Chemotherapy News and Research

Latest Chemotherapy News and Research

FDA advisory panel votes in favor of NovoTTF-100A System for supra-tentorial glioblastoma multiforme tumors

Novocure announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Neurological Devices Advisory Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee voted (7 yes; 3 no; 2 abstain) that for patients with supra-tentorial glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors that recur after maximal surgical and radiation treatments, there is reasonable assurance that the benefits of the NovoTTF-100A System (NovoTTF) outweigh its risks when administered as a monotherapy in place of standard medical therapy.

18 Mar 2011

Study: Stem cells may open door to new tools for colorectal cancer detection, treatment

Colorectal cancer cells trigger a set of genes similar to those found in intestinal stem cells, scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine have found.

18 Mar 2011

Individualized dentritic cell vaccine may increase survival time in patients with glioblastoma

A dendritic cell vaccine personalized for each individual based on the patient's own tumor may increase median survival time in those with a deadly form of brain cancer called glioblastoma, an early phase study at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.

18 Mar 2011

CPF applauds new guidelines for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) applauds the joint statement issued by the American Thoracic Society for the first evidence-based clinical guidelines for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The guidelines represent progress in understanding of the disease and a milestone for patients. The devastating and deadly disease also called simply "Pulmonary Fibrosis" or "PF" has no FDA approved treatment and no cure.

18 Mar 2011

Astellas to acquire all Maxygen's equity interests in Perseid for $76.0 million

Maxygen, Inc. today announced that Astellas Pharma Inc. has exercised its option to purchase all of Maxygen's equity interests in Perseid Therapeutics LLC at the current exercise price of $76.0 million.

17 Mar 2011

Laser light can kill cancer cells by pumping drugs into them

Shining a laser light on cells and then clicking off the light makes the cells "breathe in" surrounding water, providing a potentially powerful delivery system for chemotherapy drugs, as well as a non-invasive way to target anti-Alzheimer's medicines to the brain. That's the conclusion of a report in ACS's The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.

17 Mar 2011

Personalized dendritic cell vaccine may increase median survival in mesenchymal glioblastoma patients

17 Mar 2011

Skyline Diagnostics launches unique test to detect patients with AML

Each year over eight million people die of cancer worldwide. Patients' chances of survival vary widely: depending on the type of cancer involved, the stage at which it is diagnosed and the speed with which appropriate treatment is launched.

17 Mar 2011

Scientists create new drug delivery system to treat cancer

Scientists in Syracuse University's Chemistry Department have created a new drug delivery system expected to advance the effectiveness of cancer-killing drugs. It uses gold nanoparticles with attached DNA that binds to a proven anti-cancer drug, Doxorubicin or DOX.

16 Mar 2011

TESE offers fertility to male cancer survivors

An intricate procedure that finds and carefully removes individual sperm from testicular tissue has made fathers of men who were once considered sterile due to prior cancer treatment, say researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center who pioneered the technique.

16 Mar 2011

Updated NCCN Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer outline new treatment options for women

Although finding effective screening tools remains a priority, new treatment options for women with ovarian cancer, such as the ones outlined in the updated NCCN Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer, are vital to making steady progress against the disease according to Robert J. Morgan, MD, of City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center and chair of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Ovarian Cancer.

16 Mar 2011

Malaria drug shrinks, slows resistant pancreatic tumors

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists report they have shrunk or slowed the growth of notoriously resistant pancreatic tumors in mice, using a drug routinely prescribed for malaria and rheumatoid arthritis.

16 Mar 2011

BRAF gene defect leads to pilocytic astrocytoma in children

Pilocytic astrocytoma, the most common brain tumor in children, is usually slow-growing and benign. However, surgeons often cannot completely remove the diffusely growing tumor.

16 Mar 2011

Millennium, SGEN expand ADC collaboration

Seattle Genetics, Inc. announced today that Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, has paid an undisclosed fee to exercise an option to designate a second antigen target under the parties' existing antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) collaboration.

16 Mar 2011

Heavy drinking related to pancreatic cancer: Study

According to the latest research, heavy drinkers have an increased risk of dying from pancreatic cancer. The study has shown that non-smokers who have three or more drinks of hard liquor a day face a 36 percent higher risk of dying from pancreatic cancer, compared with non-drinkers. Smoking is a definite risk for pancreatic cancer. The report is published in the March 14 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

15 Mar 2011

Innovative strategies to reduce infections in health-care settings

Can probiotics prevent pneumonia in patients breathing with the help of ventilators? That's just one question researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis hope to answer as part of innovative new studies to reduce infections in health-care settings.

15 Mar 2011

TESE surgical technique can help men with childhood cancer experience parenthood

A new study has shown that a surgical technique called microdissection testicular sperm extraction can effectively locate and extract viable sperm in more than one-third of adult male childhood cancer survivors who were previously considered sterile due to prior chemotherapy treatment.

15 Mar 2011

Cancer Research UK introduces new centre in Oxford

A new centre launched today will cement Oxford's place at the forefront of cancer research, and form one of the final links in a unique chain of Cancer Research UK Centres across the country.

15 Mar 2011

Gamida to distribute Health Robotics' CytoCare, i.v.STATION, i.v.SOFT technologies in Israel

Health Robotics today announced that it recently signed an exclusive distribution agreement for its CytoCare, i.v.STATION, and i.v.SOFT world-leading technologies with Israel-based medical technology leader Gamida MedEquip Ltd.

14 Mar 2011

Positive results from azide drug-loaded Emulsiphan preclinical toxicity study

Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in cancer metabolism-based therapeutics, today announced encouraging results of a preclinical toxicity study of azide drug-loaded Emulsiphan nano emulsions conducted with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under a Collaboration Agreement. Emulsiphan is Cornerstone's proprietary nanoparticle drug delivery system.

14 Mar 2011