Cancer News Network

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4

Phase ? III trials of a vaccine for non-Hodgkin lymphoma giv
2006-12-25 15:42:01
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer arising from lymphocytes, a type of white blood cells. It is distinct from Hodgkin's disease, another subtype of lymphoma.A company called Biovest International is now developing a vaccine for this disease and this vaccine is currently in its Phase-III trials in 24 medical institutions across the United States. This video throws more light on this subject.
More About: Vaccine , Cine , Trial , Tria , Trials

Quitting cigarettes after lung cancer diagnosis reduces the
2006-12-24 21:41:03
ScientificAmerican.com: Once people have been diagnosed with lung cancer they might think it pointless to stop smoking, but in fact it's not too late to benefit from quitting, a new study shows.Researchers found that among more than 200 lung cancer patients at their center, those who quit smoking after the diagnosis became less severely impaired by the disease than those who kept up the habit.Specifically, their "performance status" -- a measure of patients' ability to care for themselves and function in daily life -- was generally higher, according to findings published in the medical journal Chest.Patients who gave up cigarettes did not live appreciably longer than those who continued smoking, the study found, but the difference in quality of life highlights the importance of quitting even after lung cancer develops, according to the study authors."To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate a correlation between smoking cessation after diagnosis and per...
More About: Cancer , Lung Cancer , Cigarettes , Reduce , After

Mathematical model that predicts tumor growth!
2006-12-24 21:41:03
Medical News Today: The aggressiveness of cancer tumours may be determined by the tissue environment in which they grow new research from the University of Dundee shows.Dr Sandy Anderson, of the Division of Math ematics at Dundee, has developed a mathematical model - similar in concept to weather forecasting but considerably more complex - which predicts how tumours grow and invade tissue. The results produced by the model have given startling insights into how cancerous tumours develop in the body. "What this model predicts is that the more barren and harsh the tissue environment surrounding it is, the more aggressive the tumour becomes," said Dr Anderson.The findings have the potential to impact on how certain cancers are treated, by forcing the environment around the tumour to be considered as a contributory factor in how aggressive the cancer is.The combination of maths and laboratory research to develop such models has been hailed as a "new era in cancer research" by Professor V...
More About: Hat , Model , Growth , Tumor

Obesity increases the risk of prostate cancer!
2006-12-24 09:40:04
WebMD Medical News: Men who lose weight may be less likely to get aggressive prostate cancer, while obesity may increase a man's risk. So say researchers, including Carmen Rodriguez, MD, MPH, of the American Cancer Society. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer (except for skin cancer) in U.S. men, becoming more common with age. This study is the first to probe links between a man's adult weight change and prostate cancer risk. In 1992, Rodriguez and colleagues asked nearly 70,000 U.S. men about their current weight and their weight 10 years earlier. The researchers then tracked new prostate cancer cases among the men from 1992 to 2003. Those who reported losing at least 11 pounds from 1982 to 1992 were about 40% less likely to develop aggressive (but nonmetastatic) prostate cancer between 1992 and 2003 than those with little weight change in the 1982-1992 time period. "Our study linking obesity to aggressive prostate cancer adds to increasing evidence of the importance of mai...
More About: Obesity , Prostate Cancer , Risk , State

Eating vegetables like broccoli and cabbage during pregnancy
2006-12-22 15:37:03
eMaxHealth: There may be another reason for pregnant and nursing women to eat a nutritious diet that includes generous amounts of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage - it could help protect their children from cancer, both as infants and later in life.A new study by scientists from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, done with laboratory mice, found that supplements of a key phytochemical found in certain vegetables provided a very high level of protection against leukemia and lymphoma in young animals, and also significantly protected against lung cancer during the rodent's equivalent of middle age.The research, published in the Journal of Carcinogenesis, is one of the first of its type to demonstrate that diet may play a protective role in a fight against cancer that may begin ? and could be won or lost ? well before a person is ever born. And some of the protective benefits may last into adulthood."Research of this type is still in its infancy, b...
More About: Vegetables , Pregnancy , Tables , Vegetable , Ring

Kidney transplantation increases the risk of certain types o
2006-12-22 03:36:02
SpiritIndia.com: Following kidney transplantation, some recipients may face a three-fold increased risk of certain cancer types, according to a study in the Dec. 20 issue of JAMA.Immune suppression after organ transplantation is associated with a markedly increased risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Kaposi sarcoma. Whether other cancers occur at increased rates is uncertain, because there have been few long-term population-based studies, according to background information in the article. Claire M. Vajdic, Ph.D., of the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, and colleagues compared the incidence of cancer in 28,855 patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) who received renal (kidney) replacement therapy (RRT). Data were collected for three separate time periods: the 5 years before RRT, during dialysis, and after transplantation. New cancers (1982-2003) were determined by record linkage between the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Trans pl...
More About: Risk , Type , Types , Plan

Breast Cancer stem cells are resistant to radiation therapy!
2006-12-20 09:33:02
HealthDay News: Breast cancer stem cells, a type of cell that scientists have recently discovered is difficult to kill, may be especially resistant to radiation therapy, a new study suggests.In fact, the radiation can even increase the growth of these stubborn stem cells, report researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine."This population of stem cells is more radiation-resistant than are non-stem cells," said Dr. Frank Pajonk, an assistant adjunct professor of radiation oncology at UCLA and corresponding author on the study. "We are the first to report this."Radiation treatment involves exposure to high-energy rays or particles that destroy cancerous cells. It is often recommended after surgery for breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.Pajonk and his colleagues exposed breast cancer stem cells and "normal" breast cancer cells to either single or multiple doses of radiation. More of the stem cells, also called cancer-...
More About: Cell , East , Breast Cancer

Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT) in the treatment of lung caner
2006-12-20 09:33:02
Lung cancer is the most lethal form of cancer and it kills nearly 3 million people worldwide, every year. Treatment of lung cancer depends on the cancer?s specific cell type, how far it has spread and the patient?s performance status. Doctors use common treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy to treat lung cancer patients and this video explains how Dr. Patrick Ross of the Ohio State University - James Cancer Hospital, is using photo dynamic therapy (PDT) to treat lung cancer patients.
More About: Photo , Men , Hera , Therapy

Individualized treatments make it possible for women to surv
2006-12-19 15:31:01
CBS News: Three women were once diagnosed with breast cancer. Each one is surviving thanks to new treatments that are as individual as they are, CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reports. "We have changed almost everything that we do," says Dr. Clifford Hudis, the doctor for all three women and one of the nation's leading experts on breast cancer. "We've learned that breast cancer is really a collection of diseases as opposed to being just one disease. And from that flows a series of treatments that are to some degrees tailored for each patient." Linnie Pickering was diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago. Her treatment was a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. "I think I feel better now than before," says Pickering. "I'm really eating healthier. I'm exercising more." Pickering's form of breast cancer used her own body's estrogen as fuel to grow. "I'm always so amazed that this little teeny pill is helping me every day fight the cancer and s...
More About: Women , For Women , Treatments , Men , Treatment

Synthetic marijuana to the rescue of cancer patients!
2006-12-18 21:29:02
The Times of India: A synthetic version of the active ingredient in marijuana, a legal treatment for nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, also helps symptoms like pain, anxiety and depression, according to research presented on Friday. "The findings show how great the potential is to improve the quality of life for cancer patients," said lead investigator Dr Vincent Maida of the University of Toronto. The 139-patient study involved a drug called nabilone, sold under the brand name Cesamet by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International.It has been available in Canada for years, and was approved in May by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for patients who have failed to respond adequately to conventional anti-nausea treatments. The drug is part of a class known as cannabinoids that are similar to the active ingredient found in naturally occurring cannabis, or marijuana. But Cesamet, as with similar drugs such as Solvay SA's Marinol, is designed to target specific cannabin...
More About: Cancer , Juan , Patients , Rescue , Marijuana

Cancer gene mutations occur more frequently than previously
2006-12-18 21:29:02
Medical News Today: Cancer gene mutations are found in about one percent of the total general population, occurring more frequently than previously thought, and may be associated with various types of cancers, according to researchers at Yale School of Medicine.Published in the December 6 Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI), the study looked for the presence and rate of BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 mutations in a population of women with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer. They screened not only for the most common mutations but also for variants that may be more rare or difficult to distinguish. They then calculated the incidence of those variants in the general population and in individuals with family members who have had cancer. Previous research has shown that lifetime risks for breast, ovarian and other cancers are elevated for people carrying the BRCA1/2 mutations. The Yale team found that the lifetime risk to age 80 is not the same for all mutations and some mutations have hig...
More About: More , Muta , Gene

Physicians should reconsider the use of mammograms in men!
2006-12-18 09:28:02
Medindia.com: Many men have breast symptoms, including enlarged or painful breast tissue, but the majority does not need a mammogram, say researchers from Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. Mammograms are used to check for the presence of breast cancers, which are very rare in males.Their study, presented Saturday, Dec. 16, at the 2006 meeting of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, suggests physicians should reconsider ordering mammograms for men, who are most often diagnosed with non-cancerous gynecomastia, a common condition which includes breast swelling, a tender mass or painful breast tissue. ?Mammography is being performed with increasing frequency in men with breast symptoms, but we found that breast cancer in men can be felt as a firm, discrete mass on a physical exam, or seen as changes in the skin or nipple,? says the study?s lead author, Stephanie Hines, M.D., of Mayo?s Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic and Breast Cancer Program in Jacksonville, Fla. Male breast cancer is ex...
More About: Men , Should , Side , Econ , Cons

Brain cancer stem cells are found to be highly resistant to
2006-12-18 09:28:02
Newswise: While great interest has followed the discovery of neural stem cells and their potential for someday treating diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord, recent research identified ?cancer stem cells,? a small population of cells that appear to be the source of cells comprising a malignant brain tumor. Theoretically, if these mother cells can be destroyed, the tumor will not be able to sustain itself. On the other hand, if these cells are not removed or destroyed, the tumor will continue to return despite the use of current cancer-killing therapies.Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center?s Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, who first isolated cancer stem cells in adult brain tumors in 2004, have now found these cells to be highly resistant to chemotherapy and other treatments. Even if a tumor is almost completely obliterated, it will regenerate from the surviving cancer stem cells and be even more resistant to treatment than before.Results of studies on thre...
More About: Cancer , Cell , Rain , High , Stem Cells

Two protein biomarkers can help researchers to predict breas
2006-12-16 15:25:02
HULIQ.com: Expression of two different proteins taken from primary tumor biopsies is highly associated with spread of breast cancer to nearby lymph nodes, according to researchers who say this protein profile could help identify at an early stage those patients whose disease is likely to metastasize. In the December 15 issue of Cancer Research , the researchers say over-expression of one unidentified protein and under-expression of another is 88 percent accurate in identifying breast cancer that has spread in a group of 65 patients, compared to an analysis of lymph nodes and outcomes. If the predictive and diagnostic power of these proteins is validated, they could be analyzed in primary tumor biopsies that are routinely collected at the time of diagnosis, saving some women from extensive and possibly unnecessary treatment as well as from undergoing a second surgery to collect lymph nodes for analysis, the researchers say. "We want to be able to predict, at the earliest stages, if a ...
More About: Search , Protein , Cher , Help

?Velcade? provides new hope to Mantle Cell Lymphoma patients
2006-12-16 15:25:02
Recent approval to the cancer drug ?Velcade? by FDA has provided new hope to patients suffering from Mantle Cell Lymphoma , an aggressive form of Non-Hodgkin?s Lymphoma. Mantle Cell Lymphoma is a disease, which cannot be cured with standard chemotherapy and Velcade is the first drug to receive FDA?s approval for the treatment of this disease. Watch this video to know more about this drug.
More About: Hope , Patients , Patient

New therapies are changing the outlook for blood cancer pati
2006-12-16 03:24:01
Medical News Today: The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) - conducting research and providing education, advocacy and support for myeloma patients, families, researchers and physicians - noted that multiple studies presented at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) illustrate the breadth of the gains being made in the treatment of multiple myeloma and related blood cancers.The findings show that new treatment regimens that began with THALOMID® and extend to both VELCADE® and the newest oral treatment REVLIMID® are helping a growing range of myeloma patients when used alone, sequentially and in various combinations. Collectively, these studies represent a significant increase in knowledge of how myeloma responds to treatment, which is already becoming applicable to other cancers. The patient groups studied cover the full range, from relapsed patients to the newly diagnosed, young to old, and include patients with an otherwise poor prognosis due to c...
More About: Cancer , Outlook , Changing , Hera , Blood

Study: Low-protein diets alter cancer risks
2006-12-14 09:22:01
Reuters Health: Researchers studying a group of vegetarians who'd maintained a diet relatively low in protein and calories found that they had lower blood levels of several hormones and other substances that have been tied to certain cancers. A comparison group of distance runners also had lower levels of most of these substances compared with sedentary adults who followed a typical American diet -- that is, relatively high in protein from meat and dairy.However, the low-protein group also had a potential advantage over the runners: lower levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a body protein that helps cells grow and multiply. High IGF-1 levels in the blood have been linked to breast, prostate and colon cancers.It's not clear that this all translates into lower odds of developing cancer, but the findings are a "first step" in showing how lower-protein diets might alter cancer risk, according to the researchers. "I believe our findings suggest that protein intake may be ve...
More About: Diets , Diet , Cancer , Study , Protein

What is cancer?
2006-12-14 09:22:01
Do you want to know what cancer is, how it affects the body and how to prevent it? Then watch this really informative clip, in which a guy explains cancer in layman?s terms.
More About: Cancer , What , Hat

Can?t give up smoking? Then exercise everyday to reduce the
2006-12-13 21:21:01
China Daily: Ever yone knows smoking is a bad idea, but those who can't give it up may get a little protection from exercise, a study suggests. In a study of older women, researchers found that a physically active smoker had a 35 per cent lower risk of lung cancer than a sedentary smoker.Even so, one expert called that reduction trivial because smoking itself is so risky. And Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, the study's lead author, stressed that exercising does not give women a free pass to smoke. "The most important thing that smokers can do to reduce the risk of lung cancer is quit smoking," said Schmitz, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Those who quit smoking are 10 to 11 times less likely to develop lung cancer than those who smoke, she said. The research, published in this month's issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, was based on information from the Iowa Women's Health Study. That proje...
More About: Exercise , Smoking , Reduce , King

Can?t give up smoking? Exercise everyday to reduce the risk
2006-12-13 15:20:04
China Daily: Everyone knows smoking is a bad idea, but those who can't give it up may get a little protection from exercise, a study suggests. In a study of older women, researchers found that a physically active smoker had a 35 per cent lower risk of lung cancer than a sedentary smoker.Even so, one expert called that reduction trivial because smoking itself is so risky. And Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, the study's lead author, stressed that exercising does not give women a free pass to smoke. "The most important thing that smokers can do to reduce the risk of lung cancer is quit smoking," said Schmitz, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Those who quit smoking are 10 to 11 times less likely to develop lung cancer than those who smoke, she said. The research, published in this month's issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, was based on information from the Iowa Women's Health Study. That proje...
More About: Exercise , Smoking , Risk , Reduce , King

Children with more siblings are at greater risk of brain can
2006-12-13 15:20:04
Live Science: Older children often think younger siblings are a headache, but sobering findings reveal the chances of a child developing a brain tumor and cancer elsewhere in the nervous system increase with the more younger brothers and sisters one has.The finding suggests infectious agents might play a role in causing these cancers.The researchers analyzed more than 13,000 cases of nervous system tumors in Sweden, data collected over the course of more than 70 years. They found people with four or more siblings were twice as likely to develop such tumors as people with no siblings.The investigators also found there was a two- to four-fold increase in nervous system tumor rates among children younger than 15 who had three or more younger siblings compared to children of the same age who had no younger siblings.Read more of this story?
More About: Children , Great , With , Rain , Risk

Watch this video before taking another puff!
2006-12-13 03:20:02
Every cigarette is doing you damage and nothing can be more descriptive than this video in explaining you how!Enjoy Cigarette - video powered by Metacafe
More About: Video , Watch , Other , This , King

A gene discovered six years ago is linked to pancreatic canc
2006-12-13 03:20:02
Medindia.com: A gene discovered by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has been associated with two forms of pancreatic cancer, according to a study by an international group of researchers.The gene, called palladin, was discovered six years ago by Dr. Carol Otey and her former student, Dr. Mana Parast, now a pathology fellow with Brigham and Women?s Hospital in Boston. Otey has shown that palladin is involved in the formation of scar tissue on nerve cells in the brain or spinal cord, and it?s found in cells that are moving, including embryonic cells and cells at the edge of wounds. ?Now we find it implicated in pancreatic cancer,? said Otey, an associate professor of cell and molecular physiology at UNC and a member of the UNC Neuroscience Center. A study reported in the Dec. 12 issue of PLOS-Medicine, led by scientists at the University of Washington and the University of Pittsburgh, found palladin over expressed in people with sporadi...
More About: Link , Cover , Over , Years , Gene

Gleevec continues to give a second-life to blood cancer pati
2006-12-11 09:17:03
The Washington Post: Doug Jenson, a 73-year-old retiree in Canby, Ore., knows what the "wonder drug" Gleevec has given him."I've had the pleasure of welcoming a new daughter-in-law, two new granddaughters, seeing my other grandkids grow up. My wife and I just had our 50th anniversary this summer," the former engineer said. "But a few years ago, I didn't think I'd live to see 65."That's because in 1998, Jenson's doctors called to tell him he had chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) -- at the time, a death sentence."Back then, what would happen is that people would take some really tough drugs, interferon or hydroxyurea, and very few -- maybe 2 or 3 percent -- would ever achieve any kind of remission," explained Robin Kornhaber, senior vice president of patient services at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.In fact, Jenson's side effects from interferon were so onerous that he was forced to quit the medication early. Luckily, his physician mentioned that Dr. Brian Druker, a researcher ...
More About: Life , Cancer , Second Life , Second , Blood

Addiction to smoking is very powerful in majority of lung ca
2006-12-11 09:17:03
Ivanhoe Newswire: Even after a bout with lung cancer, many people go back to smoking. The finding is part of the latest research in lung cancer. Two studies released this week provide more insight into how to help cancer victims give up the habit and how to prevent the disease in the first place.Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report going back to smoking after lung cancer surgery is common, especially for those who only quit because of the surgery.In a study of 154 smokers who had surgery to remove early stage lung cancer, half of the smokers went back to smoking within one year after the surgery. Sixty percent of this group actually started smoking within two months after surgery. However, patients who held out the longest before picking up a cigarette again were more likely to eventually stop smoking.Researchers conclude the addiction to smoking is very powerful for some lung cancer patients.Read more?
More About: Power , Addiction , Smoking , King , Major

Diagnosed with cancer? Get a second opinion!
2006-12-10 15:15:03
Medindia.com: Researchers feel that a second opinion is very vital for cancer patients as this would help improve the type of treatment and it should surely be taken before undergoing surgery. The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center wanted to find out whether cancer diagnosis and treatment differed with specialists. The records of 149 breast cancer patients diagnosed elsewhere was referred to the center's tumor board for a second opinion. The result was startling as treatment recommendations for 77 (almost 52 %) were different. The tumor board consisted of specialists from pathology, radiology and oncology.Change in opinion was seen in all aspects beginning from interpretation of mammograms to the necessity for mastectomy. In most cases an additional cancer site was found. 6 out of 149 patients had residual cancer, 1 patient?s cancer was upgraded from benign to invasive cancer. The report of this study was published in the Nov. 15 issue of the journal Cancer.All of t...
More About: Opinion , With , Second , Nose

Targeted therapies and other developments are revolutionizin
2006-12-10 15:15:03
Cancer research has come a long way and today the developments in this field are offering hope to millions of cancer patients across the world. In this video Katie Couric from CBS News talks to Dr. Jon LaPook, a medical correspondent, about a series on medical breakthroughs in the battle against cancer, and targeted therapies that are showing great promise.
More About: Evolution , Other , Development , Men , Revolution

Mobile Phones and Brain Tumor in Children
2006-12-10 03:14:13
Recent studies have shown that usage of mobile phones can raise the risk for brain tumors, especially in children. Watch this video, which throws more light on this subject.
More About: Mobile , Children , Phone , Mobile Phones , Mobile Phone

Scientists develop a new treatment for brain cancer
2006-12-10 03:14:13
Life Style Extra: Scientist s have developed a treatment that may be effective against the most common and deadly form of brain cancer.Glioblastomas usually grow so quickly that they kill within a year of diagnosis - and neither surgery, drugs nor radiotherapy can stop it.But Italian researchers have blocked the tumor?s growth in lab mice by injecting a protein into their brains.It's hoped the study published in Nature will yield new treatments for glioblastomas - known as GBMs - for which there is currently no cure.It's thought that glioblastomas are maintained by so-called cancer stem cells - a small population of tumor cells that can generate copies of themselves and of all the other cell types that make up a tumor.Dr Angelo Vescovi and colleagues at the University of Milan Bicocca found when mice injected with human glioblastoma cells enriched for such cancer stem cells were treated with a protein called bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) tumor growth was reduced.The researche...
More About: Cancer , Men , Treatment , Rain

Pregnancy may increase cancer survival rate!
2006-12-08 09:11:05
Scotsman.com: Women who fall pregnant after receiving treatment for breast cancer boost their chances of surviving the disease, a study shows. They need not wait the recommended two years before attempting to conceive, according to the research published online by the British Medical Journal. Women of childbearing age who are diagnosed with breast cancer are currently advised to delay pregnancy to identify those who relapse early and have a poor prognosis.But there is no published data to suggest that postponing conception will affect the outcome of the cancer or pregnancy - and now some studies have implied that subsequent pregnancy may provide a survival benefit. Researchers identified 123 women aged between 15 and 44 who were diagnosed with breast cancer and had at least one pregnancy after their diagnosis. Read more?.
More About: Pregnancy , Cancer , Survival , Ease , Rate