all cancer stories

Researchers identify promising cancer drug target in prostate tumors

404132862 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:26:05 -0400

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report they have blocked the development of prostate tumors in cancer-prone mice by knocking out a molecular unit they describe as a "powerhouse" that drives runaway cell growth.

In a letter appearing in an advanced online publication by the journal Nature, the researchers said the growth-stimulating molecule called p110beta — part of a cellular signaling network disrupted in several common cancers — is a promising target for novel cancer therapies designed to shut it down. The report's lead authors are Shidong Jia, Zhenning Liu, Sen Zhang, and Pixu Liu.

Passage of time reduces smoking mortality risk for women who quit

404132862 — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:24:54 -0400

Women who quit smoking significantly reduce their risk of
death from coronary heart disease within 5 years and have about a 20
percent lower risk of death from smoking-related cancers within that
time period, according to a study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

Cancer drug activates adult stem cells

404132862 — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:35:29 -0500

The use of a drug used in cancer treatment activates stem cells that differentiate into bone appears to cause regeneration of bone tissue and be may be a potential treatment strategy for osteoporosis, according to a report in the February 2008 Journal of Clinical Investigation.

M. Judah Folkman, biomedical pioneer, dies at 74

404132862 — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:55:01 -0500

One of Harvard Medical School’s (HMS) most forward-looking and innovative physician-scientists, M. Judah Folkman, died suddenly Monday (Jan. 14) after suffering a heart attack at the Denver International Airport in Denver. He was 74.

Gene variation may elevate risk of liver tumor in patients with cirrhosis

404132862 — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 09:13:02 -0500

A genetic variation appears to significantly increase the risk that individuals with cirrhosis of the liver will develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a liver tumor that is the third leading cause of cancer death.

Microchip-based device can detect rare tumor cells in bloodstream

404132862 — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:37:41 -0500

A team of investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) BioMicroElectroMechanical Systems (BioMEMS) Resource Center and the MGH Cancer Center has developed a microchip-based device that can isolate, enumerate and analyze circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from a blood sample.

Consumption of some foods associated with decrease in ovarian cancer risk

404132862 — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:47:20 -0500

New research from the Channing Laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) reports that frequent consumption of foods containing the flavonoid kaempferol, including non-herbal tea and broccoli, was associated with a reduced risk of ovarian cancer. The researchers also found a decreased risk in women who consumed large amounts of the flavonoid luteolin, which is found in foods such as carrots, peppers and cabbage. These findings appear in the November 15,

Obesity and overweight linked to higher prostate cancer mortality

404132862 — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:23:08 -0500

Men who are overweight or obese when diagnosed with prostate cancer are at greater risk of death after treatment, according to a new study in the December 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study has been released online ahead of print publication.

Study paints genetic portrait of lung cancer

404132862 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:37:32 -0500

An international team of scientists today announced the results of a systematic effort to map the genetic changes underlying lung cancer, the world’s leading cause of cancer deaths.

Appearing in the November 4 advance online issue of the journal Nature, the research provides a comprehensive view of the abnormal genetic landscape in lung cancer cells, revealing more than 50 genomic regions that are frequently gained or lost in human lung tumors. While one-third of these regions contain genes already known to play important roles in lung cancer, the majority harbor new genes yet to be discovered.

Study: Heed spiritual needs of cancer patients

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:50:38 -0400

People with advanced cancer felt they received little or no spiritual support from religious communities and the medical system, according to a new survey. However, those who did receive such support reported a better quality of life.

Vitamin D may protect against prostate cancer

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:28:47 -0400

With spring on the way, Harvard researchers advise men to get more sun, supplements, and seafood. All are good sources of vitamin D, and a large, lengthy study suggests the vitamin reduces risk of prostate cancer.

About 240,000 men in the United States alone will be told that they have the cancer this year, and around 30,000 of those with the disease will die from it. An 18-year Harvard investigation of 14,916 medical doctors found that 1,066 developed the cancer, and 496 of them suffered a deadly form of it. The researchers say that such tolls can be reduced with the help of vitamin D.

Study questions 'cancer stem cell' hypothesis in breast cancer growth

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 09:27:17 -0400

A Dana-Farber Cancer Institute study challenges the hypothesis that "cancer stem cells" — a small number of self-renewing cells within a tumor — are responsible for breast cancer progression and recurrence, and that wiping out these cells alone could cure the disease.

Instead, the scientists report in the March issue of Cancer Cell that they have identified two genetically distinct populations of cancer cells in samples of human breast tumors — one of the types being a cell recently proposed by other scientists to be a true breast cancer stem cell.

Common prostate cancer therapy may carry risks

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:24:43 -0400

Androgen deprivation therapy - one of the most common treatments for prostate cancer - may increase the risk of death from heart disease in patients over age 65, according to a new study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and other institutions.

The study results were based on data from CaPSURE, a national registry of men with prostate cancer. Although the findings need to be confirmed in clinical trials, the study authors state that oncologists should weigh the benefits of androgen deprivation therapy, or ADT, against the risk of heart problems in older prostate cancer patients.

Practical way to target cancer cell mutations demonstrated

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:53:45 -0400

A study led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University provides the first demonstration of a practical method of screening tumors for cancer-related gene abnormalities that might be treated with "targeted" drugs.

The findings, published online Feb. 11 on the Nature Genetics Web site, may help relieve a bottleneck between scientists' expanding knowledge of the genetic mutations associated with cancer and the still-nascent ability of doctors to use that knowledge to benefit patients. The results constitute an important step toward the era of "personalized medicine," in which cancer therapy will be guided by the particular set of genetic mutations within each patient's tumor, the authors suggest.

"It's universally recognized that cancer is a disease of the genome, of mutations within genes responsible for cell growth and survival, and a great deal of effort has gone into finding those mutations, to the point where several hundred to a thousand are now known," said the study's senior author, Levi Garraway, of Dana-Farber and the Broad Institute. "The challenge has been how to determine which of them are involved in each of the hundreds of kinds of cancer that occur in humans - and to develop accurate, affordable methods of detecting key mutations in tumor samples. This study suggests that such a method is feasible on a large scale."

The authors took advantage of a scientific serendipity to devise a simple test to detect important cancer mutations. Mutations in oncogenes (genes linked to cancer) do not occur randomly; rather, they seem to arise most frequently in certain regions of the oncogenes. As a result, researchers didn't necessarily have to scan the entire length of each gene, but could focus instead on the sections most likely to harbor mutations.

Major funding for the study was provided by grants from Genentech, Inc. the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research.

Sengupta wins $4.1 million 'Era of Hope' award for breast cancer advances

50443248 — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 11:32:46 -0400

An assistant professor of medicine at Harvard has won a $4.1 million "Era of Hope" scholar award from the U.S. Defense Department's Breast Cancer Research Program in support of his cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research aimed at fighting breast and other types of cancer.

Shiladitya Sengupta, an assistant professor in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and an associate bioengineer at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said the award has transformed his plans for his year-old lab, located in the Partners Research Building on Landsdowne Street in Cambridge.