Imaging Agent Lymphoseek For Lymphatic Mapping Approved By FDA
3/14/2013
Lymphoseek (technetium Tc 99m tilmanocept) Injection, a radioactive imaging agent that assists doctors in locating lymph nodes in breast cancer or melanoma patients who are having tumor-draining lymph nodes removed, has been approved by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Lymphatic fluid flows from the body's tissues and is filtered by the lymph nodes...
Intermediate-Risk Patients With Pulmonary Embolism Benefit From Clot-Busting Drug
3/14/2013
The clot-busting drug tenecteplase prevents death or circulatory collapse in a subgroup of patients with a blood clot in the lungs and appears to be especially useful in patients younger than 75, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session...
Patient's Own Fat Cells May Help Fight Deadly Brain Cancer
3/13/2013
There is a form of stem cell in the human body that can chase cancer cells. Now a new study from the US suggests brain cancer patients' own fat may provide the best source of these mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for delivering treatments directly into the brain after the surgical removal of glioblastoma, the most common and deadliest type of brain tumor...
DNA 'Supercoiling' Caused By Protein Abundant In Cancerous Cells
3/13/2013
A team of USC scientists has identified a protein that can change DNA topology, making DNA twist up into a so-called "supercoil." The finding provides new insight about the role of the protein - known as mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM) - in cancer cells, which have high levels of MCM. Think about twisting one end of a rubber band while holding the other end still...
Significant Improvement In Performance On Metrics For Quality Oncology Care
3/13/2013
Summary of a study published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, analyzing self-reported data from 156 outpatient oncology practices participating in the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) showing significant improvements in performance on certain measures for quality oncology cancer care over a four-year period...
Skin Cancer Risk May Be Reduced By Aspirin
3/13/2013
A new study has found that women who take aspirin have a reduced risk of developing melanoma - and that the longer they take it, the lower the risk. The findings suggest that aspirin's anti-inflammatory effects may help protect against this type of skin cancer. The study is published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society...
Two University of Colorado Cancer Center studies show that the protein receptor Mer is overexpressed in many leukemias, and that inhibition of this Mer receptor results in the death of leukemia cells - without affecting surrounding, healthy cells...
Cangrelor, New Anti-Clotting Drug More Effective Than Current Treatment
3/13/2013
A new and experimental anti-clotting drug, cangrelor, proved better than the commonly used clopidogrel and was significantly more effective at preventing blood clots in a large trial of patients who underwent coronary stent procedures...
How To Reduce One's Risk Of Colon Cancer
3/12/2013
Colon cancer, which is usually a preventable and highly curable disease, is the second cancer killer in the USA, say gastroenterologist Dr. Felice Schnoll-Sussman, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and Dr. Benjamin Lebwohl, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. Dr...
Many Colonoscopies For Seniors May Be Inappropriate
3/12/2013
A considerable percentage of colonoscopies that are performed on seniors could be potentially inappropriate, researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, reported in JAMA Internal Medicine. Kristin M. Sheffield, Ph.D., and team set out to determine how frequently potentially inappropriate colonoscopies are performed on elderly Medicare beneficiaries in Texas...