Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Novel concept in chronic lymphoid leukemia treatment

Mayo Clinic researchers say they have moved closer to their goal of providing personalized care for a common blood cell cancer.

7 Nov 2008

Discovery of new biochemical pathway which controls DNA repair

From the sun's UVA rays to tobacco smoke, our environment is chock-full of DNA-damaging agents that can lead to cancer.

7 Nov 2008

Alteration of a gene causes neuroblastoma

Olivier Delattre's team (Inserm Unit 830 "Genetics and Biology of Cancer") of the Institut Curie reveal in an article in the 16 October issue of Nature that alteration of the ALK gene is closely associated with the most frequent solid extracerebral tumor in children-neuroblastoma. By studying the familial forms of this tumor, the researchers also conclude that ALK is a gene that predisposes to neuroblastoma.

7 Nov 2008

Gene research sheds light on T-cell production

New research, just published by researchers from the University of Georgia, provides the first evidence that a key gene may be crucial to maintaining the production of the thymus and its disease-fighting T-cells after an animal's birth.

7 Nov 2008

Scientists at MIT create backpacks for cells which deliver chemotherapy agents

MIT engineers have outfitted cells with tiny "backpacks" that could allow them to deliver chemotherapy agents, diagnose tumors or become building blocks for tissue engineering.

7 Nov 2008

Fat tissue found to produce melanin

A two-year study conducted by researchers at George Mason University, INOVA Fairfax Hospital and the National Cancer Institute may open the door to new therapies for combating chronic diseases associated with obesity, a condition that affected more than 33 percent of American adults in 2005-06 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

7 Nov 2008

Improving quality of life after breast cancer treatment

Opting for less damaging treatments, staying active and learning about the warning signs of lymphedema: that's how women with breast cancer can avoid developing chronic lymphedema, according to the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).

7 Nov 2008

BioCis Pharma starts phase IIa clinical testing of ProtoCure in atopic dermatitis

BioCis Pharma Ltd a privately-held drug development company with its headquarters in Turku, Finland, announced that it has begun Phase IIa clinical testing of ProtoCure(TM) emulsion cream, the company's novel topical drug for dermatology.

7 Nov 2008

Australian-led global initiative to improve diagnosis of genetic disorders

An Australian-led global initiative to improve the diagnosis of genetic disorders and reduce errors in the reporting of genetic variations has been published today in the prestigious scientific journal Science.

7 Nov 2008

Age is not an independent factor in cancer survival rates, but clinical trials exclude older patients

Age is not an independent factor in cancer survival rates and should not influence decisions about how to treat older patients, according to a study in the November issue of IJCP, the Independent Journal of Clinical Practice.

7 Nov 2008

A virus-infecting virus

Using the Genome Sequencer System from 454 Life Sciences, a Roche company, French scientists have identified a small virus that can actually be parasitic to a larger one.

7 Nov 2008

Scientists confirm a molecular clipping mechanism behind stem cell development

Stem cells don't just become a part of the liver or the brain in a flash; it takes a complex molecular choreography and requires that specific genes be switched on and off at specific times.

6 Nov 2008

Racial disparities increasing for cancers unrelated to smoking

A new American Cancer Society study finds that recent progress in closing the gap in overall cancer mortality between African Americans and whites may be due primarily to smoking-related cancers, and that cancer mortality differences related to screening and treatment may still be increasing.

6 Nov 2008

Migraines associated with lower risk of breast cancer

Women who suffer from migraines may take at least some comfort in a recent, first-of-its-kind study that suggests a history of such headaches is associated with a significantly lower risk of breast cancer. Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center report these findings in the November issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

6 Nov 2008

Scientists sequence genome of a cancer patient

For the first time, scientists have decoded the complete DNA of a cancer patient and traced her disease - acute myelogenous leukemia - to its genetic roots.

6 Nov 2008

Therapy targeting cyclin D1 protein may block expansion of breast cancer cells

Breast cancer stem cells are known to be involved in therapy resistance and the recurrence of cancerous tumors.

6 Nov 2008

SWHR asks young women to be aware of smoking dangers in face of new marketing tactics

Society for Women’s Health Research President and CEO Phyllis Greenberger, M.S.W., issued the following statement in response to the decision of Philip Morris USA to introduce pink “Purse Packs” for some Virginia Slims cigarette brands by early 2009.

6 Nov 2008

New research sheds light on key trigger of embryonic stem cell differentiation

Clusters of mouse embryonic stem cells called embryoid bodies more closely approximate true embryos in organization and structure than previously thought, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

6 Nov 2008

Gail model no better than coin flip in predicting risk of breast cancer

A statistical model commonly used to predict the risk of breast cancer in women was not accurate when used to evaluate women with atypical hyperplasia, according to a new Mayo Clinic study published in the Oct. 14, 2008, issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

6 Nov 2008

A new review of breast cancer prevention strategies in the U.S.

A new review outlines potential pharmaceutical, dietary, surgical, and other approaches to reducing the risk of breast cancer among women in the United States, and examines the evidence for specific recommendations.

6 Nov 2008