Cancer
Migraines Could Cut Breast Cancer Risk
Women who have a history of migraine headaches are far less likely to develop breast cancer than other women, U.S. researchers said Thursday. The study was the first to look at the relationship between breast cancer and migraines, and its findings may point to new ways of reducing a woman's breast cancer risk, they said. "We found that, overall, women who had a history of migraines had a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who did not have a history of such headaches," said Dr. Christopher Li, whose findings appear in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. Li, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, said the reduction in risk was for the most common types... More »
Dendreon Presents Integrated Analysis Of Clinical Data From Neuvenge Trials At Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium
SEATTLE -- Dendreon Corporation today will present a summary of Phase 1 clinical data of NEUVENGE(TM) (lapuleucel-T), an investigational active cellular immunotherapy, at the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium in New York City. The presentation, which integrates the data from two clinical trials, highlights the safety profile, immune response and clinical activity of NEUVENGE in patients with HER2/neu-positive cancer who have failed standard therapy. "We are encouraged by the significant immune responses generated to NEUVENGE in these trials, which included patients with advanced breast, ovarian and colon cancer," said John W. Park, M.D., associate clinical professor of medicine and neurosurgery at the University of Califo... More »
Genes May Alter Esophageal Cancer Risk
HOUSTON -- U.S. cancer scientists say they have found variations in a common gene pathway can affect esophageal cancer risk. University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center scientists said their study is the first to look at the association between genetic variations related to microRNAs and esophageal cancer. "Previous research has shown miRNAs control approximately one-third of human genes and may play a part in cancer risk," said Dr. Xifeng Wu, the study's lead author. "But whether genetic variants of miRNA-related genes influence esophageal cancer has largely remained unknown." The researchers said they found seven genotypes were significantly associated with esophageal cancer risk, and four more showed at least a... More »
PharmaCom BioVet, Inc. To Provide Novel Canine Cancer Treatment Programs To Meet Exploding Pet Care Demand
RALEIGH -- PharmaCom BioVet, Inc. is pleased to announce that their new Canine Cancer Treatment Centers will provide state-of-the-art cancer technologies to meet the growing demand for effective treatment of companion animals afflicted with lymphoma and other forms of cancer. Concurrent with human trends for increasing life spans, companion animals are also living longer. According to a recent report by Tatjana Meerman, Publisher of Packaged Facts, Rockville, Maryland, "Pets are living longer because their owners are taking better care of them, both medically and nutritionally." The report continues by stating that the ever growing bond between pet owners and their companion animals means, "...an increased willingness amo... More »
The Influence Of Statin Medications On Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels
BERKELEY -- Christopher P. Evans, M.D. reports on the following: Dr. Robert J. Hamilton and associates report statin use lowers PSA levels, and as a result may confound the detection of prostate cancer (CaP) in these patients. In this study, the investigators sought to determine the effect of statins on serum PSA levels. A retrospective study population of 1,214 men who had filled an outpatient prescription for a statin between 1990 and 2006 was identified in the Durham VA Medical Center database. Men were excluded if they had a diagnosis of CaP, underwent treatment for CaP, had a TURP or prostatitis or were treated with either dutasteride or finasteride. Pre- and post-statin initiation PSA and LDL levels were required.... More »
Clinical Study Recommends The Use Of Breast MRI For Preoperative Evaluation Of Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patients
NORTH ANDOVER -- Aurora Imaging Technology Inc. is proud to announce that the Aurora(R) Dedicated Breast MRI System was exclusively utilized in a large clinical study that demonstrated the significance of preoperative breast MRI for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, while producing no delay in treatment. The study, co-sponsored by Mercy Health Center and Breast MRI of Oklahoma LLC, was published by the American Journal of Surgery. Alan Hollingsworth, M.D., medical director and breast surgeon at Mercy Women's Center at Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City, and his colleagues included 603 patients from March 2003 through December 2006 -- the largest single-site study of preoperative patients ever published on MRI for... More »
FDA Seeks Regulation Of DNA Tests
Tests that allow individuals a sneak peek at their genetic predisposition for everything from baldness to breast cancer have fueled dozens of startups, including one that says it can predetermine the likelihood of a successful romantic relationship by analyzing specific genes in DNA. But regulatory guidance has struggled to keep up with all of the advances in genomic medicine, which has advanced at a rapid rate since completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. The 13-year scientific research project coordinated by the Department of Energy and National Institutes of Health has identified more than 20,000 genes in human DNA. The FDA is just now reaching the point where it can provide further guidance on a host of new diagnosti... More »
Ikonisys Receives FDA Clearance For Non-Invasive, HER-2 Breast Cancer Test
Ikonisys, a leading provider of next generation, non-invasive, cell-based diagnostic solutions, announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its oncoFISH her2 test. oncoFISH her2 is a fully automated microscopy application for the determination of HER2 status in human breast cancer specimens processed with Abbott's PathVysion(R) HER2 DNA Probe Kit. The test runs on the company's proprietary CellOptics(R) platform, featuring the Ikoniscope(R), a proprietary high-throughput, digital microscope, and provides "walk-away" automated testing of the HER2 gene to provide an early and accurate indication for gene amplification. Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women in the... More »
Lung Cancer Often Gets Pushed To The Back Of The Line By Misconceptions
They call it "The Invisible Cancer." It develops and grows quietly, stealthily -- invisibly -- typically causing no noticeable symptoms until it's way too late. Only about 15 percent of those who are diagnosed with the invisible cancer survive even five years. Which begs the obvious question: How can a disease that kills more than 160,000 Americans a year -- making it the deadliest of all cancers -- still be invisible? Shouldn't it be visible by now? Theoretically, yes, lung cancer -- the invisible cancer -- should be more than a mere blip on America's cancer radar. Other forms of the disease -- breast cancer for women, prostate cancer for men, just to name a couple -- tend to grab the headlines, the public sympathy and, not coinci... More »
Study Seeks To Solve Tamoxifen Resistance
WASHINGTON -- U.S. scientists say an estrogen receptor may be a key player in tamoxifen resistance, explaining why lobular carcinomas don't respond well to the drug. The Georgetown University Medical Center researchers said their findings might provide a way to identify patients using tamoxifen -- the most commonly used breast cancer prevention and treatment drug -- who have become resistant and no longer benefit from the drug. That would allow doctors to try other therapy options sooner. Professor Robert Clarke and his team found breast cancer cells resistant to tamoxifen display few "alpha" estrogen receptors, but many more "gamma" estrogen-related receptors, which tamoxifen seems to activate. "Until now, this (ga... More »