After thyroid cancer, measuring segments of genetic material may help predict and monitor recurrence
10/30/2013
A new analysis has found that the presence of short segments of genetic material (known as microRNA) within papillary thyroid cancer tumors suggests a likelihood of recurrence after patients undergo surgery...
Lipid secreted by tumors acts like 'invisibility cloak'
10/30/2013
Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered how a lipid secreted by cancer tumors prevents the immune system from mounting an immune response against it. When lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) binds to killer T cells, it acts almost like an "invisibility cloak," preventing T cells from recognizing and attacking nascent tumors...
VisionGate's 3D imaging platform accurately detects lung cancer in sputum
10/30/2013
VisionGate, Inc., a company developing a revolutionary non-invasive test for the early detection of lung cancer, has reported clinical data showing that its automated 3D cell imaging platform, the Cell-CT™, can detect lung cancer in sputum samples with high sensitivity and specificity...
Possible resistance mechanisms of colorectal cancer to bevacizumab (Avastin)
10/30/2013
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the journal PLOS ONE shows that when colorectal cancer is targeted by the drug bevacizumab (Avastin), tumors may switch dependence from VEGF-A, which is targeted by the drug, to related growth factors in including VEGF-C, VEGF-D and placental growth factor...
Suicide risk higher in youths with cancer diagnosis
10/30/2013
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is difficult to hear at any age, but new research suggests that teens and young adults who are diagnosed with the disease have an increased risk for suicide. Researchers say it could be related to their stress-coping strategies, which may not yet be fully developed...
2 related genes underlie the development of two rare bone tumours in nearly all patients
10/30/2013
Scientists have made a rare discovery that allows them to attribute two types of tumour almost entirely to specific mutations that lie in two related genes. These mutations are found in nearly 100 per cent of patients suffering from two rare bone tumours; chondroblastoma and giant cell tumour of the bone...
Mechanisms and potential biomarkers identified for tumor cell dormancy
10/30/2013
Oncologists have long puzzled over the fact that after cancer treatment, single cancer cells that are dispersed throughout the body - so-called disseminated tumor cells - are quick to grow and form secondary tumors called metastases in certain organs, while in other organs they metastasize more slowly, sometimes decades later...
South Asian-Canadians living in Peel Region may be 15 per cent less likely than other Ontarians to be screened for breast, cervical or colorectal cancer, making them much more vulnerable to cancer deaths. The findings were published in a report by researchers at the Centre for Research on Inner City Health. Peel Region - a municipality comprised of Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga - has 1...
Molecular switch targeted in malaria mosquitoes
10/30/2013
Half of the world's population is at risk of getting malaria - about 3.3 billion people - according to the World Health Organziation (WHO). And although prevention and control measures have led to a reduction in mortality rates, WHO estimates that 660,000 people died of this disease in 2010. Malaria is particularly prevalent in Africa's poorest countries...
Molecular switch discovered that could lead to anti-clotting drugs with less risk of bleeding
10/29/2013
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a molecular switch that causes small, beneficial clots that stop bleeding to enlarge further during wound healing. By blocking this switch in lab mice, the researchers prevented small clots from growing -- a process that can pose a danger in humans -- while preserving their ability to staunch bleeding...