Oncology news

The workshop “Cancer Screening Programmes in the Czech Republic and Importance of Personalised Invitation”, held on 5 December 2013 in the Clarion Congress Hotel Prague, was organised by the Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses at the Masaryk University in cooperation with the WHO Office in the Czech Republic, the Kolorektum.cz Initiative, and the Office of Member of the European Parliament Dr. Pavel Poc. The workshop was held under the auspices of Martin Holcát, MD, MBA (Czech Minister of Health), Alena Šteflová, PhD, MPH (Director of the WHO Office in the Czech Republic), and Dr. Pavel Poc (Member of the European Parliament).

Cancer survival still varies widely between European countries despite major improvements in cancer diagnosis and treatment during the first decade of the 21st century, according to the latest EUROCARE-5 reports. The good news for citizens of the Czech Republic is that survival times of cancer patients in this country are significantly longer than survival times of cancer patients in other East European countries.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization, today released the latest data on cancer incidence, mortality, and prevalence worldwide.

Health at a Glance is published by OECD every two years, providing the assessment and comparison of health care in individual member countries based on clearly defined indicators. In the area of cancer care, Health at a Glance primarily focuses on three diagnoses which can be detected at early stages, and for which organised screening programmes are widely recommended: colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and cervical cancer.

On 30 October 2013, OECD published “Cancer Care” [1] as a summary of indicators for care provided to cancer patients in participating countries. According to the attached “country note” for the Czech Republic [2], cancer outcomes could be further improved, despite recent improvements in survival rates of cancer patients. Estimated 5-year survival rates for selected cancers are lower than the OECD average, and mortality rates are generally high, as a result of high cancer incidence rates among the Czech population, and a relatively late diagnosis.

Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) in European countries is highly effective in reducing mortality from the disease. Some of the resources currently being devoted to breast and prostate screening programmes, where the evidence of effectiveness is much less clear-cut, should be reallocated to the early detection of CRC.

Cancer Research UK scientists have identified a link between higher levels of sex hormones and an increased risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology.

Colorectal cancer survivors face an increased risk of developing subsequent cancers, particularly second colorectal cancers and small intestinal cancers. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The findings may help in the development of screening guidelines for patients with a history of colorectal cancer.

Melbourne researchers have discovered that anti-cancer compounds currently in clinical trials for some types of leukaemia could offer hope for treating the most common type of breast cancer.

A new study has found that long-term night shift work in a diverse mix of occupations is associated with increased breast cancer risk.

A new study looking at the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in girls and women before and after the introduction of the HPV vaccine shows a significant reduction in vaccine-type HPV in U.S. teens. The study, published in [the June issue of] The Journal of Infectious Diseases reveals that since the vaccine was introduced in 2006, vaccine-type HPV prevalence decreased 56 percent among female teenagers 14-19 years of age.

Findings that have just been published in the journal Familial Cancer [1] show that women under the age of 40 at higher risk of breast cancer who went for mammographic screening had their breast cancer detected at an earlier, more easily treatable stage, potentially improving their chance of survival.

Testing women for the human papillomavirus (HPV) first, instead of using the traditional cervical screening test to detect abnormal cells in the cervix, could prevent around 600 cases of cervical cancer a year in England.

The body’s own immune system’s fight against breast cancer is controlled by genetic ‘fine tuners’, known as microRNAs, according to a study [1] published in Nature today.

While European countries have made substantial progress in implementing some tobacco control measures – such as advertising bans and prioritising smoke-free policies – the third Series paper shows that European tobacco control nonetheless falls short in a number of areas, and implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) remains patchy, at best, in most European countries.

Smoking increased the risk for developing colon cancer, and female smokers may have a greater risk than male smokers, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Tamoxifen and three similar drugs reduce breast cancer incidence by 38 per cent in women at an increased risk of the disease according to a Cancer Research UK study published in The Lancet [1].

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method for assessing the effect of tamoxifen, a common drug to prevent the relapse of breast cancer. The key lies in monitoring changes in the proportion of dense tissue, which appears white on a mammogram, during treatment. Women who show a pronounced reduction in breast density during tamoxifen treatment have a fifty per cent reduction in breast cancer mortality. This tool provides doctors with the possibility to assess whether a patient is responding to tamoxifen at an early phase of treatment.

A unique sub-type of bowel cancer has been discovered which has a worse outcome than other types of colon cancer and is resistant to certain targeted treatments, according to research published today in Nature Medicine (Sunday).

Do you know how to fight or avoid colorectal cancer? Are you a patient, doctor, policy-maker or neither but want to know more?

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is still the most common newly diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of cancer deaths in Europe. More than 200,000 Europeans die every year from malignant tumours of the colon and rectum. However, many of these deaths can be avoided. Effective and safe colorectal cancer prevention and early detection are the key factors which can reduce both incidence and mortality of the disease.

In women who have a potentially or mildly abnormal cervical smear, using a DNA-based test can identify those at higher risk of having precursors of cervical cancer, according to a new Cochrane systematic review. The authors found that the DNA-based test identified patients in possible need of treatment more accurately than a repeat smear test.

A new study that combines genetic information on bowel cancer with NHS patient outcome data has found a link between family history of the disease and a better chance of survival, published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Women with triple-negative breast cancer are more likely to have high levels of the MET biomarker in their tumours, making it a good new target for cancer drugs according to research published in the British Journal of Cancer, today (Wednesday).

A study that compared the benefits and harms of the frequency of screening mammography to age, breast density and postmenopausal use of hormone therapy (HT) suggests that woman aged 50 to 74 years who undergo biennial screenings have a similar risk of advanced-stage disease and a lower cumulative risk of false-positive results than those who get mammograms annually, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Completion rates for the human papillomavirus vaccine series across both genders continue to remain alarmingly low nearly seven years after its introduction, suggesting that better patient education and increased public vaccine financing programs are needed, according to new research from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

Researchers have for the first time calculated by how much radiotherapy for breast cancer increases the risk of heart disease and the findings can now be used by doctors to help treat patients more appropriately, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine today (Wednesday).

Breast tumour DNA circulating in the bloodstream could be used to measure how well a woman’s cancer is responding to treatment, according to a new Cancer Research UK study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A new study of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) has concluded that diets high in processed meats are linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer and early deaths.

Visceral fat, or fat stored deep in the abdominal cavity, is directly linked to an increased risk for colon cancer, according to data from a mouse study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Combating the tobacco industry’s tactics in the world’s poorest countries as well as ensuring the best cancer vaccines are available to those most in need are key in order to reduce the number of cancer deaths worldwide, according to a new report published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, today (Wednesday).

Results from a new American Cancer Society study support the hypothesis that smoking is associated with increased breast cancer risk for women who initiate smoking before first birth. The study, which appears online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggests that smoking might play a role in initiating breast cancer.

Bowel cancer cells missing one of three genes can rapidly reshuffle their genetic ‘pack of cards’ – the chromosomes that hold the cell’s genetic information. This reshuffling has been previously shown to render tumours more resistant to treatment.

Herceptin may be effective against more types of breast cancer than previously thought, according to US research.

An increasing body mass index was associated with a higher risk for colorectal cancer with a specific molecular characteristic, and inversely, physical activity was linked to a decreased risk for that same cancer, according to data published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Having too many copies of a gene linked to breast cancer might be the reason why some bowel cancer patients fail to respond to certain targeted drugs, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer (1).

A scan that offers patients a less invasive test, sometimes called a ‘virtual colonoscopy’, is more effective than the traditional X-ray test of barium enema and should now be considered alongside the ‘gold standard’ of colonoscopy for investigating patients with a possible bowel cancer.

Genetic errors driving the majority of breast cancers may be caused by a hyperactive enzyme called APOBEC3B, according to US researchers.

Work-related stress does not increase the risk of developing cancer, according to a comprehensive analysis of previous studies.

The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) today announced that 1.5 million lives which would be lost to cancer, could be saved per year if decisive measures are taken to achieve the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ‘25 by 25’ target; to reduce premature deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 25% by 2025 (*).

A new analysis has found that lumpectomy plus radiation for early breast cancer may provide patients with a better chance of survival than mastectomy. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the results provide confidence in the efficacy of breast-conserving treatments even among patients with aggressive, early disease.

The average skin cancer risk from sunbeds is more than double that of spending the same length of time in the Mediterranean midday summer sun – according to new research from the University of Dundee and published today in the British Journal of Dermatology.

DNA from cervical screening samples could also be used to detect ovarian and womb (endometrial) cancers, according to preliminary US research.

Despite the decline in cancer death rates in the U.S., there is an increase in incidence rates for cancers associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and more efforts are needed to increase HPV vaccination coverage levels to prevent the occurrence of these cancers in the future according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.