Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Asbestos-induced lung cancer patients do not appear to benefit from chemotherapy

Adding chemotherapy to established methods of symptom management does not appear to enhance the quality of life or survival of patients suffering from an asbestos-induced form of lung cancer called malignant plural mesothelioma (MPM). These are the results of MS01, a large UK and Australian study published in the Lancet, which set out to assess the potential benefits of combining active symptom control (ASC) with chemotherapy.

18 May 2008

Study implicates 350 gene regions in cancer development in the mouse

A large genetic study in mice has identified hundreds of genes involved in the development of cancer by examining the DNA of more than 500 lymphomas to find the cancer causing mutations.

15 May 2008

New report details cancer prevention efforts

An annual report from the American Cancer Society highlights that long-term favorable trends have stalled for several factors that have been responsible for declining cancer death rates in the U.S.

15 May 2008

Study finds patients overestimate cancer screening history

A new American Cancer Society study finds female African American patients tend to overestimate their level of cancer screening, indicating that current estimates of screening based on self-reported data may be lower than reported.

15 May 2008

Discovery of 250 new genes potentially involved in leukemia

Researchers have found over 250 new genes that are potentially involved in the development of leukemia. The research was performed in close collaboration between the Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and the Wellcome Trust Institute (Cambridge, UK) and will be published in the Friday May 16th issue of the scientific journal Cell.

15 May 2008

Length of telomeres in blood cells tied to breast cancer survival rates

Researchers at Umea University in Sweden have shown that the length of telomeres in blood cells in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients is tied to survival rates. The study, published in the journal Cancer Research, was carried out by a research team headed by Professor Goran Roos at the Department of Medical Bioscience, Pathology.

15 May 2008

New Wilmot Cancer Center offers expanded care, research for cures

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) today celebrates the expansion of cancer care and research as it dedicates the new James P. Wilmot Cancer Center. The Center introduces leading-edge technology, greater access to multidisciplinary care, a new model for breast care, and more opportunities to receive tomorrow's therapies today.

15 May 2008

Expert says Wembley Stadium could be filled with 'preventable' cancer cases

A British cancer expert has come up with a novel way of illustrating how a healthy lifestyle can beat cancer.

15 May 2008

Regular exercise for young women can reduce their risk of breast cancer

The latest research on breast cancer is good news, it says that regular exercise can reduce the risk.

15 May 2008

Scientists unravel how smoking causes cancer

Scientists have for the first time pinpointed a protein that explains how smoking can directly lead to genetic changes that cause cancer - research published in the British Journal of Cancer reveals.

15 May 2008

Molecular clock could predict risk for developing breast cancer

A chemical reaction in genes that control breast cancer provides a molecular clock that could one day help researchers more accurately determine a woman's risk for developing breast cancer and provide a new approach for treatment, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

15 May 2008

Drug therapy for phenylketonuria reverses heart damage

A pricy drug used to treat a rare but well-known genetic disorder may hold wider promise as a treatment for millions of Americans with potentially lethal enlarged hearts, due mainly to high blood pressure, a study from Johns Hopkins shows.

13 May 2008

Chicago Tribune magazine examines HIV/AIDS among children, adolescents in U.S.

The Chicago Tribune Magazine on Sunday examined HIV/AIDS among children and adolescents in the U.S. According to the Tribune, there are about 6,000 children and young adults living with HIV/AIDS in the country.

13 May 2008

Vitamin D protects cells from stress that can lead to cancer

By inducing a specific gene to increase expression of a key enzyme, vitamin D protects healthy prostate cells from the damage and injuries that can lead to cancer, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers report.

13 May 2008

Supplemental breast ultrasound boosts cancer detection, radiologist reports in national study

Among women at high-risk of developing breast cancer, breast ultrasound combined with mammography may detect more cancers than mammography alone, according to results of a multicenter trial that included UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers.

13 May 2008

Physician Gainsharing programs reduce hospital spending

Giving physicians cash payments for reduced hospital spending can help control costs without sacrificing quality or access to care, researchers report in a study released today in the May/June 2008 issue of the journal Health Affairs. The issue is a thematic volume on health reform supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

13 May 2008

Washington Post examines lack of health care for undocumented immigrants in detention centers

The Washington Post as part of a four-day series, titled "Careless Detention," is examining how some immigrants to the U.S. do not receive needed health care while in immigration detention centers.

13 May 2008

CQ's Carey looks at new Medicare marketing guidelines, health care provisions added to supplemental war spending bill, House panel approval of health care bills

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, examines proposed marketing guidelines for private Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare and Medicaid provisions that Republicans want removed from a supplemental war spending bill, and a House panel's approval of several health care-related measures in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

13 May 2008

Simple, painless hair test detects breast cancer

A test developed by Australian scientists which promises to be able to pick up breast cancer from a hair sample, could be commercially available later this year.

13 May 2008

Arsenic-based agent shown to help eradicate leukemia-initiating cells

In both leukemia and solid tumors, there exists among the multitude of warrior cancer cells a small subgroup that work undercover, patiently lying in wait to launch their attacks. Known as either cancer initiating cells (CICs) or leukemia initiating cells (LICs), these stealth populations are impervious to conventional chemotherapy and undaunted by targeted cancer therapies. When a leukemia patient relapses following a period of remission, it is the LICs that bear responsibility for the disease's reemergence.

12 May 2008