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Large multicenter study sequences genes of neuroblastoma
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/22/2013) - An extensive genomic study of the childhood cancer neuroblastoma reinforces the challenges in treating the most aggressive forms of this disease. Contrary to expectations, the scientists found relatively few recurrent gene mutations—mutations that would suggest new targets for neuroblastoma treatment. Instead, say the researchers, they have now refocused on how neuroblastoma tumors evolve in response to medicine and other factors. The study included participants from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (home of the Abramson Cancer Center), the Broad Institute, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the University of British Columbia.
UNC researchers use luminescent mice to track cancer and aging in real-time
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/18/2013) - In a study published in the January 18 issue of Cell, researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a new method to visualize aging and tumor growth in mice using a gene closely linked to these processes.
UCSD study illuminates how cells know when it’s time to eat themselves
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/18/2013) - Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Moores Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a molecular mechanism regulating autophagy, a fundamental stress response used by cells to help ensure their survival in adverse conditions. The researchers report that an enzyme called AMPK, typically involved in sensing and modulating energy use in cells, also regulates autophagic enzymes. Failure of normal autophagy has been associated with accumulated cell damage and aging.
UCSD study finds a developmental drug targets hard-to-teach leukemia stem cells responsible for relapses
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/18/2013) - Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Moores Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered that hard-to-reach, drug-resistant leukemia stem cells (LSCs) that overexpress multiple pro-survival protein forms are sensitive – and thus vulnerable – to a novel cancer stem cell-targeting drug currently under development. The findings, published in the January 17 online issue of Cell Stem Cell, open the possibility that diseases like chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and some solid tumor cancers might – in combination with other therapies – be more effectively treated with this drug, and with a lower chance of relapse.
SPARC reduces inflammation, bladder cancer development and metastasis
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/17/2013) - A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that the protein SPARC (Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine) acts much like an anti-inflammatory drug, attempting to heal tissues inflamed by tumors. Likewise, cancers – for example, bladder cancer in this study – have developed ways to turn off the production of SPARC, thus allowing growth and metastasis, especially to the lung where bladder cancer is frequently fatal.
Johns Hopkins study finds surgical-site infections may increase risk of deadly blood clots after colorectal surgery
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/17/2013) - Despite receiving blood thinners and other clot prevention treatment, some patients still develop potentially lethal blood clots in the first month after their operations anyway, especially if they developed a surgical-site infection while in the hospital, according to results of a study at Johns Hopkins, home to the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. The research, described in a report published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, found that patients who experience a surgical-site infection after their abdominal surgery are four times more likely than infection-free patients to develop a deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in the legs, or its more deadly cousin, a pulmonary embolism (PE) in the lungs.
Smoking intensity predicts seriousness of bladder cancer
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/15/2013) - Smoking not only causes bladder cancer — it also affects its course, in that people who smoke more have greater likelihood of developing more aggressive and deadly disease. That is one of the conclusions of a new study published online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study, conducted by researchers with the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and the Keck School of Medicine of USC (home of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center) also found that a panel of bladder cancer markers can predict which particular cases are at the highest risk for a fatal outcome.
Team finds gene that promotes drug resistance in cancer
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/15/2013) - Scientists from the University of Iowa and Brigham Young University have identified a gene that may be a target for overcoming drug resistance in cancer. The finding could not only improve prognostic and diagnostic tools for evaluating cancer and monitoring patients' response to treatment but also could lead to new therapies directed at eradicating drug-resistant cancer cells. The University of Iowa is home to the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Fox Chase researchers discover novel role of the NEDD9 gene in early stages of breast cancer
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/15/2013) - A protein called NEDD9—which regulates cell migration, division and survival—has been linked to tumor invasion and metastasis in a variety of cancers. Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have now shown that NEDD9 plays a surprising role in the early stages of breast tumor development by controlling the growth of progenitor cells that give rise to tumors. The findings, published in the journal Oncogene on January 14, 2013, could lead to personalized treatment strategies for women with breast cancer based on the levels of NEDD9 in their tumors.
Cervical cancer screening in less-developed areas should be tailored to local conditions
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/15/2013) - The best approach to detecting cervical cancer in HIV-positive women living in research limited countries such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa combines commonly used testing methods tailored to local levels of development and medical infrastructure, according to a study by researchers from and the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and the University of North Carolina, home of the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center.
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/22/2013) - An extensive genomic study of the childhood cancer neuroblastoma reinforces the challenges in treating the most aggressive forms of this disease. Contrary to expectations, the scientists found relatively few recurrent gene mutations—mutations that would suggest new targets for neuroblastoma treatment. Instead, say the researchers, they have now refocused on how neuroblastoma tumors evolve in response to medicine and other factors. The study included participants from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (home of the Abramson Cancer Center), the Broad Institute, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the University of British Columbia.
UNC researchers use luminescent mice to track cancer and aging in real-time
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/18/2013) - In a study published in the January 18 issue of Cell, researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a new method to visualize aging and tumor growth in mice using a gene closely linked to these processes.
UCSD study illuminates how cells know when it’s time to eat themselves
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/18/2013) - Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Moores Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a molecular mechanism regulating autophagy, a fundamental stress response used by cells to help ensure their survival in adverse conditions. The researchers report that an enzyme called AMPK, typically involved in sensing and modulating energy use in cells, also regulates autophagic enzymes. Failure of normal autophagy has been associated with accumulated cell damage and aging.
UCSD study finds a developmental drug targets hard-to-teach leukemia stem cells responsible for relapses
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/18/2013) - Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Moores Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered that hard-to-reach, drug-resistant leukemia stem cells (LSCs) that overexpress multiple pro-survival protein forms are sensitive – and thus vulnerable – to a novel cancer stem cell-targeting drug currently under development. The findings, published in the January 17 online issue of Cell Stem Cell, open the possibility that diseases like chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and some solid tumor cancers might – in combination with other therapies – be more effectively treated with this drug, and with a lower chance of relapse.
SPARC reduces inflammation, bladder cancer development and metastasis
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/17/2013) - A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that the protein SPARC (Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine) acts much like an anti-inflammatory drug, attempting to heal tissues inflamed by tumors. Likewise, cancers – for example, bladder cancer in this study – have developed ways to turn off the production of SPARC, thus allowing growth and metastasis, especially to the lung where bladder cancer is frequently fatal.
Johns Hopkins study finds surgical-site infections may increase risk of deadly blood clots after colorectal surgery
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/17/2013) - Despite receiving blood thinners and other clot prevention treatment, some patients still develop potentially lethal blood clots in the first month after their operations anyway, especially if they developed a surgical-site infection while in the hospital, according to results of a study at Johns Hopkins, home to the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. The research, described in a report published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, found that patients who experience a surgical-site infection after their abdominal surgery are four times more likely than infection-free patients to develop a deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in the legs, or its more deadly cousin, a pulmonary embolism (PE) in the lungs.
Smoking intensity predicts seriousness of bladder cancer
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/15/2013) - Smoking not only causes bladder cancer — it also affects its course, in that people who smoke more have greater likelihood of developing more aggressive and deadly disease. That is one of the conclusions of a new study published online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study, conducted by researchers with the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and the Keck School of Medicine of USC (home of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center) also found that a panel of bladder cancer markers can predict which particular cases are at the highest risk for a fatal outcome.
Team finds gene that promotes drug resistance in cancer
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/15/2013) - Scientists from the University of Iowa and Brigham Young University have identified a gene that may be a target for overcoming drug resistance in cancer. The finding could not only improve prognostic and diagnostic tools for evaluating cancer and monitoring patients' response to treatment but also could lead to new therapies directed at eradicating drug-resistant cancer cells. The University of Iowa is home to the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Fox Chase researchers discover novel role of the NEDD9 gene in early stages of breast cancer
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/15/2013) - A protein called NEDD9—which regulates cell migration, division and survival—has been linked to tumor invasion and metastasis in a variety of cancers. Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have now shown that NEDD9 plays a surprising role in the early stages of breast tumor development by controlling the growth of progenitor cells that give rise to tumors. The findings, published in the journal Oncogene on January 14, 2013, could lead to personalized treatment strategies for women with breast cancer based on the levels of NEDD9 in their tumors.
Cervical cancer screening in less-developed areas should be tailored to local conditions
NCI Cancer Center News
(Posted: 01/15/2013) - The best approach to detecting cervical cancer in HIV-positive women living in research limited countries such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa combines commonly used testing methods tailored to local levels of development and medical infrastructure, according to a study by researchers from and the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and the University of North Carolina, home of the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center.
