billion

Genzyme Corp. today reported third-quarter earnings growth driven by increased shipments of Cerezyme® (imiglucerase for injection). Patients in the United States began returning to normal dosing levels last month, and patients globally are expected to be able to do so this quarter. Earnings growth in the third quarter was also driven by strong revenue from Lumizyme™ (alglucosidase alfa) and cost reduction measures.

21 Oct 2010

Alexion announces results of eculizumab two open-label Phase 2 studies for aHUS treatment

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its two open-label Phase 2 studies investigating eculizumab (Soliris) as a treatment for patients with atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS) have met the primary and key secondary endpoints with high clinical and statistical significance, in interim analyses.

21 Oct 2010

Genzyme reports results of Clolar combination Phase 3 trial in adult AML

Genzyme Corporation announced results today from its CLASSIC I phase 3 trial comparing Clolar® (clofarabine) in combination with the chemotherapy agent cytarabine (ara-c) to cytarabine plus placebo in relapsed-refractory adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

21 Oct 2010

IRB approves CEL-SCI’s Multikine Phase III clinical trial for head and neck cancer

CEL-SCI Corporation announced today it has received approval from seven hospital Institutional Review Boards in India to begin enrollment of subjects for a Phase III clinical trial of Multikine, the Company's flagship immunotherapy developed as a first-line standard of care in treating head and neck cancer.

21 Oct 2010

FDA approves Herceptin with chemotherapy for HER2-positive metastatic cancer

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Herceptin (trastuzumab) in combination with chemotherapy (cisplatin plus either capecitabine or 5-fluorouracil [5-FU]) for HER2-positive metastatic (cancer that has spread) cancer of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction, in men and women who have not received prior medicines for their metastatic disease.

21 Oct 2010

NHS needs £20bn of efficiency savings

Britain’s NHS would become one of only two government departments not to face budget cuts in the latest spending review. However some key features have been removed. This includes one-week wait for cancer diagnosis and free prescriptions for people with long-term illnesses.

20 Oct 2010

A universal cancer treatment for a universal cancer marker

A latest study shows that a hormone receptor normally confined to the reproductive organs is found in malignant tumors in many parts of the body. Researchers from the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City explained that this may mean a new target for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The study was published in the latest issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Oct 2010

Cipla launches generic Pirfenidone for IPF

Cipla, among the world's leading generic pharmaceutical companies, has introduced Pirfenidone in India under the brand name Pirfenex, for the treatment of IPF. A chronic progressive form of lung disease, IPF has average survival rates as low as 3-5 years which is less than many cancers. Till now there is no approved treatment for IPF.

20 Oct 2010

Abbott third quarter worldwide sales increase 11.8% to $8.7 billion

Abbott today announced financial results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2010.

20 Oct 2010

BREAKYL drug receives European approval

BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. and Meda today announced approval of BEMA Fentanyl in Europe via the Decentralized Procedure, with Germany acting as Reference Member State.

20 Oct 2010

Genoptix ranked #41 on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500

Genoptix, Inc., a specialized laboratory services provider, today announced that it ranked number 41 on Technology Fast 500™, Deloitte's ranking of 500 of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. Rankings are based on percentage of fiscal year revenue growth during the five year period from 2005–2009. Genoptix grew 3,451 percent during this period.

20 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 20, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports One of the nation's largest health insurers said today it is testing a new way to pay for some cancer treatments, aiming to identify the best medicines and limit profits doctors make by dispensing in-office chemotherapy drugs.

20 Oct 2010