
| Study identifies how tamoxifen stimulates uterine cell growth and cancer |
| (University of California - San Francisco) University of California - San Francisco researchers have identified a new "feed-forward" pathway linking estrogen receptors in the membrane of the uterus to a process that increases local estrogen levels and promotes cell growth. |
| Prostate cancer patients disease free after 5 years likely to be disease free after 10 years |
| (American Society for Radiation Oncology) Prostate cancer patients who receive brachytherapy and remain free of disease for five years or greater are unlikely to have a recurrence at 10 years, according to a study in the July 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. |
| Ben-Gurion U. researchers reveal connection between cancer and human evolution |
| (American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have discovered that gene mutations that once helped humans survive may increase the possibility for diseases, including cancer. The findings were recently the cover story in the journal Genome Research. |
| JNCI news brief: Improving the biomarker pipeline for early cancer detection |
| (Journal of the National Cancer Institute) Several statistical and biological issues need to be addressed in order to improve biomarker identification for early detection of cancer, according to a commentary published online July 2 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. |
| Study shows PET can measure effectiveness of novel breast cancer treatment |
| (Society of Nuclear Medicine) A new study published in the July issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows that positron emission tomography scans in mice can be used to determine whether a novel type of breast cancer treatment is working as intended. |
| JNCI news brief: Hepatitis B virus mutations may predict risk of liver cancer |
| (Journal of the National Cancer Institute) Certain mutations in the DNA of the hepatitis B virus are associated with the development of liver cancer and may help predict which patients with HBV infections are at increased risk of the disease, according to a large meta-analysis in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published online July 2. |
| Research reveals what drives lung cancer's spread |
| (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) A new study by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reveals the genetic underpinnings of what causes lung cancer to quickly metastasize, or spread, to the brain and the bone -- the two most prominent sites of lung cancer relapse. The study will be published online in the journal Cell on July 2. |
| New targeted therapy finds and eliminates deadly leukemia stem cells |
| (Cell Press) New research describes a molecular tool that shows great promise as a therapeutic for human acute myeloid leukemia, a notoriously treatment-resistant blood cancer. The study, published by Cell Press in the July 2 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, describes exciting preclinical studies in which a new therapeutic approach selectively attacks human cancer cells grown in the lab and in animal models of leukemia. |
| Predicting the return of prostate cancer: New Johns Hopkins study betters the odds of success |
| (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) Cancer experts at Johns Hopkins say a study tracking 774 prostate cancer patients for a median of eight years has shown that a three-way combination of measurements has the best chance yet of predicting disease metastasis. |
| Researchers testing virus-gene therapy combination against melanoma |
| (University of California - San Diego) Researchers at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center are injecting a modified herpes virus into melanoma tumors, hoping to kill the cancer cells while also bolstering the body's immune defenses against the disease. |
| Axel Ullrich named winner of 2009 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research |
| (Porter Novelli) Johnson & Johnson announced that Axel Ullrich, Ph.D., director of the Department of Molecular Biology at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Germany, whose discoveries have led to novel cancer therapies including Herceptin (trastuzumab), is the winner of the 2009 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research. An independent committee of world-renowned scientists selected Dr. Ullrich, who on Sept. 8 will receive a $100,000 prize during a ceremony in Beerse, Belgium. |
| Newly appreciated membrane estrogen receptor important therapeutic target for breast cancer |
| (Lifespan) New research at Rhode Island Hospital has uncovered the biological effects of a novel membrane estrogen receptor, a finding that has potential implications for hormonal therapy for breast cancer. |
| Both good/bad movie characters who smoke influence teens to do the same |
| (Dartmouth College) Dartmouth researchers have determined that movie characters who smoke, regardless of whether they are "good guys" or "bad guys," influence teens to try smoking. |
| Genetically engineered mice yield clues to 'knocking out' cancer |
| (National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) Researchers from NIST, Oregon Health and Science University and the New York University School of Medicine have demonstrated that deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumors, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development of cancer. The work may lead to the development of new measurement methods and reference materials for accurate and reproducible assessments of DNA damage and repair. |
| Double success for Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia scientists working on chromosome segregation |
| (Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia) Lars Jansen's work on the formation of the centromere, a key cellular structure in powering and controlling chromosome segregation and accurate cell division, has just earned him a paper in Nature Cell Biology and a prestigious EMBO installation grant, of 50,000 euro per year, for a maximum of five years, to be carried out at the IGC, in Portugal. |
| New e-science service could accelerate cancer research |
| (University of Manchester) The University of Manchester and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute have launched a major new e-science resource for biologists -- which could accelerate research into treatments for H1N1 flu and cancer. |
| Colorectal cancer |
| (Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) Previously, only a few genes had been associated with the formation of metastases in colorectal cancer. Now, researchers of the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch and Charite -- University Medicine Berlin, Germany, have identified 115 genes that are disregulated both in the primary tumor and in its metastases. In the future, their findings may help identify patients with aggressive tumors at an earlier stage. |
| Researchers find clear difference in quality, type of lung cancer info available in US and Japan |
| (International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer) A study published in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology revealed that internet-based lung cancer information was of a higher quality in the United States than in Japan. Dr. Yasushi Goto of the National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo and his team of researchers evaluated 150 Web sites, and determined noticeable differences in the quality and type of information on lung cancer available over the Internet in the two countries. |
| UNC study rewrites textbook on key genetic phenomenon |
| (University of North Carolina School of Medicine) A new UNC study appearing online July 1 in the journal Nature disputes current scientific belief by showing that X-inactivation can occur even in the absence of a gene previously thought to be the trigger of the process. |
| Cancer survivors at greater risk of birth complications; special monitoring needed |
| (European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology) Survivors of childhood cancer run particular risks when pregnant and should be closely monitored, say Dutch researchers. Although such women may have conceived spontaneously and considered themselves to be perfectly healthy, their deliveries should always take place in a hospital. |

| Phase II Trials Investigating Oral PARP Inhibitor, Olaparib, In BRCA-Deficient Advanced Breast And Ovarian Cancer |
| "These encouraging data demonstrate the potential for olaparib to make a significant impact on the outcomes of patients with BRCA-deficient breast and ovarian cancer. AstraZeneca is fully evaluating the development of this drug in these diseases, and is exploring its potential in other populations of patients with cancers associated with defective DNA repair." Phase II data presented during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Congress for novel, oral anti-cancer treatment olaparib (AZD2281 / KU-0059436), demonstrate it is effective and well tolerated in women carrying the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation with advanced ovarian or breast cancer.1,2 Both studies have been selected for inclusion in the 'Best of ASCO' scientific prog... |
| Women Underrepresented In Most Cancer Research |
| Women continue to be under-enrolled in cancer clinical trials, according to a new review, published in the July 15, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study's results suggest that greater efforts are needed to ensure that oncologists know the true effects of treatments and medical procedures in female patients. In 1993, the National Institutes of Health called for clinical trials to include adequate representation of women. To define better the representation of women as subjects in the full range of high-impact, clinical cancer research published currently, Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and colleagues reviewed cancer clinical research appearing in eight... |
| Advaxis' Clinical Trial Survival Data Significantly Exceeds The National Cancer Institute's Median Survival Statistic |
| NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Advaxis, Incorporated, has updated survival data for its Phase I clinical trial (Trial) of its live Listeria vaccine ADXS11-001 (formerly named Lovaxin-C) in the treatment of advanced, metastatic cervix patients who have failed first line cytotoxic therapy. As of June 12, 2009 three (3) of the thirteen (13) evaluable patients in the Trial, approximately twenty-three percent (23%), are still alive at 981 days, 949 days and 850 days, respectively. The Trial's median patient survival was 347 days. Of the 15 patients treated in the trial, eight patients (53%) survived at least one year. These figures significantly exceed the median survival rate established by the National Cancer Institute's Gyneco... |
| Access Pharmaceuticals Provides Update On Prolindac Phase 2 Ovarian Cancer Trial And Clinical Development Plan |
| Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc., provided an update today on the progress in the Company's clinical development plan for ProLindac, a novel DACH platinum drug that has shown to be active in many solid tumor types in human clinical studies. Access recently announced positive safety and efficacy results from its Phase 2 monotherapy clinical study of ProLindac(TM) in late-stage, heavily pretreated ovarian cancer patients. In this study, 66% of patients who received the highest dose achieved clinically meaningful disease stabilization according to RECIST criteria. No patient in any dose group exhibited any signs of acute neurotoxicity, which is a major adverse side-effect of the approved DACH platinum, Eloxatin, and ProLindac was well tolerated ov... |
| Genetic Testing For Breast Or Ovarian Cancer Risk May Be Greatly Underutilized |
| Although a test for gene mutations known to significantly increase the risk of hereditary breast or ovarian cancer has been available for more than a decade, a new study finds that few women with family histories of these cancers are even discussing genetic testing with their physicians or other health care providers. In a report in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, which has been released online, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Policy and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute note that their findings illustrate the challenges of bringing genetic information into real-world clinical practice. "Testing for BRCA1 and 2 mutations has been around a long time and should be a good indicator of whe... |
| Test Not Effective For Ovarian Cancer |
| Q: Why is the CA-125 blood test not a good screening test for ovarian cancer? I asked my doctor to order the test at my last physical, but he refused. --- L.Z., Wilkes Barre, Pa. A: Unfortunately, there are no commercially available screening tests for detecting early ovarian cancer. The only approved use of the CA-125 blood test is in women with known ovarian cancer to monitor treatment response or recurrence. CA-125 is a protein produced in response to irritation of the surfaces of the body cavities. The CA-125 blood test is neither sensitive enough to pick up an early cancer nor specific enough to be clinically useful as a screening test. Even in advanced ovarian cancer, the CA-125 level has been normal in 20 perc... |
| Telik Presents Results At ASCO From Assist-5 Trial Of Telcyta In Platinum Refractory And Resistant Ovarian Cancer |
| Telik, Inc. announced presentation at the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Orlando, Florida, of results from the ASSIST-5 Phase 3 randomized, multinational study of TELCYTA(R) (canfosfamide HCl) in combination with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) vs. PLD alone in second-line therapy in platinum refractory or resistant ovarian cancer. Study Design: Patients with platinum refractory or resistant ovarian cancer (platinum refractory, primary platinum resistant, secondary platinum resistant) by standard GOG criteria, with measurable disease were eligible for enrollment in the trial. A total of 125 patients at sites in the USA (44), Brazil (15), Belgium (8) and UK (6) were randomized with a 1:1 a... |
| Genetic Testing For Breast Or Ovarian Cancer Risk May Be Greatly Underutilized |
| Although a test for gene mutations known to significantly increase the risk of hereditary breast or ovarian cancer has been available for more than a decade, a new study finds that few women with family histories of these cancers are even discussing genetic testing with their physicians or other health care providers. In a report in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, which has been released online, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Policy and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute note that their findings illustrate the challenges of bringing genetic information into real-world clinical practice. "Testing for BRCA1 and 2 mutations has been around a long time and should be a good indicator of whe... |
| Treatment Targeted by Decoding Cancer |
| TAMPA -- After learning her ovarian cancer was back, Lois Kreditor faced what amounted to a medical game of roulette. Only a handful of drugs were available, and her doctors knew most wouldn't work. Trial and error was the best they could offer the 46-year-old mother of three. So they referred her to H.áLee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa, where researchers are building a frozen bank with tens of thousands of cancer samples. After years of development, they are now decoding the genetic finger¡print that makes each cancer unique, hoping to match patients with the drugs that could save them. Kreditor, who lives in west Palm Beach County, became Patient One in a clinical trial testi... |
| Zetiq Reports Success In Clinical Trial Aimed For Early Identification Of Cervical Cancer |
| RAMAT GAN, Israel -- Zetiq, a subsidiary of Bio-Light Ltd., reports the successful completion of a clinical trial to validate feasibility of early identification of cervical cancer. The trial was conducted on cervical smears collected from 74 subjects at Meir MC and Macabbi health services in Israel. The collected samples were processed with the advanced liquid based cytology method, and examined using 3 methods: staining with the traditional widely used Pap method, testing to identify the presence of the HPV virus that causes the disease, and staining with the Zetiq method. The analysis of the specimens was conducted by the company's team as well as by an independent professional. According to the results of the trial... |
| Study Showed Lilly's Gemzar Improved Progression-Free Survival In Cervical Cancer Patients |
| ORLANDO, Fla. -- Eli Lilly and Company announced today that Phase III trial data showed the addition of Lilly's GEMZAR(R) (gemcitabine HCl for injection) to the current standard of care provided a statistically significant increase in progression-free survival at three years for women with locally advanced cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is the world's second most commonly diagnosed women's cancer, and the second most common cause of cancer death in women.(1) The current standard of care for women with locally advanced cervical cancer consists of the chemotherapy cisplatin and radiation (chemoradiation). This has been the recommended course of treatment since 1999. Results from this global, multicenter, open-label, r... |