November 18, 2009, 11:47 PM CT

Warburg effect against cancer

The pedal-to-the-metal signals driving the growth of several types of cancer cells lead to a common switch governing the use of glucose, scientists at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have discovered.

Researchers who study cancer have known for decades that cancer cells tend to consume more glucose, or blood sugar, than healthy cells. This tendency is known as the "Warburg effect," honoring discoverer Otto Warburg, a German biochemist who won the 1931 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Now a Winship-led team has identified a way to possibly exploit cancer cells' taste for glucose.

The results were published this week in the journal Science Signaling.

Normally cells have two modes of burning glucose, comparable to sprinting and long-distance running: glycolysis, which doesn't require oxygen and doesn't consume all of the glucose molecule, and oxidative phosphorylation, which requires oxygen and is more thorough.

Cancer cells often outgrow their blood supply, leading to a lack of oxygen in a tumor, says Jing Chen, PhD, assistant professor of hematology and medical oncology at Emory University School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute. They also benefit from glycolysis because leftovers from the inefficient consumption of glucose can be used as building blocks for growing cells......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

November 5, 2009, 8:36 AM CT

Chemo-radiation before prostate removal

Scientists in the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center have found a combination of radiation treatment and chemotherapy given before prostate removal is safe and may have the potential to reduce cancer recurrence and improve patient survival.

Their findings were presented this week at the 51st annual meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Chicago.

"In men with aggressive prostate cancer, standard therapies such as radiation or surgery often fail to eliminate the cancer completely at the site of therapy. When these cancers recur, they are often fatal," said Mark Garzotto, M.D., principal investigator and Associate Professor of Urology and Radiation Medicine in the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute; and Chief of Urologic Oncology in the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Prior clinical trials examining the effect of either hormonal treatment or chemotherapy previous to surgery have shown little if any benefit over prostate removal alone. "Novel approaches are needed if we are to make advances in this disease," added Dr. Garzotto.

The use of multimodality treatment combined radiation, chemotherapy and surgery has resulted in improved outcomes in many cancers, but has still not been studied in prostate cancer......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

October 20, 2009, 10:07 PM CT

Depression in older cancer patients

Depression in older cancer patients can be effectively treated with collaborative approach in primary-care settings.

Depression in older cancer patients is very common, and has debilitating effects on their quality of life both during and after therapy. University of Washington (UW) scientists are showing that there are ways to better this situation.

"Little is known about the optimal approach to treating depression in this population, and older cancer patients are less likely to be treated for their depression than are younger cancer patients," said Dr. Jesse Fann, University of Washington associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Fann is the director of psychiatric services at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and an investigator in the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Fann and colleagues reviewed the effectiveness in older, depressed cancer patients of an intervention called Improving Mood-Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment (IMPACT), compared to a similar set of patients receiving usual care. All participants had either major depression or a type of chronic depression called dysthymia, or a combination of both.

IMPACT participants worked with a depression care manager in their primary-care clinic for up to a year. Under the supervision of the patient's primary-care provider and a psychiatry expert, the care manager offered the patient support in taking anti-depressants if prescribed by the primary-care provider, education about depression, care coordination and structured counseling sessions that helped the patient engage in pleasant activities and that taught problem-solving skills......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

August 16, 2009, 8:28 PM CT

More-sensitive assay for detecting DNA methylation in colon cancer

A study published in this week's online issue of Nature Biotechnology, demonstrates a unique and highly sensitive method for detecting methylation-associated cancers.

Chemical modification of DNA via the addition or deletion of methyl groups has been established as a common biological means of activating or silencing genes. Abnormal levels of DNA methylation, which effectively disrupt the genes responsible for normal cell cycle regulation, has been implicated in many different cancers, and has led to the development of novel cancer biomarkers.

However, methylation events are rare and difficult to detect in clinically relevant samples of blood, serum, sputum, urine or feces using currently available methods of analysis. In a joint effort between Case Western Reserve University and John's Hopkins University, scientists have developed a highly sensitive method for detecting methylated DNA.

The authors say the new method, known as Methyl-BEAMing (beads, emulsion, amplification and magnetics) technology, enables absolute quantification of the number of methylated molecules in a sample, and can detect as few as one methylated molecule in approximately 5000 unmethylated molecules in DNA from plasma and fecal samples, an over 60-fold improvement over an alternative usually used detection method......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

May 11, 2009, 5:12 AM CT

Conflicts of interest in many cancer studies

A new analysis finds that a considerable number of clinical cancer studies published in respected medical journals have financial connections to pharmaceutical companies. Reported in the June 15, 2009 issue of CANCER, a peer-evaluated journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that conflicts of interest may cause some scientists to report biased results that are favorable to companies.

Ties between clinical scientists and companies that make medical devices and drugs have become increasingly complex and controversial, especially as more scientists compete for scarce federal research funds. In addition to using industry money to support their research, some researchers receive consulting fees, own stock and hold positions within companies that profit from selling the very products they are investigating. These conflicts of interest have raised concerns that studies with ties to industry are biased and are not designed to provide a true test of medical therapies. A number of medical journals now require scientists to disclose potential conflicts of interest in the articles they submit for publication.

To get sense of the frequency and impact of conflicts of interest in clinical cancer research, Dr. Reshma Jagsi of the University of Michigan and his colleagues evaluated cancer studies appearing in eight highly regarded journals in 2006. These journals included the New England Journal (NEJM); JAMA; the Lancet; the Journal of Clinical Oncology; the Journal of the National Cancer Institute; Lancet Oncology; Clinical Cancer Research; and CANCER........ Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source