Oncology news
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Screening for and treatment of an early form of breast cancer has been found to prevent subsequent invasive cancer, according to research led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
Women with a history of a false-positive mammogram result may be at increased risk of developing breast cancer for up to 10 years after the false-positive result, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
In a new study published today in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, scientists from the University of Surrey have uncovered a collection of important proteins that carry out and regulate critical biological processes. As the malfunctioning of these proteins and processes are linked to diseases such as cancer, their findings could help with the development of more effective therapies for treating incurable and debilitating illnesses.
Targeted therapies and the consequent adoption of “personalized” oncology have achieved notable successes in some cancers; however, significant problems remain with this approach. Many targeted therapies are highly toxic, costs are extremely high, and most patients experience relapse after a few disease-free months. Relapses arise from genetic heterogeneity in tumours, which harbour therapy-resistant immortalised cells that have adopted alternate and compensatory pathways. An international task force of 180 scientists was assembled by a Canadian NGO called “Getting to Know Cancer” to explore the concept of a low-toxicity “broad-spectrum” therapeutic approach that could simultaneously target many key pathways and mechanisms.
Cetuximab is one of the key therapies for metastatic colorectal cancer. Yet the cancer still returns in some patients, shortening overall survival. A study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center may help explain why the body sometimes becomes resistant to this therapy.
A study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that a new test for prostate cancer is better at detecting aggressive cancer than PSA. The new test, which has undergone trial in 58,818 men, discovers aggressive cancer earlier and reduces the number of false positive tests and unnecessary biopsies. The results are published in The Lancet Oncology [1].
Women with naturally higher levels of the sex hormone oestrogen are more than 50 per cent less likely to develop bowel cancer after their menopause than women with low levels, according to research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute [1].
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, has evaluated the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat. A summary of the evaluations has been published in The Lancet Oncology [1].
The TAILORx prospective study provides the best evidence yet that a 21 gene assay can identify women with breast cancer who can be spared chemotherapy, reports the New England Journal of Medicine [1].
Bowel cancer can be divided up into four distinct diseases, each with its own set of biological characteristics, a major new study reports.
By detecting cancer at an early stage, or even predicting who has an increased risk of being affected, the possibilities to treat the disease can be radically improved. In an international study led from Uppsala University the researchers have discovered that apparently healthy breast cells contain genetic aberrations that can be associated with an increased risk for non-familial breast cancer. The results have been published in the journal Genome Research [1].
There might be a beneficial effect of a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil in the primary prevention of breast cancer. Results of a randomised clinical trial have been recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine [1].
Cancer Research UK scientists have for the first time identified that there are five distinct types of prostate cancer and found a way to distinguish between them, according to a landmark study published in EBioMedicine [1].
Hereditary colorectal cancers, caused by inherited gene mutations, are relatively rare for most patients. However, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a particularly high prevalence of hereditary cancers among those diagnosed with the disease before the age of 35. They suggest that these patients should undergo genetic counseling to determine if their families may be at an elevated risk.
Around half of all breast cancer patients could one day benefit from having the cheap and widely-available female hormone progesterone added to their treatment, according to Cancer Research UK-funded research published in Nature today.
A protein encoded by the gene glypican-1 (GPC1) present on cancer exosomes may be used as part of a potential non-invasive diagnostic and screening tool to detect early pancreatic cancer, potentially at a stage amenable to surgical treatment, according to a study [1] at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
A new analysis indicates that rates of high-grade cervical lesions decreased in young US women after vaccines were made available to protect against human papillomavirus (HPV), but the trend may be due in part to changes in cervical cancer screening recommendations.
A single dose of the bivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (Cervarix®, GlaxoSmithKline group of companies) may offer a similar level of protection against HPV-16/18 infections, which cause about 70% of cervical cancers, as the current two- and three-dose schedules, according to new research combining data from two large phase 3 trials published in The Lancet Oncology [1, 2].
Being very overweight in your teens may double the risk of developing bowel cancer by the time you are middle aged, suggests research published online in the journal Gut [1].
A new large study finds that women who are diagnosed with breast cancer and have a family history of the disease face no worse of a prognosis after treatment than other women with breast cancer. The study, which was published recently in the BJS (British Journal of Surgery) [1], offers a positive message for women who may worry about their future in light of a family history of breast cancer.
The chances of being cured of breast cancer have increased in recent decades, however if the tumour has metastasised, the disease remains essentially incurable. One reason for this could be that the metastases are detected late, after they have grown enough to cause symptoms or be seen on a radiological scan. If they could be found sooner, it might be possible to treat the new tumours. Research findings from Lund University in Sweden now provide new hope for a way of detecting metastases significantly earlier than is currently possible.
Men with naturally high levels of the female hormone oestrogen may have a greater risk of developing breast cancer, according to research by an international collaboration including Cancer Research UK published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology [1].
UK researchers claim living a healthy lifestyle before diagnosis could improve a person’s chances of surviving bowel cancer. Findings from Imperial College London suggest eating a balanced diet, keeping physically active and maintaining a healthy weight were associated with an improved likelihood of survival.
A test for a wide range of genetic risk factors could improve doctors’ ability to work out which women are at increased risk of developing breast cancer, a major study of more than 65,000 women has shown.
Having a family history of prostate cancer among first-degree relatives may increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER [1], a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
A new analysis led by researchers at the American Cancer Society in collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) finds lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in females in developed countries.
Men and women who worry about cancer are more likely to want to get screened for colon cancer, but feeling uncomfortable at the thought of cancer makes them less likely to actually go for the test, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Postmenopausal women who were metabolically unhealthy, as assessed by insulin abnormalities, were at increased risk for breast cancer compared with their metabolically healthy counterparts, according to a study published in Cancer Research. This was the case for both overweight and normal-weight individuals.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization’s specialised cancer agency, strongly disagrees with the conclusion of a scientific report on the causes of human cancer published in Science on 2 January 2015 by Dr Cristian Tomasetti and Dr Bert Vogelstein.
Screening for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection alone gives more accurate results than Pap (smear) testing for cervical cancer, say the authors of two papers to published today in the journal Gynecologic Oncology. HPV infection causes almost all cervical cancer, and it is estimated that more than half of sexually active people are infected with HPV at some point in their lives. Now new research has shown that in many cases, an HPV test alone can be used for cervical cancer screening instead of a Pap or cotesting with both an HPV and a Pap test, the researchers say.