Tag Archives: scientific

Potential drug target to nip cancer in the bud

The research was conducted by Dr Dmitry Bulavin and his team at A*STAR’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), with their findings published in the 14 October 2013 issue of the scientific journal, Cancer Cell. The team discovered that Wip1 phosphatase is a key factor that causes point mutations to sprout in human cancers. These types of mutations stem from errors that are made during DNA replication in the body, causing one base-pair in the DNA sequence to be altered. These mutations can cause cancers to take root, or to become resilient to treatment. …

Double-pronged attack could treat common children’s cancer

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, found that combining two separate molecularly targeted therapies could stop processes driving growth in a cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma, a major cause of cancer death in children. The drugs, called AZD8055 and AZD6244, block two different signalling pathways involved in cancer growth — acting like road-blocks on two separate routes that cancers could otherwise use to evade treatment. The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, was funded by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Cancer at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), with additional funding from Cancer Research UK, The Royal Marsden Hospital Charitable Fund and the Chris Lucas Trust. Rhabdomyosarcoma tumours can form anywhere in the body and resemble primitive muscle tissue…

Fracture prevention in cancer-associated bone disease

A new paper published by an International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Committee of Scientific Advisors Working Group reviews the epidemiology and pathophysiology of cancer-associated bone disease and provides information about fracture prevention in cancer patients. The review summarizes the pertinent recommendations of leading societies, providing guidance for clinical decision making and information on evidence-based pathways to prevent skeletal-related events and bone loss. Cancer patients are at greater risk of bone disease and fractures Cancer-induced bone disease can result from the primary disease itself, either due to circulating bone resorbing substances, or from metastasis to bone such as commonly occurs with breast, lung and prostate cancer. As well, cancer therapy itself can cause bone loss and fractures — especially in the case of glucocorticoid or estrogen deprivation therapy, chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure, and androgen deprivation therapy. …

Research shows ability to do next-generation sequencing for patients with advanced cancers

Sequencing spells out, or decodes, the billions of letters of DNA and other genomic data so that clinicians can discover what genetic changes might lead to cancer. Better optics and faster computers, which are the hallmarks of today’s Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), are leading to genomic analysis that enables development of new drugs that target specific genetic mutations. However, because patients’ tumors often contain multiple abnormalities, their cancer often progresses beyond initial targeted therapies…

Tailored doses of cytostatic improve survival rate after stem cell transplantation

The results, which are presented in the scientific journal The Lancet, are based on a clinical study conducted at 16 hospitals around the world. Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare immune deficiency in children that causes recurrent, often difficult-to-treat bacterial and fungal infections and non-bacterial inflammations of the inner organs, which sometimes develop into tumour-like nodules of inflammatory tissue known as granuloma. …

Clinical trial tests new treatment for rare cancer

Now adrenal cancer researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center are seeing the results of their laboratory studies translate to a clinical trial to test a potential new therapy in patients. Researchers Tom Kerppola, Ph.D., and Gary Hammer, M.D., Ph.D., collaborated to test a new compound, ATR-101, in cell lines and mice. …

Small bits of genetic material fight cancer’s spread

Researchers at Princeton University have found that microRNAs — small bits of genetic material capable of repressing the expression of certain genes — may serve as both therapeutic targets and predictors of metastasis, or a cancer’s spread from its initial site to other parts of the body. The research was published in the journal Cancer Cell. …

Physical activity may reduce risk of esophageal cancer

In a meta-analysis of four studies, Dr. Singh and his colleagues observed a 32 percent lower risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma, which can arise from Barrett’s esophagus, in people who were physically active. The meta-analysis also showed the overall risk of esophageal cancer was 19 percent lower among the most physically active people, compared with the least physically active. "Obesity has been associated with increased risk of esophageal cancer through high levels of insulin, as well as chronic inflammation. …