Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Only two per cent of 700 paediatric drug trials included independent safety checks

Only two per cent of paediatric drug trials reported that they had established independent safety monitoring committees that can help lead to the early detection of adverse drug reactions, according to a major review in the April issue of Acta Paediatrica.

19 Mar 2008

First 3-D view of anti-cancer agent

Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Purdue School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis have created the first three-dimensional image of how a well-established chemotherapy agent targets and binds to DNA.

19 Mar 2008

Increased hepcidin expression: A novel oncogenic signalling mechanism

Historically anaemia, which is associated with colorectal cancer, has been attributed to blood loss.

19 Mar 2008

Silencing gene in tobacco plants reduces harmful carcinogens

In large-scale field trials, scientists from North Carolina State University have shown that silencing a specific gene in burley tobacco plants significantly reduces harmful carcinogens in cured tobacco leaves.

19 Mar 2008

Family communication impacts attitude about genetic counseling/testing for breast cancer

Whether or not relatives talk about the family's history of cancer significantly impacts attitudes and knowledge about genetic counseling and testing for those at moderate risk of developing breast cancer, according to a new preliminary study presented today at the American Society for Preventive Oncology meeting in Bethesda, Md.

19 Mar 2008

Discovery alters long standing concept of fixed protein structure

The thousands of proteins found in nature are simply strings of amino acids, assembled by genes, and scientists have long believed that they automatically fold themselves into uniquely fixed, 3-dimensional shapes to fire the engine of life.

19 Mar 2008

At home genomic tests for disease risk may be premature

The recent marketing of "at home" genomic tests for disease risk may be premature, according to Dr. Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

19 Mar 2008

Zebrafish enables cell regeneration studies to help understand, treat human disease

One aquarium fish's uncanny ability to regenerate essentially any cell type has given scientists a way to mimic cell loss that occurs in diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes then watch how the fish make more of them.

18 Mar 2008

Long-term follow-up after percutaneous pulmonary radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) - an interventional treatment that "cooks" and kills lung cancer tumors with heat - greatly improves survival time from primary or metastatic inoperable lung tumors, according to a study released at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting.

18 Mar 2008

Testicular cancer gauge often not used

A standard part of testicular cancer care isn't used in more than half of all patients who have the condition, researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found.

18 Mar 2008

Study examines changes in quality of life after head and neck cancer treatment

In the year following their first treatment, patients with head and neck cancer report declines in their physical quality of life but improvements in their mental health quality of life, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

18 Mar 2008

Researchers develop method to rapidly ID optimal drug cocktails

UCLA researchers have developed a feedback control scheme that can search for the most effective drug combinations to treat a variety of conditions, including cancers and infections.

18 Mar 2008

New robotic interventional imaging technology holds promise of improved cancer care

New research released at the Society of Interventional Radiology's (SIR) Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, D.C., this week, holds promise of a new interventional imaging capability using advanced robotics provided by Siemens Healthcare (www.siemens.com/healthcare), to improve the value of chemoembolization in treating cancer.

From Siemens Healthineers 18 Mar 2008

Potential new neuronal tumor suppressor

In a G&D paper published online ahead of its April 1 print publication date, Dr. William Kaelin (Dana Farber Cancer Institute) and colleagues identify a potential new neuronal tumor suppressor.

18 Mar 2008

Genetic counselors turn to unconventional counseling to meet demand for genetic testing

Imagine receiving genetic test results for a disease you could develop later in life without having anyone with whom to discuss your options for managing the risk.

18 Mar 2008

New technique detects early stages of colon cancer without a biopsy

Doctors may one day be able to detect early stages of colon cancer without a biopsy, using a new technique developed by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

18 Mar 2008

Breast cancer in black women may be connected to neighborhood conditions

Researchers at the University of Chicago are studying possible connections between living in disadvantaged neighborhoods and the development of early onset breast cancer in a path-breaking project led by Sarah Gehlert, Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Health Disparities Research.

18 Mar 2008

New diagnostic test for cancer promises less trauma for patients

A rapid new diagnostic test developed by Sydney researchers will mean fewer tests and less trauma for cancer patients says Richard Christopherson, who has a Personal Chair in the School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences in the Faculty of Science.

17 Mar 2008

Wine harder on the brain than beer

Scientists say wine damages the brain more than beer or spirits, because it particularly affects the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with memory and spatial awareness.

17 Mar 2008

Researchers discover signaling system that halts the growth of a childhood brain cancer

A discovery by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists suggests a safer way to treat medulloblastoma, a rare but often fatal childhood brain tumor.

17 Mar 2008