Cancer
2 Studies Shed Light On Racial Disparities In Cancer Survival
Black women diagnosed with breast cancer have a greater chance of dying from the disease than white women, according to a new study published online July 7 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Age-standardized breast cancer mortality rates in the U.S. have remained higher and declined more slowly among black women. This study was undertaken because the underlying causes of this disparity were unclear. To explore this, Idan Menashe, Ph.D., of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute, in Rockville, Md., and colleagues used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program to investigate almost 250,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer from January 1990 through December 2003. Re... More »
CBP501 Enters Phase II Trials For The Treatment Of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
CanBas Co., Ltd. (Numazu, Shizuoka, "CanBas") and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Osaka, "Takeda") together with Takeda's wholly-owned subsidiary Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company (Cambridge, MA, "Millennium") announced the advancement of CBP501 into Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Current pre-clinical data suggest that CBP501 has the potential to induce cancer cell death through a mechanism of action that blocks the ability of cancer cells to transition through the cell cycle. Data from a previous Phase I study indicate that CBP501 may enhance anti-cancer cytotoxic activity when combined with selected chemotherapeutic drugs. CanBas and Takeda signed a collabora... More »
Study Shows Endoscopic Surgery As Effective Open Surgery For Nasal Cancer
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that endoscopic surgery is a valid treatment option for treating esthesioneuroblastoma (cancer of the nasal cavity), in addition to traditional open surgery and nonsurgical treatments. These findings appear in the July issue of Laryngoscope. Esthesioneuroblastoma is a very rare cancer that develops in the upper part of the nasal cavity and thought to derive from neural tissue associated with the sense of smell. While this tumor generally grows slowly, in some cases it progresses rapidly and aggressively. The faster growing tumors are capable of widespread metastasis. According to the BUSM researchers, the complex nature of this tumor has led to much debate regarding the... More »
Israeli Researchers Find Cellphone Possibly Linked To Salivary Gland Cancer
JERUSALEM -- Israeli researchers find cellphone possibly linked to salivary gland cancer Israeli researchers find cellphone possibly linked to salivary gland cancer Israeli researchers have detected a possible link between cellphone usage and salivary gland cancer, local daily Ha'aretz reported on Thursday. The research project, commissioned by the Israel Dental Association and directed by dental expert Avi Zini from the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, examined the incidence of oral cancers in Israel from 1970 to 2006, and noticed a sharp rise in the number of parotid gland cancer cases, said the report. The parotid gland is the largest salivary gland in the human body, and is located under the... More »
Heavy Alcohol Use May Increase Prostate Cancer Risk
Men who drink heavily -- and often -- may be at an increased risk for prostate cancer, a new study shows. More »
Stanford Discovery Pinpoints New Connection Between Cancer Cells, Stem Cells
A molecule called telomerase, best known for enabling unlimited cell division of stem cells and cancer cells, has a surprising additional role in the expression of genes in an important stem cell regulatory pathway, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The unexpected finding may lead to new anticancer therapies and a greater understanding of how adult and embryonic stem cells divide and specialize. "Telomerase is the factor that accounts for the unlimited division of cancer cells," said Steven Artandi, MD, PhD, associate professor of hematology, "and we're very excited about what this connection might mean in human disease." Artandi is the senior author of the research, which will be published in the July 2 issu... More »
New Publication Confirms Critical Link Of LDH Biomarker In Genasense Trials To Overall Survival In Advanced Melanoma
BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. -- Genta Incorporated announced publication of a paper that independently confirms the link of a key biomarker to overall survival in patients with advanced melanoma. The biomarker, a tumor-derived enzyme known as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), is measured by a widely available blood test. Genta's recently completed Phase 3 trial of Genasense(R) in advanced melanoma, known as AGENDA, specified low-normal LDH as an enrollment criterion. Results for progression-free survival (PFS), a co-primary endpoint of AGENDA, are anticipated in the Fourth Quarter of this year. If positive, the AGENDA results are expected to support global regulatory applications for Genasense(R) in this indication. A previous rando... More »
Monitoring Circulating Tumor Cells With The CellSearch System Can Predict Prognosis In Metastatic Breast Cancer
RARITAN, N.J. -- Measuring the change in circulating tumor cell (CTC) count can accurately predict the prognosis and survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), according to a newly published report in the July 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The retrospective study compared how well CTCs and a more sensitive than conventional modality, fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT), predicted survival in MBC patients on standard therapies. The comparison showed that both technologies significantly correlate to overall MBC patient survival (pThe CellSearch(R) System is the first 510(k) diagnostic test used to automate the capture and detection of CTCs, tumor ce... More »
Vaccine Debate Shifts To Boys: New Questions Arise As Cancer Tied To HPV Is Rising In Men
Parents who face the dilemma of whether to protect their young daughters with a vaccine aimed at a sexually transmitted infection that causes cervical cancer now face a new question: Should they do the same for their sons? As evidence mounts of a rising number of other cancers linked to the human papillomavirus, or HPV, a debate has intensified over whether to give the vaccine to males. Advocates say vaccinating boys and men can prevent them from passing on the virus to their sexual partners. Critics still question the long-term safety and effectiveness of Merck & Co.'s Gardasil, despite studies indicating that its risks and lasting power are within the range of other vaccines. But a newer wrinkle in the debate is the discovery... More »
University Of Michigan Study Shows SEQUENOM'S Massarray Technology Identifies HPV Infections Missed By Standard Hybridization Test
SAN DIEGO and ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Results from a study published by the University of Michigan have shown that as many as 15% of women in the study group determined to be negative for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the cervix, via the most commonly used test for HPV DNA, may actually be infected with the virus at clinically relevant viral loads. PCR-MS detected the presence of high-risk HPV in nearly half (46.7%) of women who tested negative by the Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) test, which is standard of care in many countries. Approximately 9,000 American women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year despite regular cervical screening. The study, titled, Development and Evaluation of a PCR and Mass Spectroscopy... More »