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Researchers discover tumor suppressor gene in very aggressive lung cancer

In addition to identifying the tumor suppressor role of MAX in lung cancer, the group led by Montse Sanchez-Cespedes has unveiled a functional relationship between MAX and another tumor suppressor, BRG1, in virtue of which BRG1 regulates the expression of MAX through direct recruitment to the MAX promoter. However, the functional connection is even more complex. On one hand, the presence of BRG1 is required to activate neuroendocrine transcriptional programs and to up-regulate MYC-targets, such as glycolytic-related genes. Moreover, the depletion of BRG1 strongly hinders cell growth, specifically in MAX-deficient cells, heralding a synthetic lethal interaction. …

Epigenetics of breast cancer family history

Researchers from the Columbia University Medical Center in New York have now examined whether a specific epigenetic modification (more specifically, methylation of the DNA) can be associated to breast cancer family history in unaffected women from high-risk breast cancer families. This important work suggests that the levels of DNA methylation in white blood cells from cancer-free women could be one of the factors playing a role in the clustering of breast cancer in families with extensive cancer histories within its members. source : http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140107172017.htm

Study identifies factors associated with pain one year after breast cancer surgery

"Persistent pain following breast cancer treatments remains a significant clinical problem despite improved treatment strategies. Data on factors associated with persistent pain are needed to develop prevention and treatment strategies and to improve the quality of life for breast cancer patients," according to background information in the article. Tuomo J. …

Classic signaling pathway holds key to prostate cancer progression

Although it is well established that the androgen receptor is important for prostate cancer progression, it is unclear what drives this process. Frigo and his team demonstrated in this study that androgens take control of the AMPK signaling cascade, a master regulator of metabolism, to increase prostate cancer cell growth. "The androgen signaling cascade is important for understanding early and late-stage prostate cancer progression. …

Technologies revealed that streamline breast cancer treatment

Jersey Shore and Ocean Medical Center now offer accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) for breast cancer treatment using the CONTURA ® Multi-Lumen Balloon (MLB) Catheter. This unique method of radiation treatment delivery involves the placement of a deflated balloon in the lumpectomy cavity post-surgery through a small incision. The balloon is then filled with saline and temporarily left in place for up to 10 days during treatment. …

Fatigue, a common side effect of breast cancer treatment, evaluated in novel patient study

"Understanding who is at risk for post-treatment fatigue, and why, is the first critical step in the development of personalized, targeted interventions for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer-related fatigue," said Arash Asher, MD, director of cancer rehabilitation and survivorship at the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute and the medical center’s primary investigator on the study. …

Patient satisfaction with clinical services can affect treatment outcomes

Seven hundred patients treated for colorectal cancer at three Cancer Treatment Centers of America hospitals completed service quality questionnaires measuring their levels of satisfaction with hospital operations and services, physicians and staff, and contained patient endorsements. Overall patient experience was measured by asking, “Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your overall experience with the institution?” Survey responses were correlated with median patient survival time from survey completion…

Pain drugs used in prostate gland removal linked to cancer outcome, study finds

The immune system’s strength is especially important in cancer surgery because surgical manipulation of a tumor may spread cancer cells. The immune system can be impaired by general anesthesia, the overall stress surgery places on the body and by post-surgical systemic opioid use. The study found better outcomes in radical prostatectomy patients who had general anesthesia supplemented with spinal or epidural delivery of a long-acting opioid such as morphine, than in those who received general anesthesia only. …

Deep sequencing of breast cancer tumors predict outcomes after single dose of therapy

Results showed that through deep genome sequencing, a reduction in the most commonly mutated genes in breast cancer could be observed after just one dose of preoperative therapy. Deep sequencing is a process that involves sequencing the same region multiple times to identify mutations within tumors that have an importance in cancer evolution. These new findings were presented during the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. "Genomics is the new frontier of cancer research, and this study shows that we may be able to accurately determine what treatment methods will and will not be effective for individual patients after just one dose of medicine," said Lyndsay Harris, MD, study investigator and Director, Breast Cancer Program, UH Seidman Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. …

Newly discovered gene interaction could lead to novel cancer therapies

In the study, recently published in the online version of the journal Cancer Research, Fisher’s team found that forced expression of MDA-7/IL-24 (melanoma differentiation associated gene-7/interlukin-24) stimulates SARI (suppressor of AP-1, induced by interferon) expression in what is known as an autocrine/paracrine loop, which ultimately causes cancer cells to undergo a form of cell suicide known as apoptosis. Autocrine/paracrine loops occur when the expression of a particular gene or its encoded protein causes cells to secrete molecules that bind to surface receptors and force the expression of more of the same protein in an ongoing cycle…