Colon Cancer News and Research

Latest Colon Cancer News and Research

Earlier onset of colorectal cancer associated with alcohol use, tobacco use and male gender

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States yet it is one of the most preventable forms of the disease.

28 Mar 2006

Medicinal properties in mahogany bark may hold colon cancer cure

U of So. Carolina cancer researcher Dr. Michael Wargovich is studying whether medicinal properties in the bark of mahogany trees may hold clues to understanding colon cancer.

27 Mar 2006

Swedish scientists move closer to a cancer vaccine

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have helped to identify a molecule that can be used as a vaccination agent against growing cancer tumours. Although the results are so far based on animal experiments, they point to new methods of treating metastases.

21 Mar 2006

New research suggests it may be possible to separate the anticancer properties of vitamin D

At the right dose, vitamin D is important for bone development and may help protect against the development of several cancers, particularly colorectal cancer.

21 Mar 2006

African American women urged to confront colorectal cancer

Despite having the greatest risk of developing and dying from colorectal cancer (CRC) of any gender, race or ethnicity, an astounding 96 percent of African American women do not consider themselves to be at high risk for the disease, according to a new Harris poll.

17 Mar 2006

New test for detecting small amounts of proteins in the blood

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have developed a paradigm-shifting method for detecting small amounts of proteins in the blood.

13 Mar 2006

Data from Novogen inflammatory bowel disease drug Phase I clinical trial shows promise

A recently completed Phase 1 clinical trial of an investigational drug to treat inflammatory bowel disease has demonstrated rapid absorption indicating potential for development as an oral therapy.

6 Mar 2006

FDA gives greenlight for new treatment of head and neck cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved colon cancer drug Erbitux to treat head and neck cancer after results of a large clinical trial showed the drug prolonged survival by 20 months.

5 Mar 2006

Doctors fail to recommend colon cancer tests for low-income patients

Fewer than nine out of 10 low-income, medically underserved minority patients at risk for colorectal cancer receive a recommendation for colorectal cancer screening by physicians at government-supported community health centers

24 Feb 2006

Mangafodipir appears to increase the cancer-killing ability of some chemotherapy drugs

A contrast agent currently used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), called mangafodipir, may increase the cancer-killing ability of some chemotherapy drugs while protecting normal cells, according to a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

21 Feb 2006

Fat chance of getting consistent advice on diets

The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Dietary Modification Trial, which involved nearly 49,000 women aged 50 to 79, over an eight year period, has confirmed that fat balance and fat quality are the key factors to be considered when people are aiming for good health and a lower risk of disease.

19 Feb 2006

Hospitalization of a spouse can harm the wellbeing of his or her partner

In the largest study ever to quantify caregiver burden and the widower effect, researchers found that for people aged 65 and older, hospitalization of a spouse can harm the wellbeing of his or her partner and significantly contribute to that partner's death.

17 Feb 2006

More physical activity does not lower risk of colon cancer

A prospective cohort study of 31,783 American women has found no significant association between levels of physical activity and colon cancer incidence.

17 Feb 2006

FOLFOX now treatment standard for colorectal cancer in the United States

One of the newest and most potent chemotherapies for colon cancer is as safe and effective for the elderly as it is for younger patients, based on a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-led data review.

16 Feb 2006

Study identifies compounds that overcome a specific type of resistance to chemotherapeutic-induced apoptosis

Treatment of human cancer is often impeded when cancer cells develop resistance to drugs that are designed to induce a type of programmed cell death called apoptosis.

16 Feb 2006

First solid data on health effects of a low-fat diet

Adopting a low-fat diet in later life and following such a regimen for nearly a decade does not appear to have a significant impact on reducing the overall risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer or heart disease, according to a Women's Health Initiative study that involved nearly 50,000 postmenopausal women across the United States.

9 Feb 2006

Abdominal chemotherapy boosts survival in ovarian cancer patients

Women with Stage III ovarian cancer given a combination of intravenous and intraperitoneal chemotherapy following surgical debulking of tumor had a median survival nearly 16 months longer than women who received IV chemotherapy alone

10 Jan 2006

Delivering chemotherapy directly into the abdomen boosts survival in ovarian cancer patients

A 50-year-old method for delivering chemotherapy directly into the abdomen is making a comeback as investigators have found that it increases survival - by more than a year - in some women with advanced ovarian cancer. Results from a seven-year study of more than 400 patients nationwide are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

6 Jan 2006

Caspase 8 gene halts spread of aggressive childhood cancer

A team of cancer researchers has shown that a gene commonly lost during neuroblastoma tumor formation, one of the most aggressive cancers in babies and children, is in fact a "metastasis suppressor" gene.

6 Jan 2006