Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia - FDA Approves Erwinaze
11/21/2011
White blood cells (Lymphocytes) help the body fight infection, however acute lymphoblastic leukemia, also known as cancer of the white blood cells, is characterized by a production of excess lymphocytes in the bone marrow. The U.S. FDA has just approved a new drug called Erwinaze (asparaginase Erwinia chrysanthemi), manufactured by EUSA Pharma Inc...
The development of simple tests to predict a leukemic relapse in young patients is a step closer thanks to researchers from the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and the University of Montreal. Approximately 20 percent of young leukemia patients who are treated with stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood will experience leukemic relapse...
Factors such as low hemoglobin levels, increased systolic blood pressure, and male gender are linked to a higher risk of silent cerebral infarcts (SCIs), or silent strokes, in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA), according to results from a large, first-of-its-kind study published online in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH)...
Breast Cancer Genetic Profiling Has Not Achieved Personalized Medicine Yet
11/20/2011
Although ten years of genetic profiling has had an enormous impact on the understanding of breast cancer, progress on individualizing therapy has been rather limited, researchers from the UK and USA reported in The Lancet this week...
Breast Cancer - MRI Does Not Help, Even Though Usage Grows
11/20/2011
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is increasingly used to help doctors decide on treatment options for breast cancer patients, despite there being very little evidence that this type of imaging has any benefit, researchers from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA, reported in The Lancet series of articles...
Treatable Weakness In Lethal Form Of Prostate Cancer Identified
11/20/2011
A recent report in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggests that a new treatment may be on the horizon for neuroendocrine prostate cancers, the most lethal subtype of this disease. Mark Rubin, M.D...
New Device Has Potential To Revolutionize Lung Cancer Screening And Diagnosis
11/20/2011
The metabolism of lung cancer patients is different than the metabolism of healthy people. And so the molecules that make up cancer patients' exhaled breath are different too. A new device pioneered at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and Nobel-Prize-winning Technion University in Haifa, Israel uses gold nanoparticles to trap and define these molecules in exhaled breath...
Research Calls For More Personalized Approach To Smear Tests
11/20/2011
Women's personal testimonies of cervical smear testing in the UK show that their experiences are often far from positive, says a new study from the University of Leicester published in the international journal Family Practice...
Protecting Intestine From Radiation Injury With Probiotic
11/20/2011
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that taking a probiotic before radiation therapy can protect the intestine from damage - at least in mice. The new study suggests that taking a probiotic also may help cancer patients avoid intestinal injury, a common problem in those receiving radiation therapy for abdominal cancers...
Performing And Teaching Breast Examinations For Early Breast Cancer Detection
11/20/2011
MammaCare, a revolutionary tool that has set standards for teaching women and clinicians how to perform clinical breast exams, is training professionals around the country to detect lumps earlier and save lives. Widely-publicized statistics inform women about the importance of early detection of cancer...