Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Different breast cancer screening strategies shown to be equally effective

An organized population-based breast cancer screening program in Norway and an approach to screening that relies on physician- and self-referrals in Vermont are equally sensitive for detecting cancer, researchers report in the July 29 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. But the recall rate for abnormal mammograms was lower in Norway.

29 Jul 2008

Twenty percent of British adult survivors of childhood cancer smoke despite hazards

Twenty percent of British adult survivors of childhood cancers are current smokers, and nearly a third have been regular smokers at some point in their lives, according to a study in the July 29 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

29 Jul 2008

Healthy children of Alzheimer's patients show early brain changes

Medical College of Wisconsin researchers in Milwaukee have reported that children of Alzheimer's patients who are carriers of a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease have neurological changes that are detectable long before clinical symptoms may appear.

29 Jul 2008

Lawmakers agree to ban use of phthalates in toys

Lawmakers charged with finalizing the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act agreed yesterday to include a provision that will ban phthalates from children's toys and childcare articles. The legislative action validates the concerns of scientists and parents who have been urging a ban, and will bring federal regulation in line with several states and leading retailers that have already taken action to remove phthalates from toys.

29 Jul 2008

New biomarker for early cancer detection? Research reveals that 'microRNA' may fit the bill

Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have discovered that microRNAs - molecular workhorses that regulate gene expression - are released by cancer cells and circulate in the blood, which gives them the potential to become a new class of biomarkers to detect cancer at its earliest stages. Muneesh Tewari, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues describe their findings in the July 28 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

29 Jul 2008

Laboratory and mouse studies show targeted drug blocks the growth of breast cancer cells that spread to the brain

Using laboratory and mouse models of human breast cancer, researchers have found that a small molecule capable of targeting specific proteins on the surface of breast cancer cells can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells that migrate to the brain.

29 Jul 2008

Bristol academic takes viewers on a second tour of the human body

Dr Alice Roberts, Senior Teaching Fellow at Bristol University's Department of Anatomy, returns to television tonight for the second series of Don't Die Young, in which, through her presentation of the workings of the human body, she demonstrates how we can all be happier, healthier and live longer. To show how this is possible, she puts her own body through a series of tests and scans - including dropping it from the ceiling of the Birmingham Symphony Hall.

29 Jul 2008

New therapy freezes out esophagus cancer

UT Southwestern Medical Center gastroenterologists are using a new method to freeze damaged cells in the esophagus, preventing them from turning cancerous.

29 Jul 2008

Breakthrough in crippling childhood disease Friedreich's ataxia

University of Sydney scientists have made a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments for the crippling childhood disease Friedreich's ataxia.

28 Jul 2008

Viagra and Levitra ED drugs shown to allow more chemo to reach brain tumors

In a study using laboratory animals, researchers found that medications commonly prescribed for erectile dysfunction opened a mechanism called the blood-brain tumor barrier and increased delivery of cancer-fighting drugs to malignant brain tumors.

28 Jul 2008

Hormone deprivation therapy - used for prostate cancer - may cause recall and concentration problems

A recent review of the literature has found that hormone deprivation therapy, a commonly used treatment for prostate cancer, may have subtle adverse effects on cognition in patients--such as in the ability to recall and concentrate.

28 Jul 2008

Hip bone density predicts breast cancer risk independently of Gail score

Measuring a woman's bone mineral density can provide additional information that may help more accurately determine a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. That is the conclusion of a new study published in the September 1, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

28 Jul 2008

New human tissue bank

The University of Bradford has unveiled a new facility to provide UK biomedical researchers access to a wide range of human tissue and tissue products.

28 Jul 2008

Cocktail of drugs extends life of HIV patients

According to Canadian researchers a cocktail which is a combination of HIV drugs can give AIDS patients an average of 13 years additional life.

28 Jul 2008

Former cancer patient says radiation bungle shows flaw in the health system

Assurances from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) that cancer patients at the Royal Adelaide Hospital are at a minimal risk from an inadvertent 5 per cent reduction in their prescribed radiation dosage between 2004 to 2006, may reassure some but many former patients will still be worried.

28 Jul 2008