Cancer
Personalized Blood Tests for Cancer Use Whole Genome Sequencing
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have used data from the whole genome sequencing of cancer patients to develop individualized blood tests they believe can help physicians tailor patients' treatments. The genome-based blood tests, believed to be the first of their kind, may be used to monitor tumor levels after therapy... »
Rituxan Approved to Treat Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Rituxan (rituximab) to treat certain patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a slowly progressing blood and bone marrow cancer. Rituxan, an anti-cancer drug, is intended for patients with CLL who are beginning chemotherapy for the first time and for those who have not responded to other... »
Natural Compound Sceptrin Reduces Cancer Cell Motility
Scientists have discovered that the natural compound sceptrin, which is found in marine sponges, reduces cancer cell motility (movement) and has very low toxicity. Metastasis is one of the deadliest aspects of cancer, so restricting aberrant cell movement is an important step towards advancing treatments. The research was was conducted by investigators at... »
Barriers to Screening May Increase Colorectal Cancer Deaths
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Despite evidence and guidelines supporting the value of screening for this disease, rates of screening for colorectal cancer are consistently lower than those for other types of cancer, particularly breast and cervical. Although the screening rates in the target population... »
New Technique Shows Which Patients Will Benefit from Avastin for Brain Tumor Treatment
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Avastin last month for the treatment of brain cancer. The powerful drug shrinks tumors by choking off their blood supply. However, about fifty percent of patients don’t respond to the therapy, exposing them to unnecessary side effects and medication costing up to $10,000 per... »
Targeted Therapy Delivers Chemo Directly to Ovarian Cancer Cells
With a novel therapeutic delivery system, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has successfully targeted a protein that is over-expressed in ovarian cancer cells. Using the EphA2 protein as a molecular homing mechanism, chemotherapy was delivered in a highly selective manner in preclinical models... »
Chemotherapy Drug Resistance Linked to Genetic Variant in Women with Breast Cancer
Researchers have found links between an individual's genetics and their response to treatment with chemotherapy. The findings, by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues, show how a genetic variant, located in the SOD2 gene, may affect how a person responds to the chemotherapy drug... »
Early Detection of Digestive Cancers in Multiple Organs with DNA Stool Test
Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated that a noninvasive screening test can detect not only colorectal cancer but also the common cancers above the colon -- including pancreas, stomach, biliary and esophageal cancers. »
Experimental Therapy Uses Body’s Immune System to Increase Cure Rate in Neuroblastoma Patients
A multicenter research team has announced encouraging results for an experimental therapy using elements of the body’s immune system to improve cure rates for children with neuroblastoma, a challenging cancer of the nervous system. »
Should Patients Have Access to Investigational Unapproved Drugs?
As a cancer physician, I often cared for patients who found themselves in very desperate medical situations. When all available approved treatment alternatives have been exhausted, many patients are willing to try investigational or restricted therapies- -but then learn they are not eligible for the protocols that govern their use. What are such desperate... »