Testing the molecular profile of prostate tumours identifies which patients with advanced prostate cancer are more likely to benefit from a chemotherapy treatment called docetaxel and live longer, sparing patients less likely to benefit from unpleasant side effects, according to a new study led by UCL researchers in collaboration with Veracyte.

Next to cancer recurrence or progression, cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death in cancer survivors. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database revealed that among the more than three million who initially survived cancer between 1973 and 2012, 38% eventually succumbed to the disease while 11.3% died from cardiovascular diseases.  Specifically, cancer survivors are at a four to seven-fold higher risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), which proves fatal in one out of seven cancer patients.

While the effects of high-fat diets have been studied in the context of cancer and cardiovascular disease, sparse information is available on the impact of a high-protein diet and cancer-associated thrombosis.

In a new study researchers have found that a high protein diet, or a diet high in amino acid tryptophan (Trp). Trp is abundant in various protein-rich foods increases the risk of cancer-associated VTE in experimental models.