Latest and Breaking Cancer News

New model may simplify high-dose radiosurgery planning
2 September 2010, 4:00 am
(Ohio State University Medical Center) There is yet no straightforward way to determine the optimal dose level and treatment schedules for high-dose radiation therapies such as stereotactic radiation therapy, which is used to treat brain and lung cancer, or for high-dose brachytherapy for prostate and other cancers. Radiation oncology researchers at Ohio State University may have solved the problem with a new mathematical model called the Generalized LQ (gLQ) Model that encompasses all dose levels and schedules

Medicinal cannabis review highlights dilemmas facing health care professionals
2 September 2010, 4:00 am
(Wiley-Blackwell) Patients who use cannabis for medicinal purposes pose a wide range of legal, ethical and medical dilemmas for the health care professionals looking after them according to an in-depth review just published. The study also found extreme caution about integrating cannabis derivative medications into mainstream medical use.

Scientists discover the mechanisms and function of a type of mysterious immune cell
2 September 2010, 4:00 am
(Scripps Research Institute) In two closely related studies, two teams of Scripps Research Institute scientists have discovered the underlying mechanisms that activate a type of immune cell in the skin and other organs. The findings may lead to the development of new therapies to treat inflammation, wounds, asthma and malignant tumors.

Hormel Institute study reveals capsaicin can act as cocarcinogen
2 September 2010, 4:00 am
(University of Minnesota) The September cover story of the nation's leading cancer journal, Cancer Research, features a new study from the Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, that links capsaicin, a component of chili peppers, to skin cancer.

Study finds that cancer-causing gene crucial in stem cell development
2 September 2010, 4:00 am
(University of Georgia) A research team at the University of Georgia has shown for the first time that a gene called Myc, which is traditionally thought of as a cancer-causing gene, may be far more important in the development and persistence of stem cells than was known before.

Scientists unwrap DNA packaging to gain insight into cells
2 September 2010, 4:00 am
(University of Edinburgh) Scientists have built a clearer picture of how lengthy strands of DNA are concertinaed when our cells grow and divide, in a discovery could help explain how cell renewal can go wrong.

'Basal-like' breast cancer does not originate from basal stem cells
2 September 2010, 4:00 am
(Cell Press) New research uncovers a case of mistaken identity that may have a significant impact on future breast cancer prevention and treatment strategies. The study, published by Cell Press in the Sept. 3 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, suggests that despite their "stem cell-like" characteristics, most aggressive breast tumors are not derived from normal mammary gland stem cells.

Connection between light at night and cancer revealed in additional study
2 September 2010, 4:00 am
(University of Haifa) The researchers say that their study results show that suppression of melatonin due to exposure to light at night, or LAN, is linked to the worrying rise in the number of cancer patients over the past few years.

JCI online early table of contents: Sept. 1, 2010
1 September 2010, 4:00 am
(Journal of Clinical Investigation) This release contains summaries, links to PDFs, and contact information for the following newsworthy papers to be published online, Sept. 1, 2010, in the JCI: "Protecting nerve cells from death in a model of stroke"; "Modified adenovirus malaria vaccine works a treat in mice"; "Mechanisms of testicular cancer drug resistance"; "Pacifying protein levels to treat diabetes"; "Preemptive approach to decreasing scarring in the heart"; and others.

Targeted strategies needed to find, prevent and treat breast cancer among Mexican-origin women
1 September 2010, 4:00 am
(University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center) Specific prevention and education strategies are needed to address breast cancer in Mexican-origin women in this country, according to a study at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, which was published online in the journal Cancer.