http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The rate of people who seek preventive cancer screenings has fallen over the last ten years in the United States with wide variations between white-collar and blue-collar workers, according to a University of Miami Miller School of Medicine study published on December 27 in the open-access journal Frontiers in Cancer Epidemiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-cancer-screening-decline-years.html Cancer Thu, 27 Dec 2012 02:00:01 EST news275757596 A new cancer drug combination demonstrated significant improvement in overall survival of late-stage pancreatic cancer patients compared to those receiving standard treatment, according to results of a Phase III clinical trial led by physicians from Scottsdale Healthcare's Virginia G. Cancer Center Clinical Trials, a partnership with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-phase-iii-worldwide-drug-patients.html Cancer Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:14:23 EST news272553254 There are substantial inequalities in the stage at which cancer patients receive their diagnosis – a critical factor for cancer survival – a new study by the University of Cambridge reveals. The researchers found that age, sex and income as well as the type of cancer influenced the risk of a patient being diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease. Eliminating these inequalities would help improve the chances of a cure for up to 5,600 patients with seven common cancers each year. The research was published today in the Annals of Oncology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-awareness-inequalities-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 12 Nov 2012 23:00:01 EST news271955396 (HealthDay)—For patients with cancer, statin use prior to diagnosis correlates with reduced all-cause and cancer-related mortality, according to a study published in the Nov. 8 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-statin-cancer-diagnosis-linked-mortality.html Cancer Thu, 08 Nov 2012 11:20:01 EST news271593372 (Medical Xpress)—A large-scale study that defines the complexity of underlying mutations responsible for pancreatic cancers in more than 100 patients was published in Nature. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-unmasking-deadly-secrets-pancreatic-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:15:08 EST news270378881 In what they say is a promising and highly selective treatment strategy, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have safely shut down breast cancer and a form of leukemia in mice by targeting abnormal proteins to which the cancers are "addicted," according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-cancers-addiction-cell-cycle-proteins-tumors.html Cancer Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:56:57 EST news269618209 New insights on the global fight to prevent cancers were presented during the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna. The studies highlight the challenges of overcoming misunderstandings about how important lifestyle factors are in reducing cancer risk. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-myths-hamper-efforts-cancer.html Cancer Sun, 30 Sep 2012 06:08:03 EST news268204071 Whitehead Institute researchers have determined the mechanism used by c-Myc to increase the expression of all active genes in cancer cells. Elevated levels of c-Myc are linked to increased rates of metastasis, disease recurrence, and mortality in cancer patients. Guided by this new model, researchers hope to find ways to restrict c-Myc's activity to eradicate cancer cells that become dependent on c-Myc for their survival. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-aggressive-cancer-exploits-myc-oncogene.html Cancer Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:00:08 EST news267964972 Scientists may have discovered why a protein called MYC can provoke a variety of cancers. Like many proteins associated with cancer, MYC helps regulate cell growth. A study carried out by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and colleagues found that, unlike many other cell growth regulators, MYC does not turn genes on or off, but instead boosts the expression of genes that are already turned on. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-major-cancer-protein-amplifies-global.html Genetics Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:00:01 EST news267965344 Men who undergo surgical removal of prostate cancer can experience significant levels of anxiety one year after surgery, and higher levels of anxiety appear to be linked to poor sexual satisfaction and depression, say researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida. Their recent study, published in the online edition of Psycho-Oncology, suggests that men who experience high levels of "cancer-specific anxiety" following surgery for prostate cancer could likely benefit from counseling designed to address their worries and improve their quality of life. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-prostate-cancer-diagnosis-surgery-anxiety.html Cancer Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:59:33 EST news267721118 One subtype of breast cancer shares many genetic features with high-grade serous ovarian cancer, a cancer that is very difficult to treat, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. The findings suggest that the two cancers are of similar molecular origin, which may facilitate the comparison of therapeutic data for subtypes of breast and ovarian cancers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-reseach-reveals-genomic-similarities-breast.html Cancer Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:00:16 EST news267601719 The majority of observational studies have shown that alcohol intake, especially heavy drinking, increases a number of upper-aero-digestive tract (UADT) and other cancers, and even moderate drinking is associated with a slight increase in the risk of breast cancer. A meta analysis published in the Annals of Oncology compares the effects between light drinkers (an average reported intake of up to 1 typical drink/day) versus "non-drinkers" in terms of relative risks for a number of types of cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-cancers.html Cancer Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:11:31 EST news267185483 Researchers at Uppsala University have cloned a T-cell receptor that binds to an antigen associated with prostate cancer and breast cancer. T cells that have been genetically equipped with this T-cell receptor have the ability to specifically kill prostate and breast cancer cells. The study is being published this week in PNAS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-cloned-receptor-paves-breast-prostate.html Cancer Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:06:40 EST news266760374 (Medical Xpress)—Cancer stem cells are defined by three abilities: differentiation, self-renewal and their ability to seed a tumor. These stem cells resist chemotherapy and many researchers posit their role in relapse. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published in the journal Stem Cells, shows that melanoma cells with these abilities are marked by the enzyme ALDH, and imagines new therapies to target high-ALDH cells, potentially weeding the body of these most dangerous cancer creators. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-human-melanoma-stem-cells.html Cancer Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:20:02 EST news264953220 Data from the 1970s and 1980s show that people affected by cancer survived significantly longer in West Germany than cancer patients behind the Iron Curtain. Looking at a diagnosis period from 1984 to 1985 in the former German Democratic Republic, 28 percent of colorectal cancer patients, 46 percent of prostate cancer patients, and 52 percent of breast cancer patients survived the first five years after diagnosis. By contrast, 5-year survival rates for people in West Germany affected by these types of cancer were 44 percent, 68 percent, and 68 percent in the years from 1979 to 1983 already. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-cancer-survival-germany-fall-iron.html Cancer Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:10:01 EST news264945156 Whitehead Institute researchers have found that increased expression of a specific set of genes is strongly associated with metastasis and death in patients with breast, colon, and lung cancers. Not only could this finding help scientists identify a gene profile predictive of patient outcomes and response to treatment, it could also guide the development of therapeutics to target multiple cancer types. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-heat-shock-factor-reveals-unique-role.html Cancer Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:00:02 EST news263127408 The pattern of genomic alterations in colon and rectal tissues is the same regardless of anatomic location or origin within the colon or the rectum, leading researchers to conclude that these two cancer types can be grouped as one, according to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project's large-scale study of colon and rectal cancer tissue specimens. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-genomic-colon-rectal-tumors-constitute.html Cancer Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:00:26 EST news261826077 (Medical Xpress) -- A unique multi-target experimental drug could treat a range of cancer types, according to research published in Clinical Cancer Research today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-master-experimental-drug-cancers.html Cancer Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:18:48 EST news261217120 (HealthDay) -- About 20 percent of patients diagnosed with stage IV metastatic solid tumors do not receive anticancer treatment, according to a study published online June 15 in Cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-therapy-percent-stage-iv-solid.html Cancer Sat, 23 Jun 2012 06:58:31 EST news259653498 Prostate cancer cells require androgens including testosterone to grow. A recent review in the British Journal of Urology International describes new classes of drugs that target androgens in novel ways, providing alternatives to the traditional methods that frequently carry high side effects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-drugs-ways-androgens-prostate-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:59:54 EST news259415977 Researchers at the IMIM (Institut de Recerca Hospital del Mar) have proven that the absence of the 14-3-3 protein sigma in breast cancer cells is directly associated with these cells' capacity to activate the signalling of a protein complex called NF-kB, which is related to tumour progression. The activation of NF-kB in tumours was also identified as the best indicator for relapse in breast cancer patients, compared to other parameters currently used, such as the presence of affected ganglions or the tumour's size and degree. The investigators have also described a group of genes that are activated in breast cancer cells and that are also associated with a poor prognosis in other types of tumours. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-indicator-breast-cancer-relapse.html Cancer Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:28:40 EST news259320513 (HealthDay) -- Continuing use of bevacizumab (Avastin) in combination with second-line chemotherapy improves overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who have progressed after discontinuation of first-line bevacizumab and chemotherapy, according to the results of a phase III study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held from June 1 to 5 in Chicago. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-asco-avastin-2nd-line-chemo-ups.html Cancer Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:30:01 EST news258120168 An experimental drug targeting a common mutation in melanoma successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial report in the May 18 issue of The Lancet. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-dabrafenib-melanoma-brain-metastases-phase.html Cancer Thu, 17 May 2012 18:30:01 EST news256493208 Physical activity is associated with reduced breast and colon cancer mortality, but there is insufficient evidence on the association for other cancer types, according to a study published May 8 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-physical-linked-mortality-breast-colon.html Cancer Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:15 EST news255696645 (HealthDay) -- Adults and children should be screened routinely for changes in the appearance of their skin, experts advise. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-doctors-urge-routine-skin-screenings.html Cancer Mon, 07 May 2012 11:00:01 EST news255605191 Researchers and doctors at the North Shore-LIJ Health System and the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that blood can help determine the best treatment plan for patients with ovarian cancer. More specifically, a genetic marker embedded in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), called microRNA, indicates if a patient with ovarian cancer has a benign or cancerous tumor, and that she will benefit from chemotherapy after surgery on the tumor. This data will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting to be held from Saturday through Wednesday (March 31- April 4) in Chicago, IL. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-dna-marker-ovarian-cancer-treatment.html Cancer Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:09:14 EST news252688146 Although cancer recurrence may be the overriding fear for many survivors, nearly half of survivors from a recently presented study died from other conditions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-cancer-survivors-died-conditions.html Cancer Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:20:01 EST news252684211 Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia have found that a protein associated with other cancers appears to also be important in head and neck cancer, and may consequently serve as a good target for new treatments. The findings will be reported at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 on Sunday, April 1. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-protein-aurora-a-survival-neck-cancer.html Cancer Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:40:20 EST news252510005 A new study has found that very few young women with cancer take steps to preserve their fertility while undergoing cancer therapy. Also, certain groups of young women are more likely to do so than others. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that efforts are needed to provide counseling on fertility preservation in reproductive-aged women diagnosed with cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-young-women-cancer-fertility-treatments.html Cancer Mon, 26 Mar 2012 04:59:59 EST news251956785 A study by University of Kentucky researchers showed that in Appalachia, colorectal cancer screening rates were higher in the population with multiple morbidities or diseases compared to those who had no morbidities at all. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-colorectal-cancer-screening-high-patients.html Cancer Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:52:38 EST news251477520