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Oncology
Prolaris test in prostate cancer care
Clinical data for the Prolaris test show a 'significant ability' to help physicians improve care for men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Statins slow progression of prostate cancer
The use of cholesterol-lowering statins when men initiated androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer was associated with longer time to progression of the disease.
New screening 40% better at finding breast cancer
Tomosynthesis detects 40% more breast cancers than traditional mammography does, according to a major screening study from Lund University, Sweden.
Pricey cancer drugs gets rushed approvals despite poor trials
Highly priced cancer drugs get rushed approvals from benign regulatory authorities, despite poor trial methodology and little effect on the longevity of patients, cautions a British-American study. Unlike most other diseases, cancer instils a special fear and 'is treated as an evil, invincible predator, not just a disease', the authors note.
Researchers compared 8942 oncology clinical trials conducted between 2007 and 2010 with trials for other diseases. Trials for cancer drugs were 2.8 times more likely not to be randomised, 2.6 times more likely not to use a comparator (single arm), and 1.8 times more likely not to be blinded.
Later obesity linked to cancer tx in youth
Individuals who had cancer as a child may be at increased risk of being obese due to the therapies they received during their youth.
New HPV vaccine shows promise
The new 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine, can potentially prevent 80% of cervical cancers in the US, if given to all 11- or 12-year-old children before they are exposed to the virus.
Addition of radiotherapy in prostate cancer
Men with prostate cancer that has spread to nearby lymph nodes, who have a significant risk of dying, can benefit from the addition of radiation therapy to treatments that block the effects of testosterone.
GIST and other malignancies
One in 5.8 patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) will develop additional malignancies before and after their diagnosis.
Statins reduce risk of death in lung cancer
Lung cancer patients who used statins in the year prior to a lung cancer diagnosis or after a lung cancer diagnosis had a reduction in the risk of death from the disease, according to a Queen's University Belfast study.
Aspirin linked to 47% lower cervical cancer risk
Long-term and frequent use of aspirin is associated with 47% decreased risk of cervical cancer, according to a study led by researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Cloudy skies link to pancreatic cancer risk
Pancreatic cancer rates are highest in countries with the least amount of sunlight.
ACP best practice for cervical cancer testing
The American College of Physicians (ACP) has released clinical advice aimed at reducing overuse of cervical cancer screening in average risk women without symptoms.
Good results from ovarian cancer blood test
A new screening test that tracks changing levels of a protein in the blood can detect twice as many ovarian cancers as conventional methods, a 14-year British trial has found.
Telomeres help with cancer diagnostics
A distinct pattern in the changing length of blood telomeres, the protective end caps on our DNA strands, can predict cancer many years before actual diagnosis, according to a new study from Northwestern Medicine in collaboration with Harvard University.
Breastfeeding cuts breast cancer recurrence
Women with breast cancer who previously breastfed their babies had a 30% decreased risk of the disease recurring, according to a Kaiser Permanente study.
Rociletinib improves lung cancer outcomes
Rociletinib, a new drug against EGFR-mutation driven lung tumours resistant to current therapies, is significantly improving outcomes for patients, the phase I/II clinical trial shows.
Coffee halves risk of some breast cancer recurrence
A Lund University, Sweden, study claims women diagnosed with breast cancer who are taking the drug tamoxifen could halve their risk of recurrence by drinking coffee.
HCV increases cancer risk 'significantly'
Cancer rates in patients with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) were significantly increased compared to the non-HCV cohort.
'Chemo brain' is real – study
Chemotherapy can lead to excessive mind wandering and an inability to concentrate. Dubbed 'chemo-brain,' the negative cognitive effects of the cancer treatment have long been suspected.
Radioactive 'seeds' successful with prostate cancer
A prostate cancer treatment using permanently implanted radioactive 'seeds' doubles rates of five-year tumour-free survival compared with conventional high-dose radiotherapy.
Study addresses ‘chemo brain’
Researchers have developed a cognitive rehabilitation programme to address post-cancer treatment cognitive changes, sometimes known as 'chemo brain', which can affect up to 35% of post-treatment breast cancer patients.
Melanoma combo-drug advance
University of California researchers found a new triple combination therapy shows promising signs of more effectively controlling advanced melanoma than previous treatments and with fewer side effects.
CRISPR targets and kills blood cancer cells
Australian researchers have developed a genome editing technology, called CRISPR, that targets and kills blood cancer cells with high accuracy, providing proof of concept of a direct treatment for human diseases arising from genetic 'errors'.
Remove less in liver cancer surgery – study
An approach in which a surgeon removes less than a lobe of the liver in a patient undergoing an operation for liver cancer, is associated with lower mortality and complication rates, according to a Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre study.
Molecule makes cancer cells self-destruct
US researchers have developed and characterised a molecule that interferes with the internal regulation of cancer cells, causing them to self-destruct.
Suicide risk with bladder cancer
Older, single white males with advanced bladder cancer have the highest suicide risk among those with other cancers of the male genitals and urinary system, US researchers report.
Graphene neutralises cancer stem cells
University of Manchester scientists have used graphene to target and neutralise cancer stem cells while not harming other cells.
The 'golden hour' in paediatric cancer tx
Paediatric cancer patients who receive antibiotics within 60 minutes of reporting fever and showing neutropenia, have decreased intensive care needs and lower mortality.
Chemo after bladder cancer surgery
Patients that received chemotherapy after bladder cancer surgery demonstrated an approximately 30% lower risk of death than those that underwent surgery alone, according to an analysis to be at the 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.
Kidney cancer drugs found not effective
Two widely used targeted therapy drugs – approved for use in metastatic kidney cancer – are no more effective than a placebo in achieving disease-free survival, according to an ECOG-ACRIN study.
Leukaemia mutation 'almost inevitable' with age
Up to 20% of people aged 50-60 and more than 70% of people over 90 have blood cells with the same gene changes as found in leukaemia, finds Sanger Institute research.
BTK inhibitor effective in leukaemia
For patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia the Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor is effective and prognosis is poor after discontinuation, a study has found.
New drug extends advanced breast cancer survival
Investigational oral medication Palbociclib is well tolerated and extends progression-free survival in newly diagnosed, advanced breast cancer patients, according to a US phase II study.
'Ethical imperative' for mammography information
Women exposed to evidence-based information on the risk of over-detection and over-diagnosis associated with mammography screening have lower intentions to have a breast screening test, according to an Australian study.
Radiation therapy vs active surveillance
Radiation therapy is the most common US treatment for prostate cancer regardless of cancer stage, prostate-specific antigen level, and prognosis and risk rating, according to a University of California study. Another study suggests active surveillance may be an initial approach for men with favourable intermediate-risk prostate cancer but requires further research.
Improved cancer survival, especially among young
Survival has improved with cancers of the colon or rectum, breast, prostate, lung and liver, and those improvements were better among younger patients, according to a Vanderbilt study of follow-up data on 1m patients over 20 years to 2010.
Doctors miss lesions in breast exams
Sensor technology has the potential to significantly improve the teaching of proper technique for clinical breast exams, according to University of Wisconsin research that found 15% of physicians were at 'significant risk' of missing deep tissue lesions.
Thyroid cancer on the increase
Thyroid cancer incidence has increased in individuals of all US races and ethnicities, according to a retrospective review, with the greatest increase occurred among non-Hispanic whites.
Slight ovarian cancer risk for HRT women
A University of Oxford analysis of 52 separate studies has found that hormone replacement therapy for five years modestly increases the risk of ovarian cancer.
Diabetes drug lessens lung cancer risk
A Kaiser Permanente study has found that among non-smokers who had diabetes, those who took the diabetes drug metformin had a decrease in lung cancer risk.