Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Progestins increase chances of cancer metastasizing: Study

After menopause, 6 to 10 million women take hormone therapies, which are often a combination of estrogen and progestin, to replace hormones lost from inactive ovaries. Progestin is a hormone that is used to counteract the potentially negative effects of estrogen therapy on the uterus. In studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, evidence has been found that estrogen and progestin in hormone therapies increase the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women.

7 May 2010

Merrion Pharmaceuticals increases patent protection for Orazol

Merrion Pharmaceuticals plc, a pharmaceutical development company, today announces that it has been granted a further U.S. Patent, increasing the protection for their lead product, Orazol™.

7 May 2010

Survey reveals low awareness of postherpetic neuralgia amongst Americans

The American Pain Foundation (APF) announced today at the American Pain Society (APS) Annual Meeting the results of a national survey that showed postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), also known as after-shingles pain, continues to be a condition with low awareness amongst Americans, demonstrating a need for health care provider (HCP) intervention.

7 May 2010

DNA sequence of amphibian genome sheds light on the study of embryonic development

A pair of University of Houston researchers contributed to the assembly of the first comprehensive DNA sequence of an amphibian genome, which will shed light on the study of embryonic development, with implications for preventing birth defects and more effectively treating many human diseases.

7 May 2010

Preoperative MRI helps spare erectile function, continence after RALP for prostate cancer

Preoperative prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help urologic surgeons spare the neurovascular bundle (NVB) (which controls a man's erectile function and continence) during a robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) for the treatment of prostate cancer, according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 2010 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.

7 May 2010

Natazia tablets receive FDA approval for prevention of pregnancy

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Natazia (estradiol valerate and estradiol valerate/dienogest) tablets for the prevention of pregnancy.

7 May 2010

Roche launches cobas(R) 4800 System in Canada for testing CT, NG and HPV

Roche Diagnostics Canada announced today the launch of a new Health Canada approved clinical laboratory system designed to increase laboratory testing efficiency and to accommodate current and long-term molecular diagnostic needs. The cobas(R) 4800 System combines in vitro diagnostic tests for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing with fully-automated sample preparation and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 7 May 2010

Hepcidin is found in various biological fluids, says new research

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of hepcidin in iron metabolism, particularly anaemia of chronic disease and iron overload. There have also been reports of its expression in various proinflammatory disorders and various organs, linking it to innate immunity and iron metabolism.

7 May 2010

Olympus launches OER-Pro automated endoscope reprocessor

Olympus, a precision technology leader, designing and delivering innovative solutions in medical and surgical products, today announced the launch of the OER-Pro, the fastest technology in automated endoscope reprocessing and the only reprocessor on the market designed by an endoscope manufacturer.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 7 May 2010

Real-world solutions to improve patient safety and quality of care

The National Patient Safety Foundation will launch an innovative Learning & Simulation Center at the annual NPSF Patient Safety Congress on May 17-19 in Orlando, creating a remarkable environment for attendees to engage in diverse, hands-on, interactive settings and take away real-world solutions to improve patient safety and quality of care.

7 May 2010

THI at St. Luke's reveals new insights on how adult stem cells repair damaged hearts following heart attack

Physician scientists at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital (THI at St. Luke's) are publishing research this week that reveals new insights into how a particular set of human adult stem cells helps repair damaged hearts following a heart attack in laboratory mice.

7 May 2010

The emerging science of epigenetics

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) possess remarkable properties of self-renewal and pluripotency, the ability to become almost any kind of cell within the body. And yet they share the same genome or set of genes with lineage-committed cells, cells fated to be or do one thing.

7 May 2010

Amira Pharmaceuticals' LPA1 receptor antagonist program data published in British Journal of Pharmacology

Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that preclinical data from its LPA1 receptor antagonist program has been published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

7 May 2010

Telik first-quarter net loss decreases to $5.3 million

Telik, Inc. today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010. The net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2010 was $5.3 million, or $0.10 per share, compared with a net loss of $7.7 million, or $0.14 per share, for the same period in 2009.

7 May 2010

A checklist to stay healthy at every age

Shantanu Nundy, MD, a second-year resident in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center may soon find out. Driven by his mother's health questions and the difficulty of providing simple, reliable answers, Nundy collected all of the "generally accepted truths" about preventing disease, organized them into checklists based on age, and persuaded the Johns Hopkins University Press to publish them as Stay Healthy at Every Age: What Your Doctor Wants you to Know.

7 May 2010

Genzyme to initiate $2 billion stock buyback

Genzyme Corp. today announced that its Board of Directors has voted to pursue several actions to increase shareholder value. The company will initiate a $2 billion stock buyback, under which $1 billion of stock will be repurchased in the near term and financed with debt. The additional $1 billion of stock will be repurchased during the next 12 months.

7 May 2010

Accuray reports total revenue of $51.9M in third quarter 2010

Accuray Incorporated, a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced today financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010, ended March 31, 2010.

7 May 2010

ImmunoGen prices common stock public offering at $8.00 per share

ImmunoGen, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that develops targeted anticancer therapeutics, announced today that it has priced a public offering of 9,000,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $8.00 per share.

7 May 2010

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals commences Phase 3 registration program for Zerenex

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the initiation of its short-term Phase 3 study of Zerenex™ (ferric citrate), the Company's iron-based phosphate binder for the treatment of elevated serum phosphorous levels, or hyperphosphatemia, in patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis.

6 May 2010

Abraxis Bioscience first-quarter ABRAXANE revenue increases to $87.9 million

Abraxis BioScience, Inc., a fully integrated biotechnology company, today reported unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

6 May 2010