The purpose of Cancer News is to provide summaries of new treatment strategies as they are discovered and reported by cancer physicians around the world.
Original news summaries from peer-reviewed journals and
oncology meetings are provided daily.
News by Cancer Type
We have categorized our cancer news articles by disease type.
Please select a topic from the drop down list below for more information on
that topic.
Latest Cancer News
Specific Gene Expression Predicts Risk for Prostate Cancer(5/9/2008) Researchers from Barcelona, Spain, have reported that expression of the PTOV1 (prostate tumor overexpressed-1) gene helps predict the likelihood of the development of prostate cancer among men with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-PIN). These results were recently published in the May 2008 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.
Pulsed Angiolytic Laser Therapy Effective for Laryngeal Cancer(5/9/2008) Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital have reported promising results of treatment of early-stage laryngeal cancer with a new laser called the pulsed angiolytic KTP. The details of this Phase II study were presented at the 2008 meeting of the Broncho-Esophagological Association meeting in Orlando, Florida, on May 1. Details of this study are available on the Massachusetts General Web site, and a definitive report will be published in the July 2008 issue of the Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology.
Physicians with More Training Perform More-effective Colonoscopies(5/8/2008) Researchers from Korea have reported that a physician must perform at least 150 colonoscopies to be considered competent at the procedure. Details of the study were recently published in the April 2008 issue of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
Cancer Survivors Do Not Make Suggested Changes in Lifestyle to Improve Quality of Life(5/8/2008) Researchers affiliated with the American Cancer Society have reported that few cancer survivors are following recommendations for lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise, increased fruit and vegetable consumption, and smoking cessation. Full details of the study were published in the May 1, 2008 edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Nexavar® May Have Significant Activity in Advanced Melanoma(5/7/2008) Researchers associated with a multicenter U.S. Phase II clinical trial have reported that the addition of Nexavar® (sorafenib) improves progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced melanoma receiving dacarbazine. The details of this study appeared in the May 1, 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Aspirin Use May Reduce Risk of Hormone-positive Breast Cancer(5/6/2008) Researchers from the National Cancer Institute have reported that regular use of aspirin, but not non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) in general, may modestly reduce the risk of developing hormone-positive breast cancer. These results were recently published online by Breast Cancer Research on April 30, 2008.
Pre-existing Antibodies Explain Severe Hypersensitivity Reactions to Erbitux®(5/6/2008) Researchers from Vanderbilt University have reported that hypersensitivity reactions to Erbitux® (cetuximab) are related to the presence of IgE antibodies present before therapy. The details of this study appeared in the March 13, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Photodynamic Therapy May Be Effective Palliation for Cholangiocarcinoma(5/5/2008) Researchers from the University of Virginia have reported that photodynamic therapy (PDT) and stent placement was more effective than stent placement alone for patients with inoperable cholangiocarcinoma. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in the March 2008 issue of Clinical Gastrointestinal Hepatology.
Molecular Distinctions in AML with Normal Cytogenetics Defined(5/5/2008) Two recent publications in the May 1, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine suggest that molecular testing can be of prognostic significance in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with normal cytogenetics.
Organ Transplant Recipients Unaware of Increased Risk for Skin Cancer(5/2/2008) Patients who receive an organ transplant are at an increased risk for developing various types of cancer, including skin cancers. It recommended that these patients receive extensive education about risks of skin cancer as well as screening measures. These results were recently presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Surgery Effective in Very Elderly Patients with Lung Cancer(5/2/2008) Researchers from the Hoag Cancer Center in California have reported that surgery for the treatment of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients 80 years and older is a safe and effective treatment approach for those who are eligible. These results were recently presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Elderly Women Benefit from Screening Mammography(5/1/2008) Researchers from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have reported that regular mammograms among women 80 years of age and older may detect earlier stages of breast cancer. These findings were released in an early online publication of the Journal of Clinical Oncology on April 21, 2008.
Certain Foods May Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer(5/1/2008) Researchers from Canada have presented further evidence that certain dietary patterns may help prevent breast cancer among both women with a genetic risk for the disease and those with no genetic risk. These findings were published early online in the Journal of Cancer Detection and Prevention.
Tanning Beds Pose Skin Cancer Risks(4/30/2008) Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York have reported that “there is absolutely no justification for indoor tanning,” citing the associated risk of skin cancer and the availability of vitamin D from sources other than UV exposure. These results were presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
GVAX® Promising for Early-stage Locally Recurrent Prostate Cancer(4/30/2008) Researchers involved in a multicenter Phase I–II trial have reported promising activity of GVAX® in patients with locally recurrent prostate cancer who had not received hormone therapy. The details of this trial were presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, April 12-18, in San Diego.
Gleevec® May Be Effective for KIT-Mutated Melanoma(4/29/2008) Researchers from the Dana Farber Cancer Center have reported that Gleevec® (imatinib) may be a promising therapy for patients with KIT-mutated melanoma. The results of treatment with one patient were published in the April 20, 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Mitomycin-based Chemoradiotherapy Standard for Carcinoma of the Anal Canal(4/29/2008) Researchers affiliated with the U.S. Gastrointestinal Intergroup trial RTOG 98-11 have concluded that there is no advantage to a cisplatin based-regimen over a mitomycin (Mutomycin®)-based regimen for the treatment of carcinoma of the anal canal. The details of this randomized study were published in the April 23-30, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Vaccine E75 May Improve Survival for Low HER2-expressing Breast Cancer(4/28/2008) Researchers from the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, have reported that the investigative vaccine E75 may have survival benefits for patients with breast cancer that has low expression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). These results were recently presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, April 12-16 in San Diego.
Differing Prostate Cancer Mortality Between United States and United Kingdom(4/28/2008) Researchers from the United Kingdom have reported that between 1994 and 2004 there has been a greater decline in prostate cancer deaths in the United States than in the United Kingdom. These authors speculated that this may be due to differences in PSA screening. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication in Lancet Oncology on April 17, 2008.
Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Effective for Early-stage Anal Carcinoma(4/25/2008) Researchers from the United Kingdom have reported that adjuvant low-dose involved-field radiotherapy plus 5-FU and Mutomycin® (mitomycin C) is very effective in preventing recurrences in patients with anal carcinoma who have close surgical margins, microinvasive disease, or macroscopic residual disease. The details of this study appeared in the February 1, 2008 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Therapy Biology Physics.
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