Mesothelioma Cancer Information Center

Cancer victim Shelford to front advertising campaign

2007-06-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

A day after announcing his battle with cancer, former All Back Wayne "Buck" Shelford has been named the "face" of a footwear brand.

Shelford will be the frontman for John Bull footwear, which sells work boots in New Zealand and Australia.

Yesterday he revealed he was undergoing treatment for lymphoma, a cancer which affects white blood cells.

Shelford said it was a "lower-grade cancer" and there wasn't much of a story in it.

John Bull marketing manager Phillip Dewis said the former All Black's toughness and resilience made him a an apt representative of the company's boots.

Shelford's powers of endurance were witnessed in a 1986 match against France, Mr Dewis said.

"During a bloody game, Buck received a torn scrotum whilst in a scrum. This alone would leave most men screaming in agony and heading for the nearest hospital, yet Buck calmly instructed the physio to stitch him up, and he played on."

Shelford said he was happy to work with John Bull because the company did a lot of good work in the community.

source : news.yahoo.com

Former All Blacks rugby hardman Shelford battles cancer

2007-06-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

Former All Blacks captain Wayne "Buck" Shelford, one of international rugby's iconic hardmen, is battling cancer, his wife told the Sunday Star-Times newspaper.

"We found out a month ago and he has five more months of treatment," Jo Shelford said. "We are very positive and pleased with how the treatment is going."

The famous backrower No. 8 is being treated for lymphoma, a cancer affecting white blood cells.

Shelford, 49, captained the All Blacks from 1987 to 1990 during a golden era when they never lost a game.

His reputation as a fearless, uncomprising player was born from his second international in 1986 when in a Test against France his scrotum was torn open, leaving one testicle hanging out.

He calmly told the team physio to stitch the wound and carried on playing.

"I was knocked out cold, lost a few teeth and had a few stitches down below," he later recalled of that game.

"It's a game I still can't remember -- I have no memory of it whatsoever."

The All Blacks lost the match 16-3, the only time Shelford was on the losing side during his distinguished 22-Test career.

When he was dropped from the All Blacks in 1990 there was a national "Bring Back Buck" campaign, which was ignored by the New Zealand selectors, and he moved to England where he coached successfully for several seasons.

source : news.yahoo.com

New cancer research centre for Sydney

2007-06-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

A $100 million cancer research centre to be built at Sydney University is already being credited with luring leading scientists home to undertake crucial research.

The centre, an Australian first to establish facilities for research and clinical drugs trials into both adult and children's cancers, was announced by University of New South Wales Vice-Chancellor Fred Hilmer.

The Lowy Cancer Research Centre, which will house up to 400 cancer researchers, will be located adjacent to UNSW's Faculty of Medicine at its Randwick campus, in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Westfield founder Frank Lowy and his family have donated $10 million toward the facility - the largest single philanthropic donation ever received by the university.

Top grants have come from the NSW government, $18.3 million, and from the federal government - $13.3 million.

Professor Philip Hogg, director of the UNSW Cancer Research Centre, will head adult cancer research at the Lowy centre and will be able to bring back the British trial of a new cancer drug his team developed.

Development of a drug known as glutathionarsenoxide (or GSAO) was completed in 2003 but Prof Hogg was unable to get funding for early trials.

The drug aims to stop cancer tumours from developing blood vessels to continue their growth after initial cell development.

Clinical trials are about to begin at the Cancer Research UK, a non-profit cancer foundation.

Trials of a second generation of the drug would also have had to be shipped overseas but the creation of the Lowy Centre has attracted the people and the $2 million to trial the drug at the one location in Sydney.

"What the facility does is it enables us to take our research efforts to the next level," Prof Hogg said.

He said both an Australian cancer researcher now at Cambridge University and one at Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, California, will return to work at the Lowy Centre.

"It provides a beacon if you like for other great cancer researchers and gives them a reason to come here and work in Sydney."

Another prominent clinician, oncologist Robyn Ward, recently joined the UNSW team as a professor of medicine, a move which helped Prof Hogg win further funding for the second drug trial.

He said drug companies back 99 per cent of advanced drug trials but only after initial trials show promise for a new drug.

"The combination of the two of us was good enough to get funding outside of the drug-company-sphere to do the trial," Prof Hogg said.

"The trial on this second drug is a good example of how that sort of initiative will allow things to happen that probably wouldn't have happened otherwise."

The Lowy Centre also will house the Children's Cancer Institute of Australia, which was looking to expand into a now home.

It will be the first time adult and children's cancer research will be located at the same facility, Prof Hogg said.

Since cancer in children and cancer in adults develop for inherently different reasons, there has never previously been one centre to house research for both.

But Prof Hogg said that by combining them, and with clinical trials, the Lowy Centre would continue to attract top researchers and trial funding.

"It's more than just a building," he added.

The Lowy Centre is due to be completed by late 2009.

source : news.yahoo.com

New Cancer Drugs Prove Their Worth

2007-06-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

New cancer drugs often save lives, but are they cost-effective?

Two new analyses of two new breast cancer drugs found that they are indeed worth what you pay for them.

The aromatase inhibitor Aromasin (exemestane) and the monoclonal antibody Herceptin (trastuzumab) have already been proven in clinical trials to improve survival.

As new breast cancer drugs exit the pipeline and enter the market, the U.S. health-care system, including the insurance companies or governments paying for therapy, want to know if the drugs are economically, as well as clinically, viable. And new drugs are almost always more expensive compared to the usual standards.

"This is always important to do when you have a drug or a procedure or intervention that is expensive compared to standard care," said Nicole Mittmann, senior author of the Aromasin study, and a scientist with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and assistant professor of pharmacology at the University of Toronto. "The clinical data still drives the decision to use the medication, and this is another piece of the puzzle in the decision-making process."

Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology with Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La., said, "The clinical research trials we've done in the last 50 years have been spectacular, and we know how good or how not good our treatments are, and because of the excellent clinical research that's been done, we can then ask ourselves can we afford these treatments.

"These two studies involving Herceptin and Aromasin clearly show that doing these two maneuvers are very, very cost effective in certain subgroups of women with breast cancer. When insurance companies come to you and ask why are you doing this, you have excellent studies to back them up," he added.

A large clinical study had already shown that women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer who switched from tamoxifen to Aromasin after two to three years lived longer than women who took tamoxifen continuously for five years.

But aromatase inhibitors are more expensive than tamoxifen, which has been around for years. And aromatase inhibitors do have some side effects, including musculoskeletal problems such as osteoporosis and fractures.

"Tamoxifen is pretty cheap. Aromasin is newer and more expensive," Mittmann said. "Is the added cost worth the added benefit?"

Cost-effectiveness is measured in number of life years gained and is also adjusted for the quality of life gained, expressed as quality-adjusted life year (QALY).

In Canada and elsewhere, the commonly accepted threshold for a QALY is $50,000 (Canadian dollars).

In this case, the authors found that using tamoxifen and Aromasin sequentially for five years (after 2.5 years of surgery and other standard therapies) improved disease-free survival at an additional cost of $2,889 (Canadian) per patient. This translates into an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $24,185/QALY gained, well below the $50,000 bar.

"If this is $24,000, it seems to make sense that this is good value for money," Mittmann said.

According to Mittmann, the model would be applicable to the U.S. market.

The authors of the second study estimated that women would gain three years of life, on average, by adding Herceptin to therapy.

Over a woman's lifetime, the cost-effectiveness ratio would be $26,417/QALY (U.S.), again, below the commonly accepted threshold.

The Aromasin study was funded by an unrestricted grant from Pfizer Inc., which makes the drug. The Herceptin study was funded partly by Genentech, which makes Herceptin.

The new studies are published in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Cancer.

source : news.yahoo.com

Radio Host With Cancer Bowing Out

2007-06-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Lowell Sun columnist and radio host Paul Sullivan announced Wednesday that his battle with cancer has prompted him to leave his daily air job.

Sullivan has announced he will leave his WBZ radio show next week for health reasons.

Sullivan has had four surgeries since he was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma three years ago.

In a letter released Wednesday morning, Sullivan said the burden has just become too much for his friends, family and colleagues.

He said he hopes to continue to contribute to the station in some capacity.

Breast Cancer Risk May Be Hidden In Small Families

2007-06-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

A new study has found that the genetic risk for breast cancer may be hidden in small families.

Women who have mutations in the breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are at an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers.

Only around 2 percent of breast cancers are due to mutations in these specific genes, doctors said.

In families where multiple women are diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancers, the chance that other related females have the mutations increases dramatically.

Researchers observed over 300 women who had at least one relative diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50. They found that those with small families were almost three times more likely to have the breast cancer genes compared to women with large families.

Doctors recommend women in small families who have one female relative diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age or any relative with ovarian cancer to consider genetic testing.

source : news.yahoo.com

Omega-3 fatty acids rich diet may help lower genetic prostate cancer risk

2007-06-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

A new study by boffins at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine has found that a diet rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in certain fish or fish oil, nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils may help lower prostate cancer risk in men with a genetic predisposition to cancer.

The study was conducted on a mouse model by a team of researchers led Yong Chen.

The researchers studied the effects of such a diet on Pten-knockout mice that are predisposed to develop prostate tumours.

The authors found that a nutritionally balanced diet high in omega-3 fatty acid reduced prostate tumour growth and increased survival in these animals, whereas omega-6 fatty acids had the opposite effects.

They also found that introducing the enzyme omega-3 desaturase into the Pten-knockout mice reduces tumour growth in a manner similar to the omega-3 rich diet as it converts omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids.

The researchers went on to show that the effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids on prostate cancer development is mediated in part through cell death that is dependent on a protein known as Bad.

Together, the data highlight the importance of the interaction between genes and diet in prostate cancer and imply a beneficial effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on delaying the onset of human prostate cancer.

The study appears in the July print issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

source : news.yahoo.com

Novel method of drug delivery to inhibit prostate cancer cells' growth developed

2007-06-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

A doctoral candidate in pharmacy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has developed a novel method of drug delivery to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Danny Goldstein, a student who was recently conferred the Barenholz Prize for Creativity and Originality in Applied Research for his work, says that the well-known drug, paclitaxel, exhibits a wide spectrum of anti-tumour activity.

However, the therapeutic application of the drug in cancer therapy is limited due to its low water solubility, which makes it difficult to effectively deliver the drug to the points needed, he says.

These are the reasons why there arose a need for novel methods that would allow the delivery of effective concentrations of paclitaxel over extended time intervals while minimizing toxicity, adds the researcher.

Previous studies have already shown that the HER2 receptor is over-expressed in prostate cancer cells, and that an antibody called trastuzumab binds specifically to HER2. But no clinical data ever indicated that this antibody would provide any relief for prostate cancer patients.

Goldstein, a student of Prof. Simon Benita, has now shown that that attaching trastuzumab molecules to the surface of oil droplets in nano-emulsions makes possible the targeting of such droplets to cells over-expressing the HER2 receptor.

He coupled trastuzumab with emulsions containing the toxic agent paclitaxel-palmitate, and evaluated the efficiency of these emulsions in laboratory tests on cancerous prostate cells and on mice with induced prostate cancer.

He found that this emulsion compound did not cause a hypersensitive reaction upon injection, and yielded better results than known drug treatments while inhibiting tumour growth substantially.

Goldstein, however, cautions that the inhibiting activity of tumour metastases growth was not absolute, and that further research to combat metastatic prostate cancer was needed.

Prof. Benita hinted that clinical trials using the new method could begin in about two years.

source : news.yahoo.com

Diet plus exercise up survival after breast cancer

2007-06-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

Among women who have been treated for breast cancer, those who stick to a healthy diet and are moderately active seem to live longer, results of a new study indicate. A good diet alone or exercise alone doesn't have the same benefit.

"It looks like if you get your physical activity going and get your fruits and vegetables in you can reduce your risk (of dying) significantly," study co-author Dr. John Pierce told Reuters Health.

Several studies have shown that diet and exercise may each contribute to breast cancer survival, but little research has looked at the effect of both diet and exercise together. Pierce, director of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center, in La Jolla, California, and his team looked at the combined effects of diet and exercise for breast cancer survivors.

They studied 1,490 women who had been treated for breast cancer 2 years earlier, on average.

Overall, only 30 percent of these women maintained the healthiest type of lifestyle, including eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily and engaging in physical activity equivalent to a half-hour of brisk walking six days a week.

These women had a 44 percent lower risk of dying within a 10-year period than did their peers, Pierce and his team report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

What's more, this lower risk of death remained true regardless of whether the women were obese, study findings indicate. The effect of physical activity and diet was "so strong it wiped out the body mass index effect," Pierce said. However, obese women were less likely than nonobese women to report such healthy habits.

A similarly reduced risk of death was not apparent among non-physically active women who consumed the highest amounts of fruits and vegetables or among physically active women who did not eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, the investigators note.

"Doing each one alone didn't do it," Pierce said. "There was no benefit from each one alone, but there was a benefit from both together."

source : news.yahoo.com

Diet could be life or death for prostate cancer patients

2007-06-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

Switching to a healthy diet rich in fish and nuts could be the difference between living or dying for men prone to to prostate cancer, new US research indicates.

A study published in the online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation found that omega-3 fatty acids found in the foods may improve the prognosis for men with a genetic predisposition to the condition.

Working with mice genetically engineered to develop prostate tumors, scientists fed some of the mice a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids from birth. These mice had fewer tumors and a longer life span than those not fed the diet. Survival was 60 percent in mice fed a high omega-3 diet, 10 percent in mice on a low omega-3 diet and zero percent in mice fed a diet high in omega-6, a different type of polyunsaturated fatty acid found in vegetable oils.

In normal mice not engineered for prostate cancer, all survived regardless of diet, according to the study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids include cold water fish such as salmon, halibut, tuna, sardines and mackerel, and fish oil such as cod liver oil. English walnuts and flaxseeds also contain omega-3s.

"This study clearly shows that diet can tip the balance toward a good or bad outcome," said Yong Q. Chen, senior researcher at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

"It's possible that a change in diet could mean the difference between dying from the disease and surviving with it."

Taking a recommended daily dose of omega-3s can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and lower blood pressure slightly, previous studies have shown. High doses may have a harmful effect, such as excess bleeding, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Prostate cancer is among the leading causes of cancer death in men.

source : news.yahoo.com

Fish Oil Might Slow Prostate Cancer

2007-06-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

A new study with mice suggests that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids from fish might help slow prostate cancer.

The comparable levels of dietary omega-3s used in the study "are much higher than the average Western diet, but they are not unachievable," said senior researcher Yong Chen, a professor of cancer biology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Omega-3 fatty acids -- especially the "long-chain" forms found in oily fish -- have become the latest nutrition superstars, with studies suggesting they can help prevent heart disease and even cancer.

The exact mechanism driving the purported anti-cancer effect is still unclear, Chen said. One leading theory contends that specific cellular enzymes metabolize omega-3s in ways that retard malignancy.

However, Chen's team is investigating a much lesser-known mechanism.

"It turns out that [long-chain] omega-3 fatty acids might modulate apoptosis -- a form of cell death," he said.

Cancer cells spread in two ways: either they proliferate uncontrollably, or they bypass natural signaling that tells them to commit suicide, or apoptosis.

"It turns out that a key molecule -- that happens to be called 'Bad' -- may be involved in this process," Chen said. His team now believes that long-chain omega-3s interact favorably with Bad to push cancer cells back into a normal apoptosis.

In their study, the researchers fed mice diets high in both omega-3 fatty acid and the less-healthy omega-6 fatty acids. These mice were genetically engineered to lack the Pten tumor suppressor gene, leaving them highly prone to prostate tumors. Dysfunctional Pten plays a key role in about one-third of human prostate cancers, so this mouse is a great model for human disease, Chen said.

As expected, mice with functioning Pten did not develop prostate cancer, the researchers said.

On the other hand, rodents whose Pten was switched off typically developed prostate tumors. However, 60 percent of these mice survived if they were fed a high omega-3 diet, compared to just 10 percent given a low omega-3 diet. None of the mice given the high omega-6 diet survived, the team noted.

There was another wrinkle to the study. In the past, it has been tough for researchers to tease out the effects of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, which usually occur together in foods. But Chen's team introduced another gene into the Pten-less mice. This gene caused the mice to convert omega-6 fatty acids into the omega-3 form, thereby limiting this confounding factor.

"That's really a big strength of this study; nobody had really ever done that before," Chen said.

The study is published June 21 in the online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

According to Chen, the study suggests that diets high in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids might give men an edge against prostate cancer.

But not everyone is convinced.

"Recent large reviews and meta-analyses tend to suggest no major effects of fish [intake] on cancer risk," said Paul Terry, assistant professor in the department of epidemiology at the Emory University School of Public Health, in Atlanta.

"The fact that they [the Wake Forest researchers] identified and addressed another potential mechanism in their study is certainly helpful," he added. However, he said, "how this mechanism relates to the many others identified and shown in studies to be possibly important remains unclear."

Terry said rodent studies can only tell scientists so much, and "clinical trials in humans of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and tumor characteristics, for example, are relatively scarce. This study, and others, provides some more rationale for conducting such trials."

For his part, Chen said it's important that consumers realize that not all omega-3s are created equal in terms of their potential health benefits.

"In this study, we are only referring to the long-chain form" found in oily fish, such as mackerel, herring, albacore tuna and salmon, he said. Other, shorter-chain varieties can be found in flaxseed and plant sources, but their impact, if any, on cancer is even less clear.

"We are doing a type of study right now to see whether there is any difference," Chen said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Greek Orthodox church leader has cancer

2007-06-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

The leader of Greece's influential Orthodox Church, Archbishop Christodoulos, has cancer in his large intestine and liver, doctors said Thursday.

Christodoulos, who has helped thaw centuries of tension with the Vatican but is often accused of meddling in domestic politics, has been hospitalized since June 9, and has already undergone intestinal surgery.

The two cancers were not directly related and had not spread from one site to the other, said the head surgeon at the state-run Aretaion hospital, Dionysis Vorros.

Hospital doctors described the church leader's condition as treatable, saying he would remain in intensive care for at least three more days and likely be allowed to return home next week.

The 68-year-old Orthodox leader's illness has led to an outpouring of sympathy in a country where 97 percent of the population is baptized Orthodox Christian. Even officials who have criticized him for meddling in state affairs have visited him in the hospital.

Elected Church leader in 1998, Christodoulos received the late Pope John Paul II in 2001 in the first visit by a pontiff to the Orthodox country in nearly 1,300 years.

Christodoulos followed up last year with a historic visit to the Vatican, where he met Pope Benedict XVI.

source : news.yahoo.com

Morning sickness tied to lower breast cancer risk

2007-06-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

If there's any good news about morning sickness, this may be it. Women who experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy may have a lower risk of breast cancer later in life, according to new research.

Dr. Jo Freudenheim from the University at Buffalo in New York reported the finding this week in Boston, at the annual meeting of the Society for Epidemiologic Research.

Freudenheim and her colleagues interviewed 1001 women with recently diagnosed breast cancer, ages 35 to 79, and 1917 "control" subjects matched to the case patients by age, race and county of residence.

Several pregnancy-related factors -- pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and weight gain -- were evaluated, but had no significant effect on future incidence of breast cancer.

In contrast, pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting was associated with about a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer. Greater severity and longer duration of the symptoms reduced the risk even further.

Freudenheim cautioned, however, that this is an epidemiologic study, so the findings should not be "over-interpreted." Confirmation of their findings, she added, will require replication in other populations.

source : news.yahoo.com

Shrinks to treat cancer patients now

2007-06-21T06:38:00.001-07:00

Psycho-oncology is a new concept in India, but it is fast being recognised as an essential tool in the care and treatment of cancer patients.

Jayshree was detected with breast cancer five years ago, and that day onwards her life came to a complete standstill.

But now Jayshree is leading a healthy and normal life. So how did this come about?

Says Jayshree, “Psycho-oncology is a must for oncology patients. Definitely doctors have a major role to play but they are curing my body. What about my mental status?"

Jayshree was lucky to have met leading psycho-oncologist Dr Brindha Sitaram who helped her and her family deal with the tremendous psychological, emotional and social distress that cancer brings to patients and their families alike.

"We have found in our clinical experience that it motivates patients, dropout rates become lower, people tolerate treatment better and quality of life is far better. At any given point of time we have 15 lakh cancer patients in this country. Unfortunately we have no data to talk about, the magnitude of the psychological distress of the patients that they go through,” says Dr Sitaram who is also founder-director of Centre of Psycho-Oncology for Education and Research (COPER).

A growing necessity for an institute that provides qualified psycho-oncologists, prompted her to start COPER. And setting up the institute though was anything but easy.

Says Dr Sitaram, “There was a lot of resistance in the beginning because they thought that going to a psycho-oncologist is like saying they have gone crazy but slowly things are opening up. But what we need to clarify is that these patients don't go through psychiatric problems. These are psychological problems that you and I could have.”

So psycho-oncology helps cancer patients and their families look at the human face of cancer while fighting the disease.

source : news.yahoo.com

New Procedure Detects Oral Cancer

2007-06-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

The next trip to your dentist could save your life. That's because many local dentists have a new screening test that can detect oral cancer in its early stages. The test is called ViziLite.

The patient rinses with a special mouthwash for one minute to dehydrate potential cancer cells. The doctor then uses a special light to inspect the entire mouth.

Any suspicious tissue will glow in the dark.

Dr. Phil Golden has already done close to 200 of the screenings and sent at least four patients to have biopsies.

He said the test is extremely accurate.

"They have a negative predictive value of 99.1 percent, which means there's less than 1 percent chance of this screening missing oral cancer," Golden told WXII 12's Margaret Johnson.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 34,000 new cases of oral cancer will be diagnosed this year. It said about 7,500 of those patients will die.

Golden said the new screening could help reduce those numbers. He recommends it for anyone over 18.

source : news.yahoo.com

Study Probes Whether Diet Can Cut Colon Cancer Risk

2007-06-21T06:35:00.002-07:00

A study to examine whether a Mediterranean diet can help prevent colon cancer is being conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Over three years, the researchers hope to recruit 120 people, age 21 or older, who've had colon polyps or colon cancer or have a family history of the disease. Participants will follow either a Mediterranean diet or the Healthy People 2010 diet for six months. They'll be able to choose foods they prefer from recommended food groups lists, and a dietitian will work closely with each participant by telephone.

Along with its emphasis on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, olive oil and nuts, the Mediterranean diet limits high fat meats and processed foods. The Healthy People 2010 diet -- from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains, along with moderate fat intake and limits on saturated fat.

"Overall eating patterns appear to be more important for cancer prevention than intakes of specific nutrients or food groups. We hope this study will give us an indication of the benefits that a person's diet can have on health, especially in terms of reducing the risk of colon cancer," Zora Djuric, research professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and principal investigator on the Healthy Eating for Colon Cancer Prevention study, said in a prepared statement.

A recently completed study of 70 women, ages 25 to 65, found that those who ate a Mediterranean diet decreased the amount of unhealthy polyunsaturated fat they consumed by 50 percent and increased their intake of healthy monounsaturated fats by the same amount.

The women on the Mediterranean diet also ate nearly double the amount of fruits and vegetables as women who ate a normal diet and had twice the blood levels of antioxidant micronutrients called carotenoids.

source : news.yahoo.com

Girls could be vaccinated against cervical cancer in Britain

2007-06-21T06:35:00.001-07:00

The British government took a step Wednesday toward offering vaccinations against cervical cancer for girls as young as 12, a measure that could be carried out by late next year.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended the use of vaccines to guard against the human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection which causes most cases of cervical cancer.

The Department of Health said it had agreed "in principle" to accept the body's advice, but would wait for an independent review of the costs to the National Health Service.

Cervical cancer kills more than 1,000 women in Britain annually.

The vaccinations would be offered to girls throughout Britain, but would not be compulsory.

Currently, there are two vaccines -- Gardasil made by Merck and Sanofi Pasteur and Cervarix made by GlaxoSmithKline -- which are designed to be used in an immunisation programme.

Gardasil was introduced to Britain last year.

The government has not approved it for use on the National Health Service, although Britain's Press Association news agency said it has been approved in dozens of other countries, including the United States, Canada and Australia.

Cervarix is expected to receive its European Union licence later this year.

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said: "It is great news that vaccines have been developed that protect women against this form of cancer and I am delighted to announce that we intend, in principle, to introduce a HPV vaccine into the national immunisation programme."

"A significant amount of planning is required before we can introduce the immunisation into our programme," she said.

"We are still working on the details and logistics, and will work closely with the NHS to ensure the vaccination can be delivered effectively. However, we are hoping that girls will start being vaccinated from as early as 2008."

The department said smear testing would continue after the vaccine is introduced.

source : news.yahoo.com

Breast cancer genes can come from father

2007-06-21T06:34:00.001-07:00

A deadly gene's path can hide in a family tree when a woman has few aunts and older sisters, making it appear that her breast cancer struck out of nowhere when it really came from Dad.

A new study suggests thousands of young women with breast cancer — an estimated 8,000 a year in the U.S. — aren't offered testing to identify faulty genes and clarify their medical decisions.

Guidelines used by insurance companies to decide coverage for genetic testing should change to reflect the findings, said study co-author Dr. Jeffrey Weitzel of City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif. Testing can cost more than $3,000.

"Interestingly, it's about Dad," Weitzel said. Half of genetic breast cancers are inherited from a woman's father, not her mother. But unless Dad has female relatives with breast cancer, the faulty gene may have been passed down silently, without causing cancer. (Men can get genetic breast cancer, too, but it's not common.)

Weitzel said doctors often overlook the genetic risk from the father's side of the family.

The study, appearing in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at the genetic test results from 306 women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50.

None of the cancer patients in the study had a family history of breast or ovarian cancer.

Among the women with plenty of female relatives, about 5 percent had BRCA gene mutations. But among those with few sisters and aunts older than 45 (when breast cancer would be likely to appear), almost 14 percent had mutations of the genes BRCA1 or BRCA2. That suggests that these cancer patients were unaware of their genetic mutations because there were so few women in the family to signal a cancer risk.

The researchers defined few female relatives as fewer than two on either the father's or mother's side of the family.

Women who were adopted and don't know their family medical history should be aware of the findings, Weitzel said. Women whose female relatives died young before breast cancer had time to show up also are affected.

When such a woman gets breast cancer before age 50, she should get a genetic test, said Dr. Noah Kauff, a cancer geneticist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. That would help her decide whether to have the unaffected breast or her ovaries removed to prevent more cancer. Kauff was not involved in the research, but wrote an accompanying editorial.

"The study allows physicians and patients to make an argument to insurance carriers that, although there's not a family history of breast cancer, it's still reasonable to test and it should be a covered benefit," Kauff said.

Genetic testing helps a woman choose her next medical steps. A woman with breast cancer who has a BRCA gene mutation has a four times greater risk of developing cancer in the other breast and a 10 times greater risk of ovarian cancer than does a woman with breast cancer who has no BRCA gene mutation.

Some women with a family history of breast cancer choose to have a BRCA genetic test so they can decide whether to reduce their cancer risk by removing their ovaries and breasts before any cancer appears. Drug therapy and monitoring with annual MRI tests offer alternatives.

Testing the genes of more women would cost more money, but Weitzel said that won't add significantly to health care costs and will prevent cancer in some of the women.

The study also showed that three commonly used predictive models don't accurately estimate the genetic breast cancer risk for women without a family history of cancer. The American Cancer Society recently based its recommendation for annual MRIs on risk assessments from the predictive models.

source : news.yahoo.com

Radio Host With Cancer Bowing Out

2007-06-21T06:33:00.001-07:00

'Fish on a chip' technology may speed cancer diagnosis

2007-06-20T05:46:00.000-07:00

A faster, cheaper cancer diagnosis technology called a "fish on a chip" has been developed in Alberta.

The diagnostic chip miniaturizes and automates testing for chromosome mutations from many types of cancer, shortening the wait for diagnosis.

The FISH technology, short for fluorescent in situ hybridization, attaches coloured dyes to detect mutations such as breaks and reattachments in chromosomes.

The test maps the DNA in a blood or bone marrow sample to tell doctors what type of cancer they're dealing with, and provides information on how to treat it.

Patients don't have to suffer therapies that won't do them any good, and they don't have to endure the side-effects, said Linda Pilarski, an oncology professor at the University of Alberta who holds a Canada Research Chair in biomedical nanotechnology.

The new test could cost as little as $10, one-tenth the cost of conventional diagnostic tests, the researchers said.

While conventional tests take several days and highly skilled technologists, the fish on a chip version can be done in less than a day, including in rural areas where people would not have to travel to major centres to access it, Pilarski said.

Researchers have tested the technology on hundreds of cancer patients, including cancer survivor Willie Gruber. When Gruber's doctor suspected cancer during a physical exam, it took two weeks before he got the results.

"When you go in and you are told you may have cancer, you then have this several weeks of waiting," Gruber recalled of the stressful time. "It turns your life upside down, it puts things on hold."

The test needs to undergo more trials and gain approval from Health Canada before it could be rolled out in five years at the earliest.

For now, it is used as part of research and clinical trials, Pilarski said.

The research will be published this month in the journal Nanobiotechnology, and will be presented at the 11th International Myeloma Workshop, a medical conference being held in Greece at the end of June.

source : news.yahoo.com

GW says Canada backs cannabis drug for cancer pain

2007-06-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

A pioneering cannabis-based drug will be considered by Canadian regulators for approval as a treatment for cancer pain, its British developer GW Pharmaceuticals Plc said on Tuesday.

The drug called Sativex is an under-the-tongue spray which is already on sale in Canada as a treatment for pain in multiple sclerosis, but GW sees another promising market for the drug as a means of controlling pain associated with cancer.

GW said it is required to accept conditions from Health Canada within 30 days, after which the regulator would finalize its marketing authorization within another 30-day period. The drug is being marketed in Canada by Bayer AG.

Investec analyst Ibrahim Mahmood said he did not expect Canadian approval of Sativex for cancer pain to generate significant sales, but it served as a promising signal for approvals in larger markets.

He reiterated his "buy" recommendation on GW stock with a target price of 244 pence, more than 160 percent above current levels. GW shares rose as much as 5 percent to 92-1/2 pence, valuing the firm at 108.7 million pounds ($215.8 million).

"The evidence continues to mount inexorably across the board both clinically and commercially in support of Sativex," Mahmood said in a note.

GW also announced a net loss of 6.7 million pounds ($13.3 million) for the six months to March 31 after a loss of 6.9 million last year. The company said it had a net cash inflow of 2 million pounds during the half year.

source : news.yahoo.com

Now, FISH on a chip for quicker, cost-effective cancer diagnosis

2007-06-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

Canadian researchers have for the first time miniaturised an important diagnostic test for cancer, and automated it onto a microfluidic chip.

The new technology, developed by University of Alberta researchers in Edmonton, opens up the possibility of better, faster cancer treatment and greater accessibility to fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), a complex test that detects mutations in chromosomes for a number of different types of cancer.

It is based on a microfluidic chip the size of a microscope slide, developed by Chris Backhouse, professor of electrical engineering, and cancer scientist Dr. Linda Pilarski, that can perform FISH on a handheld diagnostic device.

The researchers claim that the new system will allow FISH to be performed within a day for a fraction of the cost of current analysis methods, which take days conduct the test.

The rapid detection of chromosomal mutations with the help of new technology, say researchers, will significantly increase a doctor's ability to tailor treatment strategies to target individual cancers.

"The ability to design 'personalized' therapies means that patients will be able to receive more effective treatments sooner and avoid exposure to side effects from treatments that will not help them," Pilarski said.

"This is representative of how miniaturization can make our health care more accessible while creating new economic opportunities here in Alberta," Backhouse added.

The new technology has been hailed by the scientist fraternity.

"The work of Dr. Pilarski and her associates will have great impact, and quite quickly - on the diagnosis of patients with a broad spectrum of diseases," said Dr. Roderick McInnes, Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Genetics.

The work is being published this month in IET Nanobiotechnology, and it will be presented at the 11th International Myeloma Workshop, a medical conference being held in Greece from June 25 to 30.

source : news.yahoo.com

New breast cancer treatment combines radiation, surgery in 1-step

2007-06-20T05:41:00.000-07:00

Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) breast cancer specialists are using a new way to treat patients by delivering a one-time dose of radiation during surgery.

The procedure, called intraoperative radiation therapy, takes less than an hour and eliminates the need for further radiation treatments.

It marked the first time the portable intrabeam radiotherapy machine that makes this procedure possible has been used in Canada. The PMH team has since treated two more patients.

"The potential benefits to patients are huge," says lead surgeon Dr. David McCready, who also heads the PMH Breast Cancer Program.

"Treating the specific area of cancer with this kind of precision protects the skin, heart and lungs from unnecessary radiation, minimizes side effects, and saves the patient a lot of time."

Using a probe attached to the portable intrabeam radiotherapy machine, a single, concentrated dose is inserted directly into the affected area inside the breast during surgery.

Dr. McCready said the one-time dose is "biologically equivalent" to conventional radiation treatments for breast cancer that typically require, on average, a minimum of 16 treatments over three weeks.

"This procedure is helping us understand more about the biology of how breast tissue responds to treatment. That knowledge, in turn, will help us further customize and select the best treatment options for individuals with early breast cancer," Dr. Anthony Fyles, the radiation oncologist who leads the Breast Radiation Oncology Program and treated the first patient in the operating room that day, said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Women with few older female relatives face cancer threat

2007-06-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

Women with few older female relatives may be unaware they carry a genetic risk of breast cancer, US researchers reported in a study that casts doubt on current genetic testing guidelines.

Genetic risk models for breast cancer underestimated a deadly gene mutation in women with fewer than two female relatives who lived to be older than age 45 on both sides of the family, according to researchers in California.

Both sides of the family are important because genetic breast cancer can be inherited from the father's lineage as well as the mother's, according to the study by the City of Hope cancer center published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

If the father has few or no sisters or aunts, the risk can go undetected.

Mutation of the tumor-suppressing BRCA gene boosts a woman's risk of breast cancer by 50 percent to 85 percent.

Identifying women with this mutation who have already had breast cancer is important because their risk of recurrence is as high as 40 percent within 10 years without aggressive treatments.

The study included 306 women who had breast cancer before age 50 and no first- or second-degree relatives with breast or ovarian cancers.

In about half of those cases -- 153 women -- there were few older females in the family. The BRCA gene mutations were detected in 13.7 percent of those with few older female relatives compared to 5.2 percent among women with plenty of female relatives.

source : news.yahoo.com

Experts Offer Better Means of Gauging Breast Cancer Risk

2007-06-20T05:36:00.000-07:00

Current methods of gauging a woman's breast cancer risk that rely on her family history may often underestimate the danger, a new study suggests.

These risk models help determine if a woman might carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations that would predispose her to the disease, the research team explained. If her family history suggests she might carry such a gene, she might be offered a test to screen for the mutations.

But the new study, published in the June 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that there may be a better way to refine the risk model so those predictions are more accurate.

"In some circumstances, we have to qualify what family history can tell us," explained lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Weitzel, director of the department of clinical cancer genetics at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif. He pointed out that family history data isn't always available to women, and "if there's no family, then you can't have a family history, if you don't have older women in either lineage."

"We're trying to predict which women should get tested [for a genetic predisposition]. The test is expensive, and not every woman can get it," added Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. However, "with smaller families today, many times you don't have that extensive family tree that you can reconstruct," said Brooks, who was not involved in the study.

The implications could be lifesaving for many women. Mutations in BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, especially, can greatly increase a woman's risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer.

"It's now medically necessary that access to care should be broader, and more people should be able to take advantage of [gene screening], because it may make a big difference in outcome," Weitzel said. "Failure to recognize that a woman happens to be a BRCA carrier and do appropriate prevention procedures could cost a woman her life."

Although BRCA mutations are relatively rare (affecting only about 5 percent of the population), those with the misfortune to carry them have a 50 percent to 85 percent greater chance of developing breast cancer and a 16 percent to 50 percent higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Women with breast cancer who have a BRCA mutation also have a higher risk of developing another breast cancer or ovarian cancer. A mastectomy or oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) can significantly reduce that risk.

Most of the methods available to estimate how likely a person is to carry the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 defects were developed using data from large families. They incorporate information on family history, age at diagnosis and ethnic ancestry.

It is these models that are most often used by insurance companies when deciding whether or not to pay for the gene test.

But the fact that a woman's father might have passed on the mutation is often not taken into account, Weitzel noted. "Half of all heredity for breast cancer comes from dad," he said. "Most clinicians don't realize that BRCA can be inherited through dad."

Then there are women with early-onset breast cancer but no history of breast or ovarian cancer, or patients with less than two female relatives surviving beyond age 45 on each side of their family. The model does little to help them, experts say.

In their study, Weitzel's team combed through information on more than 1,500 women cared for at high-risk breast cancer clinics in the United States.

They concluded that women under 50 with breast cancer and a limited family structure -- less than two females age 45 or older on either side of the family -- were almost three times more likely to be BRCA carriers than women with adequate family structure.

BRCA gene mutations were found in 13.7 percent of women with limited family structure compared with 5.2 percent of those with adequate family structure.

Weitzel now believes that "family history is not a good tool. We shouldn't discriminate against women [who have limited family structure]. What if she's adopted? We lost whole generations to the Holocaust. Why should we deny them access to testing?"

In women with little family history to rely on, age may end up being a deciding factor in assessing BRCA-linked breast cancer risk.

Women under 40 who have breast cancer are usually tested for the BRCA mutations, but women in the next decade of life probably should be as well, the researchers said.

"Most crucial is the 40-to-50 age range," Weitzel said.

"Younger women who have breast cancer, especially those below 50, really should raise a red flag about genetic testing," Brooks added. "Age is a very, very powerful thing. The average age for developing [breast cancer] is 60. If you're developing disease 10 years before you're expecting to, that should raise a red flag."

"You're trying to predict who deserves the test," he continued. "With small family numbers, we may be underestimating who needs to be tested."

source : news.yahoo.com

Breast cancer genes can come from father

2007-06-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

Breast cancer risk models flawed, study shows

2007-06-20T05:31:00.000-07:00

Tools used to predict whether a woman's breast cancer is inherited do not account for smaller families and may leave some women in the dark about their risk for future cancers, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

"You've got to have family to have a family history of breast cancer," said Dr. Jeffrey Weitzel of the City of Hope cancer center in Duarte, California.

Weitzel said women with breast cancer are often asked if they have a family history of the disease, information that is used to decide whether they should get genetic tests to see if their cancer is inherited.

"Most of the models used to determine who might get genetic testing were based on large families and families where there were multiple cases," he said.

"But what about those women who were younger than expected when they got their cancer but who don't have a family history of cancer," asked Weitzel, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

While only 5 to 10 percent of breast cancer cases are inherited, women with mutations of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have a much higher risk of developing another breast cancer or ovarian cancer.

And many insurance companies use these risk assessment tools to decide whether to pay for genetic tests, which cost roughly $3,000 for most women, Weitzel said.

GREATER RISK

"If a woman has limited-stage breast cancer, she's got a pretty good chance of long-term disease-free survival," Weitzel said in a telephone interview.

"However, if she carries a BRCA gene mutation, her chance of having another breast cancer is nearly 50 percent in her lifetime. It's at least 30 to 40 percent in the next 10 years after her first diagnosis. That is a big deal," he said.

To see whether risk assessment tools were underestimating the risk of some patients, Weitzel and colleagues, between 1997 and 2007, evaluated 306 women who had breast cancer before age 50.

Women with fewer than two close female relatives on either parent's side who lived past the age of 45 were considered to have a limited family structure. About half of patients fell into this group.

The study found that participants with less family information to draw from actually had a higher risk of having the BRCA gene mutation than those with larger families.

BRCA gene mutations were found in 13.7 percent of participants with limited family structure, compared with 5.2 percent with adequate family structure.

Weitzel said the findings challenge the accuracy of the probability models used to determine the need for genetic tests.

The result is important because many women with the BRCA gene mutations are followed more closely and treated more aggressively, including with drugs to prevent cancer and surgery to remove their breasts or ovaries.

"Finding out if someone is at inherited risk clearly does change how we follow people," said Dr. Noah Kauff of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, who wrote a commentary in JAMA encouraging that doctors use these risk models with caution.

"If you have breast cancer prior to age 50 and not a lot of women on your mother's or father's side, it is probably reasonable to test" for inherited cancer, Kauff said.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with more than a million cases detected worldwide each year.

source : news.yahoo.com

Higher Screening Rates Credited With Drop in Colorectal Cancer

2007-06-18T10:35:00.001-07:00

Colorectal cancer is on the decline in the United States, but doctors aren't declaring victory just yet against the deadly disease.

It's one of the few completely preventable forms of cancer -- but only if people get regular screenings, doctors say.

"Unfortunately, only about half of individuals who should be screened are not up to date in their screenings," said Dr. Durado Brooks, director of colorectal cancer for the American Cancer Society.

The American Cancer Society estimates there will be about 112,340 new cases of colon cancer and 41,420 new cases of rectal cancer in 2007 in the United States. Combined, they will cause about 52,180 deaths.

A recent study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found that increased screening for colorectal cancer may have contributed to the disease's decline in the United States between 1988 and 2002. According to the researchers, colorectal cancer decreased from 42.8 cases per 100,000 people in 1988-90 to 38.6 cases per 100,000 in 2000-02.

Meanwhile, there was an 80 percent increased use of colonoscopy to test for the disease by Americans between 1997 and 2002.

Many health experts also credit the "Katie Couric Effect," citing the TV newswoman's nationally televised 2000 colonoscopy, prompting more Americans to get screened for the malignancy.

The falling colorectal cancer rates and the climbing colonoscopy rates are linked, because the disease can be averted by removing polyps in the colon that are known to lead to cancer. Those polyps are found through colonoscopy and other screening methods.

"By finding non-cancerous polyps and removing them, we can actually prevent cancer," Brooks said. "Avoiding the disease is probably the most important reason screening needs to be done."

Beginning at age 50, both men and women should follow one of five screening options, according to the American Cancer Society:

* A yearly stool blood test or fecal immunochemical test.
* A flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years.
* A yearly stool blood test plus flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years.
* A double contrast barium enema every five years.
* A colonoscopy every 10 years.

Colonoscopy has been presented as the best option, because polyps can be detected and removed during the same procedure. During a colonoscopy, a slender, lighted tube is inserted through the anus up into the colon, allowing a thorough scan of the organ.

But Dr. Bernard Levin, vice president of cancer prevention at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, said the emphasis on a colonoscopy shouldn't keep people from pursuing other forms of screening if colonoscopy isn't available where they live.

Any screening test that gets done is the best, Levin said. "We have to accept that colonoscopy is not available to everybody. Other screening methods should not be considered second-rate," he said.

Other screening methods might also seem more palatable to patients who don't want to be anaesthetized, undergo the cleansing process necessary to prepare themselves for a colonoscopy, or have some other objection to the procedure.

"Some patients absolutely refuse having anything inserted into their body as a screening tool," Brooks said.

Flexible sigmoidoscopy is similar to colonoscopy, but the tube is inserted only into the lower part of the colon, making the procedure less invasive.

In a barium enema screening, a chalky substance is used to partly fill and open up the colon. Air is then pumped in to cause the colon to expand, allowing X-rays to be taken.

An additional screening tool, virtual colonoscopy, could make it easier than ever to be checked. Virtual colonoscopy uses CT scans and computers to produce two- and three-dimensional images of the colon and display them on a screen.

However, Brooks said, it's too soon to tell whether virtual colonoscopy is a dependable means of detecting or preventing colon cancer.

"Right now, virtual colonoscopy is not recommended as a screening tool," he said. "There is a significant body of evidence that supports its usefulness as a test, but it is being evaluated."

Levin decries another misconception about colon cancer, that men are more likely than women to get the disease.

"Over a woman's lifetime, they have the same chance as men," Levin said. "It's not a man's disease."

Those who are screened regularly for colorectal cancer are being met halfway by the medical profession, which is working to improve the quality of its screenings.

For example, a recent study found that doctors are more likely to get better results during a colonoscopy if they spend at least six minutes looking for abnormal growths.

The key is withdrawing the instrument slowly after it has been fully inserted, Levin and Brooks said.

"You have to do a high-quality examination for that examination to be effective," Brooks said. "Doctors who took their time and removed the scope slowly were able to find abnormalities at a rate of three times more compared with doctors who removed the scope at a more rapid rate."

Levin agreed. "If you're not withdrawing slowly enough to see every aspect of the colon, you're short-changing that patient," he said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Glaxo aims to launch five cancer drugs in 3 years

2007-06-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

GlaxoSmithKline aims to launch five new drugs for cancer in the next three years, its head of research said on Monday at the start of a presentation to analysts on the group's pipeline.

"This late-stage oncology pipeline has the potential, effectively, to deliver five new oncology medicines in the next three years," Moncef Slaoui told reporters in a conference call.

The total does not include Tykerb, which was recently launched for breast cancer in the United States.

Europe's biggest drugmaker aims to establish itself as a major player in the fast-growing oncology market, although industry analysts say its ambitions will do little to offset short-term worries about sales and profits.

Glaxo suffered a major blow last month after a critical study linked its diabetes drug Avandia to heart-attack risk, hitting demand for its second biggest selling medicine.

source : news.yahoo.com

Glaxo aims to launch five cancer drugs by 2010

2007-06-18T10:33:00.001-07:00

laxoSmithKline Plc plans to launch five new cancer drugs by 2010, tapping into a $40 billion-a-year market that is growing by 20 percent annually, its research head said on Monday.

Europe's biggest drugmaker has a range of oncology products waiting in the wings, including an oral treatment to starve tumours of blood supply, new cancer vaccines and drugs to help alleviate the symptoms of chemotherapy.

"This late-stage oncology pipeline has the potential, effectively, to deliver five new oncology medicines in the next three years," Moncef Slaoui told reporters ahead of a presentation to investment analysts.

"This is an unprecented objective for a pharmaceutical company."

The total does not include Tykerb, which was launched for breast cancer in the United States in March.

The five new drugs identified for launch in the coming three years are Cervarix, pazopanib, HuMax-CD20, Promacta and Rezonic. The latest research on some of these had already been presented at a major meeting of cancer experts in Chicago this month.

Glaxo wants to establish itself as a major player in the lucrative oncology market, where it has been under-represented in the past, though industry analysts say its ambitions will do little to offset short-term worries about sales and profits.

It suffered a major blow last month after a critical study linked its diabetes drug Avandia to heart-attack risk, hitting demand for its second-biggest selling medicine.

Glaxo shares were off 0.6 percent at 13.18 pounds by 1400 GMT, slightly outperforming a European drugs sector that was down 1 percent.

The British group has pinned particularly high hopes on its Tykerb pill for breast cancer, a rival to Roche Holding AG and Genentech Inc.'s injectable drug Herceptin.

Tykerb has produced promising results in studies showing it can help patients, including some of those whose breast cancer has spread to the brain.

But analysts believe it could take many years to reach blockbuster potential, with further trials on the value of combining Tykerb with Herceptin due later this year and other tests on its use as a first-line treatment due early next year.

Still, Saloui said early trends were good.

"Tykerb, actually, is off to a very good start in the U.S., with over 3,000 breast cancer patients treated since launch," he said.

CANCER VACCINES

Australia approved Cervarix, a vaccine to prevent a virus that causes cervical cancer, last month and Glaxo hopes to have it on sale in Europe later this year, though a U.S. launch is viewed by analysts as unlikely before 2008.

Pazopanib is an anti-angiogenesis drug similar to Genentech and Roche's Avastin, while HuMax-CD20 is an antibody drug licensed from Denmark's Genmab that is being tested for leukaemia and other blood cancers.

Genmab said separately that HuMax-CD20 possibly could be launched in 2008.

HuMax-CD20, or ofatumumab, works in a similar way to Genentech and Roche's Rituxan/MabThera, and Saloui said Glaxo planned a head-to-head comparative study of the two drugs.

Promacta and Rezonic are both supportive care medicines. Promacta helps boost blood platelet levels, while Rezonic is designed to reduce nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy.

New Phase III trial data presented for the first time on Monday showed Rezonic given with Glaxo's older anti-nausea drug Zofran was significantly more effective than Zofran alone.

Glaxo is also working in the emerging field of therapeutic cancer vaccines, which are designed to boost the body's immune system rather than prevent an infection like conventional vaccines.

It plans to recruit the first patients into a late-stage Phase III trial of its MAGE-A3 shot for non-small-cell lung cancer in September. MAGE-A3 will compete with a similar product called Stimuvax from Merck KGaA, which entered Phase III testing in February.

source : news.yahoo.com

GlaxoSmithKline plans 5 new cancer drugs

2007-06-18T10:32:00.001-07:00

GlaxoSmithKline PLC, the world's second-largest pharmaceutical company, said Monday that it expects to introduce five new cancer treatments through 2010.

The drugs will treat a range of different cancers, including cancer of the cervix, the company said in a statement. The new treatments are cervarix, pazopanib, promacta, rezonic and ofatumumab.

Most recently Glaxo introduced Tykerb, its oral treatment for breast cancer, in March. The market for cancer treatments is worth about 20 billion pounds (US$39.5 billion; euro29.5 billion) and is growing at a rate of about 20 percent a year, the company estimates.

"Over the next three years, GSK will make a difference to millions of patients facing cancer," said Glaxo's head of research and development, Moncef Slaoui.

Glaxo has seen its shares drop recently after the New England Journal of Medicine published an article saying its diabetes drug Avandia raised the risk of heart attack by 43 percent.

The U.S.Food and Drug Administration said it will require a heart failure warning on Avandia. The drug already carries a warning about heart conditions.

Glaxo shares dipped 0.4 percent to 1,321 pence (US$26.11; euro19.51) on the London Stock Exchange.

source : news.yahoo.com

Stress linked to lower endometrial cancer risk

2007-06-17T03:19:00.000-07:00

Women who feel chronically stressed may have a lower risk of developing uterine cancer than their less harried peers, researchers have found.

In a study that followed nearly 6,800 Danish women for two decades, researchers found that women with higher self-reported stress levels at the beginning of the study were less likely to develop endometrial cancer.

The findings, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, which mirror the results of some breast cancer risk studies, may seem surprising. The researchers speculate that these lower cancer risks may reflect diminished estrogen production in women under chronic stress.

Endometrial cancer is cancer that originates in the lining of the uterus, and hormones are believed to play an important role in the development of the disease. Factors that limit a woman's lifetime exposure to estrogen -- such as starting menstruation late, pregnancy and early menopause -- have been shown to correlate with a lower risk of endometrial cancer.

This may also explain why women who report greater stress show lower rates of breast and endometrial cancers, according to the study authors, led by Dr. Naja Rod Nielsen of the National Institute of Public Health in Copenhagen.

Because of the effects of stress on the central nervous system, persistent stress may lower the body's synthesis of estrogen, the researchers explain.

They emphasize, however, that chronic stress should not be seen as a good thing, because it may also promote or exacerbate other health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke and impaired immune function.

"Despite these results," Nielsen and her colleagues write, "stress may still be a risk factor for other diseases and should therefore not be considered a healthy response."

source : news.yahoo.com

Soon, a blood protein test to spot colon cancer

2007-06-17T03:17:00.000-07:00

Boffins have discovered proteins CCSA-3 and CCSA-4, present in blood that accurately identify colon cancer and precancerous polyps, which might be used to develop a blood test to identify at-risk individuals.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Robert Getzenberg at the Johns Hopkins' Brady Urological Institute.

These proteins were first discovered by Getzenberg and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh through a protein scan.

As part of the study, to find whether the two blood-dwelling proteins are to be remnants of cellular debris castoff from dead cancer cells, researchers drew blood samples from 107 apparently healthy individuals the day before their scheduled colonoscopies, and from 28 colorectal cancer patients.

Alteration of nuclear scaffolding is a hallmark of cancer cells that is easily detectable under the microscope as a misshapen and discoloured nucleus. This led the researchers to the notion that 'there must be something at the molecular level that would form a molecular flag for cancer via a blood test.'

Researchers used a particular concentration of scaffold-proteins as a marker for disease.

Researchers found 100 percent accurate results in identifying the 28 existing cancers, using the same protein markers.

"These proteins seem very good at separating normal samples from cancerous ones and identifying other groups with pre-cancers at high risk for disease as well," Getzenberg said.

The findings of the study were published in the June issue of Cancer Research.

source : news.yahoo.com

"Chemo brain" unrelated chemotherapy for breast cancer

2007-06-17T03:16:00.000-07:00

Drug therapy given before the primary chemotherapy for breast cancer does not appear to worsen mental processes, or "cognitive function," German investigators report in the journal Cancer. Suspicions that it does may have been influenced by cases of mental decline that occurred before treatment began.

"Most evidence of so-called chemo brain (or chemo fog) comes from cross-sectional studies without pre-chemotherapy assessment," Dr. Kerstin Hermelink from Ludwig-Maximillian University, Munich, told Reuters Health. "In these trials, cognitive compromise present already after diagnosis might mistakenly have been attributed to chemotherapy effects."

Hermelink and colleagues assessed the course of cognitive function before and after exposure to cytostatic treatment in just over 100 women with breast cancer.

Before the start of therapy, the average scores for 5 of 12 cognitive tests were below normal, the authors report, and the group's average score for one test was better than the norm.

Twenty-one weeks later, toward the end of chemotherapy, there was an overall improvement in scores that reached statistical significance in six tests. Only one test showed significant deterioration after chemotherapy.

Excluding patients with confounding factors, 22 percent showed predominant deterioration, and 32 percent showed predominant improvement after chemotherapy, the researchers note.

Age and intelligence were not associated with the change in test results, the report indicates. And while anxiety and depression did not correlate with the change in test results, but they did correlate with self-reported cognitive complaints.

"Breast cancer patients who decline chemotherapy for fear of cognitive impairment should be informed that cognitive compromise often occurs already in the wake of diagnosis," Hermelink said. "During chemotherapy, cognitive function is stable in most patients, and decline is as likely as improvement."

Nevertheless, "More research is necessary before patients can be reassured that chemotherapy does not impair cognitive function," Hermelink said, adding that results of the 1-year follow-up should be available soon.
source : news.yahoo.com

Turning an Anti-Tumor Gene Back On Could Fight Cancer

2007-06-17T03:15:00.000-07:00

Cancer drugs may be able to switch on a gene that tumor cells have switched off, potentially offering a new target for treatment, scientists say.

The findings on the gene, called Brahma (BRM), are published online in the journal Oncogene.

Genetic mutations are one cause of cancer. But the disease can also develop when genes that control cell growth are turned off, allowing cells to multiply out of control. Currently, these deactivated genes can be used to identify or monitor cancer, but there are no treatments that actually target these genes, according to background information in the study.

A team at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, found that BRM was switched off -- but not missing -- in about 15 percent of tumor samples they studied, including cells from lung, esophageal, ovarian, bladder, colon and breast cancers.

The team was able to use existing cancer drugs to switch BRM back on, but they said that new drugs would have to be developed to provide more effective reactivation of the gene in cancer cells.

"This is a targetable target. We can detect it, but we need to find a better way to turn it back on," lead author Dr. David Reisman, assistant professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School, said in a prepared statement. "No drugs are designed to deal with a gene that's turned off. But it's a straightforward extension of current therapies that target genes that are turned on," he added.

source : news.yahoo.com

Hormone Therapy Extends Lives of Ovarian Cancer Patients

2007-06-17T03:14:00.000-07:00

Hormone therapy that has proved successful against breast cancer may also extend and improve the lives of women with estrogen-sensitive ovarian cancer, a British study suggests.

Letrozole hormone therapy may also be an alternative to chemotherapy for some women with the disease, according the report in the June 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

"This study demonstrates that some ovarian cancers are responsive to anti-estrogen hormonal therapy, and these cancers, and therefore the patients who would benefit, can be identified," said lead researcher Simon Langdon, a Cancer Research UK scientist and a senior lecturer in cancer research at the University of Edinburgh.

Langdon noted that his team's research has shown that growth of certain ovarian cancers is stimulated by the female hormone estrogen. "These cancers could be identified as those possessing high levels of the estrogen receptor," he said.

For the study, which included 44 women, the researchers used letrozole, which works by limiting production of estrogen in the body. "This treatment then effectively starves the ovarian cancer of estrogen and inhibits growth," Langdon said.

During six months of treatment, 25 percent of the women had no tumor growth, and 33 percent of the women with the greatest estrogen values had a positive response that delayed the use of chemotherapy. "Within the trial, we were able to show that tumors with the highest levels of estrogen receptor were the most likely to respond to treatment," Langdon said.

"This approach provides an addition to chemotherapy for this disease," he added. "It is unlikely to replace chemotherapy but could be used to delay the need for chemotherapy."

The patients most likely to benefit from the therapy can be identified before treatment starts. So, this kind of approach means women can be better targeted and the drug not given to those unlikely to benefit who should receive some other type of treatment, Langdon said.

The American Cancer Society reports that ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer in women, not including skin cancer. There will be about 22,430 new cases of ovarian cancer in the United States this year, and an estimated 15,280 women will die from the disease.

A large majority -- about two-thirds -- of women with ovarian cancer are 55 or older. A woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer is about one in 67, according to the cancer society.

Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the deputy chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, said, "Letrozole is already approved for treating ovarian cancer in women who have failed other treatment. This study refines these researchers' previous work by identifying those women with estrogen-receptor-sensitive ovarian cancer who are the most likely to respond to this drug.

"Whether the drug should be started earlier in the course of ovarian cancer and whether we should be evaluating whether or not a woman has estrogen-receptor-sensitive ovarian cancer are questions that need to be answered," he said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Pancreatic cancer surgery overlooked

2007-06-17T03:12:00.000-07:00

Nearly 40 percent of patients with early pancreatic cancer who could be treated with surgery don't get the operation, dooming them to grim chances of survival, a study found.

The complicated operation is tricky but safer than previously thought and can extend life, although chances of surviving five years are still not great, Dr. Mark Talamonti, study co-author, said Thursday.

Still, about 30 percent of patients with early-stage disease who get the operation can be expected to survive at least five years, compared with less than 5 percent of early-stage patients who don't get the operation, the study found.

"It is still a formidable disease, but if you're caught with early-stage disease, at least there is reasonable hope" with surgery, said Talamonti, a cancer surgeon at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital and chief of surgical oncology at Northwestern University's medical school.

The study is based on an analysis of a national cancer database maintained by the American College of Surgeons, which released the results Thursday.

The researchers found that 3,644 patients out of 9,559 with early-stage disease, or about 38 percent, were not offered surgery. Blacks, patients older than 65, and those with lower annual incomes and education were the least likely to be offered surgery.

"For people with potentially removable cancer not to be offered the only treatment that can potentially cure them or at least extend their lives is disturbing," said Dr. William Jarnagin of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He was not involved in the study.

Part of the problem likely is lack of access to centers experienced in doing the surgery, Talamonti said. Also, many doctors are unaware of improvements in the surgery, he said. Some still view it and the disease itself as a virtual death sentence, and that likely also explains why so many eligible patients aren't referred for an operation, he said.

The study will appear in the August edition of Annals of Surgery, which recently printed an early online version.

About 37,000 Americans will be diagnosed this year with pancreatic cancer and about 33,000 of them will die, making it the fourth leading cause of cancer death, according to the American Cancer Society.

Some 20 percent of patients are diagnosed with early-stage disease, where the cancer has not spread beyond the pancreas, Talamonti said.

Nearly all patients who survive many years have an operation called the Whipple procedure. This seven- to eight-hour surgery includes removing most or all of the pancreas, part of the intestine, the entire gallbladder and part of a bile duct.

The surgery itself can be dangerous, but with advances in technique, death rates have fallen from about 25 percent in the 1960s to less than 3 percent today at some centers that do many of the operations, the study authors said.

Patients eligible for surgery generally have no detectable cancer outside the pancreas. Still, disease spread is often initially hard to spot, contributing to low survival rates even after surgery, Talamonti said.

Dr. Suresh Chari a pancreatic cancer specialist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said the study results were unexpected.

"I was surprised that so many of the primary physicians don't even think of referring the patient to a major center" for surgery, Chari said.

He said Mayo does about 100 pancreatic cancer surgeries a year.

"About the only way you can ever effect a long-term cure is with surgery," he said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Funding boost for cancer treatment

2007-06-17T03:11:00.000-07:00

The national drug-funding agency Pharmac has announced it will make a more convenient treatment available to sufferers of colorectal cancer.

Pharmac medical director Peter Moodie said about 450 extra people each year would be given capecitabine, a tablet form of chemotherapy.

The tablets would be available to patients with stage three cancers.

"More people being treated for colorectal cancer will take tablets at home instead of going to hospital to received multiple infusions over a prolonged period of time," Dr Moodie said.

At the moment, most colorectal cancer patients were visiting hospital up to 30 times in six months.

Some patients were already taking the tablets, but the extra funding meant the treatment would be more widely and consistently used, he said.

The more convenient treatment would be particularly useful for people who lived in rural areas, or in towns without major hospitals.

The tablets would be available by prescription at community pharmacies.

Dr Moodie said the increased access would cost Pharmac at least $1.7 million a year, but there would also be a cost-saving because it would reduce hospital treatments.

"This is not only much better for patients but frees up precious resources in hospitals...to deliver chemotherapy to other patients."

Colorectal cancer was the second most common cancer in New Zealand, with about 2300 new cases and 1200 deaths each year.

source : news.yahoo.com

Bowel cancer pill

2007-06-17T03:10:00.000-07:00

Next month New Zealanders with bowel cancer will have access to a more convenient treatment. Bowel cancer is the second most common cancer among both men and women in New Zealand. Close to 1200 New Zealanders die from the disease each year.

From the first of July, the government drug funding agency PHARMAC will be subsidising a tablet form of chemotherapy treatment for the disease called capecitabine.

PHARMAC medical director Peter Moodie says with the drug in tablet form, more people can be treated, which is a win for both patients and hospitals. Dr Moodie says the treatment programme will cost more than $1.7 million a year.

source : news.yahoo.com

Former NHL coach Burns leads prostate cancer marchers in Montreal

2007-06-17T03:09:00.000-07:00

Former NHL coach Pat Burns led a flood of marchers from the top of Montreal's Mount Royal on Saturday to raise awareness about prostate cancer.

"We've been working on this a little bit to try to get some men to understand that they've got to put the 'machoism' aside," the three-time NHL coach of the year said before the walk.

Burns, 55, said men have to get tested for prostate cancer since one in seven Canadians will be diagnosed with it.

"Being a cancer patient myself, I know how important it is," said a fit-looking Burns between signing autographs for fans. "Men are a little but lazy when it comes to those things."

His 13-year NHL coaching career was cut short during the 2003-04 playoffs when he was diagnosed with colon cancer. In 2005, the disease struck a second time, this time in his liver.

The Montreal native had two major surgeries and chemotherapy to fight the cancer.

"This has been the biggest challenge of my life," he said. "Walking out of that doctor's office after he had told me (about the cancer) was a real taste of reality. It was a real slap in the face."

But these days, the former NHL head coach in Montreal, Toronto, Boston and New Jersey said, he's in "great shape."

"I've been through some rough times, but right now I feel good about everything," said Burns, a consultant with New Jersey.

More than 200 walkers and sports celebrities joined Burns for the four-kilometre Walk of Courage, which also raised funds for prostate cancer research.

Participants of all ages descended a winding gravel trail from Mount Royal's picturesque Beaver Lake. Representatives from Montreal's professional teams, including the CFL's Alouettes, NHL's Canadiens and the United Soccer League's Impact joined the march.

The event was organized by Procure, a non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against prostate cancer.

Another walker who got an early workout signing shirts and hats was Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur.

"My dad died from cancer and a couple of my uncles too, so it's something you look at and worry about eventually," said Lafleur.

"It's something that affects a lot of people." Lafleur said more people need to talk about prostate cancer and those battling through it should be encouraged.

Father Tom McEntee was diagnosed with the disease and said it's localized at the moment. He knows many others who are fighting prostate cancer.

"I guess I'd be here whether I had it or I didn't have it, so I'm glad to support the cause," McEntee said as he watched walkers warm up to music before the march.

The Montreal priest said word of the diagnosis from his doctor hit hard. "I cried," he said. "That's all I can say."

source : news.yahoo.com

Piribo Adds Cancer Stem Cells Market Report to its Specialised Catalogue

2007-06-15T03:21:00.001-07:00

Piribo, the online destination for business intelligence for the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, has now added a new market report called "Cancer Stem Cells - Emerging Therapeutic, Diagnostic and Market Opportunities".

(PRWEB) June 15, 2007 -- The last decade has seen the emergence of a new paradigm in the therapeutic strategies which may be available to target cancer. This is based on the existence of so called Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs), found in small populations within the bulk of normal proliferating cancer cells, in tumours.

Many scientists believe that CSCs are responsible for the development and spread of cancer and explain why the disease is resistant to many conventional treatments and able to re-establish itself after therapy. Many researchers believe the selective targeting of these cells offers revolutionary advances in the treatment of cancer, by attacking the disease at its source. The unique identity of CSCs and their proposed causal role in the development and progression of cancer potentially make these cells an ideal target for the detection of the disease. A number of CSC-targeting candidate drugs are now in early research, 2 of which have entered Phase I clinical trials.

Key findings of the report
•Research on CSCs is revealing a unified picture on the involvement of these cells in the development and progression of cancer and this has accelerated discovery programmes to selectively target these cells, alongside normal proliferating cancer cells
•The targeting of CSCs is believed to offer revolutionary advances in cancer therapy and diagnosis
•The CSC field is seeing substantial development, investment and new company formation, as specialised groups advance new discovery programmes
•The targeting of CSCs presents several unique challenges, however a number of strategies have been proposed and are being explored.
•It is believed that diagnostic methods based on the detection of CSC's will have the potential to address key limitations of current methods
•The first CSC-targeting drug candidates have entered clinical development

This report provides a comprehensive overview of research on CSCs and the impact this is having on the development of new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies to target cancer. More than 50 academic research teams from 13 different countries have been reviewed, together with leading discoveries in this field. This is driving new research programmes and commercial developments. This report has identified and profiled 17 companies or commercially-focused groups, which now are targeting CSCs, to develop new therapies and diagnostics. The emerging picture on CSCs is creating significant excitement and interest in the cancer field and researchers have proposed a number of drug discovery strategies, which are also reviewed. Many scientists believe that the targeting of CSC's offers important and revolutionary advances in the targeting of cancer. This report gives the reader a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of developments in this exciting field.

source : news.yahoo.com

Cervical cancer awareness programme to be launched in State in month's time

2007-06-15T03:20:00.000-07:00

CERVICAL cancer is the most common cancer found in the Indian women, said Dr Pankaj Shah, Director of the MP Shah Cancer Hospital. Almost 25 per cent of the world's cases of cervical cancers are found in India alone. Under the Ahmedabad District Cancer Control Programme, the Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (GCRI) will introduce visual examination to detect cervical cancer at early stages.

The programme will be launched across the State in a month's time.

Cervical cancer occurs due to a sexually transmitted virus. Patients and doctors often overlook the risks of cervical cancer because there are hardly any symptoms in first ten years, the precancerous stage, of having contracted the virus.

The visual methods of examination include application of iodine and acetic acid on the cervix and observe the changes in colour. The two methods are called Visual Inspection with Lugol's Iodine (VILI) and Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA).

"If detected in the first ten years, there is 100 per cent survival rate among patients. If detected in later stages, there is only a 40 per cent chance of survival among its patients," said Dr Ava Desai, a gynaecologist in the cancer hospital.

Due to inaccessibility of the Pap Smear Test in our country, almost 75 per cent of the patients are diagnosed late and in incurable stages of cancer. "The GCRI programme hopes to rope in almost 10,000 gynaecologists in government, municipality and private hospitals to raise awareness about and encourage early detection of the deadly cancer," said Dr Pankaj Shah.

The conventional method of detection of cervical cancer is the Pap Smear Test. However, this test requires significant infrastructure like laboratories, trained personnel and testing equipment. In developing countries like India, economical constraints, lack of awareness and social conservativeness greatly reduce the chances of early detection of the cancer.

"Developed countries like USA and Norway have reduced their morbidity and mortality rates significantly. India still does not have a national cervical screening programme," said Dr Ava Desai. "Our first aim is to increase awareness about this cancer and break the social stigma surrounding gynaecological examinations."

Though vaccines are available to prevent the cancer, their effectiveness has not been proved completely. Apart from being expensive, the vaccine can only be administered to women who have had no prior sexual contact.

source : news.yahoo.com

Gov't releases plan to cut cancer death rate by 20%

2007-06-15T03:18:00.000-07:00

The government on Friday released a basic plan to combat cancer, featuring measure to reduce the cancer death rate by 20 percent in the next 10 years for people under 75.

Based on the plan, each prefecture will be required to draft their own plan to fight cancer by next spring that takes into account regional differences.

The plan was approved based on a cancer-fighting law put into force in April. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry made the draft but the panel that debated it included cancer patients and their families, in addition to doctors and other experts.

Besides reducing cancer deaths, the plan sets a goal of "reducing the pain of the patients and families as well as maintaining and improving their quality of life."

It also calls for focusing on several areas which require more efforts in the nation, such as promoting radiation and chemical treatment, and fostering such specialists, and conducting palliative care on patients from the early treatment stage.

As numerical targets, the plan includes having all doctors working on cancer treatment acquire the basic knowledge of palliative care within 10 years. It also calls for raising the percentage of people screened for breast and colon cancers to 50 percent or more in five years, in addition to reducing the percentage of smokers among people under 20 to 0 percent in three years.

source : news.yahoo.com

Top Iraqi Shiite leader back in Iran for cancer treatment

2007-06-15T03:17:00.000-07:00

Powerful Shiite politician Abdel Aziz al-Hakim has returned to Iran to undergo chemotherapy for his lung cancer, two weeks after receiving treatment in Tehran, his son told AFP on Thursday.

"There are minor malignant swellings in his lung, a sort of not advanced lung cancer that has not spread yet," Mohsen Hakim said.

"The physicians said that it is treatable with chemotherapy and they are very much hopeful that they will be able to treat it," he added.

Two weeks ago, the secretary of another son, Ammar, said Abdel Aziz "is in his headquarters in Najaf and will be there for a long time, after he finished his initial period of treatment in Tehran."

Hakim, the head of one of the most powerful parties in the parliament, has also undergone medical tests in the United States.

On May 22, Ammar Hakim said his father's health was "stable and the doctors in America confirmed to him that the cancer tumour is limited and could be brought under control."

Hakim's Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), formerly known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, was founded in Iran in 1982 as an opposition movement in exile.

The party returned to Iraq in the aftermath of the March 2003 US-led invasion. It joined Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's coalition government last year after winning 30 seats in the 275-member parliament.

Hakim's illness comes as one of his main rivals, radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, has resurfaced after several months in hiding.

Despite SIIC's close ties with Iran, Hakim has tried to build bridges with the United States, and last year met President George W. Bush at the White House.

source : news.yahoo.com

Cancer drug 'may pave the way' for RU486

2007-06-15T03:16:00.000-07:00

Offering medical abortions using a cancer drug could finally propel a more effective abortion pill, RU486, onto the market, a leading obstetrician says.

Queensland specialist Professor Caroline de Costa, who led the charge for RU486, says she is thrilled major sexual health clinics will now offer non-surgical abortions.

Women's health organisation Marie Stopes International has announced it will provide medical options at clinics in NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria from this month.

However, because of delays in accessing RU486 the clinics will use the cancer drug methotrexate.

RU486 was approved for use more than a year ago but no drug company has yet offered to supply it.

Prof de Costa, who spearheaded the campaign to approve the abortion pill, said the move by the clinics would boost the profile of medical abortions and the drugs involved.

"My belief is that offering methotrexate as an option will actually lift the chances of finally getting RU486 on the market here," Prof de Costa said.

"We need all the help we can get to get this drug out there because it is the best proven option."

Methotrexate is a cancer drug used by many individual obstetricians in small doses in combination with another drug misoprostol to induce abortions.

The use is "off licence", meaning it is not registered for this purpose.

But until now, clinics have not offered the treatment.

A Sydney pilot study run by Marie Stopes showed the drug was safe and effective with few side effects.

However, specialists agree that RU486 induces abortions faster and more effectively.

"Once RU486 is available via mainstream distribution and purchase from a pharmaceutical company in Australia, Marie Stopes International will be able to offer this option to clients," the company said in a statement.

Prof de Costa is the only doctor so far authorised to prescribe the drug and says it is proving "very effective" among her small sample of Cairns women with medical complications.

"It's great for them but what we want is to get it out there more widely," she said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Breast cancer drug may offer hope for treating ovarian cancer

2007-06-15T03:15:00.000-07:00

Researchers from Edinburgh University have revealed that drug letrozole, which is used to treat breast cancer, can increase the life span of people suffering from Ovarian cancer by three years.

The researcher used the drug to stop oestrogen from stimulating tumour growth.

Though the discovery may not benefit all because not all cases of ovarian cancer, which is also called a 'silent killer' are triggered by oestrogen, it still offers hope to thousands, reports Daily Mail.

The study that involved 44 women found that the drug stopped oestrogen supply to tumours for almost half a year, in 25pct of the women.

In one-third of the women, whose tumours were largely dependent on oestrogen, the drug deferred chemotherapy.

The researchers expect the drug to increase life expectancy from sa number of months to almost three years.

source : news.yahoo.com

Taiwan researchers claim cancer therapy alternative

2007-06-15T03:14:00.001-07:00

Taiwan researchers said Thursday they have successfully tested 10 new sugar-fat compounds they believe will inhibit cancer growth while prolonging patients' survival time with limited side effects.

The new compounds were created by a team led by Dr. Wong Chi-huey, president of Taiwan's highest academic research body, the Academia Sinica, and an expert in the structure and function of sugars.

"This is an innovative strategy in cancer treatment. So far, most anti-cancer drugs are associated with side-effects like nausea and hair loss," said Alice Yu, who led a team to validate the compounds.

"But the new (compounds) are expected to cause few side-effects as they are designed to enhance immunity rather than attack cancer cells."

The new compounds are an improvement on one called a-Galcer, which was discovered in Japan in 1995.

At least 10 of the new compounds had proved effective in experiments with mice, Academia Sinica said.

The study showed that lung cancer-bearing mice treated with the new compound had significantly prolonged survival time compared to those treated with a-Galcer, the research institute said in a statement.

The Japanese research did not go beyond a phase I trial because while A-Galcer was found to enhance immunity by helping some proteins, it also damaged other proteins, thus suppressing immune functions. Overall the anti-cancer results were weak.

However, Taiwan's experiments showed that mice treated with the new compounds for six weeks appeared to be in better health.

In breast cancer-bearing mice, treatment with the new compounds had inhibited tumor growth in 75 percent of the group, compared to 50 percent inhibition of tumor growths in mice treated with a-Galcer.

Encouraged by the experiments, Dr. Chang Ya-jen, another researcher involved in the study, said the new compounds could be used to manufacture drugs that would "provide an alternative therapeutic approach" to cancer management in the future.

"They could signal a new ray of hope to cancer patients because such drugs could not only extend their survival time but also improve their life quality while battling with cancer," she said.

The study's results have been published in an online early edition report of the US' PNAS (Proceedings of
National Academy of Sciences).

Yu said it may take up to 10 years for completion of clinical experiments that would precede mass production of a new cancer therapy drug.

Academia Sinica has applied for patent rights here and abroad for the special compounds.

source : news.yahoo.com

Stress linked to lower endometrial cancer risk

2007-06-15T03:13:00.001-07:00

Pancreatic cancer surgery overlooked

2007-06-15T03:11:00.000-07:00

Plexus executive Ehlers dies of cancer

2007-06-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Plexus Corp. said Tuesday that its chief operating officer Paul Ehlers has died of cancer at the age of 51.

Ehlers had been on medical leave from the Neenah-based contract manufacturer since January. He was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer in November 2006, while retaining his previous post of president of Plexus Electronic Assembly.

"Paul was a tremendous leader and a trusted friend," Plexus chief executive officer Dean Foate said in a statement. "His passion for life, his competitive nature and his eternal optimism resonated in everything he did."

Prior to Ehlers' appointment last November, the chief operating officer position had been vacant since August 2003, when then-COO Thomas Sabol abruptly resigned.

source : news.yahoo.com

Glaxo gets priority review for lung cancer drug

2007-06-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

GlaxoSmithKline said on Tuesday that U.S. health regulators granted a priority review to a capsule form of its drug Hycamtin for the treatment of relapsed small cell lung cancer.

With priority review status, the U.S.Food and Drug Administration will make its decision on whether to approve the drug within six months, rather than the usual 10 month to 12 month review period.

The agency grants priority review to products that are considered to be potentially significant therapeutic advancements over existing therapies.

Hycamtin in its current intravenous formulation requires five consecutive days of therapy every three weeks. Oral Hycamtin, if approved, will allow patients to be treated at home, Glaxo said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Heavy pesticide exposure linked to brain cancer

2007-06-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

Agricultural workers with extensive exposure to pesticides may have an elevated risk of brain cancer, new research suggests.

In a study of nearly 700 adults with or without brain tumors, French researchers found that agricultural workers with the highest level of exposure to pesticides were twice as likely to be diagnosed with brain cancer as those with no occupational pesticide exposure.

There was also evidence that people who treated their house plants with pesticides had an elevated brain cancer risk. However, the researchers caution that this has not been seen in previous studies, and more research is needed to confirm whether the connection is real.

Past studies have linked pesticide exposure among farmers to adverse effects on the brain, such as a higher risk of Parkinson's disease.

The current study focused on residents of France's Bordeaux region which, along with its famous wine vineyards, has one of the highest recorded rates of brain cancer in the world.

Dr. Isabelle Baldi of the University of Bordeaux and colleagues compared 221 adults who developed brain cancer between 1999 and 2001 with 442 adults from the general population who were the same age and were free of the disease.

The overall average risk of brain cancer was 29 percent higher among subjects with occupational exposure to pesticides than subjects with no exposure. There was also no strong evidence that workers with lower levels of pesticide exposure had an elevated brain cancer risk.

However, farmers, vineyard workers and others with the highest exposure had a two-fold higher risk of developing a brain tumor.

When examined by tumor type, the risk of glioma was three times higher in exposed workers than those with no work exposure to pesticides, Baldi's team reports in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Gliomas, the researchers note, are more common among men than women -- raising the possibility that on-the-job pesticide exposure is one reason for the discrepancy.

Regarding household pesticide use, study participants who said they used pesticides on their house plants were about twice as likely as those who never used pesticides to be diagnosed with brain cancer.

It's not clear what to make of this finding, according to Baldi's team. It's possible, they note, that people with brain cancer might have been biased toward reporting household pesticide use. Other factors not measured in the study, like total exposure to household chemicals, might also account for the link, the researchers point out.

In the Bordeaux vineyards, fungicides are the most commonly used pesticides. However, the study lacked information on the specific pesticides participants used.

A better understanding of which pesticides are associated with brain cancer is now needed, the researchers conclude.

source : news.yahoo.com

Cancer Risk From Environmental Arsenic Can Last for Generations

2007-06-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

Decades after residents of a region in northern Chile were exposed to high levels of arsenic in their drinking water, they still suffer from high lung and bladder cancer death rates, concludes a study by U.S. and Chilean researchers.

The finding indicates a pattern of long-term arsenic-related health effects that hasn't been documented before, said the authors of a study in the June 12 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

"The results show that the risks of concentrated arsenic exposure are extraordinarily high, and that they last a very long time, both after initial exposure, and after the exposure ends," principal investigator Allan Smith, professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, said in a prepared statement.

From 1958 to 1970, arsenic levels in drinking water in the northern Chilean cities of Antofagasta and Mejillones averaged 870 micrograms per liter, nearly 90 times higher than current World Health Organization and U.S. standards of 10 micrograms per liter. The communities got their water from arsenic-contaminated rivers.

Improvements to the water treatment system that began in 1971, along with other measures, have reduced arsenic levels to about 10 micrograms per liter.

For this study, researchers analyzed data on lung and bladder cancer deaths in this area (Region II) from 1950 to 2000.

They found that those kinds of cancer deaths started to increase in 1968, which was 10 years after the major jump in arsenic levels in drinking water.

Death rates from these two kinds of cancer continued to increase and peaked between 1986 and 1997. Between 1992 and 1994 (more than 20 years after arsenic levels started to decline), the combined death rates for bladder and lung cancer in Region II were 153 per 100,000 men and 50 per 100,000 women -- 2.5 to three times higher than in another region in northern Chile that did not have high levels of arsenic in the drinking water.

"The impact of this environmental health risk on cancer mortality in a human population is without precedent. This study adds to the overall body of evidence of the harmful effects of arsenic," Smith said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Cancer teen's family sues Texas officals

2007-06-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

Family members of a girl who was once taken from their custody after they refused radiation treatment for her cancer have filed a lawsuit alleging their constitutional rights were violated.

The lawsuit, filed May 31, claims state and county officials broke constitutional protections of privacy and unlawful search and seizure when they took custody of Katie Wernecke and her brothers without a search warrant or a hearing three years ago.

"The right of a family to remain together without the coercive interference of the government is a fundamental right protected," the lawsuit says.

It requests unspecified damages.

Patrick Crimmins, a spokesman for the state Department of Family and Protective Services, would not comment on the claims.

"I will say that while Katie was in our care, we did everything according to the law and according to what we determined was in her best interest," Crimmins said.

Ed Wernecke, Katie's father, did not immediately return a call to his cell phone Tuesday. Family lawyer Charles Bundren said Katie, now 15, is doing well and attending school.

Katie Wernecke, of Agua Dulce, was 12 in January 2005 when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymph nodes. Her doctor contacted Child Protective Services, now the Department of Family and Protective Services, after her parents refused to allow radiation treatment.

The Werneckes had argued chemotherapy already killed the cancer and they feared the radiation would do more harm than good.

Officials went to Katie's home in June 2005 to remove her from her parents. They took her three brothers when they found she wasn't there. Nueces County sheriff officials later took Katie from a family ranch, where she was hiding with her mother.

The boys were ordered returned to the family after 10 days. Katie remained in foster care until November 2005, when a Corpus Christi judge ordered her returned to her family.

According to a family Web log, Katie has traveled extensively since 2005 for different treatments, including immunotherapy and an intravenous vitamin C treatment.

The cancer was in remission in September but reappeared in multiple spots in December. Bundren would not say Tuesday whether her cancer was again in remission.

source : news.yahoo.com

Video Game Fights Cancer

2007-06-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

A new video game might prove to be a very productive use of time for young cancer patients: It helps kids fight their diseases figuratively and literally.

The game, called “Re-mission,” is a 20-level journey through the bodies of fictional patients suffering from different types of cancer, and of course, it can be played by adults and healthy folks as well. But the primary idea is to give patients a sense of control over their disease.

Players control an animation of a nano-sized robot named Roxxi who blasts cancer cells and battles bacterial infections; gamers must also manage real, life-threatening side effects.

Studies of young cancer patients who played the game showed they were more likely to take their medicine, to undergo treatment and to have a better understanding of their disease, according to CIGNA, the company that distributed the game (the non-profit organization HopeLab created the game).

“It taught me what I was going through and let me be more involved in my recovery,” said 17-year-old leukemia survivor Dan Neumann, in a video released by CIGNA.

Despite the bad rap video games get as addictive and as overly sedentary activities, especially for kids and teens, they can be useful in distracting patients of all ages from the symptoms of their diseases and the side effects of treatments, according to a 2005 editorial in the British Medical Journal written by Dr. Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University.

Griffiths said video games can be useful in pain management, as they focus attention away from painful sensations. They can also distract children undergoing chemotherapy, and several studies reported that children who played video games had less nausea after treatment and needed fewer medications to manage the nausea, he said.

Video games can also be used in physiotherapy and occupational therapy--for example, as a way to increase hand strength—and as a way for children with learning disabilities to develop social and spatial ability skills, Griffiths said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Vitamin D 'lowers cancer risk' in women

2007-06-11T04:42:00.000-07:00

Encouraging hope that one pill may prevent many cancers, vitamin D cut the risk of several types of cancer by 60 per cent overall for older women in the most rigorous study yet.

The new research strengthens the case made by some specialists that vitamin D may be a powerful cancer preventive and most people should get more of it. Experts remain split, though, on how much to take.

"The findings ... are a breakthrough of great medical and public health importance," declared Cedric Garland, a prominent vitamin D researcher at the University of California-San Diego.

"No other method to prevent cancer has been identified that has such a powerful impact."

While the most reliable yet, the study does have drawbacks. It was designed mainly to monitor how calcium and vitamin D improve bone health, and the number of cancer cases overall was small, showing up in just 50 patients.

"It's a very small study," said Dr Edward Giovannucci, who researches nutrition and cancer at the Harvard School of Public Health.

"I don't think it's the last word."

In either case, the study takes an important step in extending several decades of research that began with observations that cancer rates among similar groups of people were lower in southern latitudes than in northern ones. Scientists reasoned that had to do with more direct sunlight in southern regions.

The skin makes vitamin D when exposed to sunlight's ultraviolet rays.

This study used that same form of the vitamin, known as D3 or cholecalciferol. Multivitamins usually carry a much weaker variant known as D2, but D3 is available in stand-alone dietary supplements.

Earlier research has shown that vitamin D helps regulate cell growth, a fundamental biological process that goes haywire in cancer. Most other supplements have tended to target specific types of disease in early testing, like selenium or vitamin E for prostate cancer.

This study, being published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is the first time that researchers significantly boosted - and measured - blood levels of vitamin D and followed identical groups of patients from start to finish.

That is why, despite its modest size, the research was generating excitement. Nearly all other work has compared disparate groups of patients.

The researchers at Creighton University in Omaha focused on 1,179 seemingly healthy women with an average age of 67. The women were divided into three groups: 446 got calcium and vitamin D3 supplements, a similar number got calcium alone, and 288 took dummy pills.

The research team gave 1,000 daily international units of vitamin D, more than current guidelines calling for 200 to 600 units depending on a person's age.

The researchers intended to check mainly for the effects of calcium on bone health. Their interest in cancer risk was secondary.

But the lower cancer risk stood out. Only 13 women, or 3 per cent, developed cancer over four years of calcium and vitamin D supplements. With calcium alone, 17 women, or 4 per cent, got cancer. With dummy pills, cancer appeared in 20 women, or 7 per cent.

That shows a 60 per cent lower cancer risk over four years in the group taking both supplements, compared to patients taking placebos. And when the first-year cancers were excluded - the ones mostly likely present before the study began - the findings were stronger still: a 77 per cent lower risk for the combo group.

While the calcium-only group lowered its four-year cancer risk by 47 per cent compared to the untreated group, it did no better when early cancers were excluded. That suggests calcium alone may have done little in this experiment, the researchers said.

Experts reviewing the study focused on vitamin D as the powerful agent in the combo group, but it can't be ruled out that calcium might somehow amplify the effect of vitamin D.

While numbers were limited, these women developed a broad range of cancers, including disease of the breast, colon, lungs and blood. Dr Michael Holick, of Boston University Medical Centre, who sat on the professional panel that issued the 1997 guidelines for vitamin D, said this study shows that enough vitamin D "markedly reduces the risk of developing the most serious deadly cancers".

He supports raising the recommended amount of the vitamin and said 1,000 daily units of vitamin D3 would now be reasonable for most people.

On the other hand, Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society favours keeping the current recommendation of 200 to 600 IUs for now. And he cautioned that more than 2,000 units was viewed in the guidelines as potentially dangerous.

Joan Lappe, the study's lead researcher, said it "just adds to the great bunch of evidence that we need to have better vitamin D nutrition". Some foods carry the vitamin, like salmon, tuna and fortified milk, but diet accounts for little of the vitamin circulating in the body. Overexposure to the sun can cause skin cancer.

Still, people should consult their doctors before boosting their vitamin dosage, several experts also warned.

More study is needed to determine if the effects in this study hold true for large groups of people and men as well as women.

source : news.yahoo.com

Talcum powder kills lung cancer cells

2007-06-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

Scientists have found that the talcum powder that we have been using since generations to soothe babies' diaper rash or freshen our faces helps in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells.

For the last 30 years, scientists have closely scrutinized talc particles and found dangerous similarities to asbestos. They had earlier said that talc is toxic and its particles could cause tumours in human ovaries and lungs, reported health portal Medical News Today.

However, a new study by researchers at University of Florida found that talcum power has the ability to stunt cancer growth by cutting the flow of blood to metastatic lung tumours - a cancer that starts somewhere else in the body and then spreads to the lungs.

The study, published in the European Respiratory Journal revealed that talc stimulates healthy cells to produce endostatin, a hormone that helps in treating metastatic lung cancer.

The researchers said talc is an exciting new therapeutic agent for a cancer largely considered incurable.

'We found, to our surprise that talc causes tumour growth to slow down and actually decreases the tumour bulk,' said Veena Antony,a professor of pulmonary medicine.

'Talc is able to prevent the formation of blood vessels, thereby killing the tumour and choking off its growth. The tumours appeared to grow much slower and in some cases completely disappeared,' she added.

About half of all patients suffering from metastatic lung tumors accumulate fluid around the surface of the lungs, a condition known as malignant pleural effusion.

'That fluid can press down upon the lung, impair the breathing of the patient and cause the patient to feel very short of breath,' said Antony.

Pleural effusions indicate that the cancer has spread throughout the body and most patients die within six months.

To make life more bearable for these patients, doctors close the extra space between the lung and the chest wall, where the troublesome fluid collects.

The trick is gluing the two surfaces together. Talc is blown into the patients' chest cavity to irritate the tissue and create tiny abrasions. When the lung tissue heals, it becomes permanently adhered to the chest wall without impairing the patients' breathing.

The effects of the procedure, called medical thoracoscopy with talc pleurodesis, are immediate and last a lifetime, the scientists said. Talc was approved in the US for use in medical thoracoscopy in 2003.

Doctors have noticed that patients who undergo medical thoracoscopy with talcum powder live up to 18 months longer than expected. To figure out why, Antony compared lung fluid from 16 patients with malignant pleural effusions before and after doctors dusted their lungs with talc.

'We were surprised to find that talc has added benefits besides causing scarring and taking away the fluid that surrounds the lung,' Antony said.

'The cells that cover the lining of the lung are stimulated by the presence of talc to produce a factor that inhibits the growth of blood vessels and kills the tumour cells,' she added.

source : news.yahoo.com

Stem Cells Can Be Cancer Cell Lookalikes

2007-06-09T23:22:00.001-07:00

U.S. researchers have discovered that bone marrow stem cells attracted to an area of cancer growth frequently take on the outward appearance of the cancer cells around them.

But they say it's not clear that these stem cells actually help cancer develop.

Many scientists believe that the bone marrow stem cells do boost the growth and spread of cancer. But the University of Florida researchers say the stem cells may simply resemble the surrounding cancer cells, but not act like them.

The bone marrow stem cells "have the same kind of surface proteins" as cancer cells, noted study author Dr. Chris Cogle, an assistant professor of medicine at UF's College of Medicine Program in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.

But while the stem cells have the "same skin" as the surrounding cancer cells, the question is whether "they have the same guts," Cogle said.

"Our results indicate these cells act as developmental mimics; they come in and look like the surrounding neoplastic tissue, but they aren't actually the seed of cancer," Cogle said in a prepared statement.

"At the worst, these cells could help support cancerous tissue by providing it with growth factors or proteins that help the cancer grow and survive. At the very least, these marrow cells are just being tricked into coming into the cancerous environment and then made to walk and talk like they don't usually do," the researcher said.

The study will be published in the August issue of urnal Stem Cells.

Cogle noted that about five percent of cancerous tissue contains marrow-derived cells that resemble surrounding cancer cells. This "developmental mimicry" could affect the results of tests of new drugs on malignant tissue grown in the laboratory.

"If there are bone marrow cells in this cancerous tissue, these (bone marrow stem) cells may actually contaminate our cancer studies and could make a difference as to whether or not investigational drugs we're testing work or don't work," Cogle said.

"The significance of this is new treatments may work in the culture dish but may not translate to the clinic or the hospital room, and for many reasons. One of the reasons could be bone marrow contamination," the expert said.

source : news.yahoo.com

High intake of milk may reduce cancer risks by 60 pct

2007-06-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

According to a new study, increasing intake of calcium and vitamin D could reduce the risk for cancer in women by at least 60 percent.

The four-year clinical trial included more than one thousand women over the age of 55 in one of three supplement groups: calcium) plus vitamin D, calcium only and placebo. The researchers found that the risk of developing cancer was 60 percent lower for those who took calcium and vitamin D and 47 percent lower for those taking calcium alone, compared to the placebo.

Fifty women developed nonskin cancer through the course of the four-year study, including breast, colon, lung and other cancers. When researchers excluded the 13 cancers diagnosed during first year of the study, determining these cancers were likely present at the study onset, the protective effect of calcium and vitamin D was even greater, with a 77 percent lower risk for cancer for those taking calcium plus vitamin D compared to the placebo.

With an estimated 10.5 million Americans living with cancer, researchers on a quest for new means to prevent or delay the occurrence of this deadly disease are encouraged by these findings.

"This is the first clinical trial to show that boosting vitamin D status can affect the overall risk for cancer - a proposition that has tremendous public health potential," said lead author Dr Joan Lappe, a nutrition researcher from Creighton University in Omaha.

"By choosing vitamin-D rich foods like milk and taking a supplement Americans can help improve their vitamin D levels and potentially impact their cancer risk," Lappe added.

Milk is the primary source of calcium and an excellent source of vitamin D in the American diet. In fact, government reports indicate that more than 70 percent of the calcium in our nation's food supply comes from milk and milk products. Milk is one of the few food sources of vitamin D, which is fast emerging as a "super nutrient."

Several recent studies have reported similar conclusions, suggesting that calcium and vitamin D may reduce the risk for breast cancer in premenopausal women and colon cancer in older women. Together, these findings give Americans even more reason to meet the recommended three servings of lowfat or fat-free milk each day, providing 900 mg of calcium and 300 IU of vitamin D daily.

The study is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

source : news.yahoo.com

Take more vitamin D, cancer group tells Canadians

2007-06-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

The Canadian Cancer Society says all Canadian adults should take large doses of vitamin D during the sun-poor winter months, and says the elderly and those with dark skins should take the supplements year round.

The unusual recommendation to an entire adult population follows this week's release of a report that said large doses of vitamin D can cut the risk of cancer. People get vitamin D from exposure to sunshine, although some foods contain the vitamin and tablets are available as supplements.

"The sun is just not strong enough at our latitude to be able to produce vitamin D in the skin at those times (winter and fall)," said Heather Chappell, senior manager, cancer control policy, at the Canadian Cancer Society.

"This is a made-in-Canada recommendation because our population is at greater risk because of its latitude."

The society recommends that adults take 1,000 international units of vitamin D a day during fall and winter, while the elderly, dark-skinned people, or those who don't go outside often, should consider supplements year round.

The latest study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that women who took calcium and a dose of vitamin D almost three times the government's recommended daily intake saw a 60 percent lower incidence of cancer than women who were not taking the vitamin.

source : news.yahoo.com

Vitamin D cuts cancer risk in study of U.S. women

2007-06-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

Large doses of vitamin D may reduce the risk of cancer, according to a four-year U.S. study published on Friday involving nearly 1,200 women over the age of 55 in rural Nebraska.

Women who took calcium and a dose of vitamin D almost three times the U.S. government's recommended daily intake for middle-aged adults saw a 60 percent lower incidence of all cancers than women not taking the vitamin, the study found.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Joan Lappe, a Creighton professor of medicine who led the study, said vitamin D may be an effective way to guard against cancer but many people worldwide do not get enough of it.

"I'm really very excited because I think the vitamin D deficiency issue is a major health concern that we need to address, and perhaps this will bring it to the forefront," Lappe said in a telephone interview.

Lappe said additional research is needed to figure out whether the protective effect seen in the older white women also applied to men, younger women and other ethnic groups.

The American Cancer Society reacted cautiously, calling it a small study. Only 50 of the 1,179 women developed cancer, making broad conclusions difficult, said Dr. Michael Thun, who heads epidemiological research for the society.

Thun said another weakness was that the researchers initially did not set out to examine the effect of vitamin D on cancer, but on bone health in post-menopausal women.

"The results are provocative" but not sufficient for the society to recommend people take vitamin D supplements to ward off cancer, Thun said in a telephone interview.

A number of studies have found protective properties from higher intake of vitamin D for cancers and other ailments. For example, other researchers in December found people with higher levels of vitamin D had a lower risk of multiple sclerosis.

SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE

The body makes the vitamin after being exposed to sunlight. Not many foods are naturally rich in it. It is found in fatty fish such as salmon and milk commonly is fortified with it.

Vitamin D promotes absorption of calcium necessary for healthy teeth and bones. It is also important to nerve cells, including the brain, and seems to act as a regulator of the immune system.

The women in the study were from a nine-county area of rural eastern Nebraska and had no known cancers for at least a decade before it began in 2000.

They were broken into three groups, either getting 1,400 to 1,500 mg of a calcium supplement daily, getting that calcium plus 1,100 IU (international units) of vitamin D3, or getting placebos.

After four years, 20 women in the placebo group got cancer, 17 in the calcium-only group got cancer and 13 in the vitamin D3 and calcium group got cancer.

Figuring some women may have entered the study with undiagnosed cancer, the researchers excluded the results in the first year and assessed only the final three. The findings became even more powerful, with the women getting calcium and vitamin D3 experiencing a 77 percent lower cancer risk.

The researchers found no statistically significant difference in cancer risk for the groups getting calcium alone or placebos.

(Additional reporting by Natasha Elkington)

source : news.yahoo.com

Clarification: Vitamin D-Cancer story

2007-06-09T23:15:00.002-07:00

In a story about a study suggesting vitamin D lowers cancer risk in older women, The Associated Press reported that an American Cancer Society doctor favors keeping current vitamin D guidelines of 200 to 600 international units daily. Dr. Michael Thun now says he misunderstood a reporter's question and holds no position on whether those amounts should be changed. He also said he thinks it's too early to recommend using vitamin D to prevent cancer.

source : news.yahoo.com

By Will Dunham Fri Jun 8, 6:26 PM ET

2007-06-09T23:15:00.001-07:00

Even if they remained obese, women who survived breast cancer cut their risk of dying from a recurrence of the disease if they had a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and exercised moderately, a study found on Friday.

Researchers said on Friday the study differs from many others in that it assesses the combined effects of diet and exercise on extending the lives of women who have survived breast cancer, rather than looking at them separately.

Researchers from the University of California-San Diego tracked 1,490 U.S. women averaging 50 years old who were diagnosed and treated for early-stage breast cancer between 1991 and 2000.

Those who ate five servings of vegetables and fruits daily and walked for 30 minutes six days a week cut their risk of death from breast cancer by about 50 percent, the study found.

"Of particular importance, this halving of risk was seen in women who were not obese as well as in those who were obese," the researchers wrote in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

They followed the women for between 5 and 11 years.

Among the women in the study, 135 died, including 118 from breast cancer, 10 from other cancers and seven from causes other than cancer.

The reduction in death rate was not seen in women who either ate the right diet or got enough exercise, but did not do both.

The findings reinforce the notion that lifestyle changes can be crucial in extending the lives of people who have battled cancer, in addition to being important in reducing the risk of developing some types of cancer in the first place.

Lead researcher John Pierce, who heads the university's cancer prevention and control program, said the findings offer hope for overweight and obese breast cancer survivors that they do not necessarily have to lose large amounts of weight to see benefits.

"Even if they don't get out of the obese category, if they're exercising and they're following a good diet, they've reduced their (mortality) risk," Pierce said in a telephone interview.

"That's not saying that weight loss won't really help them," Pierce added. "But they're going to get benefits just from doing this."

A total of 16 percent of the obese women in the study both exercised and followed the recommended diet, compared to 30 percent of the rest of the women.

source : news.yahoo.com

Prostate Cancer Treatment Can Speed Heart Attacks

2007-06-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

The male hormone-suppressing treatment used against aggressive prostate cancer may help bring on earlier heart attacks in older men, new research suggests.

"The new finding is that in men who have risk factors for heart attack, even six months of androgen-suppression therapy [and] maybe as little as three months, can cause a heart attack to occur sooner by about 2.5 years," said lead researcher Dr. Anthony D'Amico, chief of genitourinary radiation oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

That finding, which comes from analysis of pooled data of studies in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, does not mean that such men should not be treated to suppress the activity of androgens -- male sex hormones that spur the growth of prostate cancer cells, D'Amico said.

Instead, "the implication is that a man who needs hormonal therapy to avoid dying from cancer but also has risk factors for heart attack should be sent to a cardiologist for assessment and possible treatment of heart disease before starting hormonal therapy," he said.

"We're doing that," D'Amico said. He noted that, "of about 50 men we referred in the last six months, five or six had significant coronary artery disease. They have had it treated and have gone through hormonal therapy without being affected."

The findings are published in the June 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Androgen suppression therapy (AST), as it is formally called, is reserved for men whose cancer is believed to have spread beyond the prostate or who have an aggressive form that is believed to have spread -- something that occurs in perhaps 40 percent of cases, D'Amico said. "You give these drugs to starve the prostate cancer, and it dies," he said.

Other side effects of AST are well-known. It can cause anemia, increase body fat, reduce muscle and cause an increase in harmful LDL ("bad") cholesterol and a decrease in helpful HDL ("good") cholesterol. But AST is also widely used, because it extends prostate cancer survival.

The new information on the treatment's adverse cardiac effects comes from analysis of data from 1,372 men who received radiation treatment plus AST in three randomized trials and who were followed for at least five years.

A faster onset of heart attacks was observed in men over 65 who got AST for six months, the researchers found.

"This is one more reason to be careful when you recommend hormone therapy," said Dr. Eric M. Horwitz, clinical director of radiation oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "They do have cardiac side effects."

But AST will continue to be used in many cases, he added. "There is clearly a group of men where the benefits outweigh the risks," he said. "This study shows that you have to weigh the pros and cons of the treatment, who gets benefits and who doesn't."

Men who benefit most are those with "aggressive, bulky prostate cancers," according to Horwitz. "The benefits for them still outweigh the risk in terms of trying to cure the cancer. For men with less aggressive, less bulky cancers, you have to weigh the benefits versus the risks."

Other efforts to get the best effect from AST while minimizing the damage are under way, D'Amico said. One method under study is to stop the treatment now and then. "For advanced prostate cancer, we don't expect to keep the treatment going forever," he said. "You can make it intermittent to get the same survival with less toxicity -- six months on and six months off," he said.

Also, some studies indicate that a shorter course of AST can be effective with fewer side effects -- at least for some patients, D'Amico said. "We need to be better at selecting men for therapy and directing its course," he said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Jilted by girlfriend, 25-yr-old cancer patient kills self in hospital

2007-06-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

Manoj Prasad, 25, suffering from an advanced stage of cancer, was to be released today from the nursing home. Around 2 this morning, he went to the bathroom of the nursing home and told his attendant to wait outside. An hour later his body was found hanging from the ceiling. On his bed lay a suicide note that read: "I loved her and wanted to marry her. But I have been cursed with this disease and she has left me...."

The shocking incident took place at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Cancer Research Institute.

"It's so sad. He was a young man. He was improving and responding to treatment. He was depressed since his girlfriend left him due to the disease. He confided about his depression to our counsellor some days ago. I spoke to him last night, but unfortunately could not gauge that he was in deep trauma," said Dr Asish Mukherjee, director of the Institute.

Manoj Prasad, a resident of Thakurbari Road, Behala was suffering from cancer for the past six months. He came under the care of the nursing home on June 4 and was diagnosed with advanced Non-Hobkin Lymphoma (chest cancer). He was given medications and chemotherapy.

The patient also underwent psychological therapy for of his depression.

During counselling he had revealed that he had an affair with a girl for the past two years. But recently, the girl had distanced herself from Manoj.

Last night after dinner, he spoke with the doctors and went to bed. A little past midnight he went up and asked the attendant to accompany him to the bathroom. Thereafter, he locked the door from inside after telling the attendant that he will need more time.

When after 45 minutes there was no response, the attendant alerted the doctor and others on duty. The victim's body was found hanging from the ceiling of the bathroom with a towel.

"We knew he was deeply depressed. But he always went around with a smiling face. We had no reason to suspect that he could resort to such an extreme step," added the doctor.

source : news.yahoo.com

Wrangle over cancer machine

2007-06-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

Bureaucratic wrangling is how the National Party is describing the feud between the government and the Capital and Coast District Health Board over the cost of commissioning a cancer radiation machine.

The Government's agreed to buy the linear accelerator for Wellington Hospital, but only if the DHB pays the half a million dollars needed to get it up and running.

National Party Health spokesman Tony Ryall says hundreds of cancer patients are going to have their treatment delayed because of what he calls a bureaucratic muck up. He says at a time where more and more people are being diagnosed with cancer, the argument is too stupid to believe.

source : news.yahoo.com

Cancer Drug Appears to Boost Long-Term Memory

2007-06-07T10:39:00.001-07:00

Anti-cancer drugs called histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors improved long-term memory and strengthened neural connections in the brains of mice, says a University of California, Irvine, study.

The findings suggest that HDAC inhibitors may prove useful in treating people with Alzheimer's and certain other brain diseases, the researchers said.

In their experiments with mice, the team found that HDAC inhibitors relax the protein structure that organizes and compacts genomic DNA, which enables easier activation of genes involved in memory storage.

The findings, which are published in the June 6 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, suggest that HDAC inhibitors could increase memory in humans and help treat people with Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases and Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome.

"We have demonstrated for the first time that HDAC inhibitors applied directly to the hippocampus enhance memory and synaptic plasticity in the brain, and we now know a molecular mechanism through which these enhancements occur," study co-author Marcelo Wood, an assistant professor in the department of neurobiology and behavior, said in a prepared statement.

source : news.yahoo.com

New drug increases survival time of liver cancer patient

2007-06-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

Latest research has shown that a drug developed by US pharmaceutical companies Bayer and Onyx could extend the survival period for people with advanced liver cancer.

The pill Nexavar, which has been developed after more than 30 years of research and hundreds of studies, was tested on more than 600 people with advanced liver cancer. Those given Nexavar lived nearly three month longer than those given a placebo, reported online edition of health magazine WebMD.

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Globally, 560,000 people get liver cancer each year, with 595,000 people a year dying from it. Doctors say there is little hope of survival for people with an advanced stage of liver cancer.

In the study, people with advanced liver cancer were randomly assigned to receive either Nexavar or placebo twice a day. Those who took Nexavar lived for about 10 months whereas those on the placebo lived for about 7 months. The drug also delayed progression of the cancer by 5.5 months.

'Now for the first time we have a drug that works in people with advanced liver cancer,' said Josep M. Llovet, a liver cancer specialist at New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Reserchers said Nexavar is very safe, with the most common side effect being diarrhoea and fatigue. It will cost $5,000 a month.

A. William Blackstock, a cancer specialist at North Carolina's Wake Forest University School of Medicine said since Nexavar is already approved for the treatment for kidney cancer, doctors are likely to prescribe it to people with liver cancer while waiting for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to formally approve it for that use.

source : news.yahoo.com

Talcum powder can stunt lung cancer growth

2007-06-07T10:36:00.001-07:00

A new research has found that talcum powder has the ability to stunt cancer growth by cutting the flow of blood to metastatic lung tumors.

The study, published in the European Respiratory Journal in April, showed that talc arouses healthy cells to generate endostatin, a hormone considered the magic bullet for treating metastatic lung cancer. The UF researchers say talc is a stimulating new therapeutic agent for a cancer which is largely considered incurable.

"We found, to our surprise, that talc causes tumor growth to slow down and actually decreases the tumor bulk. Talc is able to prevent the formation of blood vessels, thereby killing the tumour and choking off its growth. The tumors appeared to grow much slower and in some cases completely disappeared," said Veena Antony, M.D., a professor of pulmonary medicine and chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at UF's College of Medicine.

Scientists have only recently discovered that talcum powder checks tumour growth, though the mineral has been used for almost 70 years to treat the respiratory problems that come with metastatic lung cancer. About half of all patients amass fluid around the surface of the lungs, a condition known as malignant pleural effusion.

"That fluid can press down upon the lung, impair the breathing of the patient and cause the patient to feel very short of breath," said Antony.

"Shortness of breath is a horrible way to die. The procedure spares the patient and the family the misery of watching their loved one suffer. It's been used very extensively in Europe but it's had slower acceptance (in the United States), perhaps because of the need to learn a new technology," Antony added.

The Food and Drug Administration approved talc for use in medical thoracoscopy in 2003, but UF is one of just a handful of U.S. institutions that carry out the outpatient procedure on a regular basis.

Doctors have noticed that patients who endure medical thoracoscopy with talcum powder live up to 18 months longer than expected. To comprehend why, Antony compared lung fluid from 16 patients with malignant pleural effusions before and after doctors dusted their lungs with talc and the results were shocking.

"We were surprised to find that talc has added benefits besides causing scarring and taking away the fluid that surrounds the lung," Antony said. "The cells that cover the lining of the lung are stimulated by the presence of talc to produce a factor that inhibits the growth of blood vessels and kills the tumor cells themselves."

Less than one day after treatment with talc, patients began producing 10-fold higher levels of endostatin, a hormone released by healthy lung cells. Endostatin prevents new blood vessels from forming, slows cell growth and movement, and even induces nearby tumor cells to commit suicide. All of these make it hard for tumors to grow and spread into healthy lung tissue.

When endostatin was first discovered in 1997, doctors hoped its tumor-fighting properties would show the way to a cure for cancer. But clinical trials have been disappointing, possibly because most clinicians have injected the hormone directly into patients. The hormone breaks down in the body before it has a chance to slow the spread of cancer, Antony said.

"It was there, it had a very short half life, it was gone," Antony said. "What we've done is caused the normal pleural mesothelial cells to continue to produce endostatin. Talc doesn't go away. Talc stays in the chest cavity, constantly causing the normal cells to produce this factor that inhibits the growth of the tumor."

The antitumor effects of talc appear to be long-lasting, said Antony, who is continuing to examine the long-term outcomes of patients who have undergone talc pleurodesis.

"It surprised us that such a cheap, easily available product, such an old-fashioned product, can have benefits to the patient and perhaps prolong the patient's life," Antony said.

Yossef Aelony, M.D., a clinical professor of respiratory and critical care medicine at the Harbor-University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center, said the UF findings are an important milestone.

"This work will undoubtedly have a significant influence on future clinical trials dealing with the treatment of pleural malignancies, including lung cancer, mesothelioma and metastatic adenocarcinoma involving the pleural surfaces," Aelony said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Mac developers donate software for cancer research

2007-06-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

A long list of Macintosh developers are among those that have donated their software to help fight cancer. Seth Dillingham is organizing the campaign that will see all of the software auctioned off with the proceeds donated to the Jimmy Fund.

Dillingham will be doing his fair share of work too. On August 3, 4 and 5 he will be riding his bike across the state of Massachusetts — a 300 mile trek. Dillingham will be joined by 4,400 other riders on the journey.

Among his fund raising plans is a software auction, which he hopes will help him raise $6,600. So far Dillingham has received 62 applications with a retail value of just over $10,500.

The software titles will be put up for auction on eBay. So far Macintosh developers include Bare Bones Software, Flying Meat Software, infinite nexus, Red Sweater Software, C-Command, NewsGator, Rage Software, Panic, Ambrosia and Rogue Amoeba, among others.

More information on Dillingham’s efforts and ways that you can donate software is available from his Web site.

source : news.yahoo.com

Drug Boosts Adrenal Cancer Survival

2007-06-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

A new drug can buy months of life for people with one of the rarest kinds of cancer without too-severe side effects, a European study finds.

The cancer is adrenocortical carcinoma, with not many more than 200 cases a year occurring in the United States. It is a malignancy of the adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys. The cortex of an adrenal gland produces a variety of hormones, most notably steroids.

"It is very rare," added Dr. Naomi Haas, a medical oncologist at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "We probably see about five cases of this type of malignancy a year here at Fox Chase."

Surgery is the standard treatment, but many patients experience relapses, and "it is very common to relapse again and again and again," Haas said. Mitotane, the drug used in the European trial, has been tried against those relapses, usually in very large doses, she said.

Mitotane is given by mouth, which is convenient, but the drug's major side effect is fatigue, and the dosage used by some physicians is so large that "the patient is totally exhausted." Haas said. "They have no quality of life at all."

Haas was not involved in the study, which was led by Dr. Massimo Terzolo of the University of Turin, and is published in the June 7 New England Journal of Medicine.

The European trial generally used smaller doses, one to 3 grams a day. It enrolled 177 patients who underwent surgery at centers in Germany and 47 who were treated in Italy. Patients who received mitotane treatment were compared with those who did not.

The results were striking. Average recurrence-free survival was 42 months for those who got mitotane, compared to 10 months in one control group and 25 months in another. Side effects of mitotane generally were under control, although the dosage had to be lowered in 13 percent of cases.

It was a major achievement simply to conduct such a trial, since "it was a lot of work to put together so many patients," Haas explained. "This is very valuable, because you're not going to get any prospective trial, and also very valuable because it looks at a number of patients who were receiving quite tolerable therapy."

The trial results probably cause Haas to turn to mitotane more often as she treats adrenal cancer patients after surgery, the doctor said. Fatigue will still be a potential problem, but the study results "suggest that you can titrate the dosage up or down" to manage side effects, she said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Ethanol Injection Helps Thyroid Cancer Patients

2007-06-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

Injecting ethanol (alcohol) directly into the bone to kill cancer cells helps manage bone metastasis in thyroid cancer patients, say Japanese researchers who conducted a small study of 12 patients.

They found that percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) reduced tumor volume by more than 50 percent in all the patients, who had radioiodine-ineffective bone metastasis from thyroid cancer.

The study was presented this week at the annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, in Washington, D.C.

"PEI appears effective in terms of palliation (control) of symptoms (such as pain) and tumor size reduction and does not induce significant systemic side effects," Kunihiro Nakada, a clinical assistant professor in the department of radiology at Hokkaido University, said in a prepared statement.

"In addition, PEI is a feasible treatment for radioiodine-ineffective tumors and has a potential for improving general performance or quality of life for selected patients."

Nakada said more research needs to be done to determine the most effective doses, number of times PEI sessions should be repeated, and what other treatments could be combined with PEI to improve effectiveness.

source : news.yahoo.com

New Report Shows Cancer Deaths On Decline

2007-06-07T10:26:00.000-07:00

San Diego is making progress in the fight against cancer, and a new report shows deaths from a number of cancers including breast cancer are on the steady decline.

Radiologists at Scripps Polster Breast Clinic recently saw clues for possible breast cancer in Mary Ann O?Connor?s mammogram.

"The mammogram was significantly different than the one the year before,? said O?Connor.

O?Connor had a digital X-ray that clearly showed suspicious changes in her breast.

?The radiologist was able to show me on the digital mammogram that was taken what those abnormalities look like,? said O?Connor.

The abnormalities turned out to be early-stage breast cancer.

"It was that digital mammogram that started the process to help me get exactly what I had and what I needed to do to deal with it,? said O?Connor.

Advanced screening technologies, better treatments and changes in lifestyles are being credited with a dramatic drop in cancer deaths nationwide and in San Diego.

"They are now reaping the rewards of a decade of cleaning up their lives,? said Scripps Polster surgical oncologist Dr. Mary Wilde.

New figures from the
American Cancer Society show a big drop in deaths in San Diego from a number of cancers.

According to ACS figures, breast cancer deaths dropped by 46 deaths from 409 to 363, while uterine cancer deaths fell by 17 deaths from 69 to 42. Esophagus cancer deaths declined by 16, from 105 to 89 deaths, according to the figures.

Five or six years ago, O?Connor?s breast cancer might not have been caught so early.

Digital mammograms are giving doctors a better way to zero in on hard-to-diagnose cancers.

"You can brighten it, you can enlarge it, you can do all of these things with the image,? said Wilde. "Today's technology just gives you that control to make good decisions.?

Not only are many cancers being caught earlier, but improved treatments are helping people survive.

"The aromaintase inhibitors, the therapeutic agents we didn't even dream about five years ago, have lower toxicity to the healthy parts of the body,? said Wilde.

The encouraging news about the decline of the number of breast cancer deaths does not mean patients should skip their next mammogram, experts said.

"The reason we have this encouraging news is that women have been getting their mammograms. If we take that away, we are going to reverse the trend,? said Wilde.

O?Connor said she believed if patients use the tools available and stay educated, they can beat cancer, too.

source : news.yahoo.com

Study: Less Breast Cancer Radiation Appears Safe

2007-06-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

Lower doses of radiation may offer women the same level of protection from breast cancer recurrence with fewer side effects, according to British researchers at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Lowering the dose could also make the treatments more convenient for women. Currently, women who have breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) must receive radiation treatments 5 days a week for about 5 or 6 weeks.

"This is very disruptive to your life, as I'm sure you can imagine," explained Julie Gralow, MD, a medical oncologist at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. She moderated a press conference where researchers presented their results.

"If we could achieve the same outcome with less frequent visits to the radiation center, either by giving the doses every other day or by giving them over 3 weeks, this would be a tremendous benefit for our patients," she said.

The new British research suggests that may be possible. More than 4,000 women treated with lumpectomy took part in 2 studies designed to test the effectiveness of different radiation doses and measure their side effects.

In the first study, called START-A, women were randomly assigned to either a standard radiation dose delivered 5 days a week over 5 weeks, or to 1 of 2 lower doses delivered in higher individual treatments every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 5 weeks.

In the second study, called START-B, women got either the standard 5-week therapy, or a lower dose of radiation delivered 5 days a week over 3 weeks. Although the total radiation dose for women in those groups was slightly lower, each individual treatment session used more radiation than would typically be given in a single sitting.
Similar Recurrences, Fewer Side Effects

After about 5 years, the researchers looked at how many breast cancers had come back in the different groups, and at side effects.

Only about 3.4% of women in the studies had suffered a relapse of their cancer, and the rates were similar in each of the radiation groups. Because there were so few relapses, it's possible that differences between the groups may become evident as more time passes. But it's likely that any differences will be minimal, said researcher John A. Dewar, MD, who presented the findings.

"We can be reasonably confident that the cancer control rate is unlikely to be significantly greater," said Dewar, a clinical oncologist at the University of Dundee in Dundee, Scotland.

As for side effects, women who got lower total doses of radiation generally experienced fewer physical changes in the breast as a result of the treatment. Side effects were judged by the patients themselves, by their doctors, and with photographs. Lower doses resulted in fewer cases of breast shrinkage, swelling (edema), hardening of the breast, and telangiectasia, a condition where small blood vessels in the breast become enlarged and visible.

This finding could be very important to patients, said Gralow.

"I see patients every day in my clinical practice who have fibrosis and edema and changes that are long-term from their radiation, so it would be terrific if we could get less long-term complications for our patients and do it in less amount of time," she said.

Gralow noted that several ongoing studies are examining other ways of giving radiation therapy for breast cancer over an even shorter period of time. The techniques known as accelerated partial breast radiation promise to complete therapy in about a week -- but are still experimental.

"We need to see the long-term outcome from those studies before they become standard of care, but the exciting news is, we're looking at ways of giving less and getting potentially better outcomes," Gralow said.

Dewar also called for more studies to learn how much radiation can be given safely in a single session and how low total doses can get without compromising efficacy.

source : news.yahoo.com

Combining PET, CT Scans Can Improve Ovarian Cancer Care

2007-06-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

Combining positron emission tomography (PET) and CT scans can help doctors detect more sites of disease in women with recurrent ovarian cancer, identify those patients whose cancer is likely to progress, and influence doctors' management of most patients.

That's the finding from an Australian study of 90 women.

"PET/CT -- using fluorodeoxyglucose or FDG -- detected many more sites of disease than were found with routine imaging both within and outside the abdomen," Michael J. Fulham, professor and clinical director of medical imaging at Sydney South West Area Health Service and head of the department of PET and nuclear medicine at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, said in a prepared statement.

"PET/CT influenced treatment decisions in 59 percent of the 90 women and identified those whose disease was more likely to progress within 12 months," he noted.

"Our findings also suggest that there is an opportunity for technology replacement -- replacing routine CT of the abdomen and pelvis -- with PET/CT with the radiotracer FDG, thus reducing costs and providing better answers for patients and referring doctors."

The study was to be presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., June 2-6.

"The next step in this research will be to attempt to identify those patients with residual disease after initial diagnosis and treatment has been completed -- with the hope of positive outcomes for more patients by identifying those with residual active disease much earlier on," Fulham said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Herceptin Still Improves Odds Against Breast Cancer

2007-06-05T01:08:00.001-07:00

After almost a decade of use, Herceptin continues to prolong the lives of women with a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer.

An analysis of two clinical trials showed that breast cancer patients receiving Herceptin along with chemotherapy have better survival and fewer recurrences after four years, compared to patients receiving chemotherapy alone. Previous data had shown improved outcomes only over two years.

"When we presented the original data in 2005, people wondered if the benefits were going to be maintained or were we just seeing acute, short-term benefits in this aggressive type of breast cancer," said Dr. Edith Perez, director of the Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., and the primary investigator of one of the trials. "The data now states that the benefit is completely maintained over time, maybe even increasing, without any increase in toxicity."

Perez presented the results of the joint analysis Monday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Chicago.

"The prediction that women would continue to do well appears to be accurate," added Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. "This seems to confirm another substantial advance in treating cancer with molecular therapies. There's a lasting benefit, and that's important."

"This is great news for women," added Dr. Ramona Swaby, a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "It's reassuring because we're so used to using Herceptin in a non-curative [ie preventive] setting."

Herceptin, which was approved to treat advanced breast cancer in 1998, is effective in the 20 percent to 25 percent of breast cancer cases that test positive for the HER2/neu receptor.

This paper was an analysis of two trials that had already shown a benefit with Herceptin. Participants in both trials underwent chemotherapy and were then randomized to receive Herceptin or a placebo.

After four years, 85.9 percent of the women in the Herceptin arm remain cancer-free and 92.6 percent are still alive, compared with 73.1 percent and 89.4 percent respectively, of those not treated with Herceptin.

Overall, 397 patients in the chemotherapy-alone group have developed a recurrence or died, compared to only 222 in the Herceptin group.

The addition of Herceptin to therapy decreased the chances of the cancer returning by 52 percent and the risk of death by 35 percent.

"The benefit is not short-term, it's long-lasting, which impacts many, many lives," Perez said.

The first joint analysis of these two trials appeared in the Oct. 20., 2005, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine and found that disease-free survival and overall survival were improved by 52 percent and 33 percent, respectively, after two years of follow-up.

The good news follows another longer-term study of the drug, released Sunday at the cancer meeting, which showed that the risk of heart failure in women taking Herceptin was not any higher at five years than it was at two years.

Among the other findings of the joint analysis: the highest risk of relapse for HER2-positive breast cancer occurs within the first two years, although additional recurrences occur later and the cancer is more likely to recur in patients who initially had larger tumors, who had lymph node involvement or whose tumors were also estrogen-receptor-negative.

"The peak of relapse is still within the first three years, but relapses still continue occurring," Perez said.

Interestingly, Perez also found that estrogen-receptor-positive tumors experienced a 15 percent improvement, even though many physicians had believed these tumors did not respond well to Herceptin.

"That's going to be news to a lot of people," Perez said.

source : news.yahoo.com

Experimental combo helps stomach cancer patients

2007-06-05T01:07:00.001-07:00

Combining the experimental oral drug S-1 with cisplatin improved chances of survival in patients with stomach cancer compared with patient treated with S-1 alone, French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis and Japan's Taiho Pharmaceutical said.

The risk of death was reduced by 22.6 percent in advanced gastric cancer patients who received the combination treatment in a phase III Japanese study, the companies said. The findings were released Sunday at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

The study, called Spirit, involved 305 patients who received either oral S-1 twice daily for 28 days, followed by a 14-day rest period, or oral S-1 twice daily for 21 days plus cisplatin on the eighth day of treatment, followed by the 14-day rest period.

The overall survival rate after 2 years was 13 months for patients who received the combination treatment compared with 11 months for those who received S-1 alone.

The overall response rate was also better, at 54 percent of patient who received the combination responding to treatment compared with 31.1 percent in the S-1 only group.

"This study demonstrates that the combination of S-1 and cisplatin brings to the patient with advance gastric cancer an acceptable benefit/risk ratio," said study investigator Dr. Hiroyuki Narahara.

Stomach cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the world, with more than 700,000 deaths a year.

S-1 is already prescribed in Japan to treat stomach, colorectal, head and neck, non-small cell lung, advanced breast and pancreatic cancers. It is in the final stages of experimental trials in the United States and Europe.

Taiho sells S-1 in Japan and several other Asian countries, while Sanofi is developing the drug in Europe and the United States.

source : news.yahoo.com

Researchers pinpoint colon cancer stem cells

2007-06-05T01:05:00.000-07:00

A small population of stem cells drives tumor growth in colon cancer, researchers said on Monday in a discovery that could lead to a new approach to tackle the deadly disease.

This is the latest form of cancer for which researchers have pinpointed stem cells that propagate tumors. Others include cancers of the breast, brain, pancreas and blood cells.

Colon cancer, sometimes called colorectal cancer, arises in the large intestine or rectum and is a leading cause of cancer deaths. Nearly all cases start as benign polyps that over time develop into cancer.

"Within a tumor, not all tumor cells are created equal," Dr. Piero Dalerba of Stanford University School of Medicine in California, one of the researchers, said in a telephone interview.

"There is a tiny minority population of cells that is very dangerous and has special properties that are different from the majority of tumor cells in the tumor mass," Dalerba added. "The implication of this is that when you try to treat a tumor, you have to target this population of cells."

He expressed hope that the finding, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, would lead to treatments to wipe out these cells and eradicate the cancer.

The discovery in recent years of stem cells responsible for driving tumor growth has prompted an important change in the understanding of the biology of cancer.

These cells perpetually divide to produce new tumor cells, fueling tumor growth, and also may be the culprits when tumors spread to other parts of the body, the researchers said. Ordinary tumor cells can divide and cause damage, but are shorter-lived and cannot maintain tumor growth, they said.

"Maybe an effective treatment does not necessarily induce a rapid regression of a tumor, but could slowly exhaust its growth potential. If it basically kills this small population of cells, the total mass would not be effected (immediately) but its growth over time, yes," Dalerba added.

The research highlighted the role of a protein called CD44 found in colon cancer stem cells that was found previously in breast, head and neck cancer stem cells. The researchers also found a protein in colon stem cells called CD166 that they said could serve as a target for new treatments.

The American Cancer Society estimates that colorectal cancer will kill about 52,000 people in the United States this year. The organization said the colon death rate has been declining for the past 15 years in part because more people are getting tests that can reveal polyps so they can be removed before they can turn cancerous.

source : news.yahoo.com

Brain radiation increases lung cancer survival

2007-06-05T01:03:00.002-07:00

Preventive radiation to the brain significantly reduces the risk of lung cancer spreading to this organ and improves survival, according to data presented in a session Monday at the 43rd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

All of the patients studied had advanced small-cell lung cancer, a type that carries a poor prognosis and is generally not amenable to surgical removal.

"Brain metastases are a common problem in small-cell lung cancer," study coordinator Dr. Ben Slotman, professor and chairman of radiation oncology at VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, noted at a press briefing.

Previous studies have shown that brain radiation to prevent the cancer from invading this organ can extend survival in patients with limited small-cell lung cancer. The current study suggests that "all patients with small-cell lung cancer who respond to chemotherapy could benefit from" brain radiation, Slotman said.

In the study, 286 patients with advanced small-cell lung cancer and any response to chemotherapy were randomly assigned to preventative brain radiation or no radiation.

Preventative radiation was well tolerated; side effects were generally mild and consisted largely of headache, nausea/vomiting and fatigue, Slotman reported. Moreover, this treatment "did not adversely affect quality of life," he said.

Results showed that brain radiation significantly reduced the risk cancer spreading to the brain. After 1 year, there was brain involvement in 14.6 percent in the radiation group versus 40.4 percent in the comparison group.

Moreover, brain irradiation improved survival. At 1-year, the survival rate was 27.1 percent in the group that received preventative radiation compared to only 13.3 percent in the group that did not.

"Because improvements in treatment results for patients with advanced small-cell lung cancer have been minimal in the past two decades, these findings represent a significant advance," Slotman noted in a written statement.

Based on these findings, preventative radiation of the cranium should be "routinely be offered to all responding patients with (advanced) small-cell lung cancer," he told conference members.

source : news.yahoo.com

Revolutionary drugs fight cancer's basic mechanisms

2007-06-05T01:03:00.001-07:00

Therapies that target the basic mechanisms of cancer have become the weapons of choice in the fight against the deadly disease, researchers said at a major doctors' conference in the United States.

"Molecular targeted therapies that were developed a few years ago are being expanded dramatically in scope," said Robert Ozols of Philadelphia's Fox Chase Cancer Center.

He was speaking at the 43rd annual conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) under way here until Tuesday with 25,000 specialists in attendance.

Some of the smart drugs seen here can attack the basic functions of a cancer, preventing its cells from multiplying.

Using biotechnology, researchers discovered channels by which cancer cells link to one another and were able to find treatments to block them.

Other treatments refined in recent years can stop tumors from developing blood vessels to nourish themselves. Such treatments are revolutionizing cancer treatment.

The first drug of this kind is Avastin, marketed in Europe by the Swiss company Roche and in the United States by Genentech.

It has already proven effective at prolonging life in tests on patients with advanced colon and lung cancer. A study published here this weekend showed that it also doubled the life-span of those with serious tumors of the kidney.

Two other drugs were recently authorized for use against serious or treatment-resistant kidney cancer: Nexavar from the German company Bayer and Sutent from the US firm Pfizer, a drug that neutralizes genetic receptors that cause tumors to grow.

Previously these two drugs had been used for stomach and colon cancer.

Nexavar also prolonged by 44 percent the lives of patients with advanced liver cancer, according to clinical trial results unveiled here.

Joseph Llovet, author of the Nexavar study, said it was the first effective systematic treatment for liver cancer, the third most deadly cancer in the world.

The drug works by inducing cancer cells to self-destruct and preventing them from growing blood vessels.

The French drug group Sanofi-Aventis meanwhile presented results of a test in which the new medicine Aflibercept halted progression of an ovarian cancer case that was not responding to chemotherapy.

"We are witnessing a revolution in the understanding of human cancer," said Julie Gralow, associate professor of oncology at the University of Washington, Seattle.

A combining of genetic science and biotechnology is going to expand treatments tailored to the makeup of individual patients' genes and of their cancers, she said.

"The personalization of cancer medicine represents a tremendous potential for prevention and early detection of cancer and improvement of the effectiveness and tolerability of therapy."

"These are incremental advances, but they're important," said Len Lichtenfeld, a doctor of the American Cancer Society.

"We've come to a time when these advances are becoming routine, and that's a good thing."

source : news.yahoo.com

Liver cancer breakthrough found

2007-06-05T01:01:00.000-07:00

For the first time, doctors said Monday they have found a pill that improves survival for people with liver cancer, a notoriously hard to treat disease diagnosed in more than half a million people globally each year.

The results in a multinational study of 602 patients with advanced liver cancer are impressive and likely will change the way patients are treated, say cancer specialists, including the study authors.

Patients got either two tablets daily of a drug called sorafenib or dummy pills in the study, which started in March 2005. Some patients are still alive, although on average, sorafenib patients survived 10.7 months versus almost 8 months for those on dummy pills.

That type of survival advantage "has never happened" with liver cancer "and is a major breakthrough in the management of the disease," said Dr. Josep Llovet, the lead author.

"That may not sound like a lot of time," but for liver cancer, "this is actually a quite impressive gain," said Dr. Nancy Davidson of Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health. "It is the first effective systemic treatment for liver cancer, which is such a huge problem internationally."

The results were released Monday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting.

"We now have moved forward" in treating advanced liver cancer "when it was not really possible before," Dr. William Blackstock of Wake Forest University School of Medicine said at a press briefing about the study.

Sorafenib attacks cancer with a targeted double-barreled approach. It zeros in on malignant cells themselves and cuts off the blood supply feeding the tumor. It is believed to work on tumors within the liver and those that have spread elsewhere.

In the study, tumors didn't shrink or disappear but in many cases they also didn't grow.

"You are not curing the disease but you are delaying the progression of the disease significantly and strikingly," said Llovet, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain.

The study was halted early in February because of the good results, and patients on dummy pills were switched to sorafenib.

"This is a very good step forward in this disease," said Dr. Emily Chan of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn.

The drug, sold under the brand name Nexavar, is approved in the United States and dozens of other countries to treat advanced kidney cancer. It is marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. and Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., which funded the liver cancer study. They hope to receive approval for liver cancer use from U.S. and foreign regulators.

Llovet has done consulting for the sponsors.

Liver cancer is diagnosed in about 19,000 Americans annually but is much more common elsewhere and is the fifth most common cancer globally. Risk factors include chronic liver infections and some forms of hepatitis. The disease is common in China and countries without widespread use of the hepatitis B vaccine, which is routinely given to U.S. infants.

Liver cancer doesn't respond well to conventional chemotherapy and is often diagnosed too late for surgery to be an option. Many patients die within a year of diagnosis.

Robert Throckmorton, a 73-year-old attorney in Orange County, Calif., said his doctor told him "You better get your affairs in order" after he was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer last August.

But then the doctor offered sorafenib off-label, and Throckmorton readily agreed. He did not take part in the study.

After nine months on the drug, Throckmorton said his cancer shows no sign of progression and he has no significant side effects. He said he walks three miles six days a week to stay active and feels fine.

Instead of thinking about wills and funerals, Throckmorton is looking forward to get-togethers with his eight children and 18 grandchildren, and even a possible church trip to Uruguay with his wife.

"I have good energy," Throckmorton said. "We are optimistic."

source : news.yahoo.com

Chemo and surgery may help colon cancer

2007-06-05T00:50:00.001-07:00

Scientists reported promising gains Monday for treating colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver, showing that chemotherapy before and after surgery to remove liver tumors can help keep the disease in check.

The study is the first to scientifically test an approach that many doctors have tried for patients with advanced colon and rectal cancers.

"It justifies what some of us have already been doing" and shows that aggressively treating patients with limited spread of colorectal cancer is reasonable, said Dr. Jeffrey Meyerhardt, a cancer specialist at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

About 1 million people worldwide develop colorectal cancer each year, including more than 150,000 in the United States, where it is the third most common major cancer. In up to half of all patients, the disease spreads after initial treatment to the liver. For many cancers, spread to the liver means the disease has also spread elsewhere, is incurable and surgery isn't an option.

But with colorectal cancer, sometimes the disease spreads only to the liver, and surgery to remove these growths increasingly is being attempted, said Dr. Neal Meropol, director of the gastrointestinal cancer program at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. Even so, recurrence is common, and only about 30 percent of patients who have this surgery survive five years.

In the new study, 42 percent of patients who got chemotherapy before and after the liver surgery had no recurrence after an average of three years, versus 33 percent of patients who had surgery alone.

The good results mean the approach could become standard treatment for these patients, said Dr. Bernard Nordlinger, the lead author and a cancer specialist at Ambroise Pare Hospital in Paris.

Nordlinger presented the results in Chicago at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting.

A separate colorectal cancer study presented Monday showed the targeted cancer drug Erbitux can modestly improve survival when added to standard chemotherapy in patients whose disease has spread. Patients who got Imclone Systems Inc.'s drug survived an average of 8.9 months without disease progression versus eight months for those who got chemotherapy alone.

"Although we would all love to have huge breakthroughs that would revolutionize cancer treatment, those are few and far between," said Northwestern University's Dr. Al Benson III. Instead, cancer treatment advances typically come in smaller but important steps like the colorectal cancer studies presented Monday, which over time lead to real progress, Benson said.

The chemotherapy-plus-surgery study involved 151 patients who had both treatments and 152 who had surgery alone. The chemotherapy used was a commonly used combination of drugs called oxaliplatin leucovorin fluorouracil.

Complications, including diarrhea and reduced amounts of disease-fighting white blood cells, were more common in chemotherapy patients but were still within an acceptable range, Nordlinger said.

A separate study presented Monday involved primary liver cancer — disease that originates in the liver rather than spreads there. Researchers said they have found the first drug that improves survival for liver cancer patients — a breakthrough that likely will become standard treatment.

Those results occurred in patients with advanced liver cancer treated with the drug sorafenib, or Nexavar, which is marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. and Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. to treat advanced kidney cancer.

The companies are expected to seek U.S. approval this summer for treating liver cancer with the drug.

source : news.yahoo.com

Chemo and surgery may help colon cancer

2007-06-05T00:50:00.000-07:00

Tips for skin-cancer prevention

2007-06-05T00:26:00.001-07:00

Melanoma risk factors include light skin color, family history of skin cancer, atypical moles and freckles, and a history of severe sunburn occurring early in life. The American Academy of Dermatology, National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend

Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day. Look for one that blocks UVA and UVB rays.
Apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen, 30 minutes before going outside. Re-apply every two hours or immediately after swimming or excessive sweating.
Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
Keep newborns out of the sun, and use sunscreen on babies older than 6 months.
Examine your skin regularly to become familiar with existing growths, so that you will notice any changes.
See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Ethanol injection helps manage bone metastasis in thyroid cancer patients

2007-06-05T00:25:00.000-07:00

may be a valuable ancillary treatment for thyroid cancer patients whose cancer has spread to the bone. Japanese researchers announced these findings during the 54th Annual Meeting of SNM, the world's largest society for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine.

PEI may be a valuable adjunctive or secondary treatment to radioiodine therapy, and it may contribute to better management of thyroid cancer patients with bone metastasis," said Kunihiro Nakada, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Radiology at Hokkaido University Hospital and the hospital chief in the Department of Radiology at LSI Sapporo Clinic, both in Japan.

Reports indicate that this year about 33,550 new cases of thyroid cancer will be diagnosed in the United States, and of those, more than 25,000 will occur in women. Thyroid cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the tissues of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland, located at the base of the throat, makes important hormones that help the body function normally. Cancer can spread beyond that site and invade other parts of the body (metastasis), and thyroid cancer is often listed among the top most common causes of metastatic bone lesions. The primary treatment for patients with thyroid cancer is surgery, which is followed by thyroid hormone therapy. Radioactive iodine may be used to destroy thyroid cancer cells after surgical removal of the thyroid gland.

"Although thyroid cancer generally has a favorable prognosis, bone metastasis can be hard to be eradicate," said Nakada. "Although radioiodine therapy and/or surgery are valuable therapeutic strategies, management of bone metastasis has been challenging since it is likely that bone metastasis will show resistance to radioiodine therapy or that a tumor cannot be surgically removed," he explained.

"Our study is a therapeutic approach to treat metastatic bone tumor from thyroid cancer by injecting absolute ethanol directly into the tumor," explained Nakada. "Absolute ethanol induces direct necrosis (cell death) of the tissue in the area where it is distributed. Therefore, if absolute ethanol is selectively injected into a malignant tumor, selective destruction of the tumor may be expected," he added. In their study, 12 patients with radioiodine-ineffective bone metastasis from thyroid cancer underwent PEI. More than 50 percent reduction in tumor volume was achieved in all.

"PEI appears effective in terms of palliation (control) of symptoms (such as pain) and tumor size reduction and does not induce significant systemic side effects," noted Nakada. "In addition, PEI is a feasible treatment for radioiodine-ineffective tumors and has a potential for improving general performance or quality of life for selected patients," he

Additional research should be done to optimize treatment, said Nakada, including determining doses of ethanol, number of times PEI sessions should be repeated, how to predict outcome earlier and what other therapeutic options could be better combined with PEI to enhance efficacy.

Race a factor in breast cancer survival

2007-06-05T00:24:00.000-07:00

In the fight against breast cancer, the chances of survival may depend in part on the color of a woman's skin.

New research of 15,000 women with advanced breast cancer. From 1988 to 2003 - survival rates among African Americans held steady at around 17 months compared to an increase from 20 to 27 months among white women.

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2007, more than 180,000 women will be diagnosed whith breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die from the disease.

Researchers at the M.D Anderson Cancer Center did not look at reasons behind the disparity.

"The one year survival back in the late 1980's was only about three percent different between white and black patients, by the time you get to the early 2000's it's a nine-percent difference," Oncologist Sharon Giordano said. "I don't think the biology of the disease would change over time like that. I think it's more likely due to socioeconomic factors or access to care."

Along with access to care, recent studies have suggested that African American women are more likely to develop more aggressive forms of breast cancers that don't respond as well to conventional therapies.

Researchers plan to study the reasons for the growing gap in survival rates - but in the meantime many communities are working to change - training church leaders like Pastor Harry Burns.

"My role um before was to help develop care teams for people that were chronically ill," Burns, who now preaches the message of prevention, said. "Annual physical check ups, examinations. Also changing our lifestyles, healthy eating."

About the study:
The researchers analyzed the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database to identify 15,438 women who newly diagnosed with advanced breast cancer between 1988and 2003.

Adjustment factors included: patient age; estrogen receptor status; and tumor grade.

Patients were divided into three subgroups: those diagnosed from1988 to 993; from 1994 to 1998; and from 1999 to 2003. Overall, the median age of the women was 62 years old; median breast cancer-specific survival was 20 months, 21 months and 25 months respectively.

In those diagnosed with advanced breast cancer between 1988 and 1993, the median survival was 20 months in white women, compared to 17 months for black women, a one-year survival difference of 2.8 percent. In the women diagnosed between 1994 and 1998, a white breast cancer patient's median survival was 22 months versus 16 months, in black patients, a one-year survival difference of 6.8 percent. In those diagnosed from 1999 to 2003, the median survival for white women was 27 months compared to 17 months for black women, a one-year survivor difference of 8.8 percent.

The researchers hope that health policy makers take notice of the growing disparity and implement steps to make all breast cancer treatments more accessible. Giordano and Dawood also intend to expand upon their research and determine the causation of these racial disparities.

source:www.kare11.com

Breakthrough Liver Cancer Treatment Found

2007-06-05T00:22:00.000-07:00

Researchers have announced the first drug to make major inroads against liver cancer, one of the more voracious forms of the disease.

Nexavar, made by Bayer, gave patients with advanced liver cancer 44 percent more time to live, compared to patients who did not receive the drug, according to results presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, in Chicago.

Results of a major clinical trial with Nexavar (sorafenib) were, in fact, so successful that the trial was halted early, the researchers announced.

"This is the first systemic therapy to prolong survival in [liver cancer] patients," said Dr. Joseph Llovet, lead author of the study and director of research in liver cancer at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. "This is a new reference standard for systemic therapy of [liver cancer] patients after 30 years of research and more than 100 randomized controlled trials performed."

Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the
American Cancer Society, added, "This is going to change the standard of practice."

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the world and often causes death within a year of diagnosis. About 40 percent of liver cancers (up to 80 percent in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa) are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Surgery is sometimes possible, and radiation and chemotherapy can also be options. But there is no systemic treatment, meaning a medication that enters the bloodstream.

"There is no established standard of care for liver cancer even though it is one of the leading causes of death," said Dr. A. William Blackstock, a Wake Forest University radiation oncology professor who moderated a Monday news conference to announce the study results.

Nexavar, which is taken in tablet form, is already approved in the United States for treating advanced kidney cancer. It is being studied for various other cancers; results of some of those studies are also being presented at ASCO annual meeting.

In this study, 602 patients with advanced liver cancer were randomly assigned to receive either 400 milligrams of Nexavar twice a day or a placebo for six months.

Patients receiving the drug lived a median of 10.7 months, compared with only 7.9 months for those on a placebo. Time to cancer progression was 5.5 months in the Nexavar group, versus only 2.8 months in the placebo group. The findings were so positive that the study was terminated early.

"We recommended ending the trial early because of survival advantages favoring the sorafenib group," said Llovet.

Side effects were similar in the two groups, the most common being diarrhea, skin reactions, fatigue and bleeding.

"Sorafenib was well tolerated with manageable side effects," Llovet said.

A second study presented Monday at the cancer meeting offered a bit of good news for colorectal cancer patients.

When chemotherapy was given both before and after surgery to remove liver metastases in colorectal cancer patients, the risk of the liver tumor recurring was reduced almost 30 percent.

"A few years ago, we had only palliation to offer these patients and survival lasted no longer than six months," said Dr. Bernard Nordlinger, lead author of the study and chairman of surgery and oncology at Ambroise Pare Hospital in Paris. "This treatment should be proposed as a new standard for these patients."

One million people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year; up to half will see their cancer spread to the liver. Liver tumors are removed when possible, but only 30 percent to 35 percent of patients who have liver metastases survive five years after surgery.

Adding the targeted therapy Erbitux (cetuximab) to chemotherapy reduced the risk of metastatic colorectal cancer spread by 15 percent. The drug is currently approved as a second-line or third-line therapy, not as the first option.

These new results indicate that Erbitux has promise as a first-line treatment, the researchers said.

source:news.yahoo.com

Drug used for kidney cancer extends life of liver cancer victims

2007-06-05T00:21:00.000-07:00

A drug approved for treating kidney cancer also has been found to extend the life of patients with advanced liver cancer, according to a US study published Monday

The medication, which goes by the generic name of Sorafenib and is sold as Nexavar by the German chemical and pharmaceutical giant Bayer, has been authorized in the United States and Europe to treat advanced kidney cancer.

Patients in the study given Nexavar on average survived 10.7 months, compared to just 7.9 months for those taking a placebo -- a 44 percent difference.

"This is the first time that we've had an effective systemic treatment for liver cancer," said Joseph Llovet, who heads liver cancer research at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the lead author of the research.

The findings were released at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) here in Chicago.

"Our findings demonstrated survival advantages that are both statistically significant and clinically meaningful," said Llovet.

In the study of 602 liver cancer patients, 299 took 400 milligrams of Nexavar two times a day for six months, while the rest took a placebo. Cancer progress was also slowed among those taking Nexavar compared to those taking the placebo.

Side effects of the drug include diarrhea and skin reactions to the hands and feet.

"Although much progress has been made in cancer research, the number of lives lost to liver cancer is increasing," said Jordi Bruix, the study's main co-author and a specialist at the University of Barcelona in Spain.

"These results represent a significant achievement -- Sorafenib could become the first widely approved new therapy for this difficult to treat cancer," he said.

Liver cancer is the third deadliest type of cancer in the world after lung and colon cancer.

Around 40 percent of liver cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage, with that proportion reaching 80 percent in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

In the United States more than 19,000 people are diagnosed annually with liver cancer, and some 17,000 die each year of the disease.

The results of the test are also good news for Bayer, which hopes to also use Nexavar for other types of advanced forms of cancer.

With a potential of annual sales estimated at a billion euros a year, Nexavar is one of the great hopes of Bayer's health division, strengthened in 2006 by the purchase of the German-based pharmaceutical Schering AG.

source:news.yahoo.com

Sanofi says S-1 drug combo helps stomach cancer patients

2007-06-04T00:18:00.000-07:00

French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis and Japan's Taiho Pharmaceutical said combining their S-1 oral stomach cancer medicine with the drug cisplatin improved chances of survival compared with S-1 alone.

Risk of death was reduced by 22.6 percent in advanced gastric cancer patients who received the combination treatment over S-1 alone in a Phase III Japanese study, the companies said. The findings were released Sunday at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

The study, called Spirit, involved 305 patients who received either oral S-1 twice daily for 28 days, followed by a 14-day rest period, or oral S-1 twice daily for 21 days plus cisplatin on the eighth day of treatment, followed by the 14-day rest period.
The median overall survival rate at two years was 13 months for patients who received the combination treatment, compared with 11 months for those who received S-1 alone.

The overall response rate was also better, with 54 percent who got the combination responding to treatment, compared with 31.1 percent in the S-1 only arm.

"This study demonstrates that the combination of S-1 and cisplatin brings to the patient with advance gastric cancer an acceptable benefit/risk ratio," said study investigator Dr. Hiroyuki Narahara.

Stomach cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the world, with more than 700,000 deaths a year.

S-1 is already prescribed in Japan to treat stomach, colorectal, head and neck, non-small cell lung, metastatic breast and pancreas cancers. It is in the final stages of health trials in the United States and Europe.

Taiho sells S-1 in Japan and several other Asian countries, while Sanofi is developing the drug in Europe and the United States.

Liver cancer breakthrough found

2007-06-04T00:16:00.000-07:00

For the first time, doctors say they have found a pill that improves survival in liver cancer, a notoriously hard to treat disease diagnosed in more than half a million people globally each year.

The results in a multinational study of 602 patients with advanced liver cancer are impressive and likely will change the way patients are treated, cancer specialists including the study authors say.

Patients got either two tablets daily of a drug called sorafenib or dummy pills in the study, which started in March 2005. Some patients are still alive, although on average, sorafenib patients survived 10.7 months versus almost 8 months for those on dummy pills.
That type of survival advantage "has never happened" with liver cancer "and is a major breakthrough in the management of the disease," said Dr. Josep Llovet, the lead author.

"That may not sound like a lot of time," but for liver cancer, "this is actually a quite impressive gain," said Dr. Nancy Davidson of Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health. "It is the first effective systemic treatment for liver cancer, which is such a huge problem internationally."

Sorafenib attacks cancer with a targeted double-barreled approach. It zeros in on malignant cells themselves and cuts off the blood supply feeding the tumor. It is believed to work on tumors within the liver and those that have spread elsewhere.

In the study, tumors didn't shrink or disappear but in many cases they also didn't grow.

"You are not curing the disease but you are delaying the progression of the disease significantly and strikingly," said Llovet, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain.

The study was halted early, in February, because of the good results, and patients on dummy pills were switched to sorafenib.

"This is a very good step forward in this disease," said Dr. Emily Chan of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn.

Results were prepared for release Monday in Chicago at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting.

The drug, sold under the brand name Nexavar, is approved in the United States and dozens of other countries to treat advanced kidney cancer. It is marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. and Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., which funded the liver cancer study. They hope to receive approval for liver cancer use from U.S. and foreign regulators.

Llovet has done consulting for the sponsors.

Liver cancer is diagnosed in about 19,000 Americans annually but is much more common elsewhere and is the fifth most common cancer globally. Risk factors include chronic liver infections and some forms of hepatitis. The disease is common in China and countries without widespread use of the hepatitis B vaccine, which is routinely given to U.S. infants.

Liver cancer doesn't respond well to conventional chemotherapy and is often diagnosed too late for surgery to be an option. Many patients die within a year of diagnosis.

Robert Throckmorton, a 73-year-old attorney in Orange County, Calif., said his doctor told him "You better get your affairs in order" after he was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer last August.

But then the doctor offered sorafenib off-label, and Throckmorton readily agreed. He did not take part in the study.

After nine months on the drug, Throckmorton said his cancer shows no sign of progression and he has no significant side effects. He said he walks three miles six days a week to stay active and feels fine.

Instead of thinking about wills and funerals, Throckmorton is looking forward to get-togethers with his eight children and 18 grandchildren, and even a possible church trip to Uruguay with his wife.

"I have good energy," Throckmorton said. "We are optimistic."

Elderly women fare better with lung cancer

2007-06-03T23:06:00.000-07:00

Older women with lung cancer live longer than men the same age, U.S. researchers reported on Saturday, and said their finding suggests that estrogen might affect chemotherapy.

The study found that women aged over 60 who have advanced lung cancer lived a median of 11 months, compared to just eight months for men.

"I get amazed with my older woman patients. They tend to do better. They tend to have less side effects than my 45-year-olds," said Dr. Kathy Albain of the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center at Loyola University in Maywood, Illinois.

A study of more than 1,300 patients showed that women over the age of 60 had a 14 percent reduced risk of death from advanced non-small cell lung cancer compared to men over two years, Albain told a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.
At one year, 35 percent of the men were still alive compared to 46 percent of women. After two years, 13 percent of men were alive compared to 19 percent of the women.

"It appears very possible from supporting data that we have that higher estrogen levels interact with chemotherapy drugs," Albain said in a telephone interview.

That, combined with evidence from other studies, suggests estrogen may play a role, Albain said. It may be a case of the less estrogen the better, compared to what a patient's body once produced.

Other studies have shown that men with higher estrogen levels fare worse when treated for cancer, Albain said. Although estrogen is known as the "female" hormone, men's bodies produce estrogen too, although in smaller amounts.

It must have something to do with an individual's normal levels of estrogen, Albain said. "We are going the study the biology of this," she said.

A woman's estrogen levels drop after menopause, which occurs at an average age of 51. It will be important to study the effects of hormone replacement therapy on lung cancer treatment, Albain said.

Right now, the study is good news for older women diagnosed with lung cancer, however, Albain said.

"The tendency is to take an older woman and say, 'There, there, you have lung cancer and there is nothing we can do'," she said. "There still tends to be nihilism out there."

But in fact, chemotherapy can make lung cancer patients live longer and more comfortable lives, even if they cannot be cured, Albain said.

"If estrogen levels interact with the efficacy of certain chemotherapy drugs or some other, as-yet-undefined factor, we can utilize this knowledge to design new therapies," Albain added.

Last year, lung cancer was diagnosed in more than 174,000 Americans and killed more than 160,000. It kills 1.3 million people globally every year.

Gene Has Strong Ties to Stomach Cancer

2007-06-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

Canadian researchers say they've identified genetic mutations linked to a form of stomach cancer called hereditary diffuse gastric cancer.

They did so by conducting genetic analyses of members of 38 families with the disease.

The mutations they identified in the study participants were due to both common ancestry and independent mutational events.

Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) is caused by mutations in the gene CDH1. Of the 38 families in the study, 26 families had at least two gastric cancer cases, with one case of HDGC in a person younger than age 50; 12 families had either a single case of HDGC in a person younger than age 35 or multiple cases of HDGC in people older than age 50.
The researchers from the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver identified 13 mutations (six newly discovered) in 15 of the 38 families -- 40 percent.

"Our results confirm that between 30 percent and 40 percent of families with a positive family history of gastric cancer and more than 50 percent of families with 2 diffuse gastric cancer cases diagnosed prior to age 50 years will carry germline mutations in the CDH1 gene," the study authors wrote.

The study was to be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, and will also appear in the June 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In an accompanying editorial in JAMA, Dr. Kirsten N. Kangelaris and Dr. Stephen B. Gruber of the University of Michigan wrote that this kind of study helps "clinicians understand and manage HDGC with more precision, helps families understand the risks accompanying a mutation in CDH1, and helps population geneticists better understand the distribution of recurrent mutations in CDH1."

Disparities Persist in Cancer Care

2007-06-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

Not every cancer patient is reaping the benefits of advances in medical care, new research shows.

Two studies presented Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago show that race and socioeconomic status affect cancer prognosis, at least when it comes to breast cancer and some childhood cancers.

One report found that, although overall survival among women with metastatic breast cancer has improved over the past two decades, the survival gap between black and white women is widening. And children stricken with cancer in developing countries have a dramatically poorer prognosis than children in more developed nations, although a new program may narrow that difference.
About 180,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and 5 percent to 10 percent of those already have metastatic disease, which has spread to other parts of the body. Median survival for these patients is 18 to 24 months.

A previous study found improving survival rates. This latest study extended that effort with a nationally representative sample of women.

The researchers looked at 15,438 women newly diagnosed with advanced breast cancer between 1988 and 2003. Information on the women was obtained from the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. Patients were divided into three groups based on their time of diagnosis: 1988-1993, 1994-1998 and 1999-2003.

Overall, one-year survival increased from 62.9 percent to between 64.4 percent and 66.6 percent, for an absolute improvement of 3.7 percent, said senior study author Dr. Sharon Giordano, an assistant professor of breast medical oncology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Median survival also increased, from 20 to 25 months.

However, for white women, survival improved from 20 months to between 22 and 27 months. For black women, survival remained essentially unchanged -- hovering close to 17 months during the entire study period.

Meanwhile, the survival gap between black and white women simply grew.

From 1988-93, one-year survival was 63.2 percent for white women and 60.4 percent for black women. In the second time period, it was 64.9 percent and 58.1 percent, respectively. In the last time period, it was 67.6 percent and 58.8 percent, respectively.

"The absolute difference in one-year survival between black and white women increased across the three time periods, from 2.8 percent to 6.8 percent to an 8.8 percent difference," Giordano said.

"The study showed moderate improvements in breast cancer survival over time for women with metastatic disease, but the disparity in survival is worsening over time," she continued. "Survival of non-Hispanic white women has improved, while survival of black women has remained unchanged."

Giordano did not know the reasons for the trend, but speculated that it could be access to care or earlier diagnosis in white women.

"The data suggests that the gap is widening, which I think is unique information and certainly very concerning," said Dr. Ramona Swaby, a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "That definitely warrants attention. The progression from scientific discovery to fixing the problem is, first, attention."

Disparity in care was even greater with childhood cancers, a second study showed, with 80 percent of patients in developed countries surviving their disease while only 20 percent of their peers in developing countries beat the odds. The good news: Initial results of a program in low-income and middle-income nations showed that a relatively modest monetary investment and external mentoring helped improve things.

The program, "My Child Matters," was created by the Geneva-based International Union Against Cancer and Sanofi-Aventis, with additional funding from the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

Another study presented at the meeting added insult to injury; using less intensive chemotherapy pushed the three-year overall survival rate for neuroblastomas in children to 96 percent. The survival rate for this same tumor is a dismal 10 percent in poorer nations.

During 2006, "My Child Matters" oversaw 14 pilot projects in Bangladesh, Egypt, Honduras, Morocco, Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania, Ukraine, Venezuela and Vietnam. After one year, the programs saw earlier detection, improved access to care , the introduction of psychosocial support, less abandonment and better follow-up. Each project received up to $67,000 annually.

As a result of these outcomes, 12 additional projects have been funded in Bolivia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Peru and Romania.

"It's an issue of medical responsibility that we transfer care for kids with cancer. because we know how to treat cancer and we can transfer that knowledge," said study author Dr. Raul C. Ribeiro, of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, who is a member of the "My Child Matters" steering committee.

But the pain of childhood cancer does not end with treatment.

Another study presented at the meeting looked at long-term health-care utilization among childhood cancer survivors, and found that many are not receiving specialized health care after they beat their cancer.

Some two-thirds of childhood cancer survivors report some kind of chronic physical condition; in 28 percent, that condition is severe or life-threatening.

The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study found that 12 percent of childhood cancer survivors had not had any contact with the health-care system in the previous two years. Most of these people were uninsured, males or lower income. Fourteen percent reported receiving cancer-related care and 18 percent risk-based care.

Among patients at increased risk for cardiac problems or breast cancer, just 28 percent and 49 percent, respectively, reported having received an echocardiogram or mammogram, respectively.

"Our study probably overestimates the care being received, because this is a select group of patients who are probably more aware of their long-term risks," said study leader Dr. Paul Nathan, a staff oncologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. "Overall, health-care utilization is below what we would have hoped."

Less radiation OK for breast cancer

2007-06-03T23:01:00.000-07:00

Women with early-stage breast tumors can undergo a shorter course of radiation without a greater risk that their cancer will come back years later, the largest study to test this suggests.

The results are good news for women who must quit work or travel far to receive the five-week, daily treatments usually given.

"This is very disruptive to your life. If we could achieve the same outcome with less frequent visits to the radiation center ... this would be a tremendous benefit," said Dr. Julie Gralow of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle.
Gralow was not involved in the study, but reviewed and discussed it at a meeting Sunday of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Most of the 180,000 breast cancers diagnosed each year in the United States are the type this study addressed — still confined to the breast. The usual treatment is surgery plus chemotherapy or hormone therapy, followed by radiation to prevent a recurrence.

Dr. John Dewar of the University of Dundee in Scotland led a two-part study of nearly 4,500 women in the United Kingdom to test shorter courses of radiation.

Women received either the standard 50 Grays, the unit used in measuring radiation, in 25 treatments spread over five weeks, or roughly 40 Grays given in 13 treatments every other day for five weeks or in 15 treatments over three weeks.

Five years later, cancer recurrence rates were low for all groups, ranging from 2 to 5 percent. So few recurrences occurred — 158 — that doctors believe the treatments are equivalent but cannot say so with certainty.

Many will want to see what happens to these women with longer follow up, said Dr. Gary Freedman of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. He is testing a shorter course, too, and noted that in the United States, most doctors give a total of 60 to 64 Grays — the standard 50 plus a boost dose directly to the tumor area.

Lisa Warren is a patient who received the shorter course in Freedman's study. Warren, 46, lives nearly an hour's drive from the cancer center and was eager when the short course was offered.

"I was all for that," she said. "Seven weeks is a long time to be running back and forth. Mentally and physically, it's very draining."

Gralow, whose Seattle clinic sees many Alaskan women who must travel great distances for treatment, said she would consider the shorter treatment in such situations.

"This is very exciting news for our patients," because many women around the country live in rural areas or are elderly and must have someone drive them to get care, she said.

Shorter treatment had another benefit: less swelling or shrinkage of breast tissue and less enlargement of blood vessels as a side effect of radiation.

Other news at the conference:

_The median survival of black women with advanced breast cancer lags that of their white counterparts — 17 months versus 27 months — an analysis of federal statistics from 1999 to 2003 finds. It is unclear, however, whether the gap is due to true racial differences or to variations in treatment, which the statistics do not reflect.

_MRI or magnetic resonance imaging scans detect 10 percent to 20 percent more pre-invasive breast cancers than standard mammograms, especially the type most likely to spread, a study of 6,000 women in Germany found. However, no information was available on how many false alarms MRIs gave - the biggest factor limiting their use now, besides higher cost and limited availability.

_Many survivors of childhood cancers are not getting recommended follow up tests to watch for second cancers later in life, a survey of 8,500 cancer survivors found. Only one-fourth at risk of developing heart problems because of their cancer treatment were tested for this every year or two as doctors recommend, and only half of women at risk of breast cancer got annual mammograms.

About 10 million Americans are cancer survivors, so the study "tells us both about our success and some of our challenges for the future," said Dr. Nancy Davidson, a cancer specialist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and president-elect of the oncology society.

Drug doubles survival rate among kidney cancer patients

2007-06-03T22:56:00.000-07:00

Anticancer drug Avastin, used for treating lung and colon cancer, has led to the doubling of the survival rate of people affected by kidney cancer, according to a new study released Saturday.

The study, which surveyed 649 patients worldwide, showed that those who received Avastin, also known as bevacizumab, had a median survival rate of 10.2 months compared to 5.4 months for others.

Avastin is marketed in the United States by Genentech, a leading biotechnology company, and by Swiss firm Roche in Europe. The two companies sponsored the survey.
The study was unveiled late Saturday at the 43rd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

"We're in a very exciting time in kidney cancer research, with a number of new targeted therapies becoming available," said Doctor Bernard Escudier, head of the immunotherapy unit at France's Gustave Roussy Institute.

Glaxo's Tykerb helps some breast cancer patients

2007-06-03T22:55:00.000-07:00

GlaxoSmithKline's new breast cancer pill Tykerb might help prevent the growth of tumors in some people with a hard-to-treat form of the disease, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday.

The addition of Tykerb to standard chemotherapy treatment failed to help most breast cancer patients, the researchers told a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

However, it did increase survival in those patients who were HER2-positive, a type of breast cancer that spreads more quickly and accounts for a quarter of cases, they said.
Dr. Angela Di Leo of Sandro Pitigliani Hospital in Prato, Italy, and colleagues examined data from a Phase III trial of 580 breast cancer patients whose cancer had spread and were either negative or untested for HER2 and who were resistant to Roche Holdings' Herceptin, generically known as trastuzumab.

Tykerb, known generically as lapatinib, given along with standard chemotherapy, did not work for most patients. But an analysis of 91 patients who were later identified as HER2-positive and who had not been treated with cancer drug Herceptin showed the combination therapy halted tumor growth for three months.

"This sets the stage for a comparison study of Herceptin plus chemotherapy against Tykerb plus chemotherapy," said UCLA hemotologist-oncologist Richard Finn, one of the investigators of the study.

Finn said researchers are starting to look at Tykerb to treat HER2-positive breast cancer patients at an earlier stage in their disease.

Tykerb, approved in recent months in the United States and Switzerland for breast cancer, is being tested for other types of cancer. It is central to Glaxo's push into cancer medicine, the fastest-growing and most profitable area in the drug market.

Researchers also presented Phase II data using Tykerb to treat 241 patients whose breast cancer had spread to the brain -- a problem for 30 percent to 40 percent of women who are HER2-positive.

After six months, tumors shrank by at least 50 percent in just 7 percent of patients, while about a fifth had less than a 50 percent reduction. The trial's goal had been to shrink the tumors by at least half in 10 percent to 20 percent of patients.

"This is not a home run, but the effect was real and I think we can build on it," said Dr. Nancy Lin of Harvard Medical School, an investigator in the Glaxo-funded study.

Tykerb is a pill and is more convenient than Roche Holding's and Genentech's $1.8 billion-a-year seller Herceptin, which must be injected.

Breast cancer is the fifth-deadliest cancer worldwide, causing more than 500,000 deaths a year, according to the World Health Organization. It kills 40,000 people a year in the United States alone.

Advances bring better diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer

2007-06-03T22:52:00.000-07:00

Scientific advances have enabled better diagnosis and treatment for women with breast cancer, according to studies presented at the world's premier conference on cancer.

"We've made tremendous progress in detecting and treating many cancers unique to women," Julie Gralow, assistant professor of oncology at the University of Washington, said on Sunday.

"The studies discussed today bring us even closer to the goal of getting the best possible results with the fewest side effects," Gralow said as she introduced a group of studies at the annual conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.
Despite progress on the research front, the disease still kills half a million women around the world each year.

Research unveiled at the conference showed magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, proved more effective in detecting tumors for breast cancer patients than the traditional test using mammograms.

The MRI scan found malignant tumors that mammograms had missed, according to results of a study conducted in Germany involving 6,000 women.

The MRI scan spotted 40 percent of tumors that were undetected by mammograms, and 78 percent of those were of a highly aggressive category.

Mammogram x-rays detect an accumulation of calcium around tumors while the MRI scans uncover an abnormal growth of blood vessels.

While MRI tests appeared to be more effective, "more research is necessary before we can make specific recommendations about the use of breast MRI for DCIS (preinvasive breast cancer) in clinical practice," said Christian Kuhl, professor of radiology at the University of Bonn and the lead author of the study.

New research also showed clinical trials for the medicine Tykerb, developed by the British firm GlaxoSmithKline, had produced encouraging results in a group of 241 patients whose breast cancer had spread to the brain.

After a treatment of six months with the Tykerb pill, seven percent of patients had their tumors reduced by at least 50 percent while 20 percent saw their tumors reduced by less than 50 percent.

Another study presented at the conference showed that Herceptin, a treatment that blocks the production of the HER2 protein which in excess can cause tumors to return, does not enhance the long-term danger of heart attacks.

"While we need to continue monitoring patients closely for late cardiac effect, this is reassuring news for women taking this drug," said Priya Rastogi, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Compared to other cancers, there has been marked progress in the fight against breast cancer, particularly because of targeted treatments.

But gains in survival rates, with a 2.3 percent reduction in deaths recorded in recent years, have not been shared equally in the United States among African-Americans and whites, said a new study published Sunday.

For women diagnosed between 1999 and 2003, whites survived for a median of 27 months compared to 17 months for black patients -- an eight percent difference, said the study by researchers at the University of Texas.

More than 180,510 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and about 41,000 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

Blacks don't share in breast cancer progress

2007-06-03T22:50:00.000-07:00

Black women with advanced breast cancer are faring no better now than they were two decades ago despite improved survival by white women -- and the gap appears to be widening, U.S. researchers said Sunday.

Dr. Sharon Giordano of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center studied breast cancer survival in women between 1988 and 2003.

She found that, in general, women with advanced breast cancer were living longer.

"But when we looked separately by race, we found the improvement seemed be to limited to white patients and the survival for black patients had remained flat over time," Giordano said in an interview.
"What is really concerning to me is that the difference is getting bigger."

She and colleagues identified 15,438 patients from a National Cancer Institute database. They had a median age of 62 and were diagnosed with advanced breast cancer between 1988 and 2003.

They divided the groups into three time periods.

From 1988 to 1993, breast cancer survival was fairly close between whites and blacks, with a median survival of 20 months for white women versus 17 months in blacks.

Between 1994 and 1998, the median survival was 22 months for white women and 16 months for black women.

From 1999 to 2003, the median survival rate for white women jumped to 27 months, versus a stagnant 17 months for black women.

"The study didn't look at any of the factors that could be causing it," said Giordano, who presented her study at the scientific meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES?

Some researchers have suggested that biological differences may make breast cancer more deadly for black women.

A study last fall of 2,000 women by Dr. Wendy Woodward, also of the University of Texas, compared the records of black, Hispanic and white breast-cancer patients.

They found the black women overall had more aggressive tumors and were more likely to die than the Hispanic and white women.

But Giordano was skeptical of the link to biological differences.

"I don't really think it is any inherent difference in biology of people by race. It is more likely related to socioeconomic factors," Giordano said.

"I think you could also hypothesize it could be related to access to care -- potentially differences in access to new treatment," she added.

Giordano said the next step is to determine the reasons for this increasing disparity. "Once you know the reasons, you can intervene to correct the problem."

Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, cautioned that biological differences should not be used to dismiss other contributing factors.

"My personal view is the majority of this (disparity) is related to access ... to the ability to get adequate care in a timely fashion, and perhaps some of it is related to biology," he said.

"We in this country need to do a better job of making sure that all women have better access to mammography and better access to care."

Breast cancer kills 500,000 people a year globally, according to the World Health Organization, and 1.2 million men and women are diagnosed with it annually.

It is the second most common cause of cancer death in U.S. women after lung cancer, and the No. 1 killer of women aged 45 to 55. It kills 40,000 men and women a year in the United States.

Cigna Offers Cancer-Fighting Video Game To Patients

2007-05-31T01:54:00.001-07:00

Video games have long offered escapist entertainment, a chance to role play and master new worlds through a combination of quick thinking and adept hand-eye coordination. Having recognized the potential for HopeLab's Re-Mission game, which features a cancer-fighting nanobot named Roxxi, to help educate and entertain stricken teens, Cigna Healthcare announced Wednesday a partnership with HopeLab to put the game in the hands of tens of thousands of young patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Re-Mission is free to these patients and can be downloaded via Cigna's Web site. Although the game has been around since April 2006 and HopeLab has shipped more than 76,000 copies, the deal with Cigna offers a distribution channel to that company's network of physicians and vast membership, which covers more than 60,000 employers and about 47 million individuals.
More interesting than the game itself -- a 3-D "shooter" scenario where Roxxi, clad in form-fitting silver body armor, floats through a cancer patient's body zapping bacteria, fat globules, and leukemia cells with her multipurpose med blaster -- are HopeLab's claims that patients who play Re-Mission have more successful treatment than those who don't play the game.

"We found that the game has enormous efficacy, giving young patients control and power over their cancer," HopeLab president Pat Christen told InformationWeek.

HopeLab, a nonprofit founded in 2001 by Pamela Omidyar, wife of eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, claims to have validated the benefits of its cancer-fighting video game by conducting a randomized, controlled trial with 375 male and female cancer patients ages 13 through 29, enrolled at 34 medical centers in the United States, Canada, and Australia. According to HopeLab, findings first presented last year indicate that "playing Re-Mission produced increases in quality of life, self-efficacy, and cancer-related knowledge for adolescents and young adults with cancer."

Cigna first became aware of Re-Mission when the health care company's medical director, Dr. Glenn Pomerantz, became interested in the results of HopeLab's research results. Pomerantz later approached HopeLab about the possibility of promoting and distributing the game directly to its members.

One practical explanation of Re-Mission's benefits is that, by promoting awareness of the disease and offering young patients an understanding of how it can be fought, these patients are more likely to adhere closely to their treatment regimens. With this in mind, Cigna says it's sending the game in CD and DVD formats to member pediatricians, oncologists, pediatric oncologists, and hospitals.

So-called "shooter" games, in which players attack opponents to achieve their objectives, have often come under harsh criticism for promoting violence. Christen says she considered this concern while HopeLab tested Re-Mission. But the game's premise and purpose far outweighed any downside of having Roxxi let loose her weapons on her enemies. "These kids are literally in a fight for their lives," she says, adding that it's empowering for them to blast away at a disease that poses such a great threat to them. "It's quite an appropriate use of these weapons, and there's never any harm to another human being."

HopeLab says its next major initiative will target obesity using insights gained from the development and study of Re-Mission.

Video game maker target teens with cancer

2007-05-31T01:51:00.000-07:00

Cigna Corp. said on Wednesday it will offer HopeLab's "Re-Mission" video game, which lets teens and young adults blast cancer while learning how to improve the odds of beating the disease, free of charge on its Web site.

"'Re-Mission' has demonstrated that video games have the power to help teenagers better adhere to their cancer treatment and embrace key behaviors that improve their health and quality of life," Dr. Glenn Pomerantz, medical director of its CIGNA HealthCare unit, said in a statement.

Teenaged cancer patients can face a unique set of challenges, medical experts said. They are old enough to be responsible for their treatment, but may be too young to understand the potentially deadly consequences of skipping required medications that may make them feel sick, lose their hair, get acne, or gain weight.
Pam Omidyar, a medical researcher married to eBay Inc. founder Pierre Omidyar, launched HopeLab in 2001, seeking to improve the health of young people with a mix of good science and fun technology.

HopeLab, a Northern California-based nonprofit organization, teamed with video game developers and animators, cancer experts, cell biologists, psychologists and young patients, seeking to make a high-quality video game that would educate as well as entertain.

The results was "Re-Mission," a teen-rated shooting game featuring a nanobot named Roxxi who roams inside the bodies of fictional cancer patients, destroying cancer cells, battling bacterial infections and managing side effects associated with cancer and cancer treatments.

Since the game's launch early last year, HopeLab said it has delivered 76,000 copies of "Re-Mission" on disc or via download on its Web site (www.re-mission.net).

Cigna's site (www.CIGNA.com/re-mission) will offer the game.

HopeLab tested "Re-Mission" in a randomized, controlled trial of 375 male and female cancer patients aged 13 to 29, who were enrolled at 34 medical centers in the United States, Canada and Australia.

Preliminary study results suggested that playing the video game increased quality of life and cancer-related knowledge.

The "Re-Mission" players also maintained levels of chemotherapy in their blood and showed higher rates of antibiotic use than those in the control group, indicating that the game helped patients stick to cancer therapy regimens.

"The 'Re-Mission' video game is an important tool to help improve their understanding of cancer, its treatments and effects, which can result in more confidence in their ability to deal with the disease and more consistent compliance with their treatment," said Dr. Gary Dahl, a pediatric oncologist at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University in California and a principal investigator for the "Re-Mission" study.

"'Re-Mission' works. It gives young people with cancer a sense of power and control over their disease," HopeLab President Pat Christen said.

Cigna's Pomerantz said the insurer plans to work with HopeLab to help young patients with other chronic conditions.

Next on HopeLab's list: obesity.