Tag Archives: university

Key mechanism, potential target to prevent leukemia found

The studies, in animal models, could lead to new effective treatments for leukemias that are resistant to chemotherapy, said Reuben Kapur, Ph.D., Freida and Albrecht Kipp Professor of Pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. The research was reported today in the journal Cell Reports. “The issue in the field for a long time has been that many patients relapse even though chemotherapy and other currently available drugs get rid of mature blast cells quite readily,” Dr. Kapur said, referring to the cancerous cells that overrun the blood system in leukemia. …

Technology developed to improve lung cancer detection, treatment

John Roeske, PhD, and colleagues presented how they developed and evaluated the technology at the recent annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. Their approach uses dual-energy imaging combined with fluoroscopy to view tumors during radiation therapy. This technology does not require an X-ray that produces both high-and low-energy images. Existing hardware can be used to eliminate visuals of the ribs and other bones making it easier to see the tumor…

Cannabis extract can have dramatic effect on brain cancer, says new research

The new research by specialists at St George’s, University of London, studied the treatment of brain cancer tumours in the laboratory and discovered that the most effective treatment was to combine active chemical components of the cannabis plant which are called cannabinoids. Two of these called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) were tested as part of the research into brain cancer which is particularly difficult to treat and claims the lives of about 5,200 each year. …

Scientists uncover vast numbers of DNA ‘blind spots’ that may hide cancer-causing mistakes

The researchers found hidden faults in areas that are tricky for gene-reading technology to decode. This technique, which unravels cancer’s genetic blueprint, is an important part of the research that scientists carry out to understand more about cancer’s biology. By finding new ways to unlock these blind spots in the future, the researchers hope this will help us understand these mistakes and whether they lead to cancer. This could be a step towards developing tests to spot cancers earlier or provide new tactics for discovering future cancer treatments…

Expression of SIP1 protein indicates poor prognosis in pharyngeal cancer

Although pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is a rather rare disease, its incidence has been increasing over the past three decades, now accounting for 130,000 new cases and 80,000 cancer deaths worldwide. The prognosis is one of the poorest of all the head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and it has not improved to any significant extent, despite the availability of multimodal therapies. …

Molecular breakthrough could halt spread of prostate cancer — ScienceDaily

Pioneering research, by academics at the Universities of Bristol, Nottingham and the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), shows that a specific compound can inhibit the activity of a molecule which is key to how tumours form new blood vessels. The vessels are essential for the cancer cells to survive and multiply. The findings, published in the journal Oncogene, show that targeting a molecule called SRPK1 could stop progression of prostate cancer…

Scoring scheme predicts ability of cancer cells to spread to other parts of body

Led by Professor Jean Paul Thiery, Senior Principal Investigator, and Dr Ruby Huang, Principal Associate, both from CSI Singapore, the scientists developed a scoring scheme which monitors the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) mechanism. This process was shown to play a role in a large number of cancer-related events, including cancer invasion, metastasis, and chemo-resistance…

Oral cancer-causing HPV may spread through oral, genital routes

“HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world, and is a risk factor for several cancers, including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, oropharyngeal [throat/tonsil], anal, and penile cancer,” says Eduardo L. Franco, Professor and Director of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology at McGill University. “Understanding how HPV is transmitted is important because it will help us identify who is most at risk for HPV infection and how we can help them protect themselves and their partners,” adds Franco, who is also the Chairman of the Department of Oncology in the Faculty of Medicine. “Our work provides additional evidence that HPV is sexually transmitted to the oral tract through oral-oral and oral-genital contact.” Infection rates higher for male smokers A research team led by Franco looked at HPV infections in 222 men and their female partners and found that among men in the study, the prevalence of oral HPV was 7.2 percent…