The early detection of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) using serum/plasma biomarkers remains challenging. According to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, a new immunoassay that tests for the presence of three biomarkers may be a valid screening method for the early detection of malignant kidney cancer.

“Renal cell carcinoma, a malignant tumor arising from the kidney, is one of the most…

Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which the tissue lining the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach, is replaced by tissue that is similar to the intestinal lining. In this process which is called intestinal metaplasia, normal cells that line the esophagus, called squamous cells, turn into cells not usually found in humans, called specialized columnar cells.

Barrett's esophagus is a precursor lesion of esophageal…

On February 22^nd, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1; Kadcyla™, Genentech), as a single medicine, for the treatment of people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) who have received prior treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin®, Genentech) and a taxane chemotherapy. The newly approved drug is the…

Neuroblastoma is commonly used to refer to a spectrum of neuroblastic tumors, including neuroblastomas, ganglioneuroblastomas, and ganglioneuromas, that arise from primitive sympathetic ganglion cells. The disease is the third most common childhood cancer, after leukemia and brain tumors, and is the most common solid extracranial tumor in children. Each year more than 600 cases are diagnosed in the United States each where it accounts for approximately 15% of all pediatric cancer…

Earlier today, Abbott, Janssen Biotech and Pharmacyclics announced that they will collaborate in the development of a molecular companion diagnostic test to identify patients with a genetic subtype of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common form of adult leukemia.

The new companion test will be based on Abbott's proprietary fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technology. With the FISH technology,…

A new drug combination including an EGFR and COX-2 Inhibitors shows promise in reducing the risk for patients with advanced oral precancerous lesions to develop squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The results of the study, which included preclinical and clinical analyses, were published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer…

In the United Kingdom, almost 3,400 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, representing nearly 2% of all women diagnosed with cancer. Cervical cancer is, however, the most common cancer in women under 35 years old.

The major cause of the main types of cervical cancer - squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma - is HPV infection. [5] While there are over 200 types of human papilloma virus (HPV)[8], at least 40 types are passed on through sexual contact and cause a…

A new report published today estimates a 5% increase in prostate cancer deaths in 2013 and signal a new trend of fewer men being diagnosed with the disease. Compared to a 15% decrease in prostate cancer deaths in 2012, this year's increase could be attributed to men with aggressive forms of the disease forgoing early detection.

"We must remain vigilant in the fight to end prostate cancer by increasing research funding, raising awareness and education, and continuing to test…

A large majority of head and neck cancers have a deregulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. However, data published recently in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), suggests that deregulation of this pathway does not necessarily signify that the tumor is dependent on it for survival and progression. While the common pathway activation may not be “driving” tumor,…

A study published in The Oncologist emphasizes the critical need for regulatory authorities, pharmaceutical clinical study sponsors, collaborative research groups and other interests to work together to expedite study approval for clinical trials in cancer research on a global scale. The study highlighting the need to avoid unnecessary delays in approving clinical trials.[1]

In their research paper Otto…

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS), diverse, malignant, mesenchymal tumors that originate in the soft tissues of the body, while uncommon, generally affect young adults in the prime of their life. The tumors arise in any of the mesodermal tissues of the extremities (50%), trunk and retroperitoneum (40%), or head and neck (10%). The prognosis for patients with advanced/metastatic sarcoma remains poor and there are limited options for their treatment. In the US, the number new cases of soft tissue…

Results from three studies of the Oncotype DX® Colon Cancer test (Genomic Health) presented the 2013 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, show that diagnostic test significantly contribute to changes in treatment decisions.

The various studies confirm that the Recurrence Score® (RS) results changed treatment recommendations in 45% of the enrolled stage II…

Researchers are taking a new approach to measuring the repetitive DNA at the end of chromosomes. Understanding the nature of this repetitive DNA may help open new windows to understanding mechanisms fueling cancer.

Genome sequencing data once regarded as junk is now being used to gain important clues to help understand disease. The latest example comes from the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital – Washington University…

A team of researchers led by Goutham Narla, MD, PhD, at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and collaborators at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Erasmus Medical Center, have discovered a gene variant that drives the spread of breast cancer.

The results of the study are published in…

A new phase III study confirms that the breast cancer drug nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (Abraxane®, Celgene) in combination with gemcitabine (Gemzar®, Eli Lilly and Company), the current standard of for advanced pancreatic cancer, demonstrated highly statistically significant and clinically meaningful results across primary and key secondary endpoints and patient…

Earlier today, the Texas Children's Cancer Center announced a new, first of its kind, Childhood Cancer Prevention and Screening Clinic which will screen and follow children who are at an elevated risk for developing childhood cancer.

The new clinic will reassure families of children with genetic conditions such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome which predispose individuals to…

Scientists may be able to better predict which patients with colorectal cancer will respond to chemotherapy using a new mathematical model that measures the amount of stress required for a cancer cell to die without harming healthy tissue. The results of this study are published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer…

Preclinical and clinical studies with AEZS-108 (AN-152, zoptarelin doxorubicin; Aeterna Zentaris) a hybrid molecule composed of a targeted cytotoxic peptide conjugate analog designed for receptor-mediated targeted chemotherapy consisting of an Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone carrier (LHRH; also known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone) linked to the cytotoxic agent …

New research examining the role of race and ethnicity in an individual’s decision to become a donor for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) identifies several factors associated with varied participation rates in national donor registries across racial/ethnic groups. Results of this first-of-its-kind study are published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

Hematopoietic…

The PACIFIC trial, an investigator-sponsored, randomized Phase II study, will will be conducted to evaluate OGX-427 (OncoGenex) in men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) who are experiencing a rising Prostate-Specific Antigen or PSA while receiving abiraterone acetate (Zytiga®;Janssen Biotech, Inc/Johnson & Johnson). The aim of the study is to determine if…