PET And MR Predict Chemotherapy's Ability To Prolong Life Of Breast Cancer Patients
6/13/2013
For patients with advanced breast cancer, positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can improve quality of life and survival by providing physicians with information on the effectiveness of chemotherapy prior to surgery, said researchers presenting at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging...
A group of scientists has discovered that a gene called Bach2 may play a central role in the development of a range of allergic and autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, asthma, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, and type-1 diabetes. The research has implications for the development of new therapies to target cancer...
"Patients not suffering from anaemia before an operation do not need autologous blood donations prior to a primary knee or hip implantation. This routine measure has not been medically indicated for a long time in all cases and often only leads to an increased transfusion rate. At the same time, many autologous blood donations are disposed of after the operation because they are not needed...
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients On Kinase Inhibitors Report Serious Quality-Of-Life Issues
6/12/2013
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have determined that chronic myeloid leukemia patients who are treated with a class of oral chemotherapy drugs known as a tyrosine kinase inhibitors have significant side effects and quality-of-life issues that need to be addressed. Some of these issues include depression, fatigue, nausea and change of appearance...
Cytosine Methylation Likely Plays A Key Role In Fueling Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
6/12/2013
Changes in an epigenetic mechanism that turns expression of genes on and off may be as important as genetic alterations in causing pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to a study led by scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation...
African medicinal plants contain chemicals that may be able to stop the spread of cancer cells. This is the conclusion of researchers following laboratory experiments conducted at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). The plant materials will now undergo further analysis in order to evaluate their therapeutic potential...
Master Regulator Discovered In Cancer Metastasis
6/12/2013
The predominant cause of death in cancer patients is metastasis, the formation of secondary tumors in other organs like the brain, liver, and lungs. Cancer cells detach from the original primary tumor and reach a single cell or group of cells in another organ. The cells of the body normally remain in place through adhering to an extracellular substance...
Novel Targeted Therapies With Fewer Harmful Side Effects
6/12/2013
Conventional treatments for diseases such as cancer can carry harmful side effects - and the primary reason is that such treatments are not targeted specifically to the cells of the body where they're needed...
HDAC3 In Stem Cell Functions Essential For Blood Cell Development
6/12/2013
The expression of specific genes is partially dictated by the way the DNA is packed into chromatin, a tightly packed combination of DNA and proteins known as histones. HDAC3 is a chromatin-modifying enzyme that regulates gene expression, chromatin structure, and genome instability and it has previously been shown to associate with the oncoproteins that drive leukemia and lymphoma...
Breast Cancer Screening Does Not Reduce Deaths Says Study Of 40 Years Of Mammograms
6/11/2013
A new UK study suggests screening for breast cancer does not reduce deaths from the disease. The study, which looked at nearly 40 years of breast screening, adds to the controversy surrounding whether it is screening or improvement in treatment that accounts for the fall in rates of death from breast cancer...