Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Relationship between weight gain and breast cancer survival

Women who are overweight prior to breast cancer diagnosis, or who are lean but gain weight following diagnosis, are more likely to have their disease return or die of the disease, a new study shows. This effect was found to be particularly pronounced among women who had never smoked. The study is published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).

31 Jan 2005

Nicotine may hold promise in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

The chemical nicotine--a main ingredient in tobacco--may hold promise in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, give insight into therapeutic interventions for nicotine addiction and possibly complement the diagnosis of certain forms of lung cancer, according to a study in the January issue of the Society of Nuclear Medicine's Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

31 Jan 2005

Pap smear has become an annual screening rite among American women

Since it was first introduced six decades ago, the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear – widely credited with substantial reductions in the incidence and mortality from cervical cancer – has become an annual screening rite among American women.

31 Jan 2005

"Frank Must Die" boy to undergo revolutionary surgery

A 9-year-old boy with brain cancer, who gained international attention when his mother launched an online auction to pay for his biopsy, will undergo the surgery at no cost thanks to internationally renowned surgeon Hrayr Shahinian, M.D. of the Skull Base Institute.

31 Jan 2005

No association between a herpesvirus infection and pulmonary hypertension

Contrary to the results of a recent U.S. study, investigators in Japan found no association between a herpesvirus infection and a potentially life-threatening form of high blood pressure, as reported in the March 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.

30 Jan 2005

Passive smoking increases likelihood of lung cancer in children later in life

Children who are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (passive smoking) are at a higher risk of developing lung cancer as adults, says a paper in this week's BMJ.

30 Jan 2005

One of the most exciting developments in clinical research in decades

One of the most exciting developments in clinical research in decades is taking place at the University of Leeds, led by our professor of cancer medicine Peter Selby in collaboration with the Medical Research Council.

27 Jan 2005

Can vegetables could help to prevent cervical cancer?

Researchers in South Wales are investigating the possibility that a chemical called Diindolylmethane (DIM), which is usually found in broccoli, sprouts and cabbage, could help to prevent cervical cancer.

27 Jan 2005

Study focuses on best treatment for older women with receptor negative early breast cancer

Older women with hormone receptor negative early breast cancer who may currently be missing out on effective post-operative anticancer drugs will be able to participate in a new clinical trial specifically aimed at this group of women.

27 Jan 2005

New methods of gene delivery using lasers

Leading laser scientists at the University of St Andrews have developed a new method of delivering genes to cells using laser light. The new technique, which is cheap and powerful, could have important implications for future studies in biomedicine and healthcare.

26 Jan 2005

US rates of early death and disability from sexual behaviour triple those of other wealthy nations

The rates of premature death and disability attributable to sexual behaviour in the United States are triple those of other wealthy nations, suggests research in Sexually Transmitted Infections.

26 Jan 2005

Trial of Etanercept for Wegners's disease shows no benefit against the autoimmune condition

A Johns Hopkins-led study designed to evaluate the ability of etanercept to maintain disease remissions in a serious autoimmune disorder has failed to show any benefit. Etanercept, also called Enbrel, is a common treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other types of joint inflammation.

26 Jan 2005

$Phenoxodiol gets fast track status for its intended use in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer$

Phenoxodiol gets fast track status for its intended use in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer

Marshall Edwards today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the investigational anti-cancer drug, phenoxodiol, fast track status for its intended use in patients with hormone- refractory prostate cancer (HRPC).

26 Jan 2005

Researchers discover way to overcome major hurdle in gene therapy for cancer

In a new study published in the Jan. 25 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers demonstrated that the technique works by incorporating it into a specially designed virus. The virus eradicated prostate cancer cells in the lab and in animals while leaving normal cells unscathed.

26 Jan 2005

Why some men develop aggressive prostate cancer that becomes resistant to hormone-withdrawal therapy

Researchers found that certain mutations in a protein called the androgen receptor cause advanced and invasive prostate cancer when put into otherwise healthy mice. The androgen receptor's normal function is to control growth of the prostate gland in response to cues from male hormones called androgens, which have long been thought to stimulate prostate tumors.

26 Jan 2005

Scientists gain ground in understanding cell motility

One of the most basic yet least understood processes in our bodies is how cells crawl along tissues. This behavior is essential to the formation of an embryo and other processes, but it must be tightly controlled. A disturbance can lead to the spread of cancer cells or diseases like Spina bifida and Lissencephaly, in which cells fail to reach their proper destinations.

26 Jan 2005

Evolutionarily ancient enzyme-repair system used to identify type of DNA damage responsible for the onset of skin-tumor development

In a finding that broadens our insight into the cause of certain kinds of UV-induced skin cancer, researchers at Erasmus University Medical Center (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) have employed an evolutionarily ancient enzyme-repair system to identify the principal type of DNA damage responsible for the onset of skin-tumor development.

26 Jan 2005

Local environment directly influences adult stem cell reservoirs

Using the common fruit fly, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered that an intricate set of signals released by stem cells' surroundings governs their maintenance.

26 Jan 2005

Research may provide the basis for development of a new, extensive immunotherapy for human tumors

Scientists have made significant progress towards understanding how the immune system can be more specifically and efficiently targeted against cancer cells. The research, published in the January issue of Immunity, may provide the basis for development of a new, extensive immunotherapy for human tumors.

26 Jan 2005

New method of delivery of gene therapy may lead to safer treatment for cancer

The Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) announced that in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) they have performed preclinical proof-of- principle studies showing how nanotechnology can be used to enhance gene therapy for cancer.

25 Jan 2005