Cancer

The human genome encodes roughly 20,000 genes, only a few thousand more than fruit flies. The complexity of the human body, therefore, comes from far more than just the sequence of nucleotides that comprise our DNA, it arises from modifications that occur at the level of gene, RNA and protein. In a new study, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of … [Read more...]

Increased radiation dose is associated with higher survival rates in men with medium- and high-risk prostate cancer, but not men with low-risk prostate cancer, according to a new study from Penn Medicine published in JAMA Oncology. Already-high survival rates for men with low-risk prostate cancer were unaffected by higher radiation dosages compared to lower radiation … [Read more...]

A new mobile device that allows bladder and kidney cancer to be detected at an early stage. This is being worked on by Wilfred van der Wiel, professor of nanoelectronics at the University of Twente MESA+ research institute. Thanks to this method, it is possible to read from DNA cells whether their carrier has bladder or kidney cancer. Van der Wiel recently received an ERC … [Read more...]

An ortho-oncology team at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center successfully adapted a shoulder surgical aid (the Spider Limb Positioner) to conduct a left hip disarticulation on a melanoma patient as described in a case report published online inMedical Devices. The Spider Limb Positioner is a pneumatic arm with three fully articulating joints that can be … [Read more...]

Resveratrol and quercetin, two polyphenols that have been widely studied for their health properties, may soon become the basis of an important new advance in cancer treatment, primarily by improving the efficacy and potential use of an existing chemotherapeutic cancer drug. Resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant found in red wine and other foods, has already received much … [Read more...]

A study of long-term thyroid cancer outcomes shows, among other findings, that moderate suppression of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which drives the disease, may be as beneficial as more extreme hormone suppression. Extreme TSH suppression is associated with increased side effects including osteoporosis and heart rhythm irregularities. Results are published online ahead … [Read more...]

A new study shows that patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) -- the same virus associated with both cervical and head and neck cancer -- positive oropharyngeal cancer see significantly higher rates of complete response on a post-radiation neck dissection than those with HPV-negative oropharyngeal cancer. Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers presented the findings at the … [Read more...]

Genomic sequencing experts at Johns Hopkins partnered with pharmacologists at Stony Brook University to reveal a striking mutational signature of upper urinary tract cancers caused by aristolochic acid, a plant compound contained in herbal remedies used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments such as arthritis, gout and inflammation. Their discovery is described … [Read more...]

Physicians have long sought a way to accurately predict cancer patients' survival outcomes by looking at biological details of the specific cancers they have. But despite concerted efforts, no such clinical crystal ball exists for the majority of cancers. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have compiled a database that integrates gene expression … [Read more...]

A 'pill on a string' developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge could help doctors detect esophageal cancer -- cancer of the gullet -- at an early stage, helping them overcome the problem of wide variation between biopsies, suggests research published today in the journal Nature Genetics. The 'Cytosponge' sits within a pill which, when swallowed, dissolves to … [Read more...]

States' regulations of health insurance and practitioners significantly influence when patients receive colorectal or breast cancer diagnoses, especially among people younger than the Medicare-eligible age of 65, according to a new study by researchers at Georgia State University's School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study … [Read more...]

Pre-treatment pain intensity is an independent survival predictor for patients with head and neck cancer, according to new research published in The Journal of Pain, the peer-reviewed publication of the American Pain Society. Researchers at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center assessed the extent to which pain severity influences survival in 2,340 newly diagnosed patients with head … [Read more...]

UCLA scientists have discovered for the first time that a protein usually linked to rare neurological disorders is also associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) positive head and neck cancers. The protein was also shown to help improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments, laying the groundwork for the development of more specialized therapies. Head and neck … [Read more...]

African American men are more likely to develop prostate cancer than European American men, and are also more than twice as likely to die from it. Although there are many reasons that contribute to this health disparity, new research shows that African American men may have a distinctly different type of prostate cancer than European American men, according to new genomic … [Read more...]

Hereditary colorectal cancers, caused by inherited gene mutations, are relatively rare for most patients. However, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a particularly high prevalence of hereditary cancers among those diagnosed with the disease before the age of 35. They suggest that these patients should undergo genetic counseling to … [Read more...]

Practicing yoga for as little as three months can reduce fatigue and lower inflammation in breast cancer survivors, according to new research. The more the women in the study practiced yoga, the better their results. At the six-month point of the study -- three months after the formal yoga practice had ended -- results showed that on average, fatigue was 57 percent lower in … [Read more...]

Cancer researchers dream of the day they can force tumor cells to morph back to the normal cells they once were. Now, researchers on Mayo Clinic's Florida campus have discovered a way to potentially reprogram cancer cells back to normalcy. The finding, published in Nature Cell Biology, represents "an unexpected new biology that provides the code, the software for turning … [Read more...]

Scientists at the University of Kansas Medical Center have determined that high doses of vitamin C, administered intravenously with traditional chemotherapy, helped kill cancer cells while reducing the toxic effects of chemotherapy for some cancer patients. By evaluating the therapy in cells, animals, and humans, the researchers found that a combination of infused vitamin C … [Read more...]

Will a multi-generational exposure to a western type diet increase offspring's chance of developing colon cancer? Will cancer-fighting agents, like green tea, help combat that increased risk? Those are the two questions Abby Benninghoff, an assistant professor in Utah State University's College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, will attempt to answer thanks to a $500,000 … [Read more...]

Common environmental chemicals assumed to be safe at low doses may act separately or together to disrupt human tissues in ways that eventually lead to cancer, according to a task force of nearly 200 scientists from 28 countries, including one from Oregon State University. In a nearly three-year investigation of the state of knowledge about environmentally influenced cancers, … [Read more...]

Although some previous studies have suggested an increased risk of bladder cancer with use of the diabetes drug pioglitazone, analyses that included nearly 200,000 patients found no statistically significant increased risk, however a small increased risk could not be excluded, according to a study in the July 21 issue of JAMA. Assiamira Ferrara, M.D., Ph.D., of Kaiser … [Read more...]

The capture and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of cancer patients is a valuable tool for treatment decisions and therapy monitoring. Until recently, it was a huge challenge to capture these rare cells in a blood sample. In a new approach, researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering have developed a system that … [Read more...]

If Louisiana, which has some of the highest colon cancer incidence and mortality rates in the nation, had the same risk factors, screening uptake, and survival rates as New Jersey, incidence and mortality from the disease would not only drop, they would drop to levels below that of New Jersey, according to a new study. The study, appearing in Cancer, shows that removing … [Read more...]

A research review for the Cochrane Library, led by McMaster University researchers, has found that eliminating Helicobacter pylori bacterium -- the main cause of stomach ulcers -- with a short course of therapy of two commonly used medicines may help to reduce the risk of gastric cancer. Stomach, or gastric, cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer … [Read more...]

Regular consumption of caffeinated coffee may help prevent the return of colon cancer after treatment and improve the chances of a cure, according to a new, large study from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute that reported this striking association for the first time. The patients, all of them treated with surgery and chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer, had the greatest … [Read more...]

Stereotactic body radiation, or SBRT, is a radiation therapy designed to treat tumors and protect healthy tissue at the same time. It’s been used successfully in patients with lung, brain and spinal cord tumors. But now, researchers say SBRT may also help some patients with pancreatic cancer, traditionally one of the deadliest and most difficult cancers to treat. Lorri and … [Read more...]