Cancer Exchange News
Lab Notes: Mice in Space (with video)
(MedPage Today) -- As Space Shuttle Atlantis flies into space for the last time, its passenger manifest included some three dozen mice on board to study a possible treatment for microgravity-induced bone loss, as well as good old osteoporosis. Lab Notes this week also features new findings on overeating, spinal cord repair, and other medical matters.
Folate intake may reduce colorectal cancer risk
A newly released study finds high folate intake is linked to a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, a finding consistent with the findings of most prior epidemiologic studies. The study is reassuring, as prior recent evidence has suggested that consumption of very high levels of folate through supplements and from folate-fortified diet may increase risk of some cancers. Nonetheless, the potential importance of folate in colorectal cancer prevention remains in question because at least one other study found folate supplementation had no effect on recurrence of colorectal adenomas, precursors to colorectal cancer........
Marriage improves odds of surviving colon cancer
A newly released study shows that being married boosts survival odds for both men and women with colon cancer at every stage of the disease. Married patients had a 14 percent lower risk of death as per scientists at Penn State's College of Medicine and Brigham Young University. That estimate is based on analysis of 127,753 patient records........
Finding genetic mistakes that fuel cancer
A dramatically better computer tool for finding the genetic missteps that fuel cancer has been developed by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital � Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project investigators. Scientists are using the new algorithm to help identify the chromosomal rearrangements and DNA insertions or deletions unique to cancer........
Head and neck cancer and second round of treatment
A newly released study has determined predictors that can better identify patients who will benefit from a potentially toxic second course of therapy, which offers a small but real chance of cure in select patients with head and neck cancer. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-evaluated journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings could help guide therapy decisions for head and neck cancer patients........
Flaxseed no benefit for hot flashes
Flaxseed provides no benefit in easing hot flashes among patients with breast cancer and postmenopausal women, as per a Mayo Clinic and North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) study. The randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted on 188 women between October and December 2009 and found no statistically significant difference in mean hot flash scores between women taking flaxseed and those taking a placebo. Preliminary data published in 2007 by Mayo Clinic researchers suggested consuming 40 grams of crushed flaxseed daily might help manage hot flashes........
Recurring breast cancer
When women with a history of breast cancer learn they have breast cancer again, one of the first questions they and their doctors ask is: Has my cancer come back, or is this a new case? Now, new data from Fox Chase Cancer Center suggest that both new and recurring cancers will differ significantly from the original tumors, regardless of how a number of months or years women spent cancer-free, and doctors should tailor therapy to the specific qualities of the second tumor, regardless of whether it's old or new........
Protein that could help prevent the spread of cancer
A protein capable of halting the spread of breast cancer cells could lead to a treatment for preventing or limiting the spread of the disease. "Cancer scientists want to design new therapeutic strategies in which the metastasis or spreading stage of cancer can be blocked," explains Andrew Craig, lead researcher and a professor in Queen's Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Research Institute. "Patients stand a much better chance of survival if the primary tumor is the only tumor that needs to be treated"........
To help end dry mouth in cancer patients
(Edmonton) For patients suffering from cancer in the mouth or throat, a recent study shows that a therapy called submandibular gland transfer will assist in preventing a radiation-induced condition called xerostomia. Also known as dry mouth, xerostomia occurs when salivary glands stop working. University of Alberta researcher Jana Rieger likens the feeling of xerostomia to the experience of the after-effects of having surgery and anesthetic�but the feeling is permanent........
Hitting target in cancer fight
The ability to use nanoparticles to deliver payloads of cancer-fighting drugs to tumors in the body could herald a fundamental change in chemotherapy therapy. But researchers are still at a relatively early stage in the implementation of this technology. Eventhough developing nanoparticles that work as "magic bullets" � selectively targeting tumors while sparing normal, healthy tissues � is still the goal, the reality is that most of these nanocarriers are removed through the liver and spleen before ever reaching their intended target. And a number of of the encapsulated drugs can be lost while the carriers circulate in the blood or degraded on the way to tumors........
MRI locates prostate cancer recurrence
A pelvic MRI scan with IV contrast and rectal balloon is highly effective in identifying local recurrence even at low PSA values in patients with prostate cancer with a rising or persistently elevated PSA after prostatectomy, as per a research studypresented April 29, 2011, at the Cancer Imaging and Radiation Therapy Symposium in Atlanta. The symposium is co-sponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)........
Interval post-treatment mammogram not needed
An annual mammogram is sufficient follow-up after breast conserving treatment (BCT) for patients with breast cancer, as per a research studypresented today, at the Cancer Imaging and Radiation Therapy Symposium in Atlanta. This symposium is co-sponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)........
Parkinson's disease and prostate cancer
University of Utah School of Medicine scientists have found compelling evidence that Parkinson's disease is linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer and melanoma, and that this increased cancer risk also extends to close and distant relatives of individuals with Parkinson's disease. Eventhough a link between Parkinson's disease and melanoma has been suspected before, this is the first time that an increased risk of prostate cancer has been reported in Parkinson's disease........
For Breast Cancer Patients Fatigue is Real
The persistent fatigue that plagues one out of every three breast cancer survivors appears to be caused by one part of the autonomic nervous system running in overdrive, while the other part fails to slow it down. That imbalance of a natural system in the body appears associated with the tiredness and exhaustion that can burden cancer patients as much as a decade after their successful therapy........
Utilization of virtual colonoscopy triples
Medicare coverage and nationwide utilization of computed tomographic colonography (CTC), usually referred to as virtual colonoscopy, has tripled in recent years, as per a research studyin the recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (www.jacr.org). CTC employs virtual reality technology to produce a three-dimensional visualization that permits a thorough and minimally invasive assessment of the entire colon and rectum. CT colonography is an alternative to conventional optical colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis........
Target for lung cancer chemoprevention
Researchers have identified a biomarker for measuring the success of lung cancer chemoprevention, an emerging frontier in the fight against this disease that has long been stymied by a lack of measureable outcomes. These study results were presented at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011, held April 2-6........
DNA of 50 breast cancer patients decoded
In the single largest cancer genomics investigation reported to date, researchers have sequenced the whole genomes of tumors from 50 patients with breast cancer and compared them to the matched DNA of the same patients' healthy cells. This comparison allowed scientists to find mutations that only occurred in the cancer cells........
Genetic variation cuts bladder cancer risk
A common genetic variation links to both bladder cancer risk and to the length of protective caps found on the ends of chromosomes, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported today at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting. These endings or tips, called telomeres, guard against chromosomal damage and genomic instability that can lead to cancer and other diseases........
OTC Wart Remover Yanked Because of Burn Risk
(MedPage Today) -- An OTC wart remover product has been recalled by its manufacturer after the company learned that its active ingredient -- calcium oxide -- can cause severe chemical burns, the FDA announced.
Older People Less Likely to Spot Melanomas (CME/CE)
(MedPage Today) -- Skin cancer surveillance efforts should focus on patients 50 and older as they are more likely to have difficulty spotting melanomas on their own, a small retrospective analysis found.