Chemotherapy News and Research

Latest Chemotherapy News and Research

New research at Rhode Island Hospital identifies a treatment for glioblastomas

New research at Rhode Island Hospital has identified a treatment in animal models for glioblastomas - deadly brain tumors which, once diagnosed, offer a poor prognosis and relatively short life expectancy.

20 Jan 2010

New functions in an enzyme can develop through point mutation

A new study by a research team at Uppsala University shows how new functions can develop in an enzyme. This can explain, for example, how resistance to toxins can occur so simply. The findings are now being published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

19 Jan 2010

Bone marrow transplantation survivors can father children: new study says

Men who were previously deemed sterile due to aggressive cancer treatments may still be able to biologically father children according to a new study published in the journal, Bone Marrow Transplantation.

18 Jan 2010

FDA extends Tarceva's sNDA review period

OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Genentech, Inc., a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the review period for the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Tarceva® (erlotinib) as a first-line maintenance therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by an additional 90 days.

18 Jan 2010

Research reveals gene activation is linked to most aggressive type of brain cancer

Glioblastoma (GBM), the brain cancer better known for having killed Senator Ted Kennedy a few months ago, is the most aggressive and lethal of all brain tumours.

18 Jan 2010

Early diagnosis can cure endometrial cancer

Postmenopausal women who experience vaginal bleeding should see a doctor promptly. According to the January issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, vaginal bleeding is a symptom that occurs early in the course of endometrial cancer, when the chance of a complete cure is the greatest. Even one drop of blood is abnormal in postmenopausal women.

18 Jan 2010

Researchers identify ways to predict patients with small-cell lung cancer

Researchers for TGen Clinical Research Services at Scottsdale Healthcare (TCRS) have identified a way to predict which patients with small-cell lung cancer may be resistant to first-line chemotherapy.

18 Jan 2010

M. D. Anderson researchers discover mechanism that helps glioblastomas evade immune attack

Cancer-initiating cells that launch glioblastoma multiforme, the most lethal type of brain tumor, also suppress an immune system attack on the disease, scientists from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in a paper featured on the cover of the Jan. 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

18 Jan 2010

Emmi Solutions expands existing suite of cancer-related programs in collaboration with ACS

Emmi Solutions, LLC, creators of Web-based interactive multimedia patient education programs, has collaborated with the American Cancer Society, the nation’s leading voluntary health organization and the preeminent source of cancer information and service, to expand Emmi Solutions’ existing suite of cancer-related programs.

13 Jan 2010

Study: Patients with specific oncogenic rearrangements of ALK gene show greater response to new therapy

Results of a new study in non-small cell lung cancer showed that patients with specific oncogenic rearrangements of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene within the short arm of chromosome 2 of their tumors had a much greater response to a new therapy - an ALK-inhibitor.

13 Jan 2010

Retreating with gefitinib may benefit non-small cell lung cancer patients

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer in whom treatment with gefitinib is ineffective often have limited options, but results of a new study suggest that retreating patients with the same drug could have a beneficial effect.

13 Jan 2010

Three tumor microRNAs may help identify chemoresistance in small cell lung cancer patients

At least three tumor microRNAs appear to predict when first-line chemotherapy will prove ineffective in some patients with small cell lung cancer, according to data presented at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer, held Jan. 11-14, 2010.

13 Jan 2010

NexMed's NexACT technology enhances Taxol's bioavailability through oral administration

NexMed, Inc., a specialty CRO and a developer of products based on the NexACT® technology, today announced that pre-clinical results from its research and development group at Bio-Quant successfully demonstrated the ability of the NexACT technology to deliver an oral formulation of Taxol® (paclitaxel) and to enhance the drug’s bioavailability by approximately ten-fold through this oral administration. Taxol, a first line chemotherapy drug used to treat breast, lung and ovarian cancers, is currently administered through an intravenous infusion that can take up to 24 hours to complete.

13 Jan 2010

Autologous stem cell transplantation may benefit breast cancer patients

Compared to conventional chemotherapy, autologous stem cell transplantation can extend "event-free survival" for breast cancer patients. Clinical trials provide proof of this for breast cancer with and without distant metastases. However, there are indications that this type of stem cell transplantation can more frequently give rise to severe complications affecting almost all organ systems. This is the conclusion of the final report of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) published on 16 December 2009.

13 Jan 2010

Research reveals how cancers shield themselves from immune attack

Melanoma, if not detected in its early stages, transforms into a highly deadly, treatment-resistant cancer. Although the immune system initially responds to melanoma and mounts anti-tumor attacks, these assaults are generally ineffective, allowing more advanced melanomas to win the battle and spread beyond the primary site.

13 Jan 2010

BDSI to discuss planned BEMA Granisetron IND with the FDA

BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. announced that the company has been granted a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss the planned Investigational New Drug (IND) application for BDSI’s antiemetic (anti-nausea and vomiting) product candidate, BEMA Granisetron. The meeting will take place on March 17, 2010. The company will discuss with the FDA clinical development and regulatory plans for BEMA Granisetron, which is anticipated to enter Phase 1 studies in the second quarter of 2010.

13 Jan 2010

Bevacizumab drug shows promise to slow tumor growth in lung cancer patients

Phase II study results of the agent ASA404 showed promise in patients with either squamous or non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

13 Jan 2010

TD2 and COTI work together to obtain approval of clinical trials for COTI-2

TGen Drug Development (TD2) and Critical Outcome Technologies Inc. (COTI) (TSXV:COT) announced today that they will work together to obtain approval of clinical trials for a promising new anti-cancer drug called COTI-2.

12 Jan 2010

Thames Valley Cancer Network implements ARIA system for Medical Oncology

A chemotherapy software solution that enables patients to become more involved in managing their own care has been successfully rolled out across a network of hospitals in the UK. The Thames Valley Cancer Network has implemented Aria for Medical Oncology™ from Varian Medical Systems and already has more than 850 clinical staff routinely using the system.

12 Jan 2010

Abraxis Bioscience awards John Wayne Cancer Institute $1M grant for identifying new cancer biomarkers

A $1 million grant from Abraxis Bioscience, Inc. to a world-famous research laboratory at John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s Health Center could help save lives of cancer patients by helping doctors more rapidly assess whether a treatment is working or not.

12 Jan 2010