http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Nearly two-thirds of solid tumors carry at least one mutation that may be targeted, or medicated, by an existing compound, according to new findings from researchers Fox Chase Cancer Center that will be presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on June 3. The results suggest that it may one day become commonplace for doctors to sequence tumors before deciding on a treatment regimen. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-solid-tumors-genetic-compounds.html Cancer Fri, 31 May 2013 11:34:20 EST news289218850 (Medical Xpress)—The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital – Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project has identified mutations responsible for more than half of a subtype of childhood brain tumor that takes a high toll on patients. Researchers also found evidence the tumors are susceptible to drugs already in development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-gene-sequencing-mutations-blame-majority.html Genetics Thu, 30 May 2013 06:37:07 EST news289114613 Researchers of the hereditary cancer research group at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) conducted a functional and structural study of seven missense variants of the BRCA1 gene concluding that three of these variants are pathogenic, linked to the risk of suffering breast or ovarian cancer. The study has been published in the journal PLoS One http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-mutations-brca1-gene-responsible-breast.html Cancer Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:11:46 EST news285509490 Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project has identified mutations responsible for more than half of a subtype of childhood brain tumor that takes a high toll on patients. Researchers also found evidence the tumors are susceptible to drugs already in development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-genome-sequencing-mutations-blame-majority.html Genetics Sun, 14 Apr 2013 13:00:13 EST news285140598 The intrauterine environment plays an important role in the health of the offspring. Now, experts from the University of Navarra affirm that the mother's stress, due to socio-economic or psycho-social causes, is associated with the development of pathologies related with obesity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-relationship-prenatal-stress-obesity-rats.html Health Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:01:35 EST news284727686 Researchers have generated preclinical data demonstrating that the protein KDM1, which functions as a lysine demethylase, is a potential target for glioma treatment, according to Gangadhara R. Sareddy, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Vadlamudi Laboratory at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, who presented the results at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013, held in Washington, D.C., April 6-10. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-kdm1-therapeutic-glioma.html Cancer Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:00:01 EST news284629245 Not all head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) have the same pattern of genomic alterations, but those cancers with certain distinctive patterns could be amenable to specific targeted therapies, according to a researcher who presented the data at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013, held in Washington, D.C., April 6-10. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-comprehensive-genomic-analysis-neck-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:31:52 EST news284628704 More than 80 genetic 'spelling mistakes' that can increase the risk of breast, prostate and ovarian cancer have been found in a large, international research study within the framework of the EU Network COGS. For the first time, the researchers also have a relatively clear picture of the total number of genetic alterations that can be linked to these cancers. Ultimately the researchers hope to be able to calculate the individual risk of cancer, to better understand how these cancers develop and to be able to generate new treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-unique-reveals-genetic-common-cancers.html Cancer Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:07:33 EST news283604832 Tumourigenesis is driven by genetic alterations and by changes in the epigenome, for instance by the addition of methyl groups to cytosine bases in the DNA. A deeper understanding of the interaction between the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms is critical for the selection of tumour biomarkers and for the future development of therapies. Human tumour specimens and cell lines however contain a plethora of genetic and epigenetic changes, which complicate data analysis. In contrast, certain mouse tumour models contain only a single genetic mutation and allow the analysis of nascent tumours. Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now discovered a recurring pattern of more than 13,000 epigenetic alterations in young tumours of the mouse. This genome-wide pattern was found to be partly conserved in human colon carcinoma, and may therefor facilitate the identification of novel clinical colon cancer biomarkers for early detection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-colon-cancer-epigenetic-pattern-mice.html Genetics Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:00:03 EST news279472308 Although a large majority of head and neck cancers have a deregulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, data recently published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, indicated that deregulation of this pathway does not necessarily signify that the tumor is dependent on it for survival and progression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-common-genetic-neck-cancers-key.html Cancer Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:00:01 EST news278676552 Research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has identified a possible lead in treatment of two childhood leukemia subtypes known for their dramatic loss of chromosomes and poor treatment outcomes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-genetic-basis-high-risk-childhood-cancer.html Genetics Sun, 20 Jan 2013 13:00:01 EST news277901054 For nearly a decade, breast cancer researchers studying the hormone therapy tamoxifen have been divided as to whether genetic differences in a liver enzyme affect the drug's effectiveness and the likelihood breast cancer will recur. A new study by researchers from the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center and the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group provides evidence that genetic differences in the enzyme CYP2D6 play a key role in how well tamoxifen works. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-ability-metabolize-tamoxifen-affects-breast.html Cancer Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:16:43 EST news275836596 Mice deficient in PTEN in the prostate developed stable precancers. Androgen deprivation promoted progression to invasive prostate cancer. Patients with PTEN-deficient prostate precancers may not benefit from androgen deprivation chemoprevention therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-prostate-cancer-androgen-deprivation-effects.html Cancer Thu, 20 Dec 2012 10:39:48 EST news275222382 A new series of studies in mouse models by Mayo Clinic researchers uncovered that the aging process is characterized by high rates of whole-chromosome losses and gains in various organs, including heart, muscle, kidney and eye, and demonstrate that reducing these rates slows age-related tissue deterioration and promotes a healthier life span. The findings appear in today's online issue of Nature Cell Biology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-unmasks-healthy-life-span.html Medical research Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:38:32 EST news274970304 Cleveland Clinic researchers from the Lerner Research Institute have uncovered two new genes associated with Cowden syndrome (CS) according to a new study, published today in the online version of the American Journal of Human Genetics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-genetic-mutations-cowden-syndrome.html Genetics Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:00:13 EST news274620353 Many different genetic alterations were detected in tumor cells left behind after patients with triple-negative breast cancer were treated with chemotherapy prior to surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy), according to data presented at the 2012 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The investigators hope this knowledge will help move toward early personalized treatment to combat this aggressive subtype of breast cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-diverse-genetic-triple-negative-breast-cancers.html Cancer Fri, 07 Dec 2012 10:20:23 EST news274095045 In a genome sequencing study of 74 neuroblastoma tumors in children, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that patients with changes in two genes, ARID1A and ARID1B, survive only a quarter as long as patients without the changes. The discovery could eventually lead to early identification of patients with aggressive neuroblastomas who may need additional treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-neuroblastoma-patients-arid1a-arid1b-mutations.html Genetics Sun, 02 Dec 2012 13:00:52 EST news273667129 New research has found there are several different ways that kidney tumours can achieve the same result – namely, grow. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-kidney-tumors-mind.html Cancer Wed, 21 Nov 2012 09:39:27 EST news272713160 Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-associated deaths. Yet even for such a frequent and deadly disease, the pathogenesis of this cancer remains obscure. Now, a team of scientists in Japan has shown that genes involved in regulating how tightly DNA is wound into chromosomes are commonly mutated in liver tumors. The finding points to potential new and much-needed therapeutic strategies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-identification-mutations-common-liver-cancers.html Cancer Fri, 16 Nov 2012 07:14:42 EST news272272473 In the first broad genetic landscape mapped of a Burkitt lymphoma tumor, scientists at Duke Medicine and their collaborators identified 70 mutations, including several that had not previously been associated with cancer and a new one that was unique to the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-genome-sequencing-burkitt-lymphoma-reveals.html Genetics Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:03:27 EST news271940597 New insight into the aggressive behavior of certain adult B-acute lymphoblastic leukemias has provided researchers with a potential new prognostic biomarker and a promising new therapeutic target. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-biomarkers-behavior-therapeutic-adult-b-acute.html Cancer Mon, 29 Oct 2012 11:10:01 EST news270726671 Researchers have identified several genes that are linked to one of the most lethal forms of uterine cancer, serous endometrial cancer. The researchers describe how three of the genes found in the study are frequently altered in the disease, suggesting that the genes drive the development of tumors. The findings appear in the Oct. 28, 2012, advance online issue of Nature Genetics. The team was led by researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-genes-rare-aggressive-uterine-cancer.html Cancer Sun, 28 Oct 2012 14:10:06 EST news270630547 For the first time, researchers have conducted a large trial in which they tested the entire genome of individual breast cancers to help personalize treatment. They released their findings at the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-large-scale-trial-whole-genome-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:31:45 EST news268281097 Okayama University's Masaharu Seno and colleagues have demonstrated in vitro the development of cancer stem cells (CSCs) from a type of normal stem cell exposed to their hypothetical microenvironment of a tumor. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-stemming-cancer.html Cancer Fri, 21 Sep 2012 06:49:26 EST news267428920 Aplastic anaemia is characterised by a reduction in the number of the bone marrow cells that go on to form the different cell types present in blood (essentially red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets). In most cases, the causes of the disorder are hard to determine, but some patients have been found to have genetic alterations leading to a shortening of their telomeres (the end regions of chromosomes that protect and stabilise DNA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-team-unique-mouse-aplastic-anaemia.html Medical research Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:55:55 EST news265456549 A common enzyme that is easily detected in blood may predict how well patients with advanced kidney cancer will respond to a specific treatment, according to doctors at Duke Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-blood-treatment-kidney-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:00:08 EST news264091838 Scientists have identified new genetic alterations underlying a high-risk subtype of the most common childhood cancer that could be effectively targeted with existing leukemia therapies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-drugs-treatment-options-high-risk-childhood.html Cancer Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:52:00 EST news264081090 University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have developed a powerful visual analytical approach to explore genetic data, enabling scientists to identify novel patterns of information that could be crucial to human health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-powerful-method-genetic.html Genetics Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:19:36 EST news258722358 A collaborative expedition into the deep genetics of prostate cancer has uncovered a distinct subtype of the disease, one that appears to account for up to 15 percent of all cases, say researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-distinct-molecular-subtype-prostate-cancer.html Genetics Sun, 20 May 2012 13:00:16 EST news256711568 Cancer therapies targeting specific molecular subtypes of the disease allow physicians to tailor treatment to a patient's individual molecular profile. But scientists are finding that in many types of cancer the molecular subtypes are more varied than previously thought and contain further genetic alterations that can affect a patient's response to therapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-molecular-subtypes-genetic-response-lung.html Cancer Fri, 11 May 2012 15:12:55 EST news255967873