Cancer News
New technique improves accuracy & ease of cancer diagnosis
A team of researchers from UCLA and Harvard University have demonstrated a technique that, by measuring the physical properties of individual cells in body fluids, can diagnose cancer with a high degree of accuracy.
Insight into melanoma drug resistance pathways identifies potential new treatment option
Although most of the melanomas that harbor BRAF mutations respond dramatically to treatment with BRAF inhibitors, nearly all develop resistance to the drugs in less than a year, and previous studies showed that melanomas alter a cell signaling pathway called the MAPK pathway to become resistant.
Internet-based intervention improves cancer-related sexual dysfunction in women
An Internet-based intervention may significantly improve both sexual function and satisfaction in women with sexual dysfunction years after treatment for breast or gynecologic cancer, according to a randomized trial reported in the November issue of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Leslie R. Schover, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues also found that the intervention may reduce emotional distress and improve the overall quality of life in these women after treatment.
Prostate cancer tests could prevent needless surgery
Men may soon find it easier to decide whether to have surgery for prostate cancer, thanks to two tests that distinguish the aggressive form of the disease from the much milder version.
New Crizotinib side-effect: reduced measures of kidney function during treatment
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published today in the journal Cancer shows that using crizotinib to treat ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) appears to reduce kidney function when assessed by one of the most commonly used clinical methods. Whether this reflects a true effect of crizotinib on kidney function, or only on the accuracy of this particular method for assessing it is a topic of ongoing study.
FDA approves Sorafenib to treat late-stage differentiated thyroid cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved uses of sorafenib (Nexavar) to treat late-stage differentiated thyroid cancer. The new indication is for patients with locally recurrent or metastatic, progressive differentiated thyroid cancer that no longer responds to radioactive iodine treatment.
Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption increases endometrial cancer risk
Postmenopausal women who consumed sugar-sweetened beverages were more likely to develop the most common type of endometrial cancer, according to a study published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention journal.
Quality of life and symptom results in EORTC head & neck cancer trial
In Europe in 2012, there were an estimated 39,900 new cases of laryngeal cancer and 99,600 new cases of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers. These types of cancers can negatively affect the health related quality of life (HRQOL), because they induce symptoms that may interfere with daily life.
Nexavar approved for thyroid cancer by the FDA
The FDA approved an expanded indication for the targeted cancer drug sorafenib (Nexavar) to treat metastatic, differentiated thyroid cancer.
Updated results in study of an experimental immune system therapy for brain cancer
Eight of 16 patients participating in a study of an experimental immune system therapy directed against the most aggressive malignant brain tumors (glioblastoma multiforme) survived longer than five years after diagnosis, according to Cedars-Sinai researchers.
No survival gain with aspirin in colon cancer
Colon cancer patients who used low-dose aspirin after their diagnosis didn't see an increase in survival time, researchers found.
Cancer patients at increased risk for severe flu complications
One expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham says people with weakened immune systems due to diseases like cancer are also at an increased risk of severe complications from the virus.
Barriers to HPF vaccination among teens
Barriers to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescents in the U.S. range from financial concerns and parental attitudes to social influences and concerns about the vaccination's effect on sexual behavior, according to a review of the available medical literature published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.
Childhood cancer: 'Field of gold' scan cuts radiation risk
A new method for scanning children's livers for tumours could prevent them being exposed to unnecessary radiation, according to doctors in London.
New immunotherapy for malignant brain tumors
A research team has now achieved success with a novel form of treatment that involves encouraging the body's own immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells in the brain.
Potential new treatments for acute myeloid leukemia
In two separate studies, researchers successfully identified and validated a gene known as Sox4 as a potential therapeutic target and a class of anti-cancer drugs, histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, as potential candidates in the treatment of certain AML.
Supporting others brings healing to cancer survivors
A new study finds that survivors of hematopoietic stem cell transplant, an aggressive treatment for blood cancers, benefited from a two-part peer support process the authors call expressive helping.
Prostate cancer stem cells found to be moving target
Researchers have found that prostate cancer can develop in one type of stem cell, then evolve to be maintained by a stem cell that looks very different, making prostate cancer stem cells a "moving target" for treatments. The breakthrough discovery connects directly to the development of future therapeutics that target cancer and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
High-fat diet during puberty speeds up breast cancer development
New findings show that eating a high-fat diet beginning at puberty speeds up the development of breast cancer and may actually increase the risk of cancer similar to a type often found in younger adult women.
Esophageal cancer surgery: 'poor outcomes' with certain symptoms
A new study published in the Journal 'Cancer' reveals that patients suffering from esophageal cancer may experience different "clusters" of symptoms months after surgery, and that patients with certain clusters may be at increased risk of death from the disease.
Cancer increasing as babyboomers age
As 10,000 baby boomers reach 65 each day, the incidence of cancer is increasing, estimated to increase by 67% between 2010 and 2030, bringing attention to the nation's response to cancer care. Cancer is diagnosed at a higher rate, accounts for more survivors, and results in more deaths than in younger patients.
Aging cells could be to blame for late-life cancers
Not all cancers are due to genetic damage, say researchers in the UK. Some forms of the disease may be caused by older cells circumventing the switch that directs them to stop growing, which suggests cancers later in life may be due to the way our cells age.
Older women still getting Pap smears despite guidelines
Women who've had a hysterectomy, and most women over 65, don't need regular swabs for signs of cervical cancer - but lots of them are getting the test anyway, say U.S. researchers.
Negative BRCA testing may not always imply lowered breast cancer risk
Women who are members of families with BRCA2 mutations but who test negative for the family-specific BRCA2 mutations are still at greater risk for developing breast cancer compared with women in the general population, according to a study published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention journal.
Brain cancer 'diagnosed in 30 minutes' with new test
Brain cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death. Current methods can diagnose the cancer within 2 to 3 days, but researchers say they have created a new technique in which the disease could be diagnosed in just half an hour.
Researchers turn to machines to identify breast cancer type
Researchers have created a computer algorithm that successfully predicts whether estrogen is sending signals to cancer cells to grow into tumors in the breast. By finding this hormone receptor, known as estrogen receptor positive, physicians can prescribe anti-estrogen drug therapies, improving patient outcomes.
On the trail of prostate cancer
Does the patient have cancer of the prostate gland, commonly called prostate cancer? A question like this is difficult for physicians to answer.
Stereotactic body radiation beats standard treatment
The use of newer stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) appears to give patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer significantly improved outcomes when compared with the former technology of choice, conventionally fractioned radiotherapy (CFR), researchers suggested.
Radiation safe in unbiopsied lung cancer
Treating people with stereotactic body radiation for suspected -- but unbiopsied -- lung cancers appears to allow for acceptable local control of the disease with low toxicity, researchers reported.
Four-drug regimen shows first-line efficacy in advanced NSCLC
A four-drug combination of cetuximab, bevacizumab, carboplatin, and paclitaxel is effective and has acceptable safety as a first-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), US researchers report.