Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Polls show more teen girls see "alcopop" ads than women age 31-44

The American Medical Association (AMA) released the results of two nationwide polls today that reveal the extent of underage consumption and marketing exposure to "alcopops" or so-called "girlie drinks." The AMA expressed concern that hard-liquor brands are using these sweet-flavored malt beverages as "gateway" beverages to attract less-experienced drinkers.

20 Dec 2004

Gene expression analysis software

Case Western Reserve University has announced that its BAMarray™ software is now available for download and licensing. The statistical software analyzes gene expression data -- one of the hottest areas of biology research.

20 Dec 2004

Vaccine against cervical cancer

Dutch researcher Laura Bungener has developed a vaccine against cervical cancer. Vaccinated laboratory animals no longer developed the disease and animals which had already developed a tumour, could be treated with the vaccine.

20 Dec 2004

Discovery of new compound known as SP-4-84 could lead to improved chemotherapy treatments

The discovery of a new compound by Michigan State University researchers could lead to improved chemotherapy treatments for different types of cancers – potentially with fewer side effects.

20 Dec 2004

Celebrex suspension

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it has suspended the use of COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (Celebrex™ Pfizer, Inc.) for all participants in a large colorectal cancer prevention clinical trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

19 Dec 2004

Genealogy in a cancer prevention curriculum for high school students

A team of researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University are using an old tool to teach new information about cancer: the family tree.

19 Dec 2004

Obesity drug codenamed AOD9604 highly successful in trials

An Australian-owned obesity drug, developed by Melbourne-based biotechnology company Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Limited, is set to enter final human trials next year after successfully completing a Phase 2b human trial which proved that the drug induces weight loss and is very well tolerated with no evidence of the side effects commonly experienced with existing obesity drugs.

16 Dec 2004

How radiation therapy is used to safely and effectively treat various cancers

To help cancer patients and their families better understand their treatment options before making a decision, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology has published seven patient information brochures that explain how radiation therapy is used to safely and effectively treat various cancers.

16 Dec 2004

New theory driving evolutionary changes

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have used canine DNA to identify a genetic mutation mechanism they believe is responsible for rapid evolutionary changes in the physical appearance of many species.

14 Dec 2004

Revised safety advice on chromium picolinate supplements

The Food Standards Agency has revised its advice on the safety of chromium picolinate supplements. It is no longer advising people to avoid this type of chromium.

14 Dec 2004

New cancer detection technology from Rubicon Genomics

Rubicon Genomics has invented a more effective technology for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer compared to what hospitals and reference laboratories use today. MethylPlex™ is the most sensitive method in use to detect the patterns of abnormal DNA methylation arising in the serum and urine of patients during tumor formation and progression.

14 Dec 2004

Landmark studies that may change the treatment standards for breast cancer

The 27th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium that took place December 8-11 included the presentation of several landmark studies that may change the treatment standards for breast cancer.

14 Dec 2004

False positive cancer screening tests result not only in anxiety but also additional economic costs

Cancer screening tests can frequently produce false positive outcomes that may result not only in anxiety but also additional economic costs as well, according to research conducted by scientists at the Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Mich., and published in the December issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

14 Dec 2004

Ads for full-body scans to detect potential diseases, called into question

A burgeoning industry that sells full-body scans to detect potential diseases - without a doctor's referral - is running advertisements that frequently include unsubstantiated claims about the benefits of getting CT and MRI scans, while rarely providing information about the technology's limitations and risks.

13 Dec 2004

Instead of chemotherapy, drugs that influence the X protein's behavior might become an alternative cancer therapy

Identifying the link between chronic hepatitis B infection and liver cancer may one day help cancer patients sidestep the poison of chemotherapy, a Purdue University study suggests.

13 Dec 2004

Link found between bisphosphonates and a serious bone disease called osteonecrosis of the jaw

Doctors at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center recently discovered a link between a common chemotherapy drug and a serious bone disease called osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ).

13 Dec 2004

Combined positron emission tomography and computerized tomography can help diagnose hidden recurrent cancer

Combined positron emission tomography and computerized tomography (PET/CT) can help diagnose occult (hidden) recurrent cancer, possibly a cancer patient's greatest post-treatment fear, report a team of Israeli physicians in the December issue of the Society of Nuclear Medicine's "Journal of Nuclear Medicine."

13 Dec 2004