Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Novel drug romiplostim significantly improves treatment of dangerous blood disorder

Two clinical trials of the novel drug romiplostim (Nplate) show that it significantly improved platelet levels in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a hematologic disorder that can cause uncontrolled bleeding.

5 Feb 2008

Risk factors for severe RSV infection in immunocompromised children

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators and collaborators have shown how to predict if a child who is infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) while being treated for cancer or another catastrophic disease is at high risk for developing severe infection. The finding will help clinicians improve guidelines for managing these infected children.

4 Feb 2008

Researchers identify cells that cause nervous system disease

Two teams of University of Michigan researchers have tracked down the cells responsible for neurofibromatosis type1, a disfiguring, incurable condition and one of the most common hereditary disorders.

4 Feb 2008

Resisting lung cancer recurrence - Vaccine booster gives persistent immune response

What if we could prevent cancer recurrence for years after surgery by giving simple recall injections every two or three years? This concept may no longer be a fantasy.

4 Feb 2008

Who gave us chocolate, a traditional treat on Valentine's Day?

They were the ancient Maya of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, who will be honored for this tasty contribution on Feb. 14 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

4 Feb 2008

Targeting astrocytes slows progression of Lou Gehrig's disease

In what the researchers say could be promising news in the quest to find a therapy to slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have shown that targeting neuronal support cells called astrocytes sharply slows disease progression in mice.

4 Feb 2008

Lung cancer rates fall for Western Australian men

Western Australian men are continuing to heed the anti-smoking message with new figures showing a ten per cent fall in the number of men diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006.

4 Feb 2008

Gene expression in meningiomas may vary by hormone receptor status

An association between hormones and meningioma has long been postulated, but the specific nature of this relationship has remained unclear.

4 Feb 2008

Researchers examine immune cells where HIV can lie dormant, possible treatments

Researchers have determined how HIV is able to lie dormant in certain immune system cells and prevent the cells from self-destructing, according to a study published Thursday online in the journal Retrovirology, the AP/Google.com reports.

4 Feb 2008

Hillary Clinton discusses enforcement mechanism for health insurance mandate

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) on Sunday during an appearance on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" discussed her proposal to require all U.S. residents to obtain health insurance and "inched closer ... to explaining how she would enforce" the requirement but "declined to specify -- as she has throughout the campaign -- how she would penalize those who refuse," the New York Times reports.

4 Feb 2008

Scientists identify protein's crucial role in resistance to breast cancer treatment

Scientists at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research in London have identified how some breast cancers may become resistant to hormone treatments like tamoxifen.

4 Feb 2008

Event to address the effects of breast cancer on black women

Although the overall incidence of breast cancer in black women is lower than in white women, black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than their white counterparts.

4 Feb 2008

Anemia treatment may be a double-edged sword

Erythropoietin has so far been known to doctors as a hormone that boosts red-blood-cell production.

4 Feb 2008

Nausea from chemotherapy explained

A new study from the Monell Center increases understanding of the biological mechanisms responsible for the nausea and vomiting that often afflict patients undergoing chemotherapy.

4 Feb 2008

microRNAs may help predict survival in liver cancer

Tiny molecules that help cells regulate which proteins they make might one day help doctors predict which liver-cancer patients are likely to live longer than others, new research suggests.

4 Feb 2008

A loss in DNS repair function causes acute myeloid leukemia relapse

A University of Kentucky research team reports that loss of an important DNA repair function, called DNA mismatch repair (MMR), is responsible for refractory/relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

4 Feb 2008

Zinc may offer protection against cadmium exposure

Cadmium exposure is a known risk factor for prostate cancer, and a new University of Rochester study suggests that zinc may offer protection against cadmium.

4 Feb 2008

Study looks at safe dosages of the isotope astatine-211 for brain tumors

In a study to determine safe dosages of the isotope astatine-211 for patients with recurring brain tumors, researchers were pleasantly surprised to find that not only was the isotope's potency sufficient to kill residual cancer cells without damaging sensitive healthy brain cells, but the patients experienced longer survival rates.

4 Feb 2008

Effects of prostate removal

Men with prostate cancer who have their prostate removed cite sexual dysfunction as the most common side effect after surgery, but urinary dysfunction troubles these patients most, reports a University of Florida researcher. What's more, many aren't emotionally prepared to face these complications.

4 Feb 2008

New research allays some panic about suspected cancer-causing agents

New research has allayed some panic about suspected cancer-causing agents, such as deodorants, coffee and artificial sweeteners. A risk assessment tool has been developed through the Cancer Control Program at South Eastern Sydney & Illawarra Health (SESIH) by a University of New South Wales (UNSW) researcher, Professor Bernard Stewart.

4 Feb 2008