April 11, 2007, 11:04 PM CT

A genetic 'gang of 4' drives spread of breast cancer

Studies of human tumor cells implanted in mice have shown that the abnormal activation of four genes drives the spread of breast cancer to the lungs. The new studies by Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists reveal that the aberrant genes work together to promote the growth of primary breast tumors. Cooperation among the four genes also enables malignant cells to escape into the bloodstream and penetrate through blood vessels into lung tissues.

Eventhough shutting off these genes individually can slow cancer growth and metastasis, the scientists observed that turning off all four together had a far more dramatic effect on halting cancer growth and metastasis. Metastasis occurs when cells from a primary tumor break off and invade another organ. It is the deadliest transformation that a cancer can undergo, and therefore scientists have been looking for specific genes that propel metastasis.

In the newly published experiments, the scientists also observed that they could reduce the growth and spread of human breast tumors in mice by simultaneously targeting two of the proteins produced by these genes, using drugs already on the market. The scientists are exploring clinical testing of combination treatment with the drugscetuximab (trade name Erbitux) and celecoxib (Celebrex)to treat breast cancer metastasis......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

April 3, 2007, 10:52 PM CT

Depiction of Tobacco Smoking in Movies

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) today is releasing materials presented to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in a scientific briefing requested by the MPAA last February 23, 2007 in Hollywood on the health impact of youth smoking and the behavioral influence of films that depict tobacco use.

The presentations can be accessed at www.hsph.harvard.edu/mpaa/.

From the perspective of public health, tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of death in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 438,000 people in the U.S. and 5 million worldwide die prematurely each year from tobacco-related disease.

The presentations lay the foundation for the recommendation of Dean Barry R. Bloom of the Harvard School of Public Health that the MPAA take substantive and effective action to eliminate the depiction of tobacco smoking from films accessible to children and youths.

HSPH has long been active in pressing for control of tobacco and smoking. In 1981, Professor Dimitrios Trichopoulos of the School's Department of Epidemiology first described the health effects of secondhand smoke, linking it to increased lung cancer risk in people who had never smoked themselves.

In 1999, Associate Dean Jay Winsten, Director of the Center for Health Communication at HSPH, and Susan Moses, Deputy Director, went to Hollywood to advocate for avoidance of smoking in youth-rated movies. In December 2006, the new chairman and CEO of the MPAA, Dan Glickman, sent a letter to Dean Bloom asking for HSPH recommendations on smoking in films, and later invited him to make a scientific presentation on the impact of youth smoking and the behavioral influence of movies that depict tobacco use......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

April 1, 2007, 9:13 PM CT

Gender linked to skin cancer

Inherent gender differences instead of more sun exposure may be one reason why men are three times more likely than women to develop certain kinds of skin cancer, say researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center.

Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of skin cancer, accounting for nearly 200,000 new cases in the United States each year. While occurring more often than melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma is not nearly as worrisome. Still, it can be lethal in some patients, especially those with suppressed immune systems, including transplant recipients or people who are HIV-positive.

Many studies have shown that the risk of squamous cell carcinoma increases with greater exposure to the sun. For years, scientists assumed that lifestyle had a lot to do with the disparity in the incidence of SCC believing that men spend more time outside and are less likely to use sun protection than women.

While that may be true, scientists at Ohio State have shown that there may be another, even more critical factor involved gender-linked differences in the amount of naturally occurring antioxidants in the skin.

The study appears in the April 1 issue of Cancer Research.

Dr. Tatiana Oberyszyn, an assistant professor of pathology and of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics at Ohio State University Medical Center, has been studying non-melanoma skin cancers for years. She had a hunch there might be gender-related variables that accounted for the difference between male and female rates of developing these malignancies, and designed an experiment to find out what they might be......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

March 29, 2007, 4:48 AM CT

Computerized reminders for mammography screening

Findings of a new Mayo Clinic study published this week in Archives of Internal Medicine show that a computerized mail and phone reminder program can significantly increase the percentage of patients receiving preventive health services and improve the value of health care.

"National evidence-based guidelines say every woman over age 40 should have a yearly mammogram, but only about 65 percent of women nationally have had one in the last two years," explains Rajeev Chaudhry, M.B.B.S., the Mayo Clinic doctor who led the study. "In this study we showed we can increase that percentage through a team approach, and we're applying the findings to other chronic disease and preventive services, too".

The researchers divided a population of 6,675 women aged 40-75 into two nearly equal groups: one to get mailings and, if necessary, a phone call to remind them to schedule a mammogram; and a control group that did not receive reminders. Among the reminded group, 64.3 percent had their yearly mammogram, compared to 55.3 percent in the control group. As the program has expanded following the study period, compliance with yearly mammograms has now grown to over 72 percent, with 86 percent having had one within the previous two years.

Dr. Chaudhry said a redesign of the primary care practice to enable appointment secretaries to schedule preventive services was a key to the program's success......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

March 28, 2007, 10:22 PM CT

MRI Detects Most Missed Opposite Breast Cancers

Up to 10 percent of women newly diagnosed with cancer in one breast develop cancer in the opposite breast. Results of a major clinical trial show that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are highly effective tools for quickly identifying these opposite breast cancers, detecting diseased tissue that other screening methods missed.

In the new trial, conducted by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) and funded by the National Cancer Institute, researchers wanted to determine whether MRI could improve doctors' ability to identify these opposite breast cancers right at the initial diagnosis - boosting the chances for swift and successful treatment.

The results, published in the New England Journal (NEJM), show that for women already diagnosed with cancer in one breast, MRI scans detected more than 90 percent of cancers in the opposite, or contralateral, breast.

"The study establishes MRI as a key component of the diagnostic workup for women with breast cancer," said Constantine Gatsonis, lead statistician for the trial and director of the Center for Statistical Sciences at Brown University. "If my wife were diagnosed with breast cancer, I'd be sure that she got an MRI of the opposite breast".

Gatsonis, a Brown professor of biostatistics, oversaw design of the MRI trial and led analysis of its results. He offered a caveat: The study showed that MRI is an effective addition to - but not a replacement for - clinical breast exams and mammography......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

March 28, 2007, 10:19 PM CT

Cryoablation for kidney tumor patients

Mayo Clinic scientists report that freezing kidney tumors through percutaneous cryoablation shows promise for patients who are not good candidates for surgery. Their early findings showing short-term success in more than 90 percent of selected patients are published in this month's issue of Radiology.

The standard therapy for kidney tumors is surgery, providing a high likelihood of a long-term cure. For some patients, surgery is not an option, and Mayo's urologists and radiologists collaborated to find alternatives for these individuals. If these patients are frail due to age or illness or are not able to have surgery because of other factors, percutaneous cryoablation may be an option.

"This procedure appears to be a good option for some patients," says Thomas Atwell, M.D., Mayo Clinic radiologist and the study's primary investigator. "It makes their hospital stay and recovery time very short and surgical stress is minimal." He cautions that this procedure is not ideal for everyone, noting that it is an option for only a relatively small subset of patients.

Percutaneous ablation uses needles to penetrate the skin and deliver directly to the tumor either high-intensity, tissue-destroying heat through radiofrequency ablation, or freezing cold through cryoablation. Mayo Clinic's radiologists are among the most experienced in the world in performing ablation techniques, and have treated nearly 300 kidney tumors either with radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) burns away the tumor, while cryoablation freezes it......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

March 25, 2007, 8:17 PM CT

Blueberries to prevent colon cancer

A compound found in blueberries shows promise of preventing colon cancer in animals, as per a joint study by researchers at Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The compound, pterostilbene, is a potent antioxidant that could be developed into a pill with the potential for fewer side effects than some commercial drugs that are currently used to prevent the disease. Colon cancer is considered the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, the scientists say.

While recent studies have identified a growing number of antioxidants in fruits, vegetables and whole grains that show potential for fighting colon cancer, this is thought to bethe first study to demonstrate the cancer-fighting potential of pterostilbene against the disease, the researchers say. Their findings were described today at the 233rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

This study underscores the need to include more berries in the diet, particularly blueberries, says study leader Bandaru Reddy, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Chemical Biology at Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. Eventhough the blueberry compound wont cure colon cancer, it represents a potential new and attractive strategy for preventing the disease naturally, says Reddy, a leading expert on nutritional factors that influence colon cancer development......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

March 21, 2007, 4:57 AM CT

Cancer researchers add spice to research

Researchers who focus on the molecular signaling that underlies prostate cancer have discovered a compound that shows promise against a debilitating neurodegenerative condition known as Kennedy's disease, which is caused by a mutant gene. Currently there is no therapy for the inherited disorder, which resembles a slowly progressive form of Lou Gehrig's disease and affects only men.

The compound, a distant chemical relative of a component of the spice curry, dramatically slowed the progression of the disease in mice that carried the mutant human gene that causes the disease. The mice were able to walk much more normally, their muscles were much stronger, and they had near-normal levels of a vital molecule crucial for keeping nerve cells healthy.

While a great deal more research needs to be done to see if the compound could be developed into a drug to help people with the disease, researchers say it's a promising development in a field where progress has been slow.

The research by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center appears in the March 6 issue of the journal Nature Medicine.

In their search for new therapys for prostate cancer and other diseases, Chawnshang Chang, Ph.D., and colleagues have taken a few cues from centuries of Asian tradition, where curcumin the bright yellow spice found in curry powder has been used to treat a variety of ills. In the last decade, Western medicine has been putting curry to the test, finding that the spice offers promise against breast cancer, melanoma, Alzheimer's disease and the blisters that come with radiation therapys for cancer......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

March 20, 2007, 9:19 PM CT

New Saliva Test for Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women in the United States. In 2006, the American Cancer Society estimated that there would be 212,920 new cases of invasive breast cancer, and in that year, 40,970 women would die from it. A number of women's lives could be saved if this cancer was diagnosed earlier, and early diagnosis could be achieved if there were more and easier opportunities to do so.

Sebastian Z. Paige and Charles F. Streckfus, DDS, MA, the authors of the study, "Salivary analysis in the diagnosis and therapy of breast cancer," reported in the March/April 2007 issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry's (AGD) clinical, peer-evaluated journal, researched a new method of diagnosis.

They observed that the protein levels in saliva have great potential to assist in the diagnosis, therapy, and follow-up care of breast cancer. And general dentists are perfect candidates to assist with this diagnosis samples because they can easily remove saliva samples from a patient's mouth during routine visits. As the AGD's Vice-President Paula Jones, DDS, FAGD says, "Since a patient visits the dentist more frequently than their physician, it makes sense that this diagnostic tool could be very effective in the hands of the general dentist"......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source

March 20, 2007, 9:13 PM CT

Study Of Leukemia Survivors

Results from the longest follow-up study ever done of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors show the importance of long-term monitoring of former patients to identify complications they are at risk for developing during the later part of life and to modify current therapys to reduce those risks, as per researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. ALL is the most common cancer in children and adolescentswith about 3,000 new cases diagnosed yearly in the United States.

The St. Jude study showed that adults who had received therapy for ALL during childhood are at increased risk for developing a secondary neoplasm during the next 30 years. Secondary neoplasms are new tumors that develop after successful therapy of an initial cancer.

A report on this work appears in the March 21 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association" ("JAMA").

The finding is important because the cure rate of children treated for ALL has increased dramatically since the 1960s, approaching 90 percent today at St. Jude. Therefore, it is important to monitor survivors during their entire lives to identify the long-term complications they might experience even decades after the end of their therapy, the scientists said.

Prior studies found a relatively low occurence rate of secondary neoplasm during the first 10 to 15 years after therapy for ALL. Those studies suggested that the occurence rate of these new tumors might not be significant 20 years after treatment. "On the contrary, our longer study shows that after 20 years the incidence continues to increase," said Nobuko Hijiya, M.D., assistant member in the St. Jude Oncology department. Hijiya is the first and corresponding author of the "JAMA" article......... Posted by: Andria      Read more         Source