Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. Despite medical advances in recent years, this type of tumour is still responsible for one in eight male cancer deaths in Austria alone. An international research team led by MedUni Vienna has now investigated a new strategy for the development of treatment options that not only slow tumour growth, but also stimulate the immune system to combat tumour cells. The results of the study have just been published in the top journal "Molecular Cancer".

Study results showed the highest detectable concentrations of heavy metals were lead, barium and chromium. All samples except for lead had less than or the same levels expected for an urban area.The median levels of lead detected in seven samples from play areas (400 mg/kg) and three samples from residential areas (1200 mg/kg) were four times the levels for Texas overall. And these likely were underestimated because they did not account for lead-based paint or automotive fuel.

A new USC study has found evidence that targeting CD47, a protein that is part of the innate immune system, could be a key step in fighting colorectal cancer. It is one of the first indications that targeting part of the innate immune system, combined with traditional immunotherapy drugs which work on the adaptive immune system, could be more effective in fighting colorectal cancer. In the present study researchers analyzed DNA and RNA from 14,287 colorectal cancer tumors, comparing tumors with higher levels of CD47 expression to those with lower levels. The researchers found that higher levels were linked to more aggressive tumors, more activated cancer pathways and more immune cells inside the tumor. The findings suggest that developing an immune checkpoint inhibitor drug that can block the activity of CD47 could improve outcomes for colon cancer patients, many of whom are not well served by existing immunotherapy drugs.