Cancer

Latest findings show that a small molecule drug combined with chemotherapy may deliver a synergistic benefit for colorectal cancer patients A study led by researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has demonstrated the efficiency of a small molecule drug, PRIMA-1met, in inhibiting the growth of … [Read more...]

When Homo sapiens left Africa and had to adapt to less sunny climates, there was a mutation in one of the genes responsible for regulating the synthesis of melanin, the MC1R gene, which involved a discoloration of the skin. This discoloration allowed for better absorption of vitamin D, necessary for growth, but it also increased the risk of developing skin cancer in … [Read more...]

In "Epigenetics: A New Link Between Nutrition and Cancer," a recent article from Nutrition and Cancer: An International Journal, a publication of Routledge, researchers explore the possible effects that diet can have on gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms. Explaining the impact of nutrition on epigenetic mechanisms may help to predict an individual's susceptibility to … [Read more...]

In 1971, President Nixon funded research to wage a war on cancer, a long battle that we're still fighting today. While the last 40 years haven't brought us a cure, we have made some meaningful progress in developing tools and knowledge to take a bite out of our cancer risk. Mark Varvares, M.D., director of the Saint Louis University Cancer Center, suggests that lifestyle … [Read more...]

An early stage study shows melatonin -- a hormone that regulates the body's sleep and awake cycles -- may have the potential to help slow the growth of certain breast cancer tumors, according to researchers from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo. The study, published online in the journal PLoS One, finds that … [Read more...]

A leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, colon cancer is famously resistant to treatment. There are many reasons for this, but one has to do with a group of persisting cancer cells in the colon that cause relapses. Conventional therapies against them are mostly ineffective. EPFL scientists have now identified a biological mechanism that can be exploited to counteract colon … [Read more...]

A new study by University of Kentucky researchers shows that women who never or rarely screen for breast cancer are also unlikely to receive screening for cervical cancer. The study also identified four key barriers independently associated with the lack of these cancer screenings in Appalachian women. Published in Women & Health, the study focused on six rural counties … [Read more...]

New research from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center -- Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC -- James) suggests that it may be the quality of cancer stem cells rather than their quantity that leads to better survival in certain patients with oral cancer. The researchers investigated cancer stem cell numbers in … [Read more...]

A new study conservatively estimates that one in five women with ovarian cancer has inherited genetic mutations that increase the risk of the disease, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Most women in the study would have been unaware of a genetic predisposition to ovarian cancer because they didn't have strong family histories … [Read more...]

A single dose of psilocybin, the major hallucinogenic component in magic mushrooms, induces long-lasting decreases in anxiety and depression in patients diagnosed with life-threatening cancer according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Patients who receive a cancer diagnosis often develop debilitating symptoms … [Read more...]

Ovarian cancer is a deadly disease, one that's hard to detect until it has progressed significantly. More than 75 percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer have metastasis at the time of diagnosis, resulting in a low five-year survival rate of less than 30 percent. A large number of studies have shown that an increased body mass index (BMI) is associated with a greater … [Read more...]

Self-testing for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) -- the virus that causes cervical cancer -- is as effective at detecting cancer as a conventional smear test (cytology screening) even when scaled up to test large populations. Researchers from Queen Mary University of London conducted a pilot study of 100,242 Mexican women -- the largest study of its kind -- aged 25-75 and from … [Read more...]

The risk of developing cervical cancer can be significantly decreased through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Despite calls from leading health and professional organizations for universal vaccination for girls ages 11 and 12, the most recently published national data indicate that only 14.5 percent of 11- and 12-year-old girls have received at least one dose of the HPV … [Read more...]

It is well documented that black, Hispanic, and Asian women typically develop advanced-stage breast cancer more often than white women. As a result, black women are more likely to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy, or chemotherapy prior to surgery, in hopes of improving outcomes. However, a Yale Cancer Center study published recently in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found … [Read more...]

  Women previously treated for abnormal cells on the cervix (CIN3 or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3) are at an increased risk of developing and dying from cervical or vaginal cancer compared with the general female population and this risk accelerates above age 60, a paper published today suggests. Cytology screening to prevent cervical cancer is a … [Read more...]

A common genetic variant that affects one in three people appears to significantly increase the risk of colorectal cancer from the consumption of processed meat, according to study published today in PLOS Genetics. The study of over 18,000 people from the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe represents the first large-scale genome-wide analysis of genetic variants and dietary … [Read more...]

A healthy diet may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women, according to data presented at the Eighth American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held Nov. 13-16. "Because there is currently no reliable screening available for ovarian … [Read more...]

Years of research in University of Illinois scientist John Erdman's laboratory have demonstrated that lycopene, the bioactive red pigment found in tomatoes, reduces growth of prostate tumors in a variety of animal models. Until now, though, he did not have a way to trace lycopene's metabolism in the human body. "Our team has learned to grow tomato plants in suspension … [Read more...]

Obesity, rather than diet, causes changes in the colon that may lead to colorectal cancer, according to a study in mice by the National Institutes of Health. The finding bolsters the recommendation that calorie control and frequent exercise are not only key to a healthy lifestyle, but a strategy to lower the risk for colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related … [Read more...]

Researchers from the University of Leicester and Leicester's Hospitals have announced a breakthrough advance in the results of the world-first clinical trial with actual patients of a new drug to treat particular blood cancers. Results of an international clinical trial led by Dr Harriet Walter and Professor Martin Dyer from the Ernest and Helen Scott Haematological Research … [Read more...]

Adding ultrasound to standard mammography tests in breast screening could result in improved rates of detection for breast cancer in women in Japan, according to a new study, published in The Lancet. Researchers led by Professor Noriaki Ohuchi, from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, in Miyagi, Japan, recruited more than 70000 women in Japan aged between 40 and … [Read more...]

  Standing for at least one-quarter of the day has been linked to lower odds of obesity in a new study led by the American Cancer Society in collaboration with The Cooper Institute, the University of Texas, and the University of Georgia. The study appears in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. While sedentary behavior (such as watching TV and commuting time) has been linked to … [Read more...]

Pancreas cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. In the United States, it accounts for only three percent of all diagnosed cancers but it causes almost seven percent of all cancer deaths. A pancreas cancer diagnosis often comes after age 50 and after the cancer has spread, making it difficult to remove surgically. A new clinical trial that recently opened at the … [Read more...]

Patients with advanced cancers who took a drug designed to relieve constipation caused by pain killers lived longer and had fewer reports of tumor progression than cancer patients who did not receive the drug, according to results presented Oct. 27 at the 2015 meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in San Diego. This is the first study in humans to associate … [Read more...]

A large international study shows that breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk of developing an aggressive form of breast cancer called hormone-receptor negative. This new combined evidence shows the risk was reduced by up to 20% in women who breastfed. Published in Annals of Oncology, this breastfeeding meta-analysis is a collaboration between Breastcancer.org; Icahn … [Read more...]

Experts speaking at the 23rd United European Gastroenterology Week (UEG Week 2015) in Barcelona, Spain revealed compelling evidence of the link between excess body weight and risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). John Mathers, Professor of Human Nutrition from the Institute of Cellular Medicine at Newcastle University in the UK presented data showing an overall increase of 18% in … [Read more...]

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, has evaluated the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat. Red meat After thoroughly reviewing the accumulated scientific literature, a Working Group of 22 experts from 10 countries convened by the IARC Monographs Programme classified the … [Read more...]

This year, more than 158,000 Americans are expected to die from lung cancer. That's a staggering number: it's more than all the deaths expected from breast, prostate, colon, rectum, bladder and skin cancers combined. But this grim statistic only spurs Yanis Boumber, MD, PhD, to work harder toward a cure. Boumber, a lung cancer doctor and scientist, recently joined the … [Read more...]

Although survival rates for children diagnosed with cancer have increased dramatically over the past 40 years, hard evidence of proven psychosocial benefits to improve quality of life among patients and families during treatment has remained elusive. Many hospitals have therapy dogs who visit with patients, and anecdotal evidence underscores the positive impact these … [Read more...]

While most cancer survivors in the United States are motivated to seek information about food choices and dietary changes to improve their health, a new study comparing their dietary patterns to federal guidelines indicates that they often fall short. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings point to the need for … [Read more...]