Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Cryotherapy and MRI shows tumors freezing in real time

Cryotherapy combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is giving doctors unprecedented control during liver cancer treatment by allowing them to observe the tumors freezing in real time, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

30 Nov 2004

Botox reduces pain and spasms during breast reconstruction after mastectomy

Botox, known for reducing wrinkles, also can be used to reduce pain and spasms during breast reconstruction after mastectomy, according to results of a recent University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) study.

29 Nov 2004

Nurses struggle to cope with violent patients

Nurses who bottle up anger triggered by a violent incident at work are more likely to become nervous, worn out and depressed, a team of psychologists at The University of Nottingham has found.

29 Nov 2004

New trial to test cancer smart drugs

Cancer Research UK has launched a major new clinical trial for the most common form of lung cancer, to test the effectiveness of one of the new generation of 'smart' cancer drugs as a first line treatment.

29 Nov 2004

A step closer to medical treatments for neural disorders

New insight into the role of a key regulator in cell division may help uncover new drug targets in the search for treatments for neural disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's disease.

29 Nov 2004

Nanoscale switch could serve as sensor, medical tool

Improving significantly on an early prototype, Johns Hopkins University researchers have found a new way to join two unrelated proteins to create a molecular switch, a nanoscale "device" in which one biochemical partner controls the activity of the other.

29 Nov 2004

Researchers can now predict the likelihood of developing lung cancer

For the first time, researchers can predict the lung cancer risk for social smokers as well as habitual smokers.

29 Nov 2004

Indoprofen may lead to new treatments for spinal muscular atrophy

A drug withdrawn from pharmacy shelves over 20 years ago may point the way to a new treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, a muscle-wasting and often life-threatening childhood disease.

29 Nov 2004

New non-surgical technique that can help doctors determine when breast cancer has invaded the lymph nodes

A key question after a cancer diagnosis is whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found a new non-surgical technique that can help doctors determine when breast cancer has invaded the lymph nodes, sparing some women an extra trip to the operating room.

29 Nov 2004

Avastin plus Folfox4 chemotherapy significantly extends survival in second-line metastatic colorectal cancer

Genentech and Roche today announced that a randomized Phase III study of Avastin™ (bevacizumab) plus the FOLFOX4 chemotherapy regimen (oxaliplatin/5-FU/leucovorin), compared to FOLFOX4 alone, in second-line metastatic colorectal cancer patients achieved its primary endpoint of improving overall survival.

29 Nov 2004

Computer program helps decode cancer

Researchers at the University of Newcastle, Australia have developed a computer program that implements a novel algorithm, which will aid in the identification of specific cancer causing genes.

29 Nov 2004

Elevated BMI may not increase risk of death among men with heart attack or stroke

BMI, or body mass index, is considered an indicator of both mortality and heart attack risk among middle-aged and older men free of major diseases. However, the impact of BMI on mortality in men who have already had a heart attack or stroke has not been clearly established.

29 Nov 2004

Tougher action needed to stop cigarette sales to children

Retailers should be licensed to sell cigarettes, and the licence revoked if they are caught selling tobacco to children, the Australian Medical Association (WA) said today.

29 Nov 2004

Virtual colonoscopy raises issues for further study

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has reacted with caution to claims of the benefits of computed tomography (CT) colonography, also referred to as virtual colonoscopy, compared to standard colonoscopy.

29 Nov 2004

Study finds that stomach cancer originates from bone marrow derived stem cells, rather than from stomach stem cells

A common assumption among cancer specialists is that most cancers originate from tissue stem cells – for example, the gastric stem cells contained in the lining of the stomach.

29 Nov 2004

New research may lead to treatments for atherosclerosis

Scientists are one step closer to deciphering the molecular signaling process controlling innate immunity with the discovery that a molecule called IRAK1 regulates the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Because atherosclerosis patients often have elevated IL-10 levels, IRAK1 may be a viable target for developing therapeutics for atherosclerosis.

29 Nov 2004

New computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) methods for cancer

Not all masses are cancer. When a person undergoes a scan to identify a lump or nodule, the radiologist looks at the texture, the borders and the shape to determine if it is malignant or just a benign growth.

29 Nov 2004

Cancer survival rates differ among ethnic groups in New Zealand

There were 115,811 adult patients with an invasive cancer recorded on the New Zealand Cancer Registry between 1994 and 2002. The study linked these patients to the Mortality Collection in order to calculate survival rates. Ethnicity (Maori, Pacific, and non-Maori/non-Pacific) was assigned from hospitalisation and health administration databases.

24 Nov 2004

Stem cells derived from umbilical cords are a viable and effective transplant source for thousands of leukemia patients

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine confirms that stem cells derived from the umbilical cords of newborn babies are a viable and effective transplant source for thousands of leukemia patients who have no other treatment option.

24 Nov 2004

Scientists join forces to improve the effectiveness of a drug used to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia

Scientists from Glasgow and Liverpool are joining forces to improve the effectiveness of a drug used to treat a form of leukaemia, chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), which affects 750 people in the UK each year.

24 Nov 2004