EurekAlert! - Cancer

Society of Interventional Radiology hosts oncology therapies Webinar, offers resources

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Society of Interventional Radiology) Registration is now open for the Society of Interventional Radiology's "Image-guided Interventional Oncology Therapies" Webinar, which will provide the latest updates on percutaneous and transcatheter treatment of liver tumors, kidney tumor ablation and lung tumor ablation. SIR is a national organization of physicians, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to improving public health through pioneering advances in image-guided therapy.

PET imaging response a prognostic factor after thoracic radiation therapy for lung cancer

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Thomas Jefferson University) A rapid decline in metabolic activity on a PET scan after radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer is correlated with good local tumor control, according to a study presented by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital at the 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting.

New finding suggests prostate biopsy is not always necessary

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center) Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered that some elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men may be caused by a hormone normally occurring in the body, and are not necessarily a predictor of the need for a prostate biopsy.

1930s drug slows tumor growth

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) Drugs sometimes have beneficial side effects. A glaucoma treatment causes luscious eyelashes. A blood pressure drug also aids those with a rare genetic disease. The newest surprise discovered by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is a gonorrhea medication that might help battle cancer.

New synthetic molecules trigger immune response to HIV and prostate cancer

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Yale University) Researchers at Yale University have developed synthetic molecules capable of enhancing the body's immune response to HIV and HIV-infected cells, as well as to prostate cancer cells. Their findings, published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could lead to novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases.

Plastic surgeons offer microsurgery technique for breast reconstruction, tummy tuck after mastectomy

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(UT Southwestern Medical Center) Since her teens, Jennifer Jablon had watched family members deal with breast cancer during their 40s, 50s and 60s. She wondered whether it would be her fate too.

AACR to host Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Meeting

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Association for Cancer Research) The AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention meeting is the location to learn about the latest in scientific breakthroughs and epidemiology regarding the prevention of one of the world’s deadliest diseases. This year's conference brings together delegates from all over the world to discuss new information in genetics, diet, exercise and socioeconomic conditions that affect cancer incidence.

Rice wins NIH funding for oral-cancer test

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Rice University) Rice University has won a $2 million NIH stimulus grant to develop an inexpensive test for oral cancer that a dentist or oral surgeon could perform by passing a brush over a suspicious lesion. Oral cancers have a five-year survival rate around 50 percent, largely because of late diagnoses. Rice's test would take less than 30 minutes, require no scalpels or off-site lab tests and could be ready for clinical tests within two years.

Researcher: 'Optical biopsy' for breast cancer increasingly accurate

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Florida) Most biopsies following mammograms reveal benign abnormalities, not cancer.

Does prostate-specific antigen velocity help in early detection prostate cancer?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(European Association of Urology) The November issue of European Urology, the official journal of the European Association of Urology, features an article focusing on prostate specific antigen velocity and early cancer detection. It has been suggested that changes in PSA over time aid prostate cancer detection.

First use of antibody and stem cell transplantation to successfully treat advanced leukemia

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no other curative treatment options.

Green tea shows promise as chemoprevention agent for oral cancer, M. D. Anderson study finds

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center) Green tea extract has shown promise as cancer prevention agent for oral cancer in patients with a pre-malignant condition known as oral leukoplakia, according to researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Approved lymphoma drug shows promise in early tests against bone cancer

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Rochester Medical Center) A drug already approved for the treatment of lymphoma may also slow the growth of the most deadly bone cancer in children and teens, according to an early-stage study published online today in the International Journal of Cancer.

Higher incidence of thyroid cancer in volcanic area of Sicily

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Journal of the National Cancer Institute) People living in volcanic areas may be at a higher risk for thyroid cancer, according to a new study published online Nov. 5 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Does green tea prevent cancer? Evidence continues to brew, but questions remain

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Association for Cancer Research) Although scientists are reluctant to officially endorse green tea as a cancer prevention method, evidence continues to grow about its protective effects, including results of a new study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, which suggests some reduction in oral cancer.

Chemo-radiation before prostate removal may prevent cancer recurrence

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Oregon Health & Science University) Researchers in the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center have found a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy given before prostate removal is safe and may have the potential to reduce cancer recurrence and improve patient survival.

Breeding better broccoli

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Society for Horticultural Science) Plant carotenoids are the most important source of vitamin A in the human diet and are considered to be valuable antioxidants capable of protecting humans from chronic diseases including macular degeneration, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Researchers investigating the carotenoid content of field-grown broccoli discovered that when it comes to breeding broccoli, lutein levels were linked to the plants' genetics; the environment in which the vegetables were grown had little effect on carotenoid production.

CTRC, AACR and Baylor College of Medicine to host San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Association for Cancer Research) Now in its 32nd year, the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium remains the top venue for research and discovery in breast cancer. This year’s conference will bring together delegates from all over the world.

Survival of the healthiest

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(BioMed Central) The ultimate goal in cancer research, a treatment that kills cancer cells whilst leaving healthy cells untouched, is brought nearer by the success of a new therapeutic approach. The potential therapy, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Breast Cancer Research, targets proliferation of cancer, but not normal, cells.

Singapore scientists describe novel method for 3-D whole genome mapping research

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore) Technological advance in the study of gene expression and regulation in the genome's 3-D folding and looping state through the development of a novel technology.

Cancer patients want honesty, compassion from their oncologist

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Society for Radiation Oncology) What do patients want from their radiation oncologists? The most significant preference is that more than one-third of female cancer patients (37 percent) prefer to have their hands held by their radiation oncologists during important office visits, compared to 12 percent of men, according to a randomized study presented Nov. 4, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

3-week course of breast radiation may be as effective as conventional 5- to 7-week course for early breast cancers

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Society for Radiation Oncology) According to a study presented Nov. 4, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, a shortened, more intensive course of radiation given to the whole breast, along with an extra dose of radiation given to the surgical bed of the tumor (concomitant boost), has been shown to result in excellent local control at a median follow up of two years after treatment with no significant sides effects.

Does race, income predict prostate cancer outcome?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Henry Ford Health System) A patient's socioeconomic status (income, martial status and race) has absolutely no impact on his outcome following curative radiation therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. The study is being presented Nov. 4 at the 51st Annual American Society for Radiation Oncology meeting in Chicago. It is unique in that nearly 50 percent of patients in the analysis are African-American.

Time between treatment and PSA recurrence predicts death from prostate cancer

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Fox Chase Cancer Center) Men whose prostate specific antigen rise within 18 months of radiotherapy are more likely to develop spread and die of their disease, according to an international study led by Fox Chase Cancer Center radiation oncologist Mark K. Buyyounouski, M.D., M.S., and presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

Radiation therapy after lumpectomy for breast cancer can be safely reduced to 4 weeks

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Fox Chase Cancer Center) Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center found that radiation treatment for women who had a lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer can be safely reduced to four weeks, instead of the usual six to seven weeks, by delivering a higher daily dose -- greatly reducing the length of treatment time. The five-year results of the phase II study will be presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.