Study Examines Downstream Outcomes Following Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening In Older Men
4/17/2013
A study by Louise C. Walter, M.D., of San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, California, and colleagues sought to quantify 5-year downstream outcomes following an abnormal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening result of 4.0 ng/mL or more, in older men...
Protein Helps Leukemia Cells Avoid Effects Of Chemotherapy By Appearing Dormant
4/17/2013
A new study on how the progression of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is influenced by the bone marrow environment has demonstrated for the first time that targeting a specialized protein known as osteopontin (OPN) may be an effective strategy to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with this type of blood cancer...
News From Annals Of Internal Medicine: 16 April 2013
4/17/2013
1. Task Force Reviews Evidence for New Recommendations on Medications to Reduce Risk for Primary Breast Cancer High-risk women may derive the most benefit, least harms from preventive drug therapy Women at high risk for breast cancer may benefit most from preventive drug therapy...
PSA Screening May Be Personalized To Improve Specificity, Reduce Biopsies
4/17/2013
Genetic variants have been identified which can increase serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) concentrations and prostate cancer risk. A new study published in The Journal of Urology® reports that correcting PSA levels for these genetic variants can have significant consequences, including avoiding unnecessary biopsies for some men and eliminating false complacency for others...
Men with a common condition that causes frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom can get relief with a minimally invasive treatment that shrinks the prostate, suggests a study presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans. The early findings hail from the first prospective U.S...
Gene Identified That Mediates Cisplatin Resistance In Ovarian Cancer
4/17/2013
Platinum compounds, such as cisplatin and carboplatin, induce DNA cross-linking, prohibiting DNA synthesis and repair in rapidly dividing cells. They are first line therapeutics in the treatment of many solid tumors, but cancer cells frequently develop resistance to these drugs. Mechanisms of resistance typically include reduced platinum uptake and increased platinum export...
Advanced Cancers That Have Spread To The Lungs Can Be Treated Using Cryoablation
4/17/2013
Frozen balls of ice can safely kill cancerous tumors that have spread to the lungs, according to the first prospective multicenter trial of cryoablation. The results were presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans...
Study Assesses Outcomes Of Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening Among Older Men
4/17/2013
A new study has examined the outcomes of an abnormal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening result of 4.0 ng/mL or more among men over the age of 65. The study, led by Louise C. Walter, M.D., of San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, included a total of 295,645 men 65 years or older who underwent PSA screening in 2003. The participants were followed up for a total of five years...
Cancer Cell Metabolism Kills
4/17/2013
ATP is the main energy currency of cells and one might expect that not only contracting muscle, but also uncontrollably dividing cancer cells would have a high demand for ATP. However, for some reason cancer cells have re-programmed their metabolic engines to produce less ATP...
Irreversible Electroporation Kills Hard-To-Treat Tumors At The Cellular Level
4/17/2013
A new, minimally invasive treatment that tears microscopic holes in tumors without harming healthy tissue is a promising treatment for challenging cancers, suggests a preliminary study presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans...