A subset of bone cancer patients may respond to IGF1R inhibitors based on their genetic profile A subgroup of patients with osteosarcoma — a form of bone cancer — could be helped by an existing drug, suggest scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators at University College London Cancer Institute and the...
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Researchers Uncover What Causes Cancer Cells to Spread and How We Can Slow It
IN BRIEF Johns Hopkins University researchers identified a key mechanism behind one of cancer’s deadliest traits. By understanding how metastasis works, their study presents new possibilities for preventing the spread of cancer in the body. UNDERSTANDING CANCER CELLS Treating cancer can be tricky: for one, cancer cells tend to spread quickly, known as metastasis — a...
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Drug, herb interactions frequent for cancer patients
Allan Ramos-Esquivel, M.D., from Hospital San Juan de Dios in San José Costa Rica, and colleagues administered a questionnaire to patients starting a new anticancer therapy to identify concomitant use of any over-the-counter drug or herbal supplement. The authors examined clinically relevant DDIs and HDIs among 149 patients. If the clinical pharmacist recognized a potentially clinically relevant DDI,...
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Immunotherapy kinder than chemotherapy for patients with head and neck cancer
The immunotherapy nivolumab is kinder than chemotherapy for people with advanced head and neck cancer – easing many of the negative effects of the disease on patients’ quality of life. Both head and neck cancer and the treatment for it can have a huge impact on patients – affecting their speech, breathing, eating and drinking,...
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A Unique Amino Acid for Brain Cancer Therapy
Photodynamic therapy is often used to treat brain tumors because of its specificity—it can target very small regions containing cancerous cells while sparing the normal cells around it from damage. It works by injecting a drug called a photosensitizer into the bloodstream, where it gathers in cells, and then exposing the drug-filled cells to light....
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AstraZeneca’s Lynparza Could Be Transformed Into Precision Medicine For Prostate Cancer
Thanks to a new three-in-one blood test, AstraZeneca’s drug Lynparza could be transformed into precision medicine for patients with prostate cancer, researchers said. On Monday, June 19, a newly published study revealed how a blood test that analyzes cancer DNA from patients can revolutionize prostate cancer treatment. AstraZeneca’s Lynparza has long been approved for the treatment...
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DIY test set to let thousands escape colonoscopy ordeal: Patients will be given kits by GPs to avoid invasive hospital procedure, say doctors
GPs will give DIY kits to NHS patients with bleeding and lower abdominal pain Currently people with those symptoms are referred for colonoscopies Four per cent of 260,000 Britons sent for examination in 2017 had bowel cancer A DIY test that can detect the early signs of bowel cancer could save thousands of Britons from...
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Stem cells: the future of medicine
Imagine being able to take cells from your skin, transform them into other types of cells, such as lung, brain, heart or muscle cells, and use those to cure your ailments, from diabetes to heart disease or macular degeneration. To realise this, however, challenges still remain, Professor Janet Rossant, a pioneer in the field, says....
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Autoimmunity may have role in Parkinson’s disease
For the first time, scientists have found evidence that autoimmunity may have a role in Parkinson’s disease. They found that fragments of the protein that builds up in the dopamine cells of the brains of people with Parkinson’s trigger an immune response that kills the cells. The study – led by Columbia University Medical Center...
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Scientists Call for More Research into Link Between Autism and Gut Bacteria
IN BRIEF After studies over the course of 50 years have found a correlation between gut bacteria and autism, researchers are now rallying for more large-scale tests to be performed to see how strong the link is. AUTISM AND DIET Researchers have explored 150 papers, written since the 1960’s, that have reported links between the composition...