Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Data suggesting that omacetaxine can eradicate leukemic stem cells may offer a breakthrough for CML

Data showing the ability of omacetaxine to kill leukemic stem cells in mouse models with drug-resistant chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) are the subject of an advance online publication in the journal Leukemia, ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX:CXS and NASDAQ:CXSP) announced today.

29 Mar 2009

Male circumcision reduces risk of herpes simplex virus type 2 and human papillomavirus

Heterosexual men who undergo medical circumcision can significantly reduce their risk of acquiring two common sexually transmitted infections - herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), the cause of genital herpes, and human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cancer and genital warts, according to a report in the March 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

26 Mar 2009

Polymer nanowires detect cancer biomarker

Investigators at the University of California, Riverside, have developed a simple and cost-effective method of building conducting polymer nanowires that can detect a wide range of levels of a cancer biomarker. This work, which was published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, could serve as a model for portable cancer detection equipment suitable for use in a doctor's office.

26 Mar 2009

Nanoparticles open door to cancer prevention

Perhaps the best way to fight cancer is to prevent it from developing in the first place, and based on newly published research from investigators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, nanoparticles may be able to make cancer chemoprevention a reality.

26 Mar 2009

Safer nanoparticles spotlight tumors, deliver drugs

Small is promising when it comes to illuminating tiny tumors or precisely delivering drugs, but many worry about the safety of nanoscale materials.

26 Mar 2009

Twin nanoparticle shown effective at targeting, killing breast cancer cells

A team of investigators at Brown University has developed a novel way to treat a class of breast cancer cells. The team has created twin nanoparticles that specifically targets the Her-2 tumor cell and unload a cancer-fighting drug directly into it. The result is a boost in antitumor activity while minimizing side effects. The findings of this study have been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

26 Mar 2009

Nanoparticles deliver gene therapy, killing tumors

Given that cancer is ultimately a genetic disease, it has long been the hope of researchers to use gene therapy to attack tumors where they might be most susceptible.

26 Mar 2009

Oxycodone effective against shingles pain

The painkiller oxycodone is effective at treating the acute pain of shingles, an illness that often causes severe pain which can become long-lasting and sometimes even permanent.

26 Mar 2009

Discovery of new biomarker for prostate cancer

Researchers at Wayne State University have identified a new marker for prostate cancer progression that may one day lead to new treatments.

26 Mar 2009

Facial flushing in East Asians who consume alcohol linked to esophageal cancer risks

About one-third of people of Chinese, Japanese and Korean descent have an enzyme deficiency that causes their face to flush when they drink alcohol, a trait that puts them at a higher risk for developing esophageal cancer, according to a study published in the journal PLoS Medicine, Reuters Health reports.

25 Mar 2009

Number of Alzheimer's cases growing annually, increasing costs, report finds

The number of U.S. residents with Alzheimer's disease is increasing annually, putting more pressure on the health care system, according to a report issued on Tuesday by the Alzheimer's Association, USA Today reports (Brophy Marcus, USA Today, 3/24).

25 Mar 2009

New approach to prostate cancer detection - Sarcosine may distinguish between slow-growing and aggressive prostate cancers

On Friday 20 March, US researcher Dr. Chris Beecher from the University of Michigan gave a well attended lecture about sarcosine, an N-methyl derivative of the amino acid glycine, at the 24th Annual EAU Congress in Stockholm, Sweden.

25 Mar 2009

Researchers decipher blood stem cell attachment, communication

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have deciphered a key sequence of events governing whether the stem cells that produce red and white blood cells remain anchored to the bone marrow, or migrate into the circulatory system.

25 Mar 2009

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals starts phase II pancreatic cancer trial

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that it has received FDA approval to begin Phase II trials for Archexin, the Company's leading cancer compound, for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

24 Mar 2009

Radius starts Ppase 2a trial of RAD1901 in menopausal hot flashes

Radius Health ("Radius") announced today that the first patient has been dosed in the company's proof-of-concept Phase 2a study of RAD1901, an investigational selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) undergoing clinical evaluation for treatment of vasomotor symptoms (menopausal hot flashes).

24 Mar 2009

Fit women much less likely to die from breast cancer

Physically fit women are less likely to die from breast cancer, according to a study by researchers at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health.

24 Mar 2009

Ovarian cancers detected early may be less aggressive, questioning effectiveness of screening

The biology of ovarian cancers discovered at an early stage may render them slower growing and less likely to spread than more aggressive cancers, which typically are discovered in an advanced stage, according to a study led by investigators in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.

24 Mar 2009

Omega-3 fatty acids appear protective against advanced prostate cancer

Omega-3 fatty acids appear protective against advanced prostate cancer, and this effect may be modified by a genetic variant in the COX-2 gene, according to a report in Clinical Cancer Research , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

24 Mar 2009

Discovery of major new risk factor for melanoma in young women

Researchers may have found a more potent risk factor for melanoma than blistering sunburns, freckling, or family history of the deadly skin disease.

24 Mar 2009

New test for breast cancer metastasis

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have previously shown that the co-mingling of three cell types can predict whether localized breast cancer will spread throughout the body.

24 Mar 2009