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New drug combination for advanced breast cancer delays disease progression

The trial enrolled 118 post-menopausal women with metastatic hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer whose cancer continued to progress after being treated with an aromatase inhibitor. The study, based on work done by Doris Germain of Mt. Sinai Hospital, found that the combination of the drugs bortezomib and fulvestrant — versus fulvestrant alone — doubled the rate of survival at 12 months and reduced the chance of cancer progression overall. Bortezomib, used most commonly in treating multiple myeloma, is a proteasome inhibitor that prevents cancer cells from clearing toxic material…

Platinum agent combination treatment for triple-negative breast cancer well tolerated in phase II clinical trial — ScienceDaily

Triple-negative breast cancer is characterized by the absence of estrogen and progesterone receptors and the HER2/neu protein in breast cancer cells. That in itself presents a challenge in treating the disease, as it does not respond to hormonal- or HER2-targeted therapies that provide for positive outcomes in other subtypes of breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancers are often deficient in DNA repair and other specific cellular pathways that make them susceptible to DNA damage. There is growing evidence that suggests platinum-based agents may offer improved outcomes in treating the subset of triple-negative breast cancer because of their specificity for causing DNA damage…

Genes that cause pancreatic cancer identified by new tool: Screening system in mice spots cancerous changes invisible to sequencing

The technique works by introducing sections of DNA called piggyBac transposons into the mouse genome. Transposons jump around within the genome, reinserting themselves at random and causing a different mutation in each cell of the mouse. This triggers cancer development, and tracking the transposon�s fingerprints in the tumours allows discovery of the affected cancer-causing genes. The PiggyBac tool was engineered for the first time to allow cancer induction in individual tissues within the mouse, and the method can now be used to study any type of cancer. …

First gene associated with familial glioma identified

“It is widely thought amongst the clinical community that there is no association between family history and development of glioma. Because we know very little about the contributing genetic factors, when cases occur in two or more family members, it is viewed as coincidental,” said Dr…

Experience counts with radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, study shows

Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology with an accompanying editorial, the study compared survival and other outcomes in 470 patients treated with radiation therapy at 101 treatment centers through a clinical trial held from 2002 to 2005. The trial was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and organized by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). The findings indicated that patients treated at the less-experienced centers were more likely to have cancer recurrence (62 percent versus 42 percent at five years) and had poorer overall survival compared with those at the highly-experienced centers (51 percent versus 69 percent five-year survival, respectively)…

Increased use of hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation for patients with early-stage breast cancer

An analysis of randomized trials demonstrated that patients with early-stage breast cancer who are treated with breast-conserving surgery and adjuvant whole-breast irradiation have improved survival and a lower risk of tumor recurrence compared to patients who are not treated with radiation therapy. Patients are commonly treated with CF-WBI; however, several recent randomized trials[2-5] have confirmed that patients treated with HF-WBI have similar disease-free and overall survival rates as those treated with CF-WBI. CF-WBI delivers a total dose of 45-50 Gy in 25-28 daily fractions of 1.8-2.0 Gy over five to six weeks, while HF-WBI uses a shorter treatment course and a lower total dose and number of fractions, delivering a total dose of 39-42.5 Gy in 13-16 daily fractions of 2.5-3.2 Gy over three to five weeks. …

Smoking still causes large proportion of cancer deaths in the United States

More than 30 years ago, a groundbreaking analysis by famed British researchers, Richard Doll and Richard Peto, calculated that 30 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States were caused by smoking. Since that time, no new estimate of this percentage has been published in the scientific literature. …

Brain tumor: Key found for suppression of growth in medulloblastomas

Medulloblastoma is the most common brain tumor in children, and its treatment remains inefficient. The work of a team of researchers led by Luca Tiberi and Pierre Vanderhaeghen (Universit� libre de Bruxelles (ULB), WELBIO, IRIBHM and ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI)) opens new perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of these brain tumors…

New insight into risk of Ankylosing Spondylitis

The variation in ERAP1 can be detected by genetic testing which, if available, could lead to people becoming aware of the risk of the condition earlier. Ankylosing Spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease which mainly affects joints in the spine. In severe cases, it can eventually cause complete fusion and rigidity of the spine, called “Bamboo spine.” It tends to first develop in teenagers and young adults with most cases first starting in people aged 20-30…

Possible genetic link found in treatment-related cognitive issues in children with leukemia

The data, presented at the 56th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, suggest that it may be possible to genomically screen ALL patients for their risk of long-term treatment-related effects on memory, attention and learning and to study potential interventions. …