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Oncology
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...
Twice-daily radiation therapy cuts deaths from head and neck cancer
Treating head and neck cancer patients with a twice-daily radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy could save more lives, according to research presented at the...
New immunotherapy prolongs bladder cancer and melanoma patients' lives
Clinical trials of a new immunotherapy, pembrolizumab, have shown that it prolongs life significantly for patients with bladder cancer and is active against a...
Two-drug combo prolongs pancreatic cancer patients' lives
A clinical trial has shown that 29% of pancreatic cancer patients given a combination of two chemotherapy drugs lived for at least five years,...
No added survival benefit from chemo for younger colorectal cancer patients
Young and middle-aged patients with colon cancer are 2 to 8 times more likely to receive post-operative chemotherapy than older patients, yet study results...
Fibre-rich diet lowers some colorectal cancer risk
A diet rich in fibre and whole grains could influence the risk of developing colorectal cancer linked to a strain of gut bacteria called...
Grilled, smoked and barbecued meats may increase breast cancer mortality
Women who eat a lot of grilled, smoked and barbecued meats and develop breast cancer may be more likely to die from their cancer...
Better lung cancer survival with immunotherapy drug
Patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer survive four months longer with fewer side effects on the immunotherapy drug atezolizumab, compared to chemotherapy, according to...
Marker for prostate cancer death can identify need for more aggressive Tx
A prostate specific antigen (PSA) nadir value of greater than 0.5 ng/mL following radiation and androgen deprivation therapy appears to identify men prior to...
Long-term study examines prostate cancer screening
A large 15-year multi-centre US study shows little difference in mortality between men screened annually for prostate cancer and the control group, some of...
New non-surgical Tx kills prostate cancer cells
A new non-surgical treatment for low-risk prostate cancer can effectively kill cancer cells while preserving healthy tissue, reports a University College London-led phase III...
Lower cancer death rates for socially integrated women
Socially integrated women were shown to have significantly lower breast cancer death rates and disease recurrence than socially isolated women, found a large Kaiser...
AspIrin's role in reducing cancer risks
Aspirin may slow the spread of some types of colon and pancreatic cancer cells, found a US study, while a Chinese study and meta-analysis...
Blood thinners safe with brain metastases
Cancer patients with brain metastases who develop blood clots may safely receive blood thinners without increased risk of dangerous bleeding.
No association between PTSD and cancer
In the largest study to date that examines Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a risk factor for cancer, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have shown no evidence of an association.
Cancer drug gets a second life
TAS-102, a drug developed 50 years ago and abandoned because it was considered to be too toxic, has gained a second life in an international clinical trial. It has been found to extend the lives of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
Marriage benefits cancer recovery
A growing body of research shows being married greatly increases patients' chances of being cured of cancer. The benefit is likely to extend to anyone in a close personal relationship and appears to come from their partner's ability to detect the early signs of cancer.
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.
Less invasive lung cancer diagnostic tool
As an alternative to more invasive techniques, researchers at Boston University have discovered that the thin epithelial cells that line the airway show changes that indicate whether a lung growth is malignant.
Improving OCSCC cancer survival
Neck dissection to remove lymph nodes and treatment at academic institutions was associated with improved survival in patients with stages I and II oral cavity squamous cell cancer (OCSCC), according to a Yale study.
Clarity on kidney cancer treatments
A head-to-head comparison of two biologic therapies used to treat some advanced kidney cancers provides much-needed clarity on the preferred treatment.
Clinicians must understand information needs
Clinicians need to understand the differing needs of cancer survivors in order to better address concerns about cancer recurrence, late effects, and family members' risks.
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.
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.
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.