Discovery Of Gene Associated With Blood Cancers
9/28/2011
A genomic study of chronic blood cancer - a precursor to leukaemia - has discovered gene mutations that could enable diagnosis using only a blood test, avoiding the need for an invasive and painful bone marrow biopsy. Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute identified the SF3B1 gene as being frequently mutated in myelodysplasia, one of the most common forms of blood cancer...
Long-Term Follow-Up Shows Effectiveness Of Shorter Radiation Course For Prostate Cancer
9/28/2011
A shorter course of radiation treatment that delivers higher doses of radiation per day in fewer days (hypofractionation) is as effective in decreasing intermediate to high-risk prostate cancer from returning as conventional radiation therapy at five years after treatment, according to a randomized trial to be presented at the plenary session, October 3, 2011, at the 53rdAnnual...
For Prostate Cancer Patients, IMRT Has Less Harmful Rectal Side Effects Than 3D-CRT
9/28/2011
Men with localized prostate cancer treated with a newer technology, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), have more than a quarter (26 percent) fewer late bowel and rectal side effects and a statistically improved lower dose of radiation to the bladder and rectum, compared to those who undergo 3D-CRT, according to a randomized study presented at the plenary session Octo...
Discovery Of Gene Associated With Blood Cancers
9/28/2011
A genomic study of chronic blood cancer - a precursor to leukaemia - has discovered gene mutations that could enable diagnosis using only a blood test, avoiding the need for an invasive and painful bone marrow biopsy. Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute identified the SF3B1 gene as being frequently mutated in myelodysplasia, one of the most common forms of blood cancer...
Chemo Plus Radiation Before Surgery Increases Tumor Response For Rectal Cancer
9/28/2011
Rectal cancer patients who use a new combination of the chemotherapy, Capecitabine, together with five weeks of radiation (50 Gy) before surgery have an 88 percent chance of surviving the cancer three years after treatment, according to a randomized trial to be presented at the plenary session, October 3, 2011, at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)...
Drug Used To Protect Bone May Extend Survival In Older Breast Cancer Patients
9/28/2011
The AZURE trial, led by Professor Robert Coleman from the University of Sheffield, has revealed that the bisphosphonate drug zoledronic acid boosts disease-free survival in postmenopausal breast cancer patients but may have an adverse effect on younger women...
Manuka Honey Shows Potential For Radiation-Induced Dermatitis
9/27/2011
New findings point to a possible role for manuka honey in the prevention of clinically significant radiation-induced dermatitis in breast cancer patients. The results, from a phase 2 study reported at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress (EMCC), show that the product may also decrease the duration of dermatitis episodes...
More Accurate Diagnosis Of Lung Cancer Possible With Diffusion-Weighted MRI Scan
9/27/2011
Belgian investigators presented new research at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Amsterdam. They discovered that a diffusion-weighted MRI scan (a new method of diagnostic imaging) could enable more accurate diagnosis of lung cancer and therefore prevent unnecessary surgery...
Could Targeting A Virus Treat A Common Pediatric Brain Tumor?
9/27/2011
Medulloblastomas are the most common cancerous (malignant) brain tumors in children. Although survival rates have improved over the years, medulloblastoma remains associated with substantial mortality, and long-term survivors often suffer debilitating effects from the intensive treatments...
Radical Change Needed To Deliver Affordable Cancer Care In Developed Countries
9/27/2011
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and morbidity worldwide, and its economic burden grows year by year. In 2008, the worldwide cost of cancer due to premature death and disability, excluding direct medical costs, was estimated to be US$895 billion...