Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Spinal taps carry higher risks for infants and elderly, study shows

An X-ray-guided spinal tap procedure fails more than half of the time in young infants and should be used sparingly, if at all, for those patients, according to a new study done by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

19 Mar 2009

A silicone ear

To look at Matthew Houdek, you could never tell he was born with virtually no left ear.

17 Mar 2009

New tumor markers determine therapy intensity

Characteristic changes in the DNA of medulloblastoma, the most frequent malignant brain tumor in childhood, indicate precisely how aggressively the tumor will continue to spread and what the chances of disease relapse are.

17 Mar 2009

Lung cancer: Molecular scissors determine therapy effectiveness

In the past few years, a number of anti-cancer drugs have been developed which are directed selectively against specific key molecules of tumor cells.

17 Mar 2009

Link between religious coping and aggressive treatment in terminally ill cancer patients

In a new study of terminally ill cancer patients, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that those who draw on religion to cope with their illness are more likely to receive intensive, life-prolonging medical care as death approaches –– treatment that often entails a lower quality of life in patients' final days.

17 Mar 2009

HPV vaccine may prevent preterm births

Chronic human papilloma virus (HPV)-infections can lead to cellular changes in the cervix that can be a pre-stage to cervical cancer.

17 Mar 2009

Intradigm receives notice of allowance for key RNA interference patent covering potent siRNA sequence

Intradigm Corporation, a leading developer of targeted, systemic RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics, has announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued the company a notice of allowance for a patent covering various aspects of a potent small interfering RNA (siRNA) sequence.

17 Mar 2009

Frankincense oil may be an inexpensive alternative therapy for bladder cancer

Originating from Africa, India, and the Middle East, frankincense oil has been found to have many medicinal benefits.

17 Mar 2009

Early detection of second breast cancers halves women’s risk of death

A group of international researchers has found the first reliable evidence that early detection of subsequent breast tumours in women who have already had the disease can halve the women's chances of death from breast cancer.

17 Mar 2009

Lifestyle changes could prevent one in four cases of bowel cancer by 2024

Improving lifestyles now could prevent 12,000 cases (26 per cent) of bowel cancer by the year 2024 - a new report by Cancer Research UK predicts today.

17 Mar 2009

Selected men with low-risk prostate cancer have good clinical outcomes without immediate treatment

A multi-center study of prostate cancer patients appearing in today's Journal of Urology recommends that for some men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer, opting not to initially receive treatment can be safe if they are closely monitored.

16 Mar 2009

Identification of triggering mechanism by which breast and prostate cancer cells begin

Dr. Ercole Cavalieri and Dr. Eleanor Rogen of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, located in Omaha, Nebraska, have identified the triggering mechanism by which breast and prostate cancer cells begin. Preventium is a recently developed dietary supplement that promises to reduce people's risk for breast and prostate cancer.

16 Mar 2009

Obesity brings worse outcomes after pancreatic cancer surgery

Obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 35 appear more likely to have cancer that has spread to their lymph nodes, lower rates of survival and higher rates of recurrence following surgery for pancreatic cancer, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

16 Mar 2009

Tiny probes help track down and attack cancer cells

A researcher has developed probes that can help pinpoint the location of tumors and might one day be able to directly attack cancer cells.

16 Mar 2009

Discovery of master switch that might prevent cancer cells from metastasizing

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a master switch that might prevent cancer cells from metastasizing from a primary tumor to other organs.

16 Mar 2009

Trial of new combination treatment targeting hormone receptor-positive locally advanced breast cancer

Researchers at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) have opened a clinical trial, which aims to evaluate a new treatment for breast cancer in combination with one that is already approved for other types of cancers.

16 Mar 2009

Researchers show how proteins find the right DNA sequences

Researchers at Uppsala University and Harvard University have collaboratively developed a new theoretical model to explain how proteins can rapidly find specific DNA sequences, even though there are many obstacles in the way on the chromosomes.

16 Mar 2009

Helix BioPharma receives approval to start phase II study of topical interferon alpha-2b in low-grade cervical lesions

Helix BioPharma Corp. announced that it has received the necessary regulatory approvals in Germany to initiate its planned Phase II pharmacokinetic study of Topical Interferon Alpha-2b in patients with low-grade cervical lesions.

16 Mar 2009

Promising results for 5-day stereotactic body radiation therapy in early stage prostate cancer

Preliminary results show that a shortened course of radiation therapy for prostate cancer called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) provides good PSA response for early-stage prostate cancer and has the same side effects as other treatments, according to a March 15 study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics , the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

16 Mar 2009

Updated guidelines for ovarian cancer

Improvements in screening and early detection remains the key for women with ovarian cancer according to Robert J. Morgan, MD, of City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center and chair of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Ovarian Cancer.

16 Mar 2009