International Oncology Network - Cancer & Hematology News

Peter Hofland, PhD's Blog – November 2009 Archive (34)

Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging Proves Highly Sensitive for the Detection of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) has been proven to be a highly sensitive imaging technique for the detection of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a difficult to diagnose breast cancer. BSGI is a molecular breast imaging technique that can see lesions independent of tissue density and discover very early stage cancers. According to findings presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 30, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Too Much Physical Activity May Lead to Arthritis

Middle-aged men and women who engage in high levels of physical activity may be unknowingly causing damage to their knees and increasing their risk for osteoarthritis, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"Our data suggest that people with higher physical activity levels may be at greater risk for developing knee abnormalities and, thus, at… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 30, 2009 at 10:00am — No Comments

New Breast MRI Technology Enables Enhanced Breast Cancer Detection

The launch of Invivo Corporation's ONCAD for DynaCAD marks the availability of the first FDA-cleared, fully-automated morphological system for the detection and analysis by a radiologist of suspicious breast lesions. The ONCAD system will be officially unveiled at the Radiological Society of North America 2009 Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Invivo is a pioneer of progressive MRI coils, advanced clinical visualization systems, and innovative MRI-compatible interventional… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 30, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

Physicists and Clinicians at Leading Dutch Cancer Center Report Advances in Stereotactic Lung Tumor Treatments

Researchers from VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam have reported that RapidArc® radiotherapy from Varian Medical Systems, a world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, and brachytherapy, has clinical advantages over earlier fixed-beam approaches to stereotactic… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 30, 2009 at 5:00am — No Comments

Elastography Reduces Unnecessary Breast Biopsies

Elastography can help distinguish cancerous from benign breast lesions. Elastography is an effective, convenient technique that, when added to breast ultrasound, helps distinguish cancerous breast lesions from benign results, according to an ongoing study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

When mammography yields suspicious findings, physicians often use ultrasound to obtain additional information. However,… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 30, 2009 at 12:00am — No Comments

Bisplatinates, a New Class of Platinum-Based Anti-Tumor Drugs, Demonstrates Potent Anti-Tumor Activity and Ability to Overcome Resistance to Currently Available Platinum-Based Agents

Seattle -based Cell Therapeutics, Inc, biopharmaceutical company committed to developing an integrated portfolio of oncology products, today announced that its new class of platinum-based anti-tumor compounds, termed bis-platinates, demonstrated a stronger anti-tumor potency and activity compared to currently available platinum-based compounds as well as the ability to overcome cisplatin-resistance in cancer cell… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 29, 2009 at 11:30pm — No Comments

New Carbon Nanotechnology for Target Drug Delivery System in Cancer

Carbon nanotube-based drug delivery holds great promise for cancer therapy. Targeted drug delivery reduces the amount of chemotherapeutic drugs used in cancer treatment and therefore minimizes undesirable side effects. The reduced dosage without compromising the drug efficacy will make the cancer treatment more potent and targeted to killing the cancer and more affordable and available to a larger community.

Cromoz… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 27, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Receives $10 Million Gift Fostering Research that Harnesses the Immune System to Fight Cancer

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle (WA), an unique world-renowned center offering scientists an researchers, including three Nobel laureates, the interdisciplinary environtment to work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases, has received a pledge of $10 million to advance the promising field of… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 23, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

New Phase I/II Trial Investigates CYT387, A Potent JAK1/JAK2 Inhibitor

Recruitment of participants for a New Phase I/II trial ‘Safety and Efficacy Study of CYT387 in Primary Myelofibrosis (PMF) or Post-polycythemia Vera (PV) or Post-essential Thrombocythemia (ET)’ started today. The drug candidate is designed to treat various hematological disorders.

The new, open-label, dose-escalating, Phase I/II trial, which is being conducted at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is designed to investigate the safety and tolerability of CYT387, an… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 23, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

'Explore the Mystery of Blood' Teaches High School Students About Blood and Career Opportunities in the Field of Hematology

The American Society of Hematology (ASH),the world’s largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders, and Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, are launching 'Explore the Mystery of Blood,' a dynamic science curriculum designed to… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 23, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

National Comprehensive Cancer Network Updates Guidelines to Incorporate Approved New Treatment Options

Two recent FDA approvals have prompted the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer, to update the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas to include ofatumumab (Azerra™, GlaxoSmithKline) and romidepsin (Istodax®, Gloucester… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 23, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Positive Results for Potential Treatment of Endometrial Cancer

Gynecological cancers, such as breast, ovarian, and endometrial carcinoma can be lethal. According to the Annals of Oncology (2004; 15:1149-50) each year approximately 38,000 women will be diagnosed with endometrium cancer, the most common gynaecologic malignancy accounting for 6% of all cancers in women. The same report estimates 9,000 deaths caused by the disease annually. The majority of the reported cases occur in postmenopausal women, with the largest number of women developing their… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 22, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Bevacizumab Not Recommend for Approval in Treatment of Glioblastoma

The European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), which is responsible for conducting the initial assessment of medicinal products that have been filed for marketing authorization in Europe, has issued a negative opinion relating to the approval of bevacizumab (Avastin®,… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 20, 2009 at 7:00pm — No Comments

New Discovery Health Channel Program Emphasizes Tailored, Individualized Treatment for Metastatic Breast Cancer

October (National Breast Cancer Awareness Month) is already weeks behind us but it remains imperative for both physicians and patients to keep up-to-date on the latest treatment developments for breast cancer, as well as all types of cancer.

Metastatic breast cancer is breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast into places such as the bones, lungs, liver, or brain. Although metastatic breast cancer is not curable, there are many effective treatments, including a… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 20, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments

Scientific Advisory Board of Patient Advocate Organizations Disagree with Changes to Mammography Guidelines

Earlier to today the Scientific Advisory Board for the Patient Advocate Foundation and the National Patient Advocate Foundation released a statement respectfully disagreeing with recent changes to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) mammography guidelines released earlier this week. The new guidelines for breast cancer screening recommend against routine…

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Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 20, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Women Encouraged to Partner With Their Physicians to Determine When and How Often to Receive Mammograms

The American College of Surgeons (ACoS), a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient, earlier on Thursday released comments strongly supporting current American Cancer Society (ACS) screening mammography guidelines that recommend women get a mammogram every year, starting at age 40.

The College… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 19, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Individualized Decision Between Woman and Her Provider is the Best Choice for Screening

"The controversy around mammography emphasizes that the best decision on screening is made by a woman and her health care provider. Balancing a woman's individual medical history, risks, and concern level about breast cancer is a decision at the individual level using guidelines as a guide and not as something fixed in concrete," said Dr. Jane L. Delgado, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the nation's… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 19, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

Only 25 Percent of Adults Aged 50-64 Get Recommended Preventive Screenings

A new report finds that only about 1 in 4 Americans aged 50-64 regularly take advantage of preventive services such as screenings and immunizations. The report was prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with AARP and the American Medical Association (AMA).

The report,… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 19, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments

US-based TGen Drug Development and France’s Institut Paoli-Calmettes Create New Alliance Focuses on Cancer

TGen Drug Development (TD2), a Scottsdale subsidiary of the Phoenix-based the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) providing innovative services for oncology-focused biopharmaceutical companies using and the Institut Paoli-Calmettes (IPC), a comprehensive cancer center in Marseille, France which is part of a network of 20 cancer treatment centers in France, have forged a strategic alliance that will enable both to maximize their worldwide contributions in the treatment of… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 18, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments

HHS Secretary Sebelius: More Research and More Scientific Innovation to Help Prevent, Detect, and Fight Breast Cancer

Earlier this week, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) announced that it is changing its guidelines for mammography and no longer recommends routine screening for women between the ages of 40 and 49. These guidelines have created confusion and anger amoung physicians and patients.

Commenting on the new guidelines, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius mentioned: “There is no question that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations have… Continue

Added by Peter Hofland, PhD on November 18, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments