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Oncology
Biomarker for breast cancer unaffected by breast density
A study has demonstrated that Videssa Breast, a multi-protein biomarker blood test for breast cancer, is unaffected by breast density and can reliably rule...
Most new cancer drugs don't work — 5-year European study
More than half (57%) of cancer drugs authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) between 2009 and 2013 came onto the market without any...
High-tech radiotherapy improves prostate cancer outcomes
A high-tech form of radiotherapy that shapes radiation beams to tumours can dramatically improve outcomes for patients with prostate cancer, long-term clinical trial results...
Exercise improves cognitive ability in breast cancer survivors
In breast cancer survivors, an increase in physical activity more than doubled the women's post-treatment mental processing speed, found a small US pilot study.
It...
Trials raise questions over guidelines against routine PSA screening
After differences in implementation and settings were accounted for, two important prostate cancer screening trials provide compatible evidence that screening reduces prostate cancer mortality....
Cardiovascular Tx link to 50% reduction in lung cancer mortality risk
In most clinical trials for cancer therapy, investigators test treatments in patients with advanced disease. But a recent cardiovascular secondary prevention study has given...
Aspirin cuts colon cancer risk but may make it harder to treat
Daily aspirin use – known to reduce the risk of colon cancer – could also make the disease harder to treat if it does...
Stroke survivors should be checked for cancer development
Some stroke survivors may have 50% higher risk of underlying cancer, according to an observational study presented at the ESMO 2017 Congress in Madrid.
“Post-mortem...
Advance in the treatment of a nal cancer
A European study suggests that rates of lymph node spread from anal cancer are being overestimated, potentially leading to overtreatment of patients with chemo...
Nanolaser finds and kills off metastasised cancer cells
A nanolaser can serve as a super-bright, water-soluble, bio-compatible probe capable of finding metastasised cancer cells in the blood stream and then killing these cells,...
Worse outcomes when receiving alternative therapy for curable cancers
Patients who choose to receive alternative therapy as the treatment for curable cancers, instead of conventional cancer treatment, have a higher risk of death,...
Cadmium exposure increases endometrial cancer risk
Women with increased levels of cadmium – a metal commonly found in foods such as kidneys, liver and shellfish as well as tobacco –...
Pre-surgery radiation cuts risk of secondary tumours in breast cancer
Neoadjuvant radiation therapy may significantly improve disease-free survival, especially for oestrogen receptor-positive patients with early-stage breast cancer.
Women patients who have neoadjuvant radiation therapy have...
Improved lung cancer survival with chemo plus proton therapy
For patients with advanced, inoperable stage 3 lung cancer, concurrent chemotherapy and the specialised radiation treatment, proton therapy, offers improved survival compared to historical...
Blood test for early detection of pancreatic cancer headed to the clinic
A newly identified biomarker panel could pave the way to earlier detection and better treatment for pancreatic cancer, according to research from the Perelman...
FDA panel recommends approval for gene-altering leukaemia treatment
A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel has opened a new era in medicine, unanimously recommending that the agency approve the first-ever treatment...
Influence of high-fat diet on colorectal cancer
US research showed in pre-clinical models that cancer stem cell growth in the colon was enhanced by a high-fat, Western diet.
Poor diet is associated with 80%...
Molecular test predicts breast cancer mortality risk
A molecular test can pinpoint which patients will have a very low risk of death from breast cancer even 20 years after diagnosis and...
'Light' cigarettes linked to increase in adenocarcinoma cases
A new study shows that so-called “light” cigarettes have no health benefits to smokers and have likely contributed to the rise of a certain...
Stereotactic radiation highly effective for kidney cancer
Treating metastatic kidney cancer with stereotactic ablative radiation therapy achieves more than 90% control of local tumours, and offers the possibility of safely delaying...
Shorter radiation after mastectomy is safe and effective
A shorter course of radiation therapy given to breast cancer patients following mastectomy is safe and effective and cuts treatment time in half. That...
Low-dose aspirin reduces breast cancer risk
The use of low-dose aspirin reduced the risk of breast cancer in women who are part of the California's Teacher's Study.
This study – which...
UK's experiment with cancer drugs' funding 'a failure'
A special UK Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) set up to help patients receive cancer drugs not routinely paid for by the NHS, spent over $1.55bn failed...
Vaccine and chemo combo increase glioblastoma patient survival
A phase one study of 11 patients with glioblastoma who received injections of an investigational vaccine therapy and an approved chemotherapy showed the combination...
Structured yoga improves prostate cancer radiation outcomes
Men who attended a structured yoga class twice a week during prostate cancer radiation treatment reported less fatigue and better sexual and urinary function...
Most cancer mutations caused by random mistakes – Study
More than two-thirds of cancer-causing mutations are the result of random mistakes in DNA replication that occur when normal cells divide, reports The Washington...
Isoflavones associated with decrease in all-cause mortality in breast cancer
An epidemiological analysis of data from more than 6,000 US and Canadian women with breast cancer finds that post-diagnosis consumption of foods containing isoflavones...
Single HDR of brachytherapy effective alternative for localised prostate cancer
High-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy administered in a single, 19 Gray (Gy) treatment may be a safe and effective alternative to longer courses of HDR treatment...
Significant link between high BMI and certain cancers
An analysis of more than 2,000 studies of obesity and cancer reveals significant links between high body mass index (BMI) and certain cancers.
The study concludes...
Statins alongside chemo do not benefit patients with lung cancer – UK study
Cholesterol-lowering drugs used alongside chemotherapy have no effect on treatment outcomes for lung cancer patients, according to an Imperial College London randomised trial. The research...
Blood test has potential to detect ovarian cancer
A blood test every four months could help women at high-risk of ovarian cancer find tumours early, found a UK study.
There is currently no...
Exercise is top lifestyle change to reduce risk of breast cancer recurrence
For patients with breast cancer, physical activity and avoiding weight gain are the most important lifestyle choices that can reduce the risk of cancer...
Once-off screening test slashes bowel cancer risk
A single flexible sigmoidoscopy provides substantial protection from colorectal cancer diagnosis and death, with protection lasting at least 17 years, found a large UK...
Call for shorter duration radiation Tx for prostate cancer
Men with prostate cancer can receive shorter courses of radiation therapy than what is currently considered standard, leading to a call for a practice...
Hormone maintenance therapy improves LGSC survival
Hormone maintenance therapy may significantly improve survival in women with low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC).
For women with a rare sub-type of epithelial ovarian or peritoneum...
Scalp cooling reduces hair loss in breast cancer chemo patients
Among women with stage I to II breast cancer receiving chemotherapy, those who underwent scalp cooling were significantly more likely to have less than...
Zytiga: Slash dosage with low-fat breakfast for same effect
Taking one-fourth the standard dose of a widely-used drug for prostate cancer with a low-fat breakfast can be as effective – and four times...
Loss of muscle mass impacts on oesophageal cancer survival
Oesophageal cancer patients who suffer loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia) during neoadjuvant therapy survive, on average, 32 months less than patients with no sarcopenia.
This...
Bone marrow transplants and chemo success in aplastic anaemia
Physicians at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Centre have successfully treated 16 patients with severe aplastic anaemia using partially matched bone marrow transplants followed by...
DCIS patients have a lower risk of dying of all causes combined
Women over 50 who have been treated for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are more likely to be alive 10 years later than women...