Chemotherapy News and Research

Latest Chemotherapy News and Research

Cancer drug Taxotere given the green light to treat head and neck cancer

Following promising results in a phase III trial, the drug Taxotere has been given the green light for use in people with head and neck cancer.

2 Oct 2007

Taxotere (docetaxel) granted FDA approval to treat locally advanced head and neck cancer prior to chemo and surgery

Sanofi-aventis announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Taxotere (docetaxel) Injection Concentrate in combination with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil for induction therapy of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) before patients undergo chemoradiotherapy and surgery.

2 Oct 2007

Pregnancy after breast cancer is possible

Once Alyssa Tushman knew her young son would not grow up motherless, her next question was whether he would be an only child.

2 Oct 2007

Genomic profiling of lung tumors helps doctors choose most effective treatment

Determining the genetic profile of a particular lung tumor can help clinicians make the crucial decision about which chemotherapy treatment to try first.

29 Sep 2007

Experimental drug pertuzumab boosts survival in recurrent ovarian cancer

New clinical data showed an experimental drug called pertuzumab prolonged the survival time for women with recurrent ovarian cancer, a University of Alabama at Birmingham doctor said recently.

27 Sep 2007

Chemotherapy drug gemcitabine delays progression of operable pancreatic cancer

Barcelona, Spain: Giving pancreatic cancer patients the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine after surgery delays progression of the disease by about six months, according to new research by Japanese scientists.

27 Sep 2007

Defining biomarkers for better colon cancer treatment

Barcelona, Spain: New research has yielded a clearer picture of which biomarkers could help doctors more precisely target the treatment of colon cancer, bringing closer the day when patients who will not benefit from chemotherapy are spared it, while those that will, get the more aggressive treatment they need.

27 Sep 2007

Effectiveness of acupuncture for cancer treatment relief

Despite widespread belief among cancer patients and health care professionals that acupuncture helps relieve nausea caused by cancer treatment, new research in radiotherapy has found it does not.

27 Sep 2007

Survival data presented from phase II study of hormone-resistant prostate cancer patients

The results from the randomized, double -blind, placebo -controlled, Phase II EPOC (Endothelin A Proof Of Concept) Study of ZD4054 - a specific endothelin A (ETA) receptor antagonist – were delivered at the 14th European Congress of Clinical Oncology (ECCO, 23-27 September, Barcelona).

26 Sep 2007

Survey reveals ignorance and confusion about cancer amongst seniors

Barcelona, Spain: Elderly Spaniards have very poor knowledge about cancer, its causes, treatment and prevention according to research carried out amongst people living in and around Barcelona.

26 Sep 2007

New AstraZeneca compound shows promoise for hormone resistant prostate cancer patients with bone metastases

New Phase II data suggests that ZD4054, a novel compound in development for the treatment of men with Hormone Resistant Prostate Cancer (HRPC), could offer a promising improvement in overall survival in men with metastatic HRPC who were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic for pain.

26 Sep 2007

PET scans accurately detect a breast tumor's response to chemotherapy

Researchers in Australia have shown that positron emission tomography (PET) that uses a radioactive sugar molecule is more useful than mammography and ultrasound in predicting a breast tumour's response to chemotherapy and, therefore, the patient's ultimate likelihood of survival.

26 Sep 2007

New chemotherapy regimen prolongs survival in difficult-to-treat childhood brainstem gliomas

Childhood brainstem gliomas (BSGs) are rare but can be very difficult to treat successfully and they tend to have poor survival rates.

26 Sep 2007

Molecular profiling can accurately predict survival in colon cancer patients

Barcelona, Spain: Researchers in The Netherlands have developed a method of accurately predicting which patients with colon cancer are most likely to have their disease recur after surgery and who would, therefore, be likely to benefit from additional chemotherapy.

26 Sep 2007

BRCA1 gene plays significant role in non-small cell lung cancer

Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have found that the breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA1, plays a significant role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

25 Sep 2007

Breast cancer death rate continues to drop

A report from the American Cancer Society finds the breast cancer death rate in the United States continues to drop more than two percent per year, a trend that began in 1990 and is credited to progress in early detection and treatment.

25 Sep 2007

Some cancer cells mimic stem cells to evade chemotherapy

Anti-cancer treatments often effectively shrink the size of tumors, but some might have an opposite effect, actually expanding the small population of cancer stem cells believed to drive the disease, according to findings presented Sept. 19 by Vasyl Vasko, M.D. Ph.D., a pathologist at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) at the American Association for Cancer Research's second International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development.

25 Sep 2007

Novel strategy to tackle acute myelogenous leukemia

A novel strategy to hopefully beat into oblivion one of the most aggressive forms of acute myelogenous leukemia combines the strengths of some of the newest leukemia agents, researchers say.

25 Sep 2007

New topical lotion safely treats nail fungus without side effects

A new topical lotion that penetrates the skin deeply enough to target and eliminate serious skin infections, but without being systemically absorbed, has shown a high degree of safety and tolerability in patients with onychomycosis, or toenail fungus, a new study has shown.

25 Sep 2007

Molecular fingerprint of breast cancer drug resistance can predict response to treatment

A way of predicting which patients will respond well to treatment with a common chemotherapy drug used in breast cancer was unveiled at the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14).

25 Sep 2007