Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Direct link between obesity and colorectal cancer

A clear, direct link between obesity and colorectal cancer, the second most common form of cancer in Australia with more than 12,000 new cases each year, has been shown in a new analysis by The George Institute for International Health in Sydney, Australia.

17 Dec 2007

Raised public awareness of hepatitis C leads to 10 per cent increase in diagnoses

The number of newly diagnosed cases of hepatitis C infection in England reached 8,346 in 2006 - 10% higher than in 2005 - according to latest figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

17 Dec 2007

12 million cancer deaths worldwide in 2007

A new American Cancer Society report estimates that there will be over 12 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths (about 20,000 cancer deaths a day) worldwide in 2007.

17 Dec 2007

Study looks at denosumab in preventing bone loss caused by aromatase inhibitors

Denosumab is a new drug being studied to prevent fractures in breast cancer patients receiving hormonal therapy.

17 Dec 2007

Men unaware of their cancer risk when female relatives test positive for BRCA mutation

Men whose mothers, sisters or daughters test positive for a cancer-causing gene mutation also have an increased risk of developing the disease but are unaware of that risk.

17 Dec 2007

Rituximab used to treat skin disorders

A new review article from the journal Dermatologic Therapy reveals that rituximab, a drug used to treat lymphoma, is now becoming used by dermatologists to treat various dangerous skin diseases.

17 Dec 2007

Complex path to cell death shown by identification of new genes

Can a tiny winged insect's salivary glands really tell us about processes relevant to human disease? Yes, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), who gained new insights into autophagy - a cellular degradation process associated with a form of programmed cell death - by studying the salivary gland cells of the fruit fly.

17 Dec 2007

Highly promising Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research

The TI Pharma project is a large-scale study into the brain material of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients, who gave permission to the Netherlands Brain Bank for their tissue to be used for scientific research.

17 Dec 2007

Herceptin helps women with multiple chromosomes containing HER2 gene

The targeted therapy Herceptin helps women with HER2+ type of breast cancer independent of whether patients have extra copies of chromosome 17, home to the HER2 gene which produces the HER2 protein that fuels cancer growth.

17 Dec 2007

Evolution with a restricted number of genes

The development of higher forms of life would appear to have been influenced by RNA polymerase II.

17 Dec 2007

Tumors less than 1 centimeter in size can be aggressive and may require maximum therapy

Breast tumors that are 1 centimeter in size or smaller - no more than 0.4 inch in length - can still be very aggressive and may require more intensive therapy than is routinely offered today, say researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

17 Dec 2007

Avastin shows promise for brain cancer

A clinical study conducted at Henry Ford Hospital on the use of a drug to extend the survival of patients with the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer, has yielded results that were significantly better than expected.

17 Dec 2007

Targeted therapy and chemotherapy shrinks breast cancer metastases in brain

A combination of a "targeted" therapy and chemotherapy shrank metastatic brain tumors by at least 50 percent in one-fifth of patients with aggressive HER2-positive breast cancer, according to data presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

17 Dec 2007

How cell differentiation patterns suppress somatic evolution

Natural selection can occur at the cellular level, where it is detrimental to health.

17 Dec 2007

Sunitinib may be associated with cardiac toxicity

Another FDA-approved targeted cancer drug, sunitinib (SutentTM, Pfizer), may be associated with cardiac toxicity, report researchers at Children's Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston), and Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia).

17 Dec 2007

Addressing care gap in underserved women not easy

In an effort to fill a significant gap in the breast care of underserved women, physicians and nurses at Mayo Clinic's campus in Jacksonville, Fla., developed a program, still ongoing, to help overcome barriers that prevent women from receiving timely care after an abnormal mammogram.

17 Dec 2007