ScienceDaily: Cancer News

Modulating the immune system to combat metastatic cancer

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:20:20 EDT

Researchers have found that regulatory T cells that infiltrate tumors express proteins that can be targeted with therapeutic antibodies.

New method for predicting cancer virulence

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:42:42 EDT

A new way of tackling cancer and predicting tumor virulence are has been reported by a team of researchers. The scientists have shown that, in all cancers, an aberrant activation of numerous genes specific to other tissues occurs. For example, in lung cancers, the tumorous cells express genes specific to the production of spermatozoids, which should be silent.

Scientists put bowel cancer under the microscope

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:41:41 EDT

Researchers have begun a two-year study which could help prolong the lives of people with colorectal tumors.

Infantile myofibromatosis: First drug targets in childhood genetic tumor disorder

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:35:35 EDT

Two mutations central to the development of infantile myofibromatosis (IM) -- a disorder characterized by multiple tumors involving the skin, bone, and soft tissue—may provide new therapeutic targets, according to researchers.

Scientists make breast cancer advance that turns previous thinking on its head

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:38:38 EDT

Scientists have made an advance in breast cancer research which shows how some enzymes released by cancerous cells could have a protective function.

Research identifies a way to make cancer cells more responsive to chemotherapy

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:13:13 EDT

Breast cancer characterized as "triple negative" carries a poor prognosis, with limited treatment options. In some cases, chemotherapy doesn't kill the cancer cells the way it's supposed to. New research explains why some cancer cells don't respond to chemotherapy, and identifies a mechanism to rectify that.

Technique to detect breast cancer in urine developed

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:03:03 EDT

Medical researchers have developed a new screening method that uses urinalysis to diagnose breast cancer – and determine its severity – before it could be detected with a mammogram.

Noninvasive detection, diagnosis of oral cancer

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:03:03 EDT

More effective detection and diagnosis of oral cancer could result from an advance in noninvasive imaging of epithelial tissue. The research is thought to have the potential to change the way doctors look for precancerous and cancerous areas in a patient’s mouth.

Genomic analysis lends insight to prostate cancer

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:23:23 EDT

Researchers have used next generation genomic analysis to determine that some of the more aggressive prostate cancer tumors have similar genetic origins, which may help in predicting cancer progression.

When oxygen is short, EGFR prevents maturation of cancer-fighting miRNAs

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:22:22 EDT

Even while being dragged to its destruction inside a cell, a cancer-promoting growth factor receptor fires away, sending signals that thwart the development of tumor-suppressing microRNAs before it's dissolved, researchers have reported.

Scientists discover how rapamycin slows cell growth

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:22:22 EDT

University of Montreal researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slow the progression of some cancers and other diseases of abnormal growth. In the May 23 edition of the prestigious journal Cell, scientists have explained how they found that the anti-cancer and anti-proliferative drug rapamycin slows down or prevents cells from dividing.

Vaccine blackjack: IL-21 critical to fight against viral infections

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:22:22 EDT

Scientists have shown that an immune regulatory molecule called IL-21 is needed for long-lasting antibody responses in mice against viral infections.

Biophysicists measure mechanism that determines fate of living cells

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:37:37 EDT

For the first time, biophysicists have measured the molecular force required to mechanically transmit function-regulating signals within a cell. A new laboratory method, named the tension gauge tether approach, has made it possible to detect and measure the mechanics of the single-molecule interaction by which human cell receptors are activated.

New mechanism for estrogen suppression of liver lipid synthesis

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:37:37 EDT

By discovering the new mechanism by which estrogen suppresses lipid synthesis in the liver, endocrinologists have revealed a potential new approach toward treating certain liver diseases.

New screening approach uncovers potential alternative drug therapies for neuroblastoma

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:33:33 EDT

Nearly two-thirds of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma -- a common tumor that forms in the nerve cells of children -- cannot be cured using tumor-killing cancer drugs. A new study reveals a new genomic approach to screen for compounds that inhibit tumor growth by causing cancer cells to differentiate. Using this screening method, the researchers identified a compound that causes neuroblastoma cells to differentiate, uncovering promising new treatment strategies.

Frequent heartburn may predict cancers of the throat and vocal cord

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:18:18 EDT

A frequent history of heartburn elevated risk for throat and vocal cord cancers. Use of antacids lowered risk. Further studies are needed to confirm the protective effect of antacids.

Boosting body's natural flu killers as way to offset virus mutation problem

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:30:30 EDT

The known difficulty in fighting influenza (flu) is the ability of the flu viruses to mutate and thus evade various medications that were previously found to be effective. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown recently that another, more promising, approach is to focus on improving drugs that boost the body’s natural flu killer system.

Key find for early bladder cancer treatment

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:29:29 EDT

Aggressive forms of bladder cancer involve the protein PODXL – a discovery that could hold the key to improved treatment, according to new research.

CT detects twice as many lung cancers as X-ray

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:01:01 EDT

CT scans detected twice as many early-stage lung cancers as chest X-ray on initial screening exam, according to new results. Investigators say the 20 percent lung cancer mortality reduction previously reported in the NLST is achievable at screening centers in the U.S.

Overcoming resistance to anti-cancer drugs by targeting cell 'powerhouses'

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:20:20 EDT

Re-routing anti-cancer drugs to the "power plants" that make energy to keep cells alive is a promising but long-neglected approach to preventing emergence of the drug-resistant forms of cancer -- source of a serious medical problem, scientists are reporting.

Promising new approach to treatment of lung cancer

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:12:12 EDT

Researchers have developed a new drug delivery system that allows inhalation of chemotherapeutic drugs to help treat lung cancer, and in laboratory and animal tests it appears to reduce the systemic damage done to other organs while significantly improving the treatment of lung tumors -- the tumors virtually disappeared.

Study details genes that control whether tumors adapt or die when faced with p53 activating drugs

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:32:32 EDT

When turned on, the gene p53 turns off cancer. However, when existing drugs boost p53, only a few tumors die -- the rest resist the challenge. A new study shows how: tumors that live even in the face of p53 reactivation create more of the protein p21 than the protein PUMA; tumors that die have more PUMA than p21. And, for the first time, the current study shows a handful of genes that control this ratio.

Inexpensive, accurate way to detect prostate cancer: At-home urine tests

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:58:58 EDT

Early screening for prostate cancer could become as easy for men as personal pregnancy testing is for women, thanks to new research.

Cold plasma successful against brain cancer cells, study suggests

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:57:57 EDT

For the first time, physicists, biologists and physicians demonstrated the synergistic effect of cold atmospheric plasma - a partly ionized gas - and chemo therapy on aggressive brain tumor cells. Laboratory tests showed that the proliferation of glioblastoma cells – the most common and aggressive brain tumor in adults – is arrested and that even resistant cell populations become sensitive to treatment with chemo therapy if pre-treated with cold atmospheric plasma. This could be the first step on the way to a new combination therapy, providing new hope for fighting this lethal cancer.

DNA damage: The dark side of respiration

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:53:53 EDT

Adventitious changes in cellular DNA can endanger the whole organism, as they may lead to life-threatening illnesses like cancer. Researchers now report how byproducts of respiration cause mispairing of subunits in the double helix.

Changing cancer's environment to halt its spread

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:42:42 EDT

By studying the roles two proteins, thrombospondin-1 and prosaposin, play in discouraging cancer metastasis, scientists have identified a five-amino acid fragment of prosaposin that significantly reduces metastatic spread in mouse models of prostate, breast and lung cancer. The findings suggest that a prosaposin-based drug could potentially block metastasis in a variety of cancers.

Small cancer risk following CT scans in childhood and adolescence confirmed

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:41:41 EDT

Young people who undergo CT scans are 24 percent more likely to develop cancer compared with those who do not, a study published today on bmj.com suggests. However the absolute excess for all cancers combined was low, at 9.38 for every 100,000 person years of follow-up.

H. pylori, smoking trends, and gastric cancer in US men

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:39:39 EDT

Trends in Helicobacter pylori and smoking explain a significant proportion of the decline of intestinal-type noncardia gastric adenocarcinoma incidence in US men between 1978 and 2008, and are estimated to continue to contribute to further declines between 2008 and 2040.

Keeping stem cells strong: RNA molecule protects stem cells during inflammation

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:39:39 EDT

A team of researchers led by biologists at the California Institute of Technology has found that, in mouse models, the molecule microRNA-146a acts as a critical regulator and protector of blood-forming stem cells (called hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs) during chronic inflammation, suggesting that a deficiency of miR-146a may be one important cause of blood cancers and bone marrow failure.

Low radiation scans help identify cancer in earliest stages

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:24:24 EDT

A study of veterans at high risk for developing lung cancer shows that low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) can be highly effective in helping clinicians spot tiny lung nodules which, in a small number of patients, may indicate the earliest stages of the disease. LDCT uses less than a quarter of the radiation of a conventional CT scan.

Radioactive nanoparticles target cancer cells

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:22:22 EDT

Researchers have found a way to create radioactive nanoparticles that target lymphoma tumor cells wherever they may be in the body.

Scientists uncover how grapefruits provide a secret weapon in medical drug delivery

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:22:22 EDT

Researchers have uncovered how to create nanoparticles using natural lipids derived from grapefruit, and have discovered how to use them as drug delivery vehicles.

Poliovirus vaccine trial shows early promise for recurrent glioblastoma

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:21:21 EDT

An attack on glioblastoma brain tumor cells that uses a modified poliovirus is showing encouraging results in an early study to establish the proper dose level.

Vitamin C can kill drug-resistant TB, researchers find

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:12:12 EDT

In a striking, unexpected discovery, researchers have determined that vitamin C kills drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in laboratory culture. The finding suggests that vitamin C added to existing TB drugs could shorten TB therapy, and it highlights a new area for drug design.

New tumor-killer shows great promise in suppressing cancers

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:56:56 EDT

Scientists have bioengineered a novel molecule which has been proven to successfully kill tumor cells.

New factor to control oncogene-induced senescence discovered

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:55:55 EDT

A new article describes the major role that Pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) —- an enzyme of cellular energy metabolism -— plays in the regulation of the cellular senescence induced by the oncogene BRAF, which usually appears mutated in melanoma and other cancers.

Cancer and birth defects in Iraq: The nuclear legacy

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:55:55 EDT

Ten years after the Iraq war of 2003 a team of scientists based in Mosul, northern Iraq, have detected high levels of uranium contamination in soil samples at three sites in the province of Nineveh which, coupled with dramatically increasing rates of childhood cancers and birth defects at local hospitals, highlight the ongoing legacy of modern warfare to civilians in conflict zones.

How gold nanoparticles can help fight ovarian cancer

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:50:50 EDT

Positively charged gold nanoparticles are usually toxic to cells, but cancer cells somehow manage to avoid nanoparticle toxicity. Researchers found out why and determined how to make the nanoparticles effective against ovarian cancer cells.

Timing of cancer radiation therapy may minimize hair loss

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:36:36 EDT

Discovering that mouse hair has a circadian clock - a 24-hour cycle of growth followed by restorative repair - researchers suspect that hair loss in humans from toxic cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy might be minimized if these treatments are given late in the day.

Compound in Mediterranean diet makes cancer cells 'mortal'

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:43:43 EDT

New research suggests that a compound abundant in the Mediterranean diet takes away cancer cells' "superpower" to escape death.

Mechanism linking key inflammatory marker to cancer identified

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:53:53 EDT

Researchers have revealed how a key player in cell growth, immunity and the inflammatory response can be transformed into a primary contributor to tumor growth.

Genetic diversity within tumors predicts outcome in head and neck cancer

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:46:46 EDT

A new measure of the heterogeneity – the variety of genetic mutations – of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer.

Bionimbus protected data cloud to enable researchers to analyze cancer data

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:32:32 EDT

The University of Chicago has launched the first secure cloud-based computing system that enables researchers to access and analyze human genomic cancer information without the costly and cumbersome infrastructure normally needed to download and store massive amounts of data.

Molecular marker from pancreatic 'juices' helps identify pancreatic cancer

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:14:14 EDT

Researchers have developed a promising method to distinguish between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis — two disorders that are difficult to tell apart. A molecular marker obtained from pancreatic “juices” can identify almost all cases of pancreatic cancer, their study shows.

Commonly used catheters double risk of blood clots in ICU and cancer patients

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:14:14 EDT

Peripherally inserted central catheters – an often preferred route for delivery of IV medications — increase risk of blood clots in sickest patients.

Brain makes call on which ear is used for cell phone

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:16:16 EDT

If you're a left-brain thinker, chances are you use your right hand to hold your cell phone up to your right ear, according to a newly published study. The study shows a strong correlation between brain dominance and the ear used to listen to a cell phone.

Accelerated aging in children: Promising treatment for progeria within reach

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:25:25 EDT

Pharmaceuticals that inhibit a specific enzyme may be useful in treating progeria, or accelerated aging in children. A new study indicates that the development of progeria in mice was inhibited upon reducing the production of this enzyme.

Study brings greater understanding of tumor growth mechanism

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:55:55 EDT

A new study has for the first time revealed how the loss of a particular tumor suppressing protein leads to the abnormal growth of tumors of the brain and nervous system.

First prospective trial shows molecular profiling timely for tailoring therapy

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:30:30 EDT

CUSTOM is the first completed prospective clinical trial that used genetic analysis alone to assign cancer treatment for patients with one of three different cancers. Findings suggest patients, and their physicians, are eager to jump into next-era cancer care -- analysis of an individual's tumor to find and target genetic mutations that drive the cancer.

Skin cancer may be linked to lower risk of Alzheimer's disease

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:39:39 EDT

People who have skin cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. The link does not apply to melanoma, a less common but more aggressive type of skin cancer.

Four genes identified that influence levels of 'bad' cholesterol

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:14:14 EDT

Scientists have identified four genes in baboons that influence levels of “bad” cholesterol. This discovery could lead to the development of new drugs to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Despite new recommendations, women in 40s continue to get routine mammograms at same rate

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:49:49 EDT

Women in their 40s continue to undergo routine breast cancer screenings despite national guidelines recommending otherwise, according to new research.

Study IDs key protein for cell death

Tue, 14 May 2013 19:06:06 EDT

Findings may offer a new way to kill cancer cells by forcing them into an alternative programmed-death pathway.

New study explores providers' perceptions of parental concerns about HPV vaccination

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:54:54 EDT

A new study has found that low-income and minority parents may be more receptive to vaccinating their daughters against Human Papillomavirus, while white, middle-class parents are more likely to defer the vaccination.

Water governs cell movement: Aquaporins play key role, new research finds

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:53:53 EDT

Water gives life. Researchers now show how the cells in our bodies are driven mainly by water power -- a discovery that in the long run opens the way for a new strategy in cancer therapy.

Tumor-activated protein promotes cancer spread

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:23:23 EDT

Researchers report that cancers physically alter cells in the lymphatic system – a network of vessels that transports and stores immune cells throughout the body – to promote the spread of disease, a process called metastasis.

Leap in leukemia treatment

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:43:43 EDT

Doctors have found a combination of drugs to potentially treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) more effectively. The research helps address a basic problem of treating CLL.

Master regulator that drives majority of lymphoma discovered

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:28:28 EDT

A soon-to-be-tested class of drug inhibitors were predicted to help a limited number of patients with B-cell lymphomas with mutations affecting the EZH2 protein. However medical researchers now report that these agents may, in fact, help a much broader cross section of lymphoma patients.

Fish oil doesn't seem to help age-related macular degeneration

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:24:24 EDT

A large-scale study of age-related macular degeneration suggests fish oil supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids do not alter the progression of age-related macular degeneration, and that lutein and zeaxanthin may be safer than beta-carotene in reducing risk of disease progression.

Possible new acute leukemia marker, treatment target identified

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:15:15 EDT

A study has identified microRNA-155 as a new independent prognostic marker and treatment target in patients with acute myeloid leukemia that has normal-looking chromosomes under the microscope (that is, cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia). The findings suggest that this molecule is important in leukemia development and should be targeted by a drug that will inhibit it.