Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Aspirin may prevent skin cancer

Australian scientists say that common drugs such as aspirin may hold the key to reducing the risk of developing skin cancer.

8 Nov 2005

Survival odds for cancer 3 times better but after-care pretty scant

Modern day advances in surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment have meant that now, more than three times as many cancer victims survive the disease than three decades ago.

8 Nov 2005

Cell fusion triggered by viruses is a possible contributing factor in the development of human cancer

In some cases, the fusion of human cells is a normal process that leads, for instance, to the formation of muscle and bone. Viral infections can also cause cell fusion, but cells fused by viruses are widely considered to be harmless because they are generally believed to die without consequences for the host.

7 Nov 2005

Specific bacterial markers for bacterial vaginosis discovered

Findings reported in this week's New England Journal of Medicine (November 3 issue) highlight promising findings from two Seattle-based researchers on the origins of bacterial vaginosis (BV).

7 Nov 2005

Cholesterol lowering drugs do not appear to decrease the risk of melanoma

No clear evidence exists that some widely-prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs can decrease the risk of melanoma, a deadly and malignant skin cancer, according to a new review of recent studies.

7 Nov 2005

Research project to advance understanding of how cancer cells evade the immune system

A pre-clinical research project coordinated by The University of Manchester, which will advance understanding of how cancer cells evade the immune system, has been awarded nearly 12m Euro by the EU.

From The University of Manchester 7 Nov 2005

Sensors, a smart dose of medicine for cancer treatment

New sensor systems being developed will help treat cancer and improve the accuracy and reliability of existing radiation treatments. They should help improve patient care and outcomes. The results will go straight to commercialisation when finalised next year.

7 Nov 2005

Campaigners say "safe cigarettes" will kill thousands

One of the world's largest tobacco companies, British American Tobacco (BAT), is apparently about to launch a so-called "safer" cigarette.

7 Nov 2005

Exposure to movie smoking accounts for smoking initiation among over one-third of U.S. adolescents

The first national study to look at the connection between smoking in movies and smoking initiation among adolescents shows that exposure to smoking in popular films is a primary risk factor in determining whether young people will start smoking.

7 Nov 2005

Genetic profile of ovarian cancer

A newly identified gene expression profile could help predict how patients with advanced ovarian cancer will respond to chemotherapy treatment.

7 Nov 2005

Herceptin results beg questions on equal access to expensive drugs

The recent press coverage on the use of Herceptin (brand name for the drug trastuzumab) for treating breast cancer in its early stages shows that issues of equal access to costly but effective drugs must be confronted, says an editorial in the British Medical Journal.

7 Nov 2005

BRAF gene mutations predict sensitivity to a new class of drug

A team of researchers led by scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have discovered that a new class of drugs -- now in early stage clinical trials -- work best in patients with mutations in the BRAF gene.

7 Nov 2005

Ultrasound to treat cancer

For the first time, ultrasound is being used in animal models – to treat cancer by disrupting tumor blood vessels.

7 Nov 2005

Unethical for doctors to withhold information from patients about new drugs

It is unethical and paternalistic for doctors to withhold information from patients about new drugs that are not yet publicly funded, say researchers in this week's British Medical Journal.

7 Nov 2005

New understanding of sphingosine kinases called SphK1 and SphK2

Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers have found that two enzymes that catalyze the same reaction and produce the same product have opposite effects on cell growth and death.

7 Nov 2005

Only 10 percent of doctors have ever heard of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva

A new research study shows how common a medical misdiagnosis can be and how severely it can exacerbate a disease.

7 Nov 2005

Smokeless tobacco products are not necessarily a safe alternative to smoking

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one-fourth of Americans are smokers. That's more than 60 million people who are at increased for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths nationwide.

3 Nov 2005

Expert highlights public health problem posed by colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is a significant public health problem for which differing treatment regimes hold different benefits in associated efficacy, safety and tolerability, according to study findings showcased at the 13th European Cancer Conference (ECCO).

3 Nov 2005

Largest study to date on risk factors associated with primary biliary cirrhosis

A case-control study of more than 2000 people has identified a number of factors that may induce primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in genetically susceptible individuals. These include a history of urinary tract infections, hormone replacement therapy, tobacco use, and nail polish use.

3 Nov 2005

Clinicans warned about randomized clinical trials

A review article in the November 2 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests clinicians ought to view with skepticism the results of randomized clinical trials stopped early because of apparent benefit.

3 Nov 2005