Chemotherapy News and Research

Latest Chemotherapy News and Research

Liver cancer patients with high serum levels of hepatitis B virus face poorer outcomes

In the June issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), researchers report their findings from the first-ever study examining the prognostic value of serum HBV DNA levels for patients with liver cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

3 Jun 2007

Insights into a key strategy cancer cells use to survive and thrive

The discovery of how some abnormal cells can avoid a biochemical program of self-destruction by increasing their energy level and repairing the damage, is giving investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital insights into a key strategy cancer cells use to survive and thrive.

3 Jun 2007

Blood test may help signal tumor's remission, return in throat cancer patients

A blood test that detects proteins commonly released by a growing tumor could one day become a useful tool for monitoring the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation treatment in people with advanced throat cancer, according to a study published in the June 1, 2007, issue of Clinical Cancer Research .

3 Jun 2007

Oncolytics Biotech issued U.S. patent for viral purification

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. has been granted U.S. Patent 7,223,585 entitled "Viral Purification Methods." The claims cover the production and purification of viruses including reovirus.

1 Jun 2007

New center for the treatment of sarcoma at Cedars-Sinai

A new center for the treatment of sarcoma, a type of cancer that affects bone and soft tissue, will open on June 12 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute.

1 Jun 2007

New class of compounds shows promise for cancer treatment

A new class of compounds developed by two University of Kentucky researchers shows promise as a nontoxic treatment of some cancers previously treated with toxic chemotherapy, the researchers report.

30 May 2007

Most pediatric chemotherapy mistakes reach patients

The vast majority of chemotherapy errors identified in children reach patients, according to one of the first epidemiological studies of cancer drug errors in children.

28 May 2007

Heart-assist device gives Culver City man a better quality of life

Mark Heiner of Culver City reads books, paints artistically, takes walks and does laundry – activities that would be considered routine except for the fact that a four-pound disk implanted in his abdominal cavity is keeping his blood flowing.

28 May 2007

New method predicts hip joint decay from chemotherapy

St. Jude investigators say they have found the best way for predicting when patients will need future surgery to repair hip joints that have deteriorated because of pediatric leukemia or lymphoma treatment.

27 May 2007

Stem cells may look malignant, not act it

Call it the cellular equivalent of big glasses, a funny nose and a fake mustache.

24 May 2007

Guidelines on skin reactions to Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitors (EGFRIs)

Skin reactions to a powerful new class of anti-cancer drugs are frequent, but manageable through a simple and rational treatment approach , usually without the need to reduce the dose or interrupt treatment with potentially life-prolonging chemotherapy, according to an article in the May issue of "The Oncologist."

24 May 2007

FDA approves VELCADE plus DOXIL combination for multiple myeloma

Ortho Biotech Products has announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of DOXIL (doxorubicin HCl liposome injection) in combination with VELCADE (bortezomib) for Injection to treat patients with multiple myeloma who have not previously received VELCADE and have received at least one prior therapy.

23 May 2007

Study identifies patients' reasons for quitting jobs after treatment for head and neck cancer

After treatment, 38.1 percent of patients with head and neck cancer who were employed at the time of cancer diagnosis reported discontinuing work because of their cancer and treatment, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

22 May 2007

Peering into the body and visualizing its molecular secrets one step closer to reality

Peering into the body and visualizing its molecular secrets, once the stuff of science fiction, is one step closer to reality with a study from researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

22 May 2007

University of Leicester launches one-year Masters degree in Cancer Chemistry

The degree is the first of its kind in the country, fulfilling a need to provide graduates with skills in the chemistry and biology of cancer, and direct experience of some of the very latest research in the field.

22 May 2007

Chemotherapy drug temozolomide shrinks brain tumors

Cancerous brain tumors appear to respond favorably to the drug temozolomide when used as primary chemotherapy after surgery, and the treatment appears to work best in people missing a certain gene, according to a study published in the May 22, 2007, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

22 May 2007

New breast cancer treatment may dispense with the need for chemotherapy

According to the latest research new hormone therapy drugs designed to treat breast cancer may dispense with the need for chemotherapy thus avoiding the nasty side effects associated with the treatment.

21 May 2007

Suicide gene therapy kills bowel cancer cells

An innovative type of gene therapy has for the first time succeeded in making bowel cancer cells commit suicide, according to a report in Cancer Research.

20 May 2007

Hormone treatment could cut need for chemo in some younger breast cancer patients

Around 5,500 pre-menopausal breast cancer patients could be offered a hormone drug that is shown to be as effective as traditional chemotherapy - and so avoid potential infertility and long-term menopausal side effects - according to a Cancer Research UK report published in The Lancet.

20 May 2007

Some NSAIDs may be better suited to treating cancer

Until recently, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin and celecoxib (sold as Celebrex), were being hailed as promising cancer prevention drugs.

18 May 2007