Chemotherapy News and Research

Latest Chemotherapy News and Research

Subcutaneous administration of an antiemetic for treating vomiting caused by chemotherapy

The subcutaneous administration of granisetron, an antiemetic pharmaceutical drug (suitable for control of vomiting), achieves similar blood concentrations to those administered intravenously.

19 Nov 2007

Avastin (bevacizumab) shows promise in phase II study of glioblastoma multiforme

Genentech, Inc. has announced that both study arms of a randomized, multi-center Phase II clinical study of Avastin (bevacizumab) administered alone or in combination with irinotecan chemotherapy demonstrated encouraging six-month progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate in patients with relapsed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer.

19 Nov 2007

Block buster cancer drug Avastin gives hope to brain tumor victims

According to a new study the blockbuster cancer drug Avastin has shown promising results in treating brain cancer victims.

19 Nov 2007

Hormone orexin links sleep, hunger and metabolism

While investigating how the hormone orexin might control sleep and hunger, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered, to their surprise, that it activates a protein, HIF-1, long known to stimulate cancerous tumor growth.

15 Nov 2007

Young men are just as affected by hair loss during cancer treatment

Research into young people's experiences of hair loss during cancer treatment has found it is a mistake to assume women will be more affected than men. Scientists analysing interviews with recovered young adult cancer patients enrolled in the DIPEx project found that young men were just as affected by chemotherapy-induced hair loss as young women.

14 Nov 2007

PET scans useful for some cancer treatment, but how do patients fare?

Positron emission tomography or PET scans can help clinicians diagnose and treat some cancers, but it is not clear yet whether the imaging technology helps people with cancer live longer and healthier lives, according to a comprehensive review by the U.K. National Health Service.

14 Nov 2007

Nausea during chemo may be worse with psychological problems

A group of Danish researchers has investigated the psychological circumstances of nausea during chemotherapy in cancer patients and has reported the findings in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

13 Nov 2007

FDA strengthens warnings for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved revised boxed warnings and other safety-related product labeling changes for erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), which treat certain types of anemia.

13 Nov 2007

Cell response to stress signals predicts tumors in women with common pre-breast cancer

A specific biological response to cellular stress may predict the likelihood of future tumor formation of the most common, non-invasive form of pre-malignant breast cancer-- ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS.

13 Nov 2007

New guidelines on non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

The AUA is pleased to announce their new Guideline on the Management of Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer. Each year, more than 60,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer, which has been linked to a number of risk factors, including cigarette smoking and exposure to hazardous chemicals.

13 Nov 2007

New finding about the relationship between stress and cancer

One way environmental stress causes cancer is by reducing the activity level of an enzyme that causes cell death, researchers say.

6 Nov 2007

Immtech receives $5.1 million to tackle trypanosomiasis and leishmania

Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that it has received $5.1 million from a scientific consortium led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), which received funds from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to develop drugs for fighting African sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis) and leishmania.

6 Nov 2007

New role for p53 gene in childhood cancer

Researchers have identified a new role for a cancer-prevention gene in the response to drug treatment for childhood cancer.

6 Nov 2007

Modified Curcumin demonstrates even greater tumor suppressive properties

Curcumin, the yellowish component of turmeric that gives curry its flavor, has long been noted for its potential anti-cancer properties.

6 Nov 2007

Osteopontin-c is a good biomarker of breast cancer.

Researchers have identified a molecule that may be more accurate than existing biological signposts used to predict which breast cancers will develop into advanced forms of the disease.

6 Nov 2007

Cancer victim comes up with a possible alternative to chemo

A cancer victim has invented a machine that could well replace traditional chemotherapy for the treatment of the disease.

5 Nov 2007

Smaller heart pump bridges time to transplant for more women

A small, implantable device that helps the heart pump blood works equally well for men and women but may benefit twice as many women awaiting transplants, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2007.

5 Nov 2007

Medical causes of iatrogenic renal disorders

Nephrologists and other health care providers need to be aware of certain medications and diagnostic test preparations that, in some patients, can cause damage to the kidneys, according to a special clinical update being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 40th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Francisco.

5 Nov 2007

Antibody might help starve cancerous tumors

An antibody might offer a safe and effective complement to anti-cancer therapies designed to starve malignant tumors by pruning the blood vessels that feed them, researchers report in the November 2 issue of the journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press.

2 Nov 2007

Studies attribute recent increase in multiple myeloma survival to novel therapies

Multiple myeloma is one of the most common and devastating bone marrow cancers in the U.S., but survival rates have risen dramatically over the past decade.

2 Nov 2007