Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Black cohosh does not reduce hot flashes in women

Mayo Clinic researchers, working with North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) investigators, will present new study findings about treatments to reduce hot flashes in women. The research will be outlined during the 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, May 13-17 in Orlando, Fla.

15 May 2005

Drug trio increases survival rate in head and neck cancers

Adding a third drug to a standard chemotherapy combination can dramatically improve the survival of patients with advanced head and neck cancer, according to research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

15 May 2005

Doctors and patients think differently about clinical trials

A survey of patients and physicians regarding clinical trials shows that doctors don't recognize the importance of side effects as a barrier for their patients in deciding about whether to undergo experimental therapy.

15 May 2005

Counting number of endothelial cells in blood may predict cancer treatment's effectiveness

Counting the amount of a type of normal cell circulating in the blood of people with cancer could predict whether a tumor progresses or responds to therapy, a new study led by the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center has found. The finding could give doctors an early indication of whether a treatment will be successful, sparing patients months of an ineffective therapy.

15 May 2005

Herceptin could be used safely for bladder cancer

A targeted drug shown to improve the outcome of certain breast cancer patients may be of use in the treatment of advanced cases of bladder cancer, according to new research led by the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

15 May 2005

Robotic surgery dramatically reduces physical trauma for head & neck cancer patients

For patients with cancer of the mouth and throat, surgery is a frequent course of treatment, often leading to speech and swallowing dysfunction and external scarring.

15 May 2005

Humans more prone to cancer than chimpanzees

Chimpanzees and humans share a common ancestor, and even today 99 percent of the two species' DNA is identical. But since the paths of man and chimp diverged 5 million years ago, that one percent of genetic difference appears to have changed humans in an unexpected way: It could have made people more prone to cancer.

15 May 2005

Hispanics have worse lung cancer survival rate

In a national population-based study of 16,036 lung cancer patients, Hispanics with curable stage I lung cancer had poorer lung cancer specific survival rates, as well as worse all-cause mortality, than a much larger group of white persons. Study results will appear in the second issue for May 2005 of the American Thoracic Society's peer-reviewed American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

15 May 2005

First advance in pancreatic cancer treatment in a decade offers new hope

The first advance in pancreatic cancer treatment in a decade has been achieved by researchers in a Canadian-led study, and at last gives some encouragement to scientists and invigorates a field that has experienced more than its share of disheartening failures.

15 May 2005

Prostate cancer drug, Omnitarg by Genentech falls short

Research into an experimental prostate cancer drug being developed by Genentech Inc. will probably be abandoned after scientists found that the drug failed to prove effective in a mid-stage trial.

15 May 2005

Great news for breast cancer patients

In encouraging new study results researchers say that modern treatments have significantly boosted the 15-year survival rate for breast cancer, and even better news is that they have also found that drug and hormonal therapies effectively cure many women, rather than simply delaying the recurrence of disease.

12 May 2005

If you want to avoid smoke-filled pubs you will be better off in the south of England

If you want to avoid smoke-filled pubs you will be better off in the south of England than in the north according to a snapshot survey published today by the British Medical Association (BMA). In an attempt to establish just how many pubs will be exempt from laws banning smoking in enclosed workplaces, the BMA found wide regional differences with a strong north-south divide.

12 May 2005

New study says surgery still the best option for prostate cancer

A study by Swedish researchers has found that men who opt to have cancerous prostates surgically removed, have higher long-term survival rates than those who delay the operation, and the benefits of surgery may be greatest for men under 65.

11 May 2005

Research reveals atomic structure of angiopoietin-2, a key protein involved in the neo-vascularization of solid tumors

A structural biologist from the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, in collaboration with researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, has identified the crystal structure of a protein that plays a role in supplying nutrients to solid tumors.

11 May 2005

Virus that targets and kills glioblastoma

Yale School of Medicine scientists have identified a virus that targets and kills glioblastoma, a deadly type of human brain tumor resistant to current medical or surgical treatment, according to a study published as the cover article in the Journal of Virology.

11 May 2005

Discovery may pave way for immunotherapies for prostate cancer

Using a common chemotherapy agent, researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine found a way to move an important biomarker expressed in prostate cancer, shaking it loose from one location in a cell – where it could not be accessed by blood – to another, easier to target area.

11 May 2005

Broken bones may reduce risk of ovarian cancer

The pain and suffering of a broken bone may yield an unexpected benefit – a reduced risk of ovarian cancer.

10 May 2005

Breast CT may improve on mammography - more gentler, more accurate

A new breast screening technology that may be able to detect tumors earlier than mammography -- without the need for uncomfortable breast compression -- is being tested in patients at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center.

10 May 2005

New laser technology for more precise cancer treatments

Tom Cowan’s team is thinking smaller, but with big impact. Particle accelerators are a key research tool in a high energy physicist’s arsenal, but they take up a lot of space - miles and miles of it. But at the University of Nevada, Reno, smaller is better.

10 May 2005

Major Northern Ireland survey to seek public views on cancer

A major postal survey which will help raise cancer awareness is being conducted by the University of Ulster and funded by the Ulster Cancer Foundation.

10 May 2005