Cancer blog page

September 1, 2010, 6:59 AM CT

New frontier in fighting cancer

A "game-changing" technique using near infrared light enables researchers to look deeper into the guts of cells, potentially opening up a new frontier in the fights against cancer and a number of other diseases.

University of Central Florida chemists, led by Professor Kevin Belfield, used near infrared light and fluorescent dye to take pictures of cells and tumors deep within tissue. The probes specifically target lysosomes, which act as cells' thermostats and waste processors and which have been associated with a variety of diseases, including types of mental illnesses and cancers.

The probes can be adapted to search for certain proteins found in tumors, which means they someday may help doctors diagnose and potentially treat tumors.

"This is a game-changer," Belfield said. "Until now, there was no real way to study lysosomes because existing techniques have severe limitations. But the probe we developed is stable, which allows for longer periods of imaging".

Current imaging probes work for only a few minutes. They cannot penetrate deep tissue, are sensitive to pH levels and have poor water solubility. Belfield's technique gets around those problems by using near infrared light. Once scientists identified the correct light frequency, they took images of lysosomes for hours......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

August 10, 2010, 7:14 AM CT

Inhibiting prostate cancer

A kinase is a type of enzyme the body uses to regulate the functions of the proteins mandatory for cell growth and maintenance, and scientists have discovered that one in particular plays a key role in developing prostate cancer. "It's known as Mnk, and eventhough it appears not to be essential for normal cell maintenance, it's important for cancer growth" said Dr. Luc Furic, a postdoctoral researcher working with Dr. Nahum Sonenberg at McGill University's Goodman Cancer Research Centre and Department of Biochemistry.

This is a very significant finding because the body's chemical processes are highly complex and interrelated, meaning that targeting one cause of cancer often involves affecting the body's normal functions. An important part of cancer research is about trying to find processes that can be inhibited or stopped without causing damages to normal tissue.

The chemical process Mnk uses is known as phosphorylation, and this process activates or inactivates the body's proteins, controlling mechanisms that can cause disease. In this case, Mnk works with a protein known as eIF4E to synthesize proteins in the cell.

Scientists at the Centre hospitalier de l'Universit de Montral Research Centre (CRCHUM), Universit de Montral and McGill University engineered mice that were able to block the phosphorylation process of this protein, and discovered that these mice became resistant to prostate cancer growth. "The PTEN gene and its protein act as a tumour suppressor," explained Dr. Fred Saad, researcher at the CRCHUM and at Universit de Montral's Department of Surgery. "By removing this gene in the mouse prostate, we were able to study eIF4E's effect on cell growth."........ Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

July 14, 2010, 7:50 AM CT

Reducing pain and depression of cancer

Pain and depression linked to cancer symptoms often unrecognized and undertreated can be significantly reduced through centralized telephone-based care management coupled with automated symptom monitoring, as per scientists from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine.

The Indiana Cancer Pain and Depression (INCPAD) study combined automated calls with follow-up calls from the nurse care manager to reduce pain and depression in cancer patients. Calls were made to individuals with all types of cancers seen by rural and urban community-based oncology physicians.

The improved outcomes of the patients who received the telephone-based care management and the feasibility of this approach is published in the July 14, 2010, issue of the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA).

"Because oncologists are busy with testing, chemotherapy and other therapys, they often have too little time left for quality of life issues, like pain and depression. We felt one solution might be a partnership between a telephone-based symptom management team and community-based oncology practices. We observed that an economical, centralized approach is feasible to conduct and significantly improved symptoms of both depression and pain in patients in any phase of cancer from newly diagnosed to long term to recurrent to cancer free," said Kurt Kroenke, M.D., the study's principal investigator. Dr. Kroenke is a Regenstrief Institute investigator and an IU School of Medicine professor of medicine......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

July 9, 2010, 7:28 AM CT

DNA discovery opens new door

By solving the three-dimensional structure of a protein involved in repairing DNA errors, a group of McMaster University scientists have revealed new avenues to develop evaluation tools and alternative therapys for people living with hereditary colorectal cancers.

The finding, reported in the journal Molecular Cell, is an important step forward in the field of molecular and structural biology. The McMaster scientists uncovered how a specific protein, known as MutL, works within a cell to unleash the series of events that repair DNA when the replication machinery makes a mistake.

The research team was led by Alba Guarn, an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster, and involved scientists in Europe and the United States. The main author of the study was Monica Pillon, a master's student in the Guarn laboratory.

Errors in DNA can arise from a number of types of damage including external harm, such as UV radiation or carcinogens, as well as by intrinsic cellular processes such as DNA replication. Failure to correct these errors leads to mutations, which results in cancer or many severe inherited disorders.

To prevent this from happening, cells posses a variety of DNA repair systems that correct these errors or trigger cell death when the damage cannot be fixed......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

July 7, 2010, 7:23 AM CT

Multicolor quantum dots in cancer diagnosis

The tunable fluorescent nanoparticles known as quantum dots make ideal tools for distinguishing and identifying rare cancer cells in tissue biopsies, Emory and Georgia Tech researchers have demonstrated.

An article to be featured on the cover of the July 15 issue of Analytical Chemistry describes how multicolor quantum dots associated with antibodies can distinguish the Reed-Sternberg cells that are characteristic of Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"Our multicolor quantum dot staining method provides rapid detection and identification of rare cancerous cells from heterogenous tissue specimens," says senior author Shuming Nie, PhD, the Wallace H. Coulter distinguished professor in the Coulter department of biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. "The clinical utility is not limited to Hodgkin's lymphoma but potentially could be extended to detect cancer stem cells, tumor-associated macrophages and other rare cell types".

Quantum dots are nanometer-sized semiconductor crystals that have unique chemical and physical properties due to their size and their highly compact structure. Quantum dots can be chemically associated with antibodies, which can detect molecules present on the surfaces or internal parts of cancer cells.

As a test of quantum dots' discriminatory power, the authors used four varieties at once -- white, red, green and blue each detecting a different protein, to stain lymph node biopsies. The goal was to distinguish six Hodgkin's lymphoma cases from two other types of lymphoma and samples from two patients with non-malignant growths in their lymph nodes......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

June 24, 2010, 10:20 PM CT

Off-the-shelf digital camera for cancer detection

Using an off-the-shelf digital camera, Rice University biomedical engineers and scientists from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have created an inexpensive device that is powerful enough to let doctors easily distinguish malignant cells from healthy cells simply by viewing the LCD monitor on the back of the camera.

The results of the first tests of the camera were published online this week in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.

"Consumer-grade cameras can serve as powerful platforms for diagnostic imaging," said Rice's Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the study's main author. "Based on portability, performance and cost, you could make a case for using them both to lower health care costs in developed countries and to provide services that simply aren't available in resource-poor countries".

Richards-Kortum is Rice's Stanley C. Moore Professor of Bioengineering, professor of electrical and computer engineering and the founder of Rice's global health initiative, Rice 360 degree. Her Optical Spectroscopy and Imaging Laboratory specializes in tools for the early detection of cancer and other diseases. Her team has developed fluorescent dyes and targeted nanoparticles that let doctors zero in on the molecular hallmarks of cancer.

In the newly released study, the team captured images of cells with a small bundle of fiber-optic cables attached to a $400 Olympus E-330 camera. When imaging tissues, Richards-Kortum's team applied a common fluorescent dye that caused cell nuclei in the samples to glow brightly when lighted with the tip of the fiber-optic bundle. Three tissue types were tested: cancer cell cultures that were grown in a lab, tissue samples from newly resected tumors and healthy tissue viewed in the mouths of patients......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

March 22, 2010, 7:39 PM CT

Racial disparities diminish in specialized cancer centers

A newly released study has observed that when African American and white cancer patients are treated at similar, specialized cancer care institutions, mortality rates are roughly equal. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-evaluated journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings suggest that where patients receive care may partly explain observed racial disparities in cancer mortality.

In the newly released study, scientists led by Tracy Onega, PhD, MA, of the Dartmouth Medical School looked at records for more than 200,000 Medicare recipients treated for cancer between 1998 and 2003. The analysis focused on one- and three-year mortality for patients with lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer. National Cancer Institute (NCI) comprehensive or clinical cancer centers were used to evaluate the influence of place of service, based on their standing as highly specialized cancer care settings. Of the sample population, 9 percent were African American. A higher proportion of African Americans attended an NCI cancer center than Caucasians (11.1% vs. 6.9%).

The scientists observed that across all cancer care settings within the study population, the likelihood of dying from cancer or other causes at one year was 13 percent higher for African Americans. At three years, their risk was 23 percent higher than their Caucasian counterparts......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

February 18, 2010, 9:50 PM CT

Natural Compound that Inhibits Cancer Cell Migration

Investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham, formerly Burnham Institute for Medical Research) led by Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., have discovered that the natural compound sceptrin, which is found in marine sponges, reduces cancer cell motility (movement) and has very low toxicity. Metastasis is one of the deadliest aspects of cancer, so restricting aberrant cell movement is an important step towards advancing therapys. The research was published online in ACS Chemical Biology, in collaboration with Phil S. Baran, Ph.D., of The Scripps Research Institute.

The team tested sceptrin in multiple tumor cell types, including cervical, breast and lung cancers. Sceptrin restricted motility in all cell lines. Further tests showed the compound works by limiting the cells' ability to contract, a critical function for cell motility. The scientists also observed that sceptrin synthesized in the laboratory was just as effective at combating motility as the naturally-derived compound.

"Given the recently achieved synthesis of sceptrin in multi-gram quantities by the Baran laboratory, sceptrin could prove to be an attractive lead molecule for further preclinical testing and development for therapeutic purposes," said Dr. Vuori. "It may also prove to be a useful research tool in order to elucidate the mechanisms involved in cell motility"......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

February 10, 2010, 8:04 AM CT

How to kill pediatric brain tumors

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown once again that "ready, fire, aim," nonsensical though it may sound, can be an essential approach to research.

The researchers robotically "fired" 2,000 compounds into culture plates containing tumor cells to see if the compounds had any effect. When the robotic screener found one substance had scored a hit by inhibiting growth of the tumor cells in its plate, scientists analyzed what that compound acted against. Follow-up studies showed that the drug slowed tumor growth in mice by inhibiting the function of a protein called STAT3.

As a result, scientists now have a previously unrecognized target, STAT3, at which they can "aim" new drugs for the therapy of cancer in neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1), a genetic condition that causes increased risk of non-malignant and cancerous brain tumors.

"We were excited to find that the slowed tumor growth we observed following therapy resulted from increased tumor cell death - an effect we hadn't seen before when we blocked other NF1 growth control molecules," says senior author David H. Gutmann, M.D., Ph.D., the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor of Neurology. "Now we can identify the genes that STAT3 influences to fine-tune our therapys and ensure that we kill cancer cells with minimal harm to normal cells"......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

February 3, 2010, 7:58 AM CT

Community Hospitals as Safe Surgical Option

Low-risk patients who require certain cancer surgeries can have the procedures performed with low operative mortality rates at community hospitals, as per a newly released study.

The research showed that for 13 different kinds of cancer surgeries such as gastric and colon, younger patients with few pre-existing illnesses survived operations at community hospitals at a similar rate as at cancer centers.

But patients who are considered high risk or who need complicated cancer surgeries have a higher survival rate at specialized cancer centers. Patients with pancreatic and esophageal cancer, among the most complex cancer surgeries, are twice as likely to survive an operation at a specialized cancer center. The study defined these centers as those designated as Comprehensive Cancer Centers by the National Cancer Institute and those that have the highest volume of specific cancer surgeries.

The study from Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine and the American College of Surgeons will be published in a future issue of the Annals of Surgery and is accessible via its Web site. The study measured the death rates (known according toioperative mortality) after surgery.

Main author Karl Bilimoria, M.D., surgery resident at the Feinberg School and a research fellow at the American College of Surgeons, noted that the study does not look at long-term survival after surgery or factors that affect long-term outcomes, such as whether surgery removed all of the cancer......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

February 1, 2010, 8:09 AM CT

Quality radiation therapy

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) has issued a statement today in the wake of several recent articles in the New York Times yesterday and earlier in the week that discuss many rare but tragic events in the last decade involving people undergoing radiation treatment.

While it does not specifically comment on the details of these events, the statement acknowledges their gravity. It reads in part: "The AAPM and its members deeply regret that these events have occurred, and we continue to work hard to reduce the likelihood of similar events in the future." The full statement appears at: http://www.aapm.org/publicgeneral/QualityRadiationTherapy.asp.

Today's statement also seeks to reassure the public on the safety of radiation treatment, which is safely and effectively used to treat hundreds of thousands of people with cancer and other diseases every year in the United States. Medical physicists in hospitals and clinics across the United States are board-certified professionals who play a key role in assuring quality during these therapys because they are directly responsible for overseeing the complex technical equipment used.

"The primary day-to-day responsibility of our members is to safeguard the welfare of people undergoing radiation treatment," says AAPM President Michael G. Herman, Ph.D. FAAPM, FACMP. "While adverse events during such therapys are very rare, the recent articles serve as a poignant reminder that they still occur, and like all medical professionals, we are deeply saddened by the stories of human tragedy when they do"......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

February 1, 2010, 7:39 AM CT

Assessing risks associated with low-dose radiation

There remains a lack of consensus amongst the medical and scientific communities about any cancer risk from low level radiation, especially low-dose radiation delivered from computed tomography (CT) scans. However, the study of epigenetics may play a role in determining whether or not future trends of diseases can in fact be associated with utilization of CT, as per an article in the recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR).

The term epigenetics refers to changes in the phenotype (appearance) or gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence. These changes may remain through cell divisions for the remainder of the cell's life and may also last for multiple generations.

"Radiation safety is, without a doubt, a large concern for practicing radiologists today," said Shella Farooki, MD, author of the article and radiologist and director of research for Columbus Radiology Corp in Columbus, OH. "However, the current focus does not account for the possibility of harm to future generations from radiation delivered today. I think that it is equally, if not more important, to consider potential harm to the patient's offspring and their offspring's offspring," she said.

"The effects of ionizing radiation have been demonstrated in neighboring cells (non-targeted radiation), known as the bystander effect. In addition, ionizing radiation effects have been shown to span generations, resulting in heritable defects in mice. However, we need to bridge the gap between understanding the epigenome functionality and radiation exposure before assuming anything," said Farooki......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

January 28, 2010, 7:54 AM CT

Targeting stem cells to fight ovarian cancer

Eliminating cancer stem cells (CSCs) within a tumor could hold the key to successful therapys for ovary cancer, which has been notoriously difficult to detect and treat, as per new findings published this week in the journal Oncogene by Yale School of Medicine researchers.

"We observed that stopping the expression of two genesLin28 and Oct4reduces ovary cancer cell growth and survival," said Yingqun Huang, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine.

Ovary cancer has been challenging to treat because it tends to recur frequently and develop resistance to therapy. The poor outcome for women with ovary cancer has been linked to subtle and nonspecific symptomsearning it the moniker the "disease that whispers."

"This recurrence and drug resistance appears to be due to the presence of CSCs within the tumors that have the capacity to reproduce and to differentiate into non-CSC tumor cells that repopulate the tumor mass," said Huang, who is a member of Yale Stem Cell Center and Yale Cancer Center. "Eliminating these CSCs appears to be key to successful therapys".

While in the process of studying the functions of stem cell proteins in human embryonic stem cells, Huang and her colleagues unexpectedly discovered that a sub-population of ovary cancer cells express stem cell proteins Lin28 and Oct4. They also observed that the two proteins appear to act together in ovary cancer tissue cells to produce more advanced tumors. Inhibiting their combined expression led to a significant decrease in the growth and survival of cancer cells. A larger-scale ovary cancer study is currently underway to confirm the significance of the findings......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

January 25, 2010, 8:11 AM CT

Reversing Cancer Cell Metabolism And Tumor Growth

A team of researchers led by Professor Adrian Krainer, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has discovered molecular factors in cancer cells that boost the production of an enzyme that helps alter the cells' glucose metabolism. The altered metabolic state, called the Warburg effect, promotes extremely rapid cell proliferation and tumor growth.

Discovered eighty years ago by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Otto Warburg, this altered metabolism in cancer cells is most critically mediated by a protein called PK-M2 (pyruvate kinase M2). This is one of two versions - or isoforms - of the enzyme pyruvate kinase, whose other isoform, PK-M1, is harmless.

As per a research findings published online ahead of print in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Krainer and his colleagues report their discovery of three factors that contribute to high levels of PK-M2 in cancer cells, in part by suppressing production of PK-M1.

"These findings suggest a new way in which cancer's altered glucose metabolism might be targeted for therapeutic benefit," explains Krainer. "Drugs that inhibit these factors and reverse the Warburg effect might work as anti-cancer agents." The study waccording toformed in collaboration with Professor Lewis Cantley, Ph.D., and colleagues at Harvard Medical School and The Broad Institute, in Cambridge, Mass......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

April 27, 2009, 5:22 AM CT

Improved detection of bladder tumors

Making tumors inside the bladder fluoresce red under blue light allows physicians to more easily find and remove them, substantially reducing the rate at which these cancers come back, says a Mayo Clinic doctor who is presenting results of a large, multicenter international clinical trial.

VIDEO ALERT: Additional audio and video resources, including excerpts from an interview with Dr. Lance Mynderse describing the research, are available on the Mayo Clinic News Blog (http://newsblog.mayoclinic.org/)Mayo Clinic News Blog. These materials are also subject to embargo, but appears to be accessed in advance by journalists for incorporation into stories. The password for the post is hvxaua1.

The findings, which are being reported at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association, show that this new diagnostic technique found more of the most common bladder tumors than the traditional white-light detection method in almost 17 percent of the patients, and demonstrated a 22 percent relative reduction in the recurrence rate within nine months of the procedure.

"This is the first demonstration that photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) cystoscopy along with the study drug (hexaminolevulinate) improves immediate detection, but more importantly reduces tumor recurrence rates of papillary bladder tumors; this is a significant improvement in therapy for our patients," says urologist Lance Mynderse, M.D., (http://www.mayoclinic.org/bio/10475311.html), who practices at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minn. The 766-patient phase III study was conducted in 28 U.S. and European centers, and its principal investigator is Barton Grossman, M.D., of The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Mynderse is presenting study results as spokesman for the lead enrolling site in North America......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

April 27, 2009, 5:17 AM CT

Robotic surgery for kidney cancer

Fox Chase Cancer Center scientists find that outcomes of robotic assisted kidney cancer surgery, when performed by experienced surgeons at high volume centers, prove more beneficial to patients when in comparison to open surgery. The study, authored by Fox Chase robotic surgeon Rosalia Viterbo, MD, was presented today at the American Urological Association's Annual Meeting, .

The standard therapy for kidney cancer is to surgically remove the entire or a portion of the kidney. This is known as nephron-sparing surgery, or partial nephrectomy, and is usually performed using traditional open surgery. Recently, there has been interest in applying a laparoscopic approach for this procedure, however it has proven to be technically challenging to a number of surgeons.

Experienced laparoscopic surgeons at high volume centers, such as Fox Chase, are now using the da Vinci robot assisted surgical system for patients with kidney cancer, or renal cell carcinoma. The advanced technology has enabled faster and greater technical proficiency allowing for completion of complex surgical procedures, facilitating a minimally invasive approach for partial nephrectomy.

"Our patients have experienced a number of benefits from the robot assisted approach, including shorter hospital stays (average 3 days), preserved kidney function (reduced need for dialysis), smaller scars with optimal cosmetic results, lower blood loss and easier and earlier return to normal activity," says Viterbo......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

April 13, 2009, 1:32 PM CT

SIRT1 takes down tumors

Yuan et al. have identified another anti-cancer effect of the "longevity" protein SIRT1. By speeding the destruction of the tumor promoter c-Myc, SIRT1 curbs cell division. The study will be published online April 13 (www.jcb.org) and will appear in the April 20 print issue of the Journal of Cell Biology

The yeast and nematode equivalents of SIRT1 are fountains of youth that stretch lifespan. Whether SIRT1 slows aging in mammals isn't certain, but it's beneficial in other ways. The protein tunes up metabolism, reducing blood levels of glucose and insulin, and might forestall neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease and ALS. Given its pro-life credentials, you might expect SIRT1 to inhibit cancer. And several studies suggest that it does. But other work indicates that the protein aids tumors. For example, SIRT1 chops off acetyl groups, which can inactivate the tumor suppressor p53.

Yuan et al. determined SIRT1's effect on the transcription factor c-Myc, whose expression surges in a number of breast, colon, and liver cancers. The two proteins are tangled in a regulatory loop, the team found. c-Myc latched onto SIRT1's promoter, spurring cells to manufacture more SIRT1. In turn, SIRT1 detached acetyl groups from c-Myc, hastening its breakdown. To test SIRT1's effects on tumor growth, the scientists implanted malignant cells expressing c-Myc into nude mice that lack immune defenses. Boosting production of SIRT1 blocked tumor formation......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

December 24, 2008, 5:11 AM CT

How radiation therapy causes chronic inflammation of bowels

The use of radiation treatment to treat cancer inevitably involves exposure of normal tissues. Eventhough the benefits of this therapy have been well established, many patients experience distressing complications as a result injury to normal tissue These side effects correlation to inflammatory process cause discomfort and decreases the therapeutic benefit by increasing the overall therapy time.

A research article would be published on December 14, 2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses the question. The research led by Dr. Christine Linard and her colleagues from the Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear safety (IRSN) in France used experimentally a fractionated colorectal irradiation model to demonstrate an immune imbalance during the radiotherapy protocol and persisting in long term.

They observed that without causing histological damage, fractionated radiation induced elevated expression of IL-1beta, TNF alpha, MCP-1, and iNOS in distal colonic mucosa during the early post-irradiation phase. At that time, a Th2 profile was confirmed by expression of both the Th2-specific transcription factor GATA-3 and the chemokine receptor CCR4 and by suppression of the Th1 cytokine IFN gamma/IP-10 throughout the irradiation protocol. After 6 mo, despite the 2-fold reduction of iNOS and MCP-1 levels, the Th2 profile persisted, as shown by a 50% reduction in the expression of the Th1 transcription factor T-bet, the chemokine receptor CCXCR3, and the IFNgamma /STAT1 pathway. At the same time-point, the immunosuppressive IL-10/STAT3 pathway, known to regulate the Th1/Th2 balance, was expressed, in irradiated rats, at approximately half its level as in comparison to controls. This suppression was linked to an overexpression of SOCS3, which inhibits the feedback of the Th1 polarization and regulates IL-10 production......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

December 9, 2008, 10:29 PM CT

New therapy prevents dangerous side effect for lymphoma patients

Patients respond well to a new three-drug combination for indolent B cell lymphoma that also spares them prolonged, potentially lethal, suppression of blood production in the bone marrow, scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report today at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

Pentostatin, cyclophosphamide and rituximab together are providing the same remission rate as other combinations but with minimal long-term bone marrow suppression, said study presenter Felipe Samaniego, M.D., associate professor in M. D. Anderson's Department of Lymphoma and Melanoma.

Myelosuppression leads to production of fewer red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. When prolonged, it can lead to myelodysplastic syndrome, which comprises several conditions that cause potentially lethal insufficient blood production.

"The worst outcome of long-term myelosuppression for indolent B cell lymphoma patients is myelodysplastic syndrome," Samaniego said. "In this study, out of 80 patients, none developed MDS".

And 77 of 80 (96 percent) experienced either complete remission or unconfirmed complete remission. Some did have low blood counts, but all were short-term. Overall, the combination is well-tolerated, the research team reported......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

November 19, 2008, 8:09 PM CT

New platinum-phosphate compounds kill ovarian cancer

A new class of compounds called phosphaplatins can effectively kill ovarian, testicular, head and neck cancer cells with potentially less toxicity than conventional drugs, as per a new study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The compounds could be less harmful than current cancer therapys on the market such as cisplatin and carboplatin because they don't penetrate the cell nucleus and attach to DNA, said lead author Rathindra Bose. Conventional drugs can interfere with the functions of the cell's enzymes, which lead to side effects such as hearing and hair loss and kidney dysfunction.

Though researchers don't fully understand the mechanism by which the phosphaplatins kill cancer cells, they suspect that the compounds bind to the cell surface membrane proteins and transmit a "death signal" to the interior of the cell, Bose said. The compounds are created by attaching platinum to a phosphate ligand, which can readily anchor to the cell membrane. Future studies will focus on identifying the exact process.

"The findings suggest a paradigm shift in potential molecular targets for platinum anticancer drugs and in their strategic development," said Bose, a professor of biomedical sciences and chemistry and vice president for research at Ohio University who conducted the work while at Northern Illinois University......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source

July 1, 2008, 10:01 PM CT

Death, Division or Cancer?

Each day, a staggering number of cells perform a feat that still amazes scientists with its complexity: they divide to produce perfect replicas of each other. The process is called mitosis, and an inability to control it is one of the hallmarks of cancer.

Little is known about the biochemical processes that control mitosis, but now scientists from Fox Chase Cancer Center and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, have discovered a novel activity, called the mitotic checkpoint factor 2 (MCF2). This appears to be integral in preventing cells that are unable to equally separate their chromosomes from dividing. The identities of the proteins involved in MCF2 remain to be determined, however, their findings offer insight into a fundamental question of biology, which may also help to increase the efficiency of cancer drugs that disrupt DNA replication, like gemcitabine, or drugs that prevent mitosis, like paclitaxel.

They publish their findings today online in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"At any given moment, 250 million cells in your body are undergoing mitosis in order to replenish cells that die as a result of normal turnover," says Tim J. Yen, Ph.D., senior member at Fox Chase. "The mitotic checkpoint is a complex series of quality control systems, just like in a factory assembly line, that ensures that each new cell gets their proper share of DNA." (Click here for illustration)......... Posted by: Jesmi24      Read more         Source