Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

PET scans accurately detect a breast tumor's response to chemotherapy

Researchers in Australia have shown that positron emission tomography (PET) that uses a radioactive sugar molecule is more useful than mammography and ultrasound in predicting a breast tumour's response to chemotherapy and, therefore, the patient's ultimate likelihood of survival.

26 Sep 2007

Coronary artery disease appears to increase prevalence of colorectal tumors

Patients in Hong Kong who were newly diagnosed with coronary artery disease had nearly twice the prevalence of colorectal tumors and cancers, with this association stronger in persons who had smoked or have the metabolic syndrome, according to a study in the Sept. 26 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

26 Sep 2007

University of Sydney receives $7.5 million grant for clinical trails

The University of Sydney has been successful in securing over $55 million in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council funding, including a $7.5 million grant for clinical trails, it was announced today.

26 Sep 2007

Hydrogen sulfide based drug shows promise in reducing heart-attack damage

Producing a state of "hibernation on demand" in mice by administering an experimental drug from Ikaria (an injectable formulation of the biological gas hydrogen sulfide) showed promise in a study designed to reduce damage from heart attacks.

26 Sep 2007

New chemotherapy regimen prolongs survival in difficult-to-treat childhood brainstem gliomas

Childhood brainstem gliomas (BSGs) are rare but can be very difficult to treat successfully and they tend to have poor survival rates.

26 Sep 2007

Mutation of the COX2 gene can double or treble a woman's risk of ovarian cancer

Researchers in Portugal have discovered that a specific mutation of the COX2 gene seems to play a role in the onset of ovarian cancer, increasing women's susceptibility to developing the disease.

26 Sep 2007

Molecular profiling can accurately predict survival in colon cancer patients

Barcelona, Spain: Researchers in The Netherlands have developed a method of accurately predicting which patients with colon cancer are most likely to have their disease recur after surgery and who would, therefore, be likely to benefit from additional chemotherapy.

26 Sep 2007

New study says fruits and vegetables not linked to colon cancer risk

Eating fruits and vegetables was not strongly associated with decreased colon cancer risk, according to a study published online in the September 25 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

25 Sep 2007

BRCA1 gene plays significant role in non-small cell lung cancer

Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have found that the breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA1, plays a significant role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

25 Sep 2007

Breast cancer survivors optimistic, yet lack critical information on reducing recurrence

The majority of breast cancer survivors consider themselves stronger after having the disease, according to new survey results released today.

25 Sep 2007

Study helps determine best treatment for bladder cancer

Cancer specialists and researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network (UHN), are tackling an ongoing controversy about the best way to treat an aggressive form of bladder cancer – immediate radical surgery or a more conservative initial approach using immunotherapy?

25 Sep 2007

Breast cancer death rate continues to drop

A report from the American Cancer Society finds the breast cancer death rate in the United States continues to drop more than two percent per year, a trend that began in 1990 and is credited to progress in early detection and treatment.

25 Sep 2007

Bad habits and lifestyle put heart disease victims at twice the risk of colon cancer

Researchers in Hong Kong have found that patients newly diagnosed with coronary artery disease had almost twice the prevalence of colorectal tumors and cancers; they say this was more so among those who had smoked or had metabolic syndrome.

25 Sep 2007

FDA fast tracks PI-88 for the treatment of post resection liver cancer

Progen Pharmaceuticals Limited has announced that its investigational anti-cancer drug PI-88 has been awarded Fast Track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

25 Sep 2007

Some cancer cells mimic stem cells to evade chemotherapy

Anti-cancer treatments often effectively shrink the size of tumors, but some might have an opposite effect, actually expanding the small population of cancer stem cells believed to drive the disease, according to findings presented Sept. 19 by Vasyl Vasko, M.D. Ph.D., a pathologist at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) at the American Association for Cancer Research's second International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development.

25 Sep 2007