A shorter course of androgen suppression therapy prior to radiation therapy, when compared to a longer course of androgen suppression therapy, yields favorable outcomes and fewer adverse effects for intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO) 55th Annual Meeting...
Married cancer patients 'likely to live longer'
9/25/2013
People who are married when they are diagnosed with cancer are more likely to live longer, compared with those who are unmarried. This is according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology...
Patients with a very aggressive form of breast cancer known as HER2-positive, could now benefit from a new faster, more efficient delivery method of Herceptin. The subcutaneous (SC) injection, given just beneath the skin, can be completed in 2-5 minutes, compared to the traditional, relatively time-consuming 30-90 minute intravenous (IV) infusion...
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against using medications such as tamoxifen or raloxifene for reducing the risk of primary breast cancer in average risk women, as the risks associated with these medications outweigh the potential benefits...
Some pediatric surgeries do not require preoperative blood typing
9/25/2013
Certain pediatric surgeries carry such low risk of serious blood loss that clinicians can safely forgo expensive blood typing and blood stocking before such procedures, suggest the results of a small study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center...
A shorter course of androgen suppression therapy prior to radiation therapy, when compared to a longer course of androgen suppression therapy, yields favorable outcomes and fewer adverse effects for intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO) 55th Annual Meeting...
Human brain tumor cells destroyed in mouse model
9/25/2013
Working with mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that weeks of treatment with a repurposed FDA-approved drug halted the growth of - and ultimately left no detectable trace of - brain tumor cells taken from adult human patients...
Simple screening for depression in cancer patients
9/25/2013
Cancer patients can be accurately screened for major depression with a simple two-question survey, according to a study presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 55th Annual Meeting. The two-question screening test proved to be as accurate as a longer nine-question screening test. The study was presented at plenary session by William Small, Jr...
Microbiologists describe how 'natural killer' cells depend on enzyme to develop
9/25/2013
Natural killer (NK) cells in the human body can kill and contain viruses and cancerous tumors, and a new study from the University of Southern California (USC) describes for the first time how those cells can be manipulated by epigenetics. The discovery, detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, paves the way for developing more effective cancer drugs...
Accurately identifying neck tumors using robotics improves treatment, survival, Pitt study finds
9/24/2013
Using robotic surgery done through the mouth to more accurately identify the cause of lumps in the neck can help physicians to better target more personalized therapies for patients and dramatically improve survival, according to a study led by the University of Pittsburgh's Umamaheswar Duvvuri, M.D., Ph.D...