Tag Archives: donald

Prostate cancer’s penchant for copper may be a fatal flaw — ScienceDaily

Researchers at Duke Medicine have found a way to kill prostate cancer cells by delivering a trove of copper along with a drug that selectively destroys the diseased cells brimming with the mineral, leaving non-cancer cells healthy. The combination approach, which uses two drugs already commercially available for other uses, could soon be tested in clinical trials among patients with late-stage disease. “This proclivity for copper uptake is something we have known could be an Achilles’ heel in prostate cancer tumors as well as other cancers,” said Donald McDonnell, Ph.D., chairman of the Duke Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and senior author of a study published Oct. …

Surgical treatment for metastatic melanoma of the liver increases overall survival

In the past, surgical treatment for liver metastases was not considered an option for most patients, as the disease typically spreads to other organs. However, advances in surgical techniques along with new systemic therapies have made existing therapies more effective and opened the door to new therapeutic approaches. “Although there has been a great deal of excitement about the new medical therapies, which are clearly enormous advances, those are still not the answers for everyone,” said lead investigator Mark Faries, MD, FACS, Director of the Donald L. …

Childhood cancer treatment takes toll on hearts of survivors

Cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death among U.S. children, but the rate of survival has increased significantly from a 5-year survival rate of 58.1 percent in 1975-77 to 83.1 percent in 2003-09. "Research has shown childhood cancer survivors face heart and other health problems decades after treatment," said Donald R. …