Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/cancer-oncology/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Thu, 15 May 2008 16:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107633.php For mesothelioma patients, the addition of chemotherapy to the usualactive symptom control (ASC) does not appear to improve survival orquality of life, according to an article released on May 16, 2008 in TheLancet. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is cancer of the mesothelium, theprotective layer that covers the lungs. Generally associated withexposure to asbestos, it is almost always fatal. Worldwide, this cancer has been rising. Thu, 15 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107503.php Survivors of childhood cancers treated with the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide were five times more likely to develop bladder cancer later in life than the general population. Results of this new research from the United Kingdom were presented during the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA). Thu, 15 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107491.php Progen Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX:PGL; Nasdaq: PGLA) announced that the Company has resumed patient enrolment in the phase 1 dose-escalation study of its recently acquired polyamine analogue, PG-11047 (formerly CGC-11047) for patients with advanced cancer. Progen has commenced development of PG-11047 - the lead clinical compound in the Company's polyamine program - following its acquisition of Cellgate, Inc earlier this year. Thu, 15 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107489.php The latest information on the biology and treatment of testicular cancer, the most common cancer among young men, will be presented at the Symposium on Testicular Cancer organized by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), to be held on 15-16 May in Munich, Germany. Thu, 15 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107479.php Stem cells - popularly known as a source of biological rejuvenation - may play harmful roles in the body, specifically in the growth and spread of cancer. Amongst the wildly dividing cells of a tumor, scientists have located cancer stem cells. Physician-scientists from New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell are studying these cells with the hope of combating malignant cancers in the brain. Some patients' brain tumors respond to chemotherapy and some don't, according to Dr. John A. Thu, 15 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107458.php The Institute of Cancer Research is delighted to announce the appointment of eminent molecular pathologist Dr George Thomas as head of the newly-created Translational Molecular Oncology Team. In his new position Dr Thomas will play a major role in The Institute's targeted drug discovery programme, with a particular focus on prostate and kidney cancers. Thu, 15 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107445.php Familial Breast Cancer Risk Continues Throughout a Woman's LifeWomen who have a sister diagnosed with breast cancer are at an increased risk of developing the disease throughout their lives. The increased risk is most pronounced in younger women, regardless of the age at which the first sister was diagnosed. Thu, 15 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107443.php Scientists have for the first time pinpointed a protein that explains how smoking can directly lead to genetic changes that cause cancer - research published in the British Journal of Cancer* reveals.Researchers have now discovered that the production of a protein called FANCD2 is slowed when lung cells are exposed to cigarette smoke. Low levels of FANCD2 leads to DNA damage, triggering cancer. Thu, 15 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107434.php While researching new ways to stop the progression of cancer, researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, have discovered a compound that has been shown to prevent cancer in the laboratory. The research appears in the journal Gene Regulation and Systems Biology. Thu, 15 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107430.php The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) announced the winner of the annual Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award. Jay R. Harris, MD, will accept the award and present his award lecture, "Local Treatment of Breast Cancer: Looking Backward to Gaze Forward," at the upcoming 2008 Breast Cancer Symposium, being held September 5-7 in Washington, DC. "I am thrilled to be a recipient of the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award," said Dr. Harris. "Dr. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107417.php Positron emission tomography with a radioactive tracer (18F-FDG PET) may not improve the detection of small metastases in patients with head and neck cancer who have no clinical evidence of disease in neighboring lymph nodes, according to a meta-analysis published online May 13 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.A key prognostic factor for head and neck squamous cell cancer patients is whether their disease has spread to the nearby lymph nodes. Wed, 14 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107385.php "In some communities, death rates" from cancer are "substantially higher than in others," and the rates are "shamefully high among minorities and the poor because many lack access to lifesaving prevention and treatment measures," Lance Armstrong, a cyclist and testicular cancer survivor, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. "On many levels, we know how to defeat cancer; we just don't do it," according to Armstrong. Wed, 14 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107351.php Studying thousands of patients, Japanese researchers have found a strong link between tooth loss and increased risk of three cancers esophageal, head and neck, and lung. They suggest that preservation of teeth may decrease risk of developing these diseases. Wed, 14 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107294.php Failure to be screened for cervical cancer at the recommended time intervals is the major risk factor associated with developing the condition, according to the first nationwide audit of a cervical cancer screening program, which also revealed that it was equally effective for women of all ages. Cervical cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women across the world. Wed, 14 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107292.php The Map of Medicine announced that from today onwards, it will be partnering with all cancer networks across England to localise the cancer care pathways already provided by 'the Map'. The partnership is key to enabling the networks to achieve targets set out in the 'Cancer Reform Strategy', including improving early detection of cancers, reducing referral times and extending screening programmes. Tue, 13 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107271.php In a leading study that has implications for the development of novel therapies for a number of breast, lung and ovarian cancers that have lost the expression of a gene called glypican-3 (GPC3), Sunnybrook researchers have discovered how the loss of the GPC3 gene induces overgrowth through certain growth factors such as Sonic Hedgehog which stimulate cancer growth. Tue, 13 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107190.php Experts in treating a rare group of cancers that affect tissues such as muscle, fat, nerves and the gastrointestinal wall are meeting in Milan, Italy on 13-14 May to discuss the latest information on how these diseases develop and potential new avenues for therapy. Tue, 13 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107187.php Cancers will be much more effectively treated when physicians can determine all of the responsible genetic changes in a tumor and how they react and interact in response to specific treatment(s), according to one of the leading scientists who will be speaking at the BIO 2008 International Convention. On Tuesday, June 17 in a session titled, "Genomics Drives Disruptive Innovations in Biotechnology," Lynda Chin, M.D. Tue, 13 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107211.php Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, led by Professor Nazneen Rahman, have been taking part in an international study into the causes of neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer. The findings were published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine*.Neuroblastoma, a cancer of the developing nervous system, is one of the most common types of childhood cancers, causing 15 percent of all childhood cancer deaths in the UK. Tue, 13 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107200.php iClin Solutions, a supplier of intelligent solutions for cancer treatment, announced the launch of Electro Chemo Therapy - ECT - and the first treatment using the Cliniporator in Sweden. The treatment was performed at the Department of Oncology at Lund University Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Julie Gehl from Herlev Hospital in Denmark. Tue, 13 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107194.php A team of medical researchers led by Dr Ruth Kluck at Melbourne's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) has discovered a key step in the mechanism by which cells destroy themselves. In this process, called "apoptosis", certain proteins cause the cell to self-destruct by puncturing its "power plant." How the proteins do this has been clarified by the WEHI team. The discovery is an important step towards the identification of targets for drugs designed to regulate cell death. Mon, 12 May 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107099.php Cancer Research UK has this week celebrated its inaugural Business Supporters' Awards, in celebration of the contribution made by business to help the charity beat cancer. The event, held on Tuesday 6th May at the Royal College of Surgeons, London, brought together the charity's biggest supporters from the world of business to recognise the very best in business and charity partnerships and to inspire future relationships. Mon, 12 May 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107098.php As the first Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières(MSF) relief plane receives permission to land in Yangon tomorrow, Saturday, the international medical humanitarian organization has already intensified its emergency program. As MSF scales up, there is a need for more technical experts and further supplies in the coming days. Mon, 12 May 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107091.php Over the last 30 years, researchers have made some impressive strides inbattling certain types of cancer. It's estimated, for example, that 99% of prostate cancer patients will survive at least five years and 9 out of 10 breast cancer patients will too.* While the numbers may not be quite as big when it comes to pancreatic cancer, the numbers aresignificant. Having bought and rebuilt dozens of vintage juke boxes, Dr. Mon, 12 May 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107090.php Chances are you or someone you know has had laser eye surgery to correct blurry vision. Now, doctors are using the procedure in a new way. In some cases, they're not just helping patients see better, they're actually preventing them from going blind. Mike Samogala says he's never taken time with his kids for granted. Lately, those moments have meant even more. Just a few months ago, Mike was diagnosed with eye cancer. It came with no warning or symptoms.