An analysis of more than a decade of U.S. nursing home data has shown that breast cancer surgery is associated with high rates of mortality and hospital readmission, along with loss of functional independence, for frail nursing home residents. In a study appearing Aug. 29, 2018, in JAMA Surgery, UCSF researchers found that 58 percent […]
Breakthrough for difficult-to-treat breast cancer
Chemists at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) have discovered the use of a metal compound that inhibits the enzyme closely associated with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), one of the most difficult forms of breast cancer to treat. The metal compound is found to inhibit the TNBC tumours with less toxicity in mice, thus their work […]
Stem cells show promise as drug delivery tool for childhood brain cancer
The latest in a series of laboratory breakthroughs could lead to a more effective way to treat the most common brain cancer in children. Scientists from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and the UNC School of Medicine reported results from early studies that demonstrate how cancer-hunting […]
Blood-borne cancer detection receives gold-plated boost
UNSW researchers have discovered a new way to detect ultralow levels of microRNA in a blood sample which could make diagnosis of cancer and other illnesses quicker and more efficient. The research team used nanoparticles to latch on to the targeted microRNAs (miRNAs) which enabled them to be easily extracted. One of the main benefits […]
Sen. John McCain Died 9 Years to the Day After Sen. Ted Kennedy — of the Same Cancer
Sen. John McCain and Sen. Ted Kennedy, leaders in the Senate on opposite sides of the aisle, died exactly nine years apart of the same cancer. Sen. McCain died of glioblastoma on Saturday at age 81, and Sen. Kennedy died of the disease on the same day, August 25, in 2009 at age 77, according to […]
Blood cancer patients benefit from breakthrough genetic testing service
Cutting-edge DNA sequencing technology has been used by QUT researchers at the new Australian Translational Genomics Centre (ATGC) to identify genetic mutations in 100 patients with blood cancers, with this testing providing clinically important information to doctors about prognosis and likely treatment responses for the majority of patients. Launched in July last year, the ATGC […]
Understanding drug resistance in ovarian cancer
Work just published in Cancer Research by Drs. Hugo Wurtele and Elliot Drobetsky (Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center- CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal and Université de Montréal) sheds new light on the origins of chemotherapy drug resistance in ovarian cancer. This discovery, made in collaboration with researchers at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montreal (CHUM), Université Laval […]
Time to stop cancer screenings: what do patients want to hear?
(HealthDay)—Older adults prefer explanations about stopping cancer screening that emphasize the shift to focus on other health issues, according to a research letter published in the August issue of JAMA Oncology. Nancy L. Schoenborn, M.D., M.H.S., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional survey of 881 U.S. […]
Genetic Testing for Cancer Lacking for Women on Medicare: Study
FRIDAY, Aug. 17, 2018 — Testing for gene mutations linked to breast and ovarian cancer is rare among some Medicare patients who have the cancers and qualify for such tests, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data from 12 southeastern states between 2000 and 2014. Only 8 percent of 92 women who met Medicare criteria […]
Better access to quality cancer care may reduce rural and urban disparities
When enrolled in a cancer clinical trial, the differences in survival rates between rural and urban patients are significantly reduced, SWOG study results show. The study results are published in JAMA Network Open by a team led by Joseph Unger, Ph.D., a SWOG biostatistician and health services researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. It’s […]