from BBC News:
Drug 'cuts long-term cancer risk'
"Tamoxifen reduces the risk of breast cancer long after women stop taking the drug, research suggests."
from MD Anderson:
Gene Expression Test Reveals ER and HER-2 Status of Breast Tumors
"Two critical characteristics of breast cancer that are important to treatment can be identified by measuring gene expression in the tumor, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in Lancet Oncology online."
from CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians:
Preserving Primary Care: the Front Line in the War Against Cancer
"A recent report by the Commonwealth Fund meticulously documents that the US health care system delivers disturbingly low quality at a very high price.1 Many individuals struggle with obtaining adequate access to care. For both the general public and the cancer patient, lack of access impacts care delivery at every point along the spectrum—from prevention through treatment and end of life. Increasingly, spotlights are being focused on the root causes of this health care crisis, and new paradigms are emerging to address quality gaps. These include a focus on measuring and paying for quality as opposed to volume of care."
Thursday, February 22, 2007
from SickKids Hospital (an affiliate of the University of Toronto):
SickKids researchers find prenatal multivitamins reduces risk of childhood cancers
"Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have found that taking prenatal multivitamins fortified with folic acid can reduce the risk of three common childhood cancers: leukemia, brain tumours and neuroblastoma. This research was published online on February 21, 2007, in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics."
from the American Cancer Society:
Cancer Patients Can More Easily Navigate Health Care System Thanks to the American Cancer Society and AstraZeneca
"With major support from AstraZeneca, the American Cancer Society will accelerate development of at least 50 new Patient Navigator Program sites over the next five years in communities throughout the United States."
from the University of California in San Diego:
Study Shows Liver an Excellent Target for Cancer Gene Therapy Using Viral Vectors
"A featured paper in the February 14 issue of Nature Cancer Gene Therapy demonstrates that cancer cells in the liver are excellent targets for gene therapy using adenoviral vectors, based upon a fundamental new understanding of the differences between cancerous and normal liver cells. The findings signal a new way to treat cancers that have spread to the liver, such as metastatic cancers of the colon and breast."
from Sister Study:
The Sister Study
This is a study seeking participants of the environmental and genetic risk factors for Breast Cancer.
"The Sister Study is the only long-term study of women aged 35 to 74 whose sister had breast cancer. It is a national study to learn how environment and genes affect the chances of getting breast cancer. In the next 3 years, 50,000 women whose sister had breast cancer, and who do not have breast cancer themselves will be asked to join the study."
SickKids researchers find prenatal multivitamins reduces risk of childhood cancers
"Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have found that taking prenatal multivitamins fortified with folic acid can reduce the risk of three common childhood cancers: leukemia, brain tumours and neuroblastoma. This research was published online on February 21, 2007, in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics."
from the American Cancer Society:
Cancer Patients Can More Easily Navigate Health Care System Thanks to the American Cancer Society and AstraZeneca
"With major support from AstraZeneca, the American Cancer Society will accelerate development of at least 50 new Patient Navigator Program sites over the next five years in communities throughout the United States."
from the University of California in San Diego:
Study Shows Liver an Excellent Target for Cancer Gene Therapy Using Viral Vectors
"A featured paper in the February 14 issue of Nature Cancer Gene Therapy demonstrates that cancer cells in the liver are excellent targets for gene therapy using adenoviral vectors, based upon a fundamental new understanding of the differences between cancerous and normal liver cells. The findings signal a new way to treat cancers that have spread to the liver, such as metastatic cancers of the colon and breast."
from Sister Study:
The Sister Study
This is a study seeking participants of the environmental and genetic risk factors for Breast Cancer.
"The Sister Study is the only long-term study of women aged 35 to 74 whose sister had breast cancer. It is a national study to learn how environment and genes affect the chances of getting breast cancer. In the next 3 years, 50,000 women whose sister had breast cancer, and who do not have breast cancer themselves will be asked to join the study."
Monday, February 12, 2007
CANCER News
from ABC News:
DCA: Cancer Breakthrough or Urban Legend?
OPINION by LEN LICHTENFELD, M.D.
This is a great article about the recent upsurge in cancer news about DCA.
from the American Cancer Society:
Early Switch to an Aromatase Inhibitor Increases Survival
"For breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen, switching to an aromatase inhibitor within three years significantly improves survival rates, according to a new study. Published in the March 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study reveals that the clear survival benefit was also achieved without an increased risk of death from other causes – a significant risk associated with tamoxifen."
from ABC News:
DCA: Cancer Breakthrough or Urban Legend?
OPINION by LEN LICHTENFELD, M.D.
This is a great article about the recent upsurge in cancer news about DCA.
from the American Cancer Society:
Early Switch to an Aromatase Inhibitor Increases Survival
"For breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen, switching to an aromatase inhibitor within three years significantly improves survival rates, according to a new study. Published in the March 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study reveals that the clear survival benefit was also achieved without an increased risk of death from other causes – a significant risk associated with tamoxifen."
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
CANCER in the News
from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:
UCLA Researchers Discover Genes Linked to Lymphoma, Research Opens Way for New Targeted Drugs
"Researchers at The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have identified genes that when inactivated help cause B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). These genetic defects may also be involved in promoting the formation of other cancers since they can inactivate normal tumor-suppressing gene activities in a range of cell types."
from Onoclogy Podcasting:
New Drugs for Kidney Cancer
Video podcast on new treatments for renal cell cancer.
from the National Cancer Institute:
Cancer Stem Cells Found in Pancreatic Tumors
"Researchers have detected cancer stem cells in tumors from patients with pancreatic cancer. Experiments in mice suggest that these cancer stem cells may help explain the aggressive growth and spread of pancreatic tumors seen in patients, the researchers report in the February 1 Cancer Research.
Cancer stem cells have been identified in blood, brain, and breast cancers, and more recently in ovarian and colon cancers. The new findings provide further support for the stem cell hypothesis, the theory that some tumors contain small populations of self-renewing cells that give rise to all of the cells in the tumor."
Mammography Rates Decline in Women 40 and Older
"Mammography rates in women aged 40 and over have declined from 76.4 percent in 2000 to 74.6 percent in 2005, a statistically significant decrease."
from the American Cancer Society:
Cancer Still a Heavy Burden for African Americans
"The United States has made strides recently in improving the outlook for people with cancer. Deaths from the disease have dropped for two years in a row. But a new American Cancer Society report shows that progress has been slower among African Americans than people of other races in this country.
Death rates from cancer have been declining among both African American men and women, according to Cancer Facts & Figures for African Americans 2007-2008. "
Dr. Len's Cancer Blog:
DCA: Cancer Breakthrough Or Urban Legend?
"... an article appeared in the January 2007 issue of Cancer Cell, written by a researcher at the University of Alberta in Canada.
I do not know the researcher, but the institution is one that is a recognized, established University.
The basic gist of the research report is that cancer cells rely on certain energy pathways that are different from normal cells, similar to the situation that occurs in what we medically call lactic acidosis...
So before you start going out and adding DCA to your drinking water to prevent cancer, a degree of caution would be very prudent at this point...
I am acutely aware that there are cancer patients out there who are fighting every day for their survival, and are hoping that there is one last chance to get a treatment that may prolong or save their lives...
For some of you out there to inappropriately make them feel that DCA is the answer to their prayers based on this single early stage report in a medical research journal is, in my opinion, not acceptable at best and despicable at worst."
from the American Institute of Cancer Research:
Don’t Just Sit There: The Desk Decathlon
"Follow the instructions as you read along, and by the time you get to the end of this article, you’ll have completed a head-to-toe workout without leaving your desk.
These exercises emphasize flexibility and muscle tone. It may not be the kind of heart-pumping activity shown to improve cardiovascular health, burn calories and reduce cancer risk, but it’s a great way to take a mid-day break and keep up your energy. "
from CURE Magazine:
2007 Cancer Resource Guide
"CURE, in association with the American Cancer Society, brings you the 2007 Cancer Resource Guide—the most crucial cancer information that will guide you through each step of the journey."
from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:
UCLA Researchers Discover Genes Linked to Lymphoma, Research Opens Way for New Targeted Drugs
"Researchers at The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have identified genes that when inactivated help cause B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). These genetic defects may also be involved in promoting the formation of other cancers since they can inactivate normal tumor-suppressing gene activities in a range of cell types."
from Onoclogy Podcasting:
New Drugs for Kidney Cancer
Video podcast on new treatments for renal cell cancer.
from the National Cancer Institute:
Cancer Stem Cells Found in Pancreatic Tumors
"Researchers have detected cancer stem cells in tumors from patients with pancreatic cancer. Experiments in mice suggest that these cancer stem cells may help explain the aggressive growth and spread of pancreatic tumors seen in patients, the researchers report in the February 1 Cancer Research.
Cancer stem cells have been identified in blood, brain, and breast cancers, and more recently in ovarian and colon cancers. The new findings provide further support for the stem cell hypothesis, the theory that some tumors contain small populations of self-renewing cells that give rise to all of the cells in the tumor."
Mammography Rates Decline in Women 40 and Older
"Mammography rates in women aged 40 and over have declined from 76.4 percent in 2000 to 74.6 percent in 2005, a statistically significant decrease."
from the American Cancer Society:
Cancer Still a Heavy Burden for African Americans
"The United States has made strides recently in improving the outlook for people with cancer. Deaths from the disease have dropped for two years in a row. But a new American Cancer Society report shows that progress has been slower among African Americans than people of other races in this country.
Death rates from cancer have been declining among both African American men and women, according to Cancer Facts & Figures for African Americans 2007-2008. "
Dr. Len's Cancer Blog:
DCA: Cancer Breakthrough Or Urban Legend?
"... an article appeared in the January 2007 issue of Cancer Cell, written by a researcher at the University of Alberta in Canada.
I do not know the researcher, but the institution is one that is a recognized, established University.
The basic gist of the research report is that cancer cells rely on certain energy pathways that are different from normal cells, similar to the situation that occurs in what we medically call lactic acidosis...
So before you start going out and adding DCA to your drinking water to prevent cancer, a degree of caution would be very prudent at this point...
I am acutely aware that there are cancer patients out there who are fighting every day for their survival, and are hoping that there is one last chance to get a treatment that may prolong or save their lives...
For some of you out there to inappropriately make them feel that DCA is the answer to their prayers based on this single early stage report in a medical research journal is, in my opinion, not acceptable at best and despicable at worst."
from the American Institute of Cancer Research:
Don’t Just Sit There: The Desk Decathlon
"Follow the instructions as you read along, and by the time you get to the end of this article, you’ll have completed a head-to-toe workout without leaving your desk.
These exercises emphasize flexibility and muscle tone. It may not be the kind of heart-pumping activity shown to improve cardiovascular health, burn calories and reduce cancer risk, but it’s a great way to take a mid-day break and keep up your energy. "
from CURE Magazine:
2007 Cancer Resource Guide
"CURE, in association with the American Cancer Society, brings you the 2007 Cancer Resource Guide—the most crucial cancer information that will guide you through each step of the journey."
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Cancer News
From the American Cancer Society:
Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Prevention: Summary
"This document is a condensed version of the article describing the American Cancer Society (ACS) Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines, which are updated every 5 years. The guidelines were developed by the American Cancer Society 2006 Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee and approved by the American Cancer Society National Board of Directors on May 19, 2006. The full article, written for heath care professionals, is published in the September/October 2006 issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, and is available for free online at: http://caonline.amcancersoc.org/content/vol56/issue5/ "
Symptom Screening Advances Early Ovarian Cancer Detection
"Physicians generally consider ovarian cancer to be a “silent killer"...There is no effective screening test to detect early stage disease in the general population or even high-risk groups.
Recent evidence suggests that early-stage symptoms may be recognizable and could be used to develop a symptom index for early disease."
From MD Anderson:
Decline in Breast Cancer Cases Likely Linked to Reduced Use of Hormone Replacement
"But the researchers stress that because the analysis is based solely on population statistics, they cannot know for certain the reasons why incidence declined. "We have to sound a cautionary note because epidemiology can never prove causation," he says. They considered whether other effects may be involved (such as decreased use of screening mammography and changes in the use of anti-inflammatory agents, SERMs or statins) but only the potential impact of HRT was strong enough to explain the effect."
Allergy Drug Slows Pancreatic Tumor Growth in Preclinical Studies
"An anti-allergy drug in use for more than 40 years significantly reduced tumor growth in animal models of human pancreatic cancer and also increased the effectiveness of standard chemotherapy, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
In the Dec. 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the investigators report that combining the drug, cromolyn, with chemotherapy was nearly three times better at retarding growth of pancreatic tumors in mice compared to the chemotherapy agent gemcitabine alone.
The finding may lead to a treatment advance for patients with pancreatic cancer, believed to be the most lethal of all cancers. More than 95% of patients diagnosed with the disease die from it, and half of those deaths occur in the first six months after diagnosis."
Study Finds Lapatinib Shows Promise as Therapy for Inflammatory Breast Cancer: First multi-center clinical trial conducted for women with this rare disease
"In the first multi-center and international clinical trial conducted to better understand the complexities of a rare, aggressive and often lethal form of breast cancer, researchers have discovered that the experimental biological agent, lapatinib, successfully and specifically treats inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)."
From MacMillan Cancer Support:
Thousands of cancer patients lose their homes
Even though this survey was done in the UK, I think it's an important issue.
"New research out today shows one in seventeen (6%) people lose their home after being diagnosed with cancer and one in six (18%) have difficulties in keeping up with their mortgage or rental payments, according to Macmillan Cancer Support."
From UNC Chapel Hill Medical School:
Drug combination slows progression of treatment-resistant bone marrow cancer
"Combining a newly formulated drug with one that is already a standard treatment slows the progression of multiple myeloma, an advanced cancer of the bone marrow cells, according to a clinical trial led by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine researcher. "
From Google:
Cancer was the #3 Top Search of 2006 in Google News, right under Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom.
Cancer-related Websites:
I'm Too Young for This
Website for cancer survivors.
From the American Cancer Society:
Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Prevention: Summary
"This document is a condensed version of the article describing the American Cancer Society (ACS) Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines, which are updated every 5 years. The guidelines were developed by the American Cancer Society 2006 Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee and approved by the American Cancer Society National Board of Directors on May 19, 2006. The full article, written for heath care professionals, is published in the September/October 2006 issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, and is available for free online at: http://caonline.amcancersoc.org/content/vol56/issue5/ "
Symptom Screening Advances Early Ovarian Cancer Detection
"Physicians generally consider ovarian cancer to be a “silent killer"...There is no effective screening test to detect early stage disease in the general population or even high-risk groups.
Recent evidence suggests that early-stage symptoms may be recognizable and could be used to develop a symptom index for early disease."
From MD Anderson:
Decline in Breast Cancer Cases Likely Linked to Reduced Use of Hormone Replacement
"But the researchers stress that because the analysis is based solely on population statistics, they cannot know for certain the reasons why incidence declined. "We have to sound a cautionary note because epidemiology can never prove causation," he says. They considered whether other effects may be involved (such as decreased use of screening mammography and changes in the use of anti-inflammatory agents, SERMs or statins) but only the potential impact of HRT was strong enough to explain the effect."
Allergy Drug Slows Pancreatic Tumor Growth in Preclinical Studies
"An anti-allergy drug in use for more than 40 years significantly reduced tumor growth in animal models of human pancreatic cancer and also increased the effectiveness of standard chemotherapy, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
In the Dec. 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the investigators report that combining the drug, cromolyn, with chemotherapy was nearly three times better at retarding growth of pancreatic tumors in mice compared to the chemotherapy agent gemcitabine alone.
The finding may lead to a treatment advance for patients with pancreatic cancer, believed to be the most lethal of all cancers. More than 95% of patients diagnosed with the disease die from it, and half of those deaths occur in the first six months after diagnosis."
Study Finds Lapatinib Shows Promise as Therapy for Inflammatory Breast Cancer: First multi-center clinical trial conducted for women with this rare disease
"In the first multi-center and international clinical trial conducted to better understand the complexities of a rare, aggressive and often lethal form of breast cancer, researchers have discovered that the experimental biological agent, lapatinib, successfully and specifically treats inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)."
From MacMillan Cancer Support:
Thousands of cancer patients lose their homes
Even though this survey was done in the UK, I think it's an important issue.
"New research out today shows one in seventeen (6%) people lose their home after being diagnosed with cancer and one in six (18%) have difficulties in keeping up with their mortgage or rental payments, according to Macmillan Cancer Support."
From UNC Chapel Hill Medical School:
Drug combination slows progression of treatment-resistant bone marrow cancer
"Combining a newly formulated drug with one that is already a standard treatment slows the progression of multiple myeloma, an advanced cancer of the bone marrow cells, according to a clinical trial led by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine researcher. "
From Google:
Cancer was the #3 Top Search of 2006 in Google News, right under Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom.
Cancer-related Websites:
I'm Too Young for This
Website for cancer survivors.
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