Cancer Weekly articles from September 2001

Cancer Weekly archives from September 2001

Intraoperative Radiation System Offers New Hope To Pediatric Patients.
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Photoelectron Corporation (PeC) announced that the Falk Brain Tumor Center at Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, has begun a program of treatment that the hospital believes may offer...

Micro- and Macrometastatic Growth Patterns Differ In Human Tumors.(in breast cancer patients)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A new study has revealed metastatic growth patterns emerge differently in patients with breast cancer. Those differences show up in comparisons between...

Gemcitabine Effective But Toxic For Relapsed Patients.(non-Hodgkin lymphoma relapse)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The nucleoside analog gemcitabine can be an effective single-agent therapy for drug-resistant non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but the drug's high risk of severe side...

Antiretroviral Treatment Response Improves Chemotherapy Response.
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Patients with HIV or AIDS-related lymphoma are more likely to achieve benefit from chemotherapy if they undergo successful antiretroviral treatment, researchers...

Cell-Surface Molecule May Hold Key To Prevention.(of breast cancer)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A molecule found on the surface of many types of cells, but at high levels in breast cancer cells, may lead to new methods to prevent and treat the disease, a University of California, Irvine research...

Elderly Patients Can Benefit From Stem Cell Autotransplants.(for the treatment of leukemia or lymphomas)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Elderly patients suffering from hematological malignancies such as leukemia or lymphomas can be safely and effectively treated with stem cell...

Enzyme Deficiency Linked To Childhood Leukemia.(SYK tyrosine kinase deficiency linked to childhood pro-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Parker Hughes Cancer Center scientists report that the deficiency of an enzyme, which is known as SYK tyrosine kinase, leads to childhood leukemia. This represents the first discovery of a specific...

Growth Factor Inhibitor - Gemcitabine Combination Blocks Tumor Growth.(in pancreatic cancer)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Pancreatic cancer proliferation and metastasis can be curbed with a new drug combination that blocks epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling. The...

VEGF Levels Signify Disease In Patients With Hormone Refractory Malignancy.(vascular endothelial growth factor signify prostate cancer)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may signal progression and survival in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC), a...

Intraoperative Radiation System Offers New Hope To Pediatric Patients.(with brain tumors)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Photoelectron Corporation (PeC) announced that the Falk Brain Tumor Center at Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, has begun a program of treatment that the hospital believes may offer new...

Group Supports Prophylactic Mastectomy Option For High-Risk Women.(Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- For women with a breast cancer susceptibility gene (BRCA1 or BRCA2) mutation, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation supports prophylactic bilateral total mastectomy as an option for reducing the...

Weekly Docetaxel Is Promising For Older Patients.(with advanced breast cancer)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Weekly dosing of the chemotherapy agent docetaxel (Taxotere(R)) is efficacious and well tolerated in patients with advanced breast cancer who are elderly or considered poor candidates for combination...

High Tumor CD38 Expression Linked To Poor Prognosis.(for chronic lymphocytic leukemia)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States suggest that CD38 expression on malignant blood cells should be used to identify high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia...

Chemotherapy Regimen Affects Ph-Negative Stem Cell Yields.
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The choice of chemotherapy regimen for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients can affect the amount of Ph-negative stem cells available for...

Gene Therapy Complements Chemotherapy.
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - Researchers at Tohoku University in Japan have used antisense gene therapy to enhance tumor cell sensitivity to the anticancer agent cisplatin. ...

Noninvasive, Early Detection Procedure May Aid Early Finding Of Cancer.(interaction of ultrasound and laser light for cancer detection)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A model incorporating ultrasound and optics technology may have application in early detection of cancer. The analytical model that took Texas A&M University biomedical engineer Lihong Wang six...

PCR Measurements Can Determine Treatment After Stem Cell Grafts.(polymerase chain reaction measures Epstein-Barr virus levels)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Real-time measurement of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) levels can help health care providers treat patients who develop EBV-related malignancies after stem cell...

Caspase-9 Expression Can Override Resistance To p53-Mediated Apoptosis.
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - New evidence published in Neurosurgery suggests that caspase-9 can override glioma cell resistance to apoptosis in response to p53 gene therapy. ...

CD40L Gene Therapy Eradicated Tumors In Rats.
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - CD40L gene therapy stimulated antitumor immunity followed by complete tumor regression in rats with established hepatocellular carcinomas, according...

Fas Mutations Linked To Heightened Risk.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - People who carry mutations in the genes coding for the Fas receptor are more likely to develop a wide range of lymphomas, researchers report. "Fas...

Ganglioside Vaccine Induces Tumor Protection In B16 Mouse Model.(melanoma vaccie)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A vaccine incorporating the glycolipid GM3 ganglioside offers long-term protection against melanoma in a mouse model, even after reintroduction of the disease....

Genetic Mutation May Be Key To Onset Of Deadly Skin Cancer.(gene abnormality may turn precancerous moles into melanoma)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A Johns Hopkins scientist and a team of collaborators have discovered how precancerous moles may progress to melanomas, the most deadly type of skin cancer. The preliminary report, in the August 15,...

Combination Therapy Overcomes Drug Resistance.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the University of Miami School of Medicine observed that arsenic trioxide in combination with ascorbic acid may overcome or circumvent the major resistance mechanisms found in multiple...

Cerebrospinal Fluid CD23 Levels Can Mark AIDS-Related Disease.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Levels of soluble CD23 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of AIDS patients can be used to diagnose AIDS-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma that has spread to the brain...

Telomerase Inhibition Reduces Cell Viability.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - The recent discovery that antisense telomerase therapy reduces prostate cancer cell viability could offer new treatment hope to men with advanced...

Sprayable Hydrogel Mixed With Patient's Plasma Stops Bleeding.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CoStasis(R) surgical hemostat was recently integral in allowing a 62-year-old man with stomach cancer to resume his normal daily activities, free from the need for frequent blood transfusions and able...

Five-Year, $6.9 Million Study Looks At Impact Of Urologic Disease On Americans.(Brief Article)
September 4, 2001... 2001 SEP 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A University of California, Los Angeles, researcher is launching a first-of-its-kind study to document the impact of urologic diseases on the American public, an endeavor that may influence insurance...

Synthetic Peptides Cause Significant Lysis Of HPV Targets.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Researchers in the United States have identified possible vaccine candidates for human papillomavirus (HPV), using an algorithm that may have applications...

Vaccine Delays Disease Progression In Stage III Patients.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A polyvalent melanoma vaccine prolongs the time to disease progression - but not necessarily survival - in patients with metastatic melanoma, researchers...

E1A Therapy Used In Phase I Trial.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - Researchers in Houston call for the start of Phase II trials after successful use of E1A gene therapy for breast and ovarian cancer. In a...

New Therapy May Be Improvement Over Surgery.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - A gene therapy protocol involving targeted gene expression may bring new hope, and possible alternative treatment, to patients suffering from...

Forced Cell Cycle Progression Sensitizes Tumor Cells.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - By sensitizing glioma cells to alkylating agents with gene therapy researchers in Houston, Texas, found that chemotherapy has renewed efficacy....

IL-11 Allows Effective Pediatric Stem Cell Mobilization After Chemotherapy.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States say that the ICE chemotherapy regimen followed by interleukin (IL)-11 treatment enables clinically useful stem cell...

Study Links Proteins To Patient Prognosis.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Like most killers, prostate cancer leaves fingerprints. Every malignant cell has a unique pattern of active genes and proteins that spells the difference between benign, localized, or metastatic...

Study Suggests Role For Growth Factor In Skin Aging And Cancer.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - For years, doctors have been telling the public to stay out of the sun, citing the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation as the cause of a host of...

Mitochondrial Depolarization Sensitivity Affects Drug Susceptibility.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Europe say that the sensitivity of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) mitochondria to membrane depolarization can determine chemotherapy...

Chemotherapy Enhanced With Antisense Bcl-xL Therapy.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - Antisense gene therapy has been used to enhance the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of bladder cancer by researchers...

MAPK Stimulates Tumor Cell Migration And Invasion.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - Researchers in the U.S. have established that mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) expression influences breast cancer cell migration as well...

Blood Protein Plays Key Role In Reducing Chemotherapy-Related Infection.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Low concentrations of the blood protein mannose-binding lectin (MBL) are associated with prolonged fever in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy, conclude authors of two studies published in...

First Structural Insight Into New Class Of Protease Cancer Targets Presented.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Corvas International, Inc. (CVAS) reported that company scientists and collaborators at the Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany, have solved the three-dimensional molecular...

Experimental Drug Inhibits Corneal Angiogenesis And Tumor Growth.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Tests of a new tubulin-binding drug called BTO-956 show it inhibits both growth factor-induced corneal angiogenesis and the growth of rodent cancer cells....

Study Highlights Role Of Second Opinion For Patients With Prostate, Bladder Cancers.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new University of Florida study shows that seeking a second opinion after a diagnosis of prostate or bladder cancer can sometimes spell the difference between radical surgery or more conservative...

Swedish Study Refutes Link Between Treatment For High Blood Pressure And Cancer.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A Swedish study published in the August 16, 2001, issue of the Lancet refutes the hypothesis that treatment for high blood pressure (hypertension) could be linked to an increased risk of cancer....

Serum Factor A Survival Predictor In Esophageal Carcinoma.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Doctors in Japan say serum levels of an important growth factor can predict survival in patients diagnosed with esophageal carcinoma. Despite the use...

Cyclophosphamide-Based Chemotherapy Provides Limited Benefit.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - A cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy regimen can provide some benefit for patients suffering from HIV related non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but their outlook...

New Cancer Treatment Combines IL-6 And Photodynamic Therapy.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - Evidence that interleukin-6 (IL-6) transgene expression enhances cancer cell sensitivity to photodynamic therapy led researchers in the U.S. to...

Viral Oncolysis Is Enhanced By Gene Therapy.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - Combining the antineoplastic properties of herpes simplex virus 1 with suicide gene therapy may be the key to treating diffuse liver metastases,...

IEV Regimen Effective For Stem Cell Mobilization.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The IEV chemotherapy regimen can be used to help collect stem cells for autotransplantation in patients with high-risk lymphoma, according to researchers...

Developmental Gene Ruled Out As Gene Therapy Target.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - A potential target for gene therapy in the treatment of medulloblastoma has been ruled out by researchers in Switzerland. J.P. Steinbach and...

Genetic Abnormality Is Likely Factor In Onset Of The Disease.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists have discovered an abnormal fusion of two gene segments that they believe is a likely factor in the onset of a rare form of childhood cancer. The childhood cancer, megakaryoblastic...

DICE Chemotherapy Effective For Drug-Resistant Patients.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The DICE chemotherapy regimen can be effectively used to treat relapsed or drug-resistant non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients, according to researchers in...

2-Methoxyestradiol Blocks Cell-Cycle Progression/Inhibits Growth.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Oncology Sciences Corporation (OSC) announced the publication of findings that 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME), a naturally occurring hormone, inhibits the growth of human prostate cancer cells. The...

Rise In PSA And Positive Biopsies After Brachytherapy May Not Signal Cancer Persistence.(Brief Article)
September 11, 2001... 2001 SEP 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- After undergoing radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer, it's possible for a patient to have a rise in his serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level and a positive postimplant biopsy, but...

Genes Involved In PTEN Signaling Pathway Suppress Tumor Growth.(two genes related to abnormal PTEN tumor suppressor gene function found in several cancers)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Defects in the tumor suppressor gene PTEN have been found in a variety of cancers, and now researchers in Japan have isolated two genes related to PTEN...

Arsenic Trioxide With Ascorbic Acid Shows Promise.(as a treatment for drug-resistant multiple myeloma)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Arsenic trioxide may be useful for treating multiple myeloma patients who have drug-resistant disease, especially when it is combined with ascorbic acid,...

Aggressive Treatment Not Recommended For Elderly Patients With Relapsed Disease.(acute myeloid leukemia)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Italy report that most elderly patients with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia do not receive enough benefit from aggressive chemotherapy to...

Ischemic Colitis Identified In Patient Taking Paclitaxel.
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Physicians in Italy have identified a rare case of ischemic colitis in a female patient taking paclitaxel for metastatic liver cancer. According to...

Study Indicates Breast Conservation Not Practiced On Elderly Women.
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Breast conservation therapy (BCT) with segmental mastectomy and postoperative radiation therapy, with or without axillary lymph node dissection, may be able to provide excellent local control and...

Mast Cell Enzyme Joins Other Growth Factors In Cancer Role.(Brief Article)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Scientists believe mast cell tryptase might be as important to uterine cervix carcinoma progression as two more commonly known growth factors. ...

Duke Researchers Identify 10 Genes Believed To Protect Cancer Cells.(Brief Article)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cancer researchers at Duke University Medical Center have identified 10 genes believed to have significant roles in allowing cancerous tumors to thrive under oxygen-deficient conditions. The...

Antigens Stimulate Immunity That Corresponds To Clinical Outcomes.(Brief Article)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Dendritic cells pulsed with melanoma antigens can stimulate specific immune responses that are associated with tumor regression, researchers in Texas have...

Phase I Study Of Topical Treatment Commences.(Brief Article)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Photogen Technologies, Inc. announced the initiation of a Phase I human clinical study of its proprietary drug, PH-10, as a topical treatment for actinic keratosis - a potentially precancerous...

Growth Factor Signals Metastasis In Head And Neck Cancer.(Brief Article)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - More often than not, doctors can identify patients with cervical node, head and neck cancer related metastasis by looking for two key growth factor...

Novel Delivery Of Monoclonal Antibodies To Be Studied.(Brief Article)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Image-Guided Neurologics (IGN) and Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (PPHM), have agreed to cosponsor a Phase I/II pilot study for Cotara, Peregrine's Tumor Necrosis Therapy drug, that utilizes IGN's...

AHRQ Makes Available Diagnosis, Management Report.(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality offers report on the management of specific breast abnormalities)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announced the availability of an evidence report summary on the management of specific breast abnormalities. The evidence report topic was...

First Major Trial Of Digital Mammography Launched.(Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) are launching the first large, multicenter study to compare digital mammography to standard...

Pomegranate Seed Oil Causes Cancer Cells To Self-Destruct.(juice is toxic to breast cancer cells that are estrogen-dependent)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Israeli researchers have found that pomegranates could have important implications for breast cancer treatment and the safety of estrogen replacement therapy. Technion-Israel Institute of...

Researchers Offer Model Of Disease Showing Multicell Process.(breast cancer model)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center are offering one of the first models of breast cancer as a multistep process, which involves more than one cell type, thanks in...

Younger Women Experience Social Functioning Problems Regardless Of Treatment.(for breast cancer)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Younger women with breast carcinoma could experience a range of adjustment problems at various points during their treatment according to the findings of a study published in the September 1, 2001...

Immunization With Activated Lymphocytes Shows Promise in Phase I Trial.(of cancer immunotherapy vaccine)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Pharmacologically activated draining lymph node cells show promise as an adoptive immunotherapy (AIT) for cancer patients although further refinement of...

Theratope Anticancer Vaccine Under FDA Review.(report from Biomira Inc. and Merck KGAA)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biomira Inc., (BIOM) and its collaborator, Merck KGaA, announced plans for a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The purpose of the meeting is to review the Theratope...

Imaging Modality Provides Real-Time Cancer Images.(optical coherence tomography)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new imaging modality may dramatically improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The modality, optical coherence tomography (OCT), is based on beaming safe infrared light into soft...

Microscopic Cantilever Aids Assay For Prostate Cancer.
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A clever technique for detecting proteins by inducing them to stick to and bend a microscopic cantilever - essentially a diving board the size of a hair - is sensitive enough to serve as a...

FDA Approves Zoledronic Acid Treatment.(Brief Article)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Novartis has received marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Zometa (zoledronic acid for injection), a new generation intravenous (IV) bisphosphonate for the...

American Cancer Society Launches New And Improved Website.(Brief Article)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American Cancer Society, the nation's leading voluntary health agency, announced the relaunch of its Internet site, www.cancer.org. With new features, including personalized content,...

Aggressive Tumor Cells Shape Cell Environment For Metastasis.(melanoma progression)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The environment around and between cells is known as the extracellular matrix and is full of molecules that play important roles in how tissues look and behave. In a new study, University of Iowa...

New Study: Association Between Hormone Use, Breast Cancer Doubtful.
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A qualitative analysis of 25 years of research concludes that the evidence does not support the hypothesis that estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) increases the risk of breast cancer. Nor does...

Paclitaxel With Topotecan Effective For Patients With Relapsed Disease.(paclitaxel and topotecan effective against relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Chemotherapy using two novel drugs derived from tree bark can help patients with high-risk lymphoma, oncologists in the United States report. "Used as...

Researchers Find A Mechanism For Spread Of Aggressive Brain Cancer.(abnormal glutamate secretion causes brain cell degeneration)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An aggressive form of brain cancer secretes a chemical that kills nearby cells and carves out a path for its own growth, say researchers studying the disease in rats. Their findings could...

DNA PSA Vaccine Safe And Immunogenic In Macaques.(prostate-specific antigen)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A DNA vaccine expressing human prostate-specific antigen (PSA) shows promise in rhesus macaques, researchers in the United States have found. J.J. Kim...

Americans Are Less Like To Protect Themselves Today Than In 1992.(skin cancer prevention practices decline)
September 18, 2001... 2001 SEP 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The likelihood of engaging in skin carcinoma prevention practices appears to be correlated with demographic characteristics such as gender, age, and race, as well as with other high-risk behaviors,...