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UMass Amherst develops 'chemical nose' array to detect metastatic cancers

In the fight against cancer, knowing the enemy's exact identity is crucial for diagnosis and treatment, especially in metastatic cancers, those that spread between organs and tissues. Now chemists led by Vincent Rotello at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a rapid, sensitive way to detect microscopic levels of many different metastatic cell types in living tissue. Findings appear in the current issue of the journal ACS Nano.

14 Sep 2012

HIF-1a protein of hypoxia creates CD24 overexpression in many tumors

It seems as if a tumor deprived of oxygen would shrink. However, numerous studies have shown that tumor hypoxia, in which portions of the tumor have significantly low oxygen concentrations, is in fact linked with more aggressive tumor behavior and poorer prognosis.

14 Sep 2012

Gefitinib shows promise in Chinese lung cancer patients

Gefitinib improves progression-free survival, overall response, and health-related quality of life over carboplatin/paclitaxel for first-line advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treatment, a study indicates.

13 Sep 2012

Smoking history 'no bar to successful lung donation'

Although lung transplantation from donors with a positive smoking history is associated with worse outcomes than with lungs from non-smoking donors, survival is still better than remaining on the waiting list, say UK researchers.

13 Sep 2012

Platinum tissue concentrations predict NSCLC treatment response

Reduced tissue platinum accumulation might explain why some patients with non-small-cell lung cancer fail to respond to platinum-based chemotherapy, research shows.

13 Sep 2012

Crizotinib may be effective treatment option for NSCLC subtype

Phase I trial results show that the chemotherapy drug crizotinib may be fast-acting and produce long-lasting treatment responses in patients with anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinase-positive non-small-cell lung cancer.

13 Sep 2012

SOX2 gene potential therapeutic target for SCLC

Expression of the Sry-related HMG box 2 gene is higher in small-celllung cancer tissue samples than in non-cancerous lung tissue samples, according to findings from a genetic study.

13 Sep 2012

Solubilized curcumin shrinks lung tumors in mice

Belgian researchers report that orally administered curcumin can reduce the size of lung cancer tumors in mice.

13 Sep 2012

Addition of sorafenib to chemotherapy does not prolong survival

The addition of sorafenib to gemcitabine/cisplatin fails to provide any additional benefit in chemotherapy-naïve patients with nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer, research shows.

13 Sep 2012

Model predicts lung cancer risk

Researchers have shown that The Liverpool Lung Project Risk Model is effective in identifying those at the highest risk for lung cancer within 5 years, and who are therefore suitable for computed tomography screening.

13 Sep 2012

FDG–PET/CT improves staging and modifies radiotherapy management

The addition of FDG–positron emission tomography/computed tomography revised radiotherapy decision-making and enhanced tumor staging capabilities in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, research shows.

13 Sep 2012

Potentially worrisome weight gains following tonsillectomy occur mostly in children under 6

Potentially worrisome weight gains following tonsillectomy occur mostly in children under the age of 6, not in older children, a study by Johns Hopkins experts in otolaryngology- head and neck surgery shows.

13 Sep 2012

Berkeley lab researchers link possible new oncogene with resistance to cancer drugs

A gene that may possibly belong to an entire new family of oncogenes has been linked by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) to the resistance of breast cancer to a well-regarded and widely used cancer therapy.

12 Sep 2012

CT shows promise in predicting COPD exacerbation risk

Measurement of the pulmonary artery-to-aorta ratio can predict the risk for exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, particularly those that require hospitalization, say the authors of a US study.

11 Sep 2012

Mount Sinai scientists identify cancer’s Achilles heel

Scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a subpopulation of cells that display cancer stem cell properties and resistance to chemotherapy, and participate in tumor progression. This breakthrough could lead to the development of new tests for early cancer diagnosis, prognostic tests, and innovative therapeutic strategies, as reported in Cancer Cell.

11 Sep 2012

Half of all people of South Asian, African descent will develop diabetes by age 80

Half of all people of South Asian, African and African Caribbean descent will develop diabetes by age 80 according to a new study published today. The study is the first to reveal the full extent of ethnic differences in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and also provides some answers as to the causes of the increased risk.

11 Sep 2012

HIF-1 activity directly responsible for spread of breast cancer to lymph vessels

The invasion of cancer cells into the lymph vessels that connect the breast to surrounding lymph nodes is the first step leading to the metastasis, or spread, of cancer throughout the body. Metastasis is the primary cause of breast cancer deaths. Surprisingly little is known about the control of this process and how it might be interrupted to prolong the lives of women with breast cancer.

11 Sep 2012

Viewpoints: Home health workers need better pay; Is there a better solution than Medicaid to cover seniors' long-term care?

[F]or the stay-at-home elderly to have so-called "independent living" they must be highly dependent on the home care aides who look after medication schedules, cook meals, assist with bathing and generally keep them happy and healthy. And yet these workers are anything but well cared for. The vast majority are dreadfully overworked and woefully underpaid. The average hourly wage of a home care worker in the United States is less than $10.

11 Sep 2012

Partial pressure measures could be used in neonates after surgery

End tidal carbon dioxide and transcutaneous carbon dioxide could be useful to monitor partial pressure of arterial CO2 in neonates after surgery, a study shows.

10 Sep 2012

CPF to kick off 'Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month'

Each year around the world, as many as 48,000 people are diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and 40,000 people die – the same number of people who are lost to breast cancer annually. Pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating disease that robs people of their ability to breathe. To help raise awareness about this unknown deadly disease, the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) is kicking off "Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month" this September.

10 Sep 2012