Tag Archives: cancer research

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

New Test Could Find Esophageal Cancer Up to 8 Years Earlier

There is New Hope to Find Esophageal Cancer Early
There is New Hope to Find Esophageal Cancer Early

Patients with esophageal cancer are often diagnosed in the later stages of the disease, presenting a challenge for cancer immunotherapy and other treatments. Researchers in the U.K. have developed a genetic test for esophageal cancer that could help identify the disease up to eight years before symptoms are presented.

Are There Early Signs of Esophageal Cancer Risk?

A team of scientists at the University of Cambridge conducted a study of tissue samples from 90 patients with Barrett’s esophagus. Approximately five percent of people with this condition go on to develop esophageal cancer.

Since there has been no way to predict which cases of Barrett’s esophagus would progress to cancer, routine endoscopies have been standard treatment. Samples included in the study came from endoscopies performed over a period of 15 years. Half of the patients involved eventually developed esophageal cancer.

The researchers were able to identify predictive gene markers in 94 percent of the patients who ultimately showed signs of esophageal cancer. Even more promising is the fact that they could spot the markers in samples that predated the symptoms by several years.

Applications for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

According to Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, lead researcher of the study, the next step is to conduct clinical trials using the genetic test. If the approach proves successful, it could make early diagnosis and treatment more effective and reduce the number of people who undergo unnecessary endoscopies.

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Cancer Research

Norwegian Research Finds a 16% Drop in Cancer Rates Later in Life Among Those Taking Blood Thinners

Are You Taking Blood Thinners? Research Shows Your Risk for Cancer is Lower
Are You Taking Blood Thinners? Research Shows Your Risk for Cancer is Lower.

Blood thinners such as Warfarin are prescribed for millions of people around the world to control a range of cardiovascular problems. Based on the results of a recent study, the drugs may also reduce the risk of cancer, which could have future implications for cancer treatment.

A Surprising Weapon in the Battle Against Cancer

The study, recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine, involved 1.25 million people over the age of 50 in Norway. Researchers at the University of Bergen found that those who took Warfarin were 16 percent less likely to develop cancer than those who didn’t.

Benefits were even more pronounced for three of the most common forms of cancer. Prostate cancer had the highest risk reduction at 31 percent, followed by lung cancer at 20 percent and breast cancer at 10 percent.

The good news doesn’t end there. Patients taking Warfarin for atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm, saw a 29 percent reduction in risk for bowel cancer.

Blood Thinners: A Form of Immunotherapy?

At this point, researchers are unclear how Warfarin affects the risk of cancer. They believe that the drugs may inhibit the signaling power of cancer cells, leaving them vulnerable to attack from the body’s immune system.

Despite the promising results, medical experts warn against self-medicating with Warfarin. The drug can have serious side effects, so it should always be taken under a doctor’s supervision.

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Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

Smoking May Actually Prime Lung Cells for Cancer

Cancer Research News
Cancer Research News

The link between cigarette smoking and increased risk of lung cancer is well-established. Recent studies are giving researchers more insight into the causes of the connection as well as possible methods of treatment.

What Causes Genetic Abnormalities?

Gene behavior is driven by DNA code, but it can also be affected by other external factors. These events, such as those brought on by exposure to cigarette smoke, are known as epigenetic changes.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore grew human bronchial cells, the same type that line airways in the lungs, and bathed them daily with a liquid form of cigarette smoke. This procedure went on for 15 months, making it the equivalent of smoking one to two packs of cigarettes a day for 20 to 30 years.

How Smoking “Primes” Cells for DNA Damage

After only 10 days, the smoke-exposed cells sustained more DNA damage than unexposed cells. Over the next three months, the exposed cells showed a significant increase in EZH2, which is a hormone that silences genes.

EZH2 is also a precursor to methylation, in which tiny methyl groups are added to the start of a gene’s DNA code. As a result, tumor suppression genes are silenced and thereby unable to prevent the uncontrolled cell growth of cancer. Smokers who quit show a lower level of methylation, which can decrease their risk of cancer.

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Cancer Research, Uncategorized

University of California Creates a Cancer Consortium for Research

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Cancer Consortium Conference
Cancer Consortium Research Conference

There’s power in numbers, and the University of California is leveraging that concept to fight the battle against cancer. In September, the school announced that its five academic cancer centers are aligning to form a cancer research consortium.

Strength Through Teamwork

The partnership is made up of UC branches in Davis, Irvine, San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles. UC officials and researchers hope that the new consortium, believed to be the largest ever formed by a U.S. public university system, will enable larger clinical trials of cancer immunotherapy and other treatments across a wider spectrum.

The announcement has particular resonance in California, where cancer is on the verge of overtaking heart disease as the leading cause of death. It also has personal meaning for UC President Janet Napolitano, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2000 and again in 2016.

Cancer Research at the University of California

Currently, the five UC cancer centers treat 16 percent of cancer patients in California, with nearly half of them in late-stage cancer. In addition, the centers have administered more than 1,600 clinical trials over the last year, moving the top therapies along the road to FDA approval.

According to Paula Aspiazu of the American Cancer Society, their organization provides $23 million in funding to the UC system. Aspiazu pointed out that the consortium means each center can now draw data from a larger pool rather than only their own specific group.

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Alternative Cancer Treatment, Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

New Treatment for Cancers Linked to BRCA Mutations

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New Research for Breast Cancer Studies Genes
New Research for Cancer Studies Genes

Identification of Breast Cancer genetic mutations was a breakthrough for scientists working on cancer testing and treatment. Recent findings show that a new form of cancer treatment can effectively extend progression-free survival in patients with BRCA-related tumors.

PARP Inhibitors and BRCA-Related Cancers

PARP inhibitors make up a new class of cancer drugs that have been used primarily in a narrow application for women with ovarian and related forms of cancer. As presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Madrid last September, recent trial results open up possibilities of other uses.

The ARIEL-3 trial, sponsored by Clovis Oncology, involved 564 patients who received randomized doses of a placebo or Rubraca, a PARP inhibitor manufactured by Clovis. Rubraca was found to help women who had ovarian cancer both with and without BRCA mutations.

While Rubraca’s greatest effectiveness was in cases involving BRCA mutations, it also had a positive effect on some with other markers of impaired DNA repair. This condition is referred to as genomic scarring or BRCA-ness, related to a deficiency in homologous recombination repair (HRD).

Future Uses of PARP Inhibitors

Rubraca is currently approved in the U.S. for treatment of advanced BRCA-positive ovarian cancer. Based on the trial results, Clovis has applied for FDA approval of broader applications of Rubraca, including maintenance treatment. Researchers are hopeful that benefits will eventually extend to breast, pancreatic and prostate cancer.

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Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, News

What’s Happening in Colorectal Cancer Research?

 

Cancer Research is Making Progress Every Day. Here is the Latest for Colorectal Cancer.
Cancer Research is Making Progress Every Day. Here is the Latest for Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States, but there are currently more than one million survivors in the country. The National Foundation for Cancer Research has some information you should know about this preventable disease.

Rates and Risks of Colorectal Cancer

• Overall risks of developing colorectal cancer are marginally higher for men. Approximately one in 21 is diagnosed with the disease, while the numbers for women are one in 23.

• Health factors that increase the risk of colorectal cancer include inflammatory bowel disorders, family history and genetics, and personal history of polyps or another form of cancer.

• Poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, obesity and high-fat diets, heavy alcohol use and physical inactivity also contribute to colorectal cancer risk.

• Regular screenings can help prevent colorectal cancer.

Colorectal Cancer Research in the News

Genomics and immunotherapy for cancer are the main focus points of today’s colorectal cancer research.

• Dr. Wei Zhang and his NFCR-funded team are continuing their promising studies into biomarkers and their use in improving colorectal cancer prognosis and predicting responses to treatment.

• NFCR has also supported the work of Dr. Yung-Chi Cheng, who is on the cusp of producing one of the first FDA-approved oral herbal immunotherapies for cancer. When applied in combination with chemotherapy, PH906 has been found to ease gastrointestinal side effects that accompany treatment for colon and rectal cancers.

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