Medical News Today: Oncology News

Stress induces signals that cause cells to develop into tumors, Yale researchers have discovered. The research, published online Jan. 13 in the journal Nature, describes a novel way cancer takes hold in the body and suggests new ways to attack the deadly disease...

2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the only international conference dedicated to the critical issues of young breast cancer survivors and those who care about them. Nearly 1,000 young breast cancer survivors, caregivers and medical professionals from around the world are expected to attend the 10th Annual International Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer, to be held Friday, Feb...

MDRNA, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA), a leading RNAi-based drug discovery and development company, reported today in vivo data for bladder and liver cancer demonstrating further advancement of the Company's oncology programs...

Leafy green vegetables, folate, and some multivitamins could serve as protective factors against lung cancer in current and former smokers, according to a study that is a first step in understanding a complex association. The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study appeared online Jan. 12, 2010, in Cancer Research...

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGM: SPPI) today announced that the second of two Phase 3 pivotal clinical trials of apaziquone has achieved its enrollment target. The two trials enrolled more than 1600 patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. As per the collaboration agreement with Allergan, a $1.5 million milestone payment will be paid to Spectrum Pharmaceuticals...

Medifocus, Inc. (OTC:MDFZF.PK and TSXV:MFS) is pleased to announce that a review article summarizing clinical studies of the Company's Microfocus APA 1000 Breast Cancer Thermotherapy System was published online December 22, 2009 in the journal Annals of Surgical Oncology...

Risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS), which can be required by the FDA for drugs or biologics with significant toxicity and/or risks, are emerging as a priority topic for a variety of individuals. The goal of REMS to mitigate known or potential drug risks must be balanced with concerns that such programs may be overly complex and burdensome to physicians and other healthcare providers...

NexMed, Inc...

A study recently conducted by US Oncology and Aetna (NYSE:AET) finds that evidence-based care for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) results in an average cost savings of 35 percent over 12 months while demonstrating equivalent health outcomes...

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer in whom treatment with gefitinib is ineffective often have limited options, but results of a new study suggest that retreating patients with the same drug could have a beneficial effect. "The key may be in tumor heterogeneity," said In-Jae Oh, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital in the Republic of Korea...

Results of a new study in non-small cell lung cancer showed that patients with specific oncogenic rearrangements of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene within the short arm of chromosome 2 of their tumors had a much greater response to a new therapy - an ALK-inhibitor. Findings were presented at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer, held here from Jan...

Reuters reports that a new study has found "cancer researchers who design clinical trials, analyze or interpret the data, or play other key scientific roles are four times more likely to have financial ties to industry than their counterparts who have lesser roles in these studies, such as recruiting study subjects or collecting the data...

The New York Times: "The New Jersey Legislature approved a measure on Monday that would make the state the 14th in the nation, but one of the few on the East Coast, to legalize the use of marijuana to help patients with chronic illnesses...

An enzyme that normally helps break down stored fats goes into overdrive in some cancer cells, making them more malignant, according to new findings by a team at The Scripps Research Institute...

In 1993 researchers discovered a chemical compound in a sponge off Palau, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, that has shown anticancer, antibacterial, and antifungal pharmaceutical promise. But that wasn't its greatest allure, at least not for chemists...

Of the nearly 150,000 abnormal chest X-rays performed each year in the United States, 25 percent of patients will display only benign lung pathologies on further surgical examination. This false-positive rate has important clinical implications in cost and side effects...

At least three tumor microRNAs appear to predict when first-line chemotherapy will prove ineffective in some patients with small cell lung cancer, according to data presented at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer, held Jan. 11-14, 2010. "For patients with small cell lung cancer, there are really only about two chemotherapy options...

The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce its meeting, "GENETICS 2010: Model Organisms to Human Biology," June 12-15, 2010, at the Sheraton Boston, Massachusetts. This biannual meeting brings together investigators who study genetic models in flies, yeast, fungi, mice and other non-human organisms, with researchers in human genetics...

Drinking green tea could modulate the effect of smoking on lung cancer. Results of this hospital-based, randomized study conducted in Taiwan were presented at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer, held here from Jan. 11-14, 2010. "Lung cancer is the leading cause of all cancer deaths in Taiwan," said I-Hsin Lin, M.S...

Classifying non-small cell lung tumors by growth patterns had a strong predictive value for measures of survival. Growth pattern refers to the tumor growth in relation to normal lung tissue and blood vessels within the tumor; tumors need these blood vessels to survive and scientists have been studying these patterns in an effort to individualize therapy...