http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. KISS 1 is a metastasis-suppressor gene which helps to prevent the spread of cancers, including melanoma, pancreatic and ovarian cancers to name a few. But new research from Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry shows that kisspeptins –peptide products of KISS1, actually make some breast cancers worse, with a higher tumor grade and metastatic potential. The research is published online in the journal Endocrinology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-breast-cancer-linked-kisspeptins-inhibit.html Cancer Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:05:00 EST news285343494 Research led by Dr. Suresh Alahari, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, is the first to report that two specific tumor suppressor genes work in concert to inhibit the growth and spread of breast tumor cells to the lungs. The research is published this week online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-drug-metastatic-breast-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:14:20 EST news284897653 A review article by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) proposes a new epigenetic hypothesis linked to tumor production and novel ideas about what causes progenitor cells to develop into cancer cells. Published in the February 2013 issue of Epigenomics, the article provides examples of how epigenetic drug treatments could be beneficial in treating cancers while also decreasing the likelihood of cancer relapse. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-epigenetic-mechanisms-cancer-therapy.html Cancer Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:46:20 EST news280503934 Between the blueprint of the genome and the products of its expression lie microRNAs, which can boost or lower the rate at which genes become stuff. In fact, many cancers use microRNA to magnify the expression of faulty genes or shrink the expression of helpful genes that would otherwise suppress tumors. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the December issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry shows that in medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor of children, microRNA-218 is especially low. The article also shows that adding microRNA-218 to neural stem cells engineered to develop medulloblastoma decreases the development of the cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-microrna-medulloblastoma-aggressive-childhood-brain.html Cancer Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:37:29 EST news274617443 Genomic sequencing has revealed therapeutic drug targets for difficult-to-treat, metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), according to an unprecedented study by the Translational Genomic Research Institute (TGen) and US Oncology Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-tgen-us-oncology-treatment-metastatic-triple-negative.html Cancer Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:19:37 EST news274029561 The combined loss of two tumor suppressor genes, retinoblastoma (RB) and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) was shown to be strongly associated with progression of DCIS to invasive breast cancer, according to a study published November 28 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-combined-rb-pten-loss-dcis.html Cancer Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:33:15 EST news273342786 Preliminary findings from the first trial of a new drug for patients with mesothelioma show that it has some success in preventing the spread of the deadly disease in patients lacking an active tumour suppressor gene called NF2. The study is presented at the 24th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Dublin, Ireland, today (Friday). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-mesothelioma-drug-disease-patients-inactive.html Cancer Thu, 08 Nov 2012 18:00:02 EST news271613650 Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is considered a precursor lesion for invasive breast cancer if untreated, and is found in approximately 45% of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Patients with DCIS only (not accompanied by invasive disease) have a 5-year-survival of nearly 100%, compared to 89% for all stages of invasive breast cancer (24% for patients with distant metastasis). A new study has found that despite an enormous degree of intercellular heterogeneity in both DCIS and IDC, the evolution from noninvasive to invasive disease is determined by recurrent patterns of genomic imbalances in most cases. This study is published online in advance of the November issue of The American Journal of Pathology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-invasiveness-ductal-breast-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:46:54 EST news269614006 A natural substance found in the surrounding tissue of a tumor may be a promising weapon to stop triple negative breast cancer from metastasizing. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-tissue-tumor-key-triple-negative.html Cancer Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:00:05 EST news267290310 UCLA stem cell scientists have shown that two common tumor suppressor genes, TSC and PTEN, are vital to regulating the stem cell-like precursor cells that create the blood supply in Drosophila, the common fruit fly. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-tumor-suppressor-genes-vital-blood.html Medical research Wed, 05 Sep 2012 10:48:54 EST news266060848 Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and is associated with exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV). Patients carrying the virus have a 100-fold greater risk of developing HCC, but exactly why was unclear until now. Wing Kin Sung at the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore and the National University of Singapore, John Luk at the A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology and the National University of Singapore and co-workers have now identified genetic mechanisms by which a virus contributes to this common form of cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-molecular-mechanisms-virus-contributes-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:50:05 EST news265447292 More than 40 plant-based compounds can turn on genes that slow the spread of cancer, according to a first-of-its-kind study by a Washington State University researcher. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-documents-links-nutrients-genes-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:54:51 EST news265298083 BOSTON--The genomic tumult within tumor cells has provided scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard with clues to an entirely new class of genes that may serve as an Achilles' heel for many forms of cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-cyclops-genes-achilles-heel-tumor.html Genetics Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:05:18 EST news264254704 Genomic deletions promote cancer by carving up or eliminating tumor-suppressor genes, but now scientists report in the journal Nature that the collateral damage they inflict on neighboring genes exposes cancer cells to vulnerabilities and new avenues for attack. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-dna-deletions-cancer-collateral-vulnerable.html Cancer Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:00:06 EST news264251418 (HealthDay) -- Chrysotile, a commercially used type of asbestos, induces malignant mesothelioma (MM) in the rat peritoneal cavity, with pathogenesis strongly linked to iron overload, according to a study published online Aug. 2 in The Journal of Pathology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-rat-chrysotile-asbestos-strong-carcinogen.html Medical research Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:24:26 EST news264183854 A study conducted at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) demonstrates an effective combination therapy for breast cancer cells in vitro. The findings, published in the July 2012 issue of Anticancer Research, raise the possibility of using this type of combination therapy for different forms of breast cancer, including those that develop resistance to chemotherapy and other treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-vitro-potential-combination-therapy-breast.html Cancer Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:07:10 EST news260449621 Overactive epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling has been linked to the development of cancer. Several drug therapies have been developed to treat these EGFR-associated cancers; however, many patients have developed resistance to these drugs and are therefore no longer responsive to drug treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-combination-drug-resistance-cancer.html Cancer Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:01:11 EST news257774460 Alterations in the formation of ribosomes (the elements of the cell where proteins are made) cause the induction of p53 protein and cell cycle disruption. This process is crucial to understand fundamental biological processes and the emergence of various diseases. Now, scientists at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have found that this response is achieved independently, depending on which subunit of the ribosome (40S and 60S) is impaired, by the joint action of two proteins of the ribosome. The research results are published in the latest issue of the journal Genes and Development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-ribosome-subunits-cell.html Genetics Tue, 22 May 2012 10:39:10 EST news256901871 Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have amassed strong experimental evidence implying that commonly occurring large chromosomal deletions that are seen in many cancer types contain areas harboring multiple functionally linked genes whose loss, they posit, confers a survival advantage on growing tumors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-clusters-cooperating-tumor-suppressor-genes-large.html Cancer Mon, 07 May 2012 15:00:12 EST news255613710 (Medical Xpress) -- Phosphorylation is one of the most important and ubiquitous cell regulatory events. EU-funded researchers assessed the dynamic events of intracellular phosphorylation in two model systems with important implications for targeted drug therapies for cancer and inflammatory responses. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-real-time-cellular-events.html Cancer Wed, 02 May 2012 05:59:06 EST news255157135 Scientists have identified a gene that slows the spread of pancreatic cancer tumours, paving the way for targeted treatment of one of the deadliest forms of the disease, said a paper published Sunday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-scientists-gene-inhibits-pancreas-cancer.html Cancer Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:48:24 EST news254926072 A new discovery published online in The FASEB Journal may lead to a new tool to help physicians assess breast cancer risk as well as diagnose the disease. In the report, researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, explain how proteins, called "obscurins," once believed to only be in muscle cells, act as "tumor suppressor genes" in the breast. When their expression is lost, or their genes mutated in epithelial cells of the breast, cancer develops. It promises to tell physicians how breast cancer develops and/or how likely it is. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-obscurins-breast-tissue-physicians-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:36:57 EST news251559405 Retinoic acid (vitamin A) and steroids are hormones found in our body that protect against oxidative stress, reduce inflammation and are involved in cellular differentiation processes. One of the characteristics of tumours is that their cells have lost the ability to differentiate; therefore these hormones have useful properties to prevent cancer. Currently, retinoic acid and steroids are being used to treat some types of leukaemia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-brg1-mutations-confer-resistance-hormones.html Cancer Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:00:04 EST news251031006 A recent study published in Clinical Cancer Research suggests that the protein hVps37A suppresses tumor growth in ovarian cancer. The work, which was funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, shows, for the first time, that this protein is significantly reduced in ovarian cancer cells. The scientists also found that this reduction affects a cellular signalling pathway that is associated with the membrane receptor EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor). The receptor is considered an important biological marker for the course of the disease and therapy, and also serves as a target for modern treatment of different cancer types. In fact, the cells in which hVps37A synthesis was reduced showed resistance to Cetuximab, an approved substance for inhibition of EGFR activity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-tumor-suppressor-gene.html Cancer Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:04:02 EST news248342629 Researchers at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada have identified a possible cause for the loss of a tumour suppressor gene (known as PTEN) that can lead to the development of more aggressive forms of prostate cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-gene-destruction-linked-aggressive-prostate.html Cancer Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:54:35 EST news246801257 Among women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer, patients having a germline (gene change in a reproductive cell that could be passed to offspring) mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes was associated with improved 5-year overall survival, with BRCA2 carriers having the best prognosis, according to a study in the January 25 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-women-ovarian-cancer-brca-gene.html Cancer Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:00:08 EST news246642947 Women with cancer-causing strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke even when no conventional risk factors for CVD are present. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-hpv-linked-cardiovascular-disease-women.html Cardiology Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:31:35 EST news238692570 The condition tuberous sclerosis, due to mutation in one of two tumor suppressor genes, TSC1 or TSC2, causes the growth of non-malignant tumors throughout the body and skin. These tumors can be unsightly and cause serious damage to organs. Growth of tumors in the brain may cause seizures and in the kidney, liver or heart, tumors can disrupt normal function, to the extent of causing the organ to fail. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Cell and Bioscience shows that the growth of glucose-dependent TSC-related tumors can be restricted by 2-deoxyglucose, which blocks glucose metabolism, but not by restricting dietary carbohydrates. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-cold-starve-tumor.html Cancer Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:12:33 EST news238385506 Patients suffering from an aggressive brain cancer will benefit from the results of a University of Illinois study that could advance the development of targeted gene therapies and improve prognosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-small-molecules-cancer-therapies.html Cancer Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:22:03 EST news233234499 Low oxygen can silence the BRCA1 tumor suppressor gene and contribute to the progression of cancer, according to a paper in the August 2011 issue of the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology. Silencing this particular gene is one of the steps on the malignant pathway to breast cancer. The research may ultimately lead to ways of reactivating this and other tumor suppressor genes, in order to thwart cancer, says corresponding author Peter Glazer of Yale University, New Haven. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-breast-cancer-tumor-suppressor-gene.html Cancer Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:10:02 EST news232707067