Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Obesity at the time of prostate-cancer diagnosis dramatically increases the risk of dying from the disease

Obese men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer have more than two-and-a-half times the risk of dying from the disease as compared to men of normal weight at the time of diagnosis, according to a study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

15 Mar 2007

Researchers use poliovirus to destroy neuroblastoma tumors in mice

The cause of one notorious childhood disease, poliovirus, could be used to treat the ongoing threat of another childhood disease, neuroblastoma.

15 Mar 2007

Large-scale Japanese study finds soy protective against localized prostate cancer, but not advanced

The largest study examining the relationship between the traditional soy-rich Japanese diet and development of prostate cancer in Japanese men has come to a seemingly contradictory conclusion: intake of isoflavone chemicals, derived largely from soy foods, decreased the risk of localized prostate cancer but increased the risk of advanced prostate cancer.

15 Mar 2007

New anti-cancer target in enzyme MAP4K3

Scientists working at the Institute for Cancer Research have found a new anti-cancer target in MAP4K3, an enzyme which is able to 'switch on' the growth-promoter mTOR.

14 Mar 2007

Discovery of new cell involved with cancer

Scientists have discovered a new type of cell that appears to play a role in the development of cancer – a highly volatile, precancerous stem cell that can either remain benign or become malignant, depending upon environmental cues.

14 Mar 2007

Arsenic in drinking water can lead to miscarriages and sudden infant death

For the first time, researchers have been able to show that mothers who drink water containing arsenic run an increased risk of having a miscarriage or losing their child in its first year. This has been demonstrated by a research team from Sweden and Bangladesh in an article published last Saturday in the Net edition of American Journal of Epidemiology.

14 Mar 2007

Tykerb (lapatinib) - new anti-cancer treatment approved

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tykerb (lapatinib), a new targeted anti-cancer treatment, to be used in combination with capectabine (Xeloda), another cancer drug, for patients with advanced, metastatic breast cancer that is HER2 positive (tumors that exhibit HER2 protein).

14 Mar 2007

Researchers uncover genetic sequence responsible for rare form of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an almost uniformly fatal disease regardless of the stage at time of diagnosis. However, a small percentage of patients develop a form of ductal adenocarcinoma associated with cystic lesions that can be detected earlier, is less aggressive and has a 50 percent long-term survival rate.

14 Mar 2007

Two novel therapies for multiple myeloma

Two novel biologics are currently being investigated for their potential benefit to multiple myeloma patients in separate ongoing clinical trials at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

14 Mar 2007

Interferon gamma identified as one of the signaling proteins involved with tumor relapse

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University's Massey Cancer Center studying the interaction between the immune system and cancer cells have identified interferon gamma as one of the signaling proteins involved with tumor relapse.

13 Mar 2007

Using a light hand to treat Hodgkin disease

Children with low-risk Hodgkin disease can be cured using cancer drugs that have only minimal or no toxicity, combined with low doses of radiation, according to St. Jude researchers.

13 Mar 2007

Disorderly protein brings order to cell division

The secret to the ability of a molecule critical for cell division to throw off the protein yoke that restrains its activity is the yoke itself - a disorderly molecule that seems to have a mind of its own, say investigators at St. Jude

13 Mar 2007

Study aims to find which breast cancer patients need chemotherapy

Most postmenopausal women with small breast tumors don't need chemotherapy to reduce their recurrence risk after lumpectomy.

13 Mar 2007

Health disparities in prostate cancer care

Decreasing the rates of prostate cancer among black men may require improving access to routine health care, rather than increased education about the disease, a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine suggests.

12 Mar 2007

Addiction to sunbathing

Despite repeated health warnings about the dangers of tanning from sunlight and artificial light sources, there are still those whose mantra "bronzed is beautiful" remains unshaken.

12 Mar 2007

Native American artists use art and storytelling to bring cancer statistics to life

As an internist and health-care economist, Scott Ramsey, M.D., Ph.D., is used to looking at cancer statistics in black and white. Lately, however, he's been seeing them in shades of vibrant red and deep blue.

12 Mar 2007

The need for a bronzed glow could be in the genes

Researchers have found that a gene which helps to control tumours also triggers the chemical chain reaction that makes the skin tan when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light.

12 Mar 2007

A food supplement that could prevent the development of diabetes and atherosclerosis

The health benefits of cutting down on dietary saturated fatty acids and including higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids are well documented. Nutritional research is focusing on the effects of incorporating these healthier fatty acids, such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), into animal and human diets. CLA is present in dairy products and meat from ruminants and in very low amounts in our bodies.

11 Mar 2007

FDA strengthens safety information for Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a public health advisory outlining new safety information, including revised product labeling about erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), widely-used drugs for the treatment of anemia.

11 Mar 2007

House passes bill that would allow 'paired' kidney donations

The House on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation (HR 710) to specify that "paired" kidney donations do not violate laws prohibiting compensation for organ donations, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.

11 Mar 2007