Herbal supplement may ward off ovarian cancer
Studies conducted in women and in the laboratory strongly suggest that the herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba may help lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer. »
Friday, Nov. 11, 2005
Thursday, Nov. 10, 2005
“Hoppy” beer prevents cancer
Beer has a bad reputation. It is known for its high calorie count and its ability to cause lapses in judgment. But new research may give the popular alcoholic brew a healthier standing. »
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005
Aspirin found to reduce skin cancer risk
Epidemiologists have found that aspirin may assist in reducing the risk of developing skin cancer, reveals a recent scientific publication, following research undertaken at the Suncorp Skin Cancer Laboratories at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR). »
Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005
Dog detects cancer - even in their earliest stages
Does a canine nose beat a state-of-the-art medical scanner costing millions? Scientific tests suggest so, says Jonathan Margolis
The Pine Street Clinic stands on possibly the prettiest street in the nicest town in America. San Anselmo is just north of San Francisco in wealthy but “alternative” Marin county (where the Prince of Wales will be this weekend). People here are 1960s and 1970s counter- culture types grown successful. »
Monday, Nov. 7, 2005
Vaccine to beef up body’s attack on prostate cancer
A vaccine to combat prostate cancer is to be tested after studies suggested it could halve the rate of development of the disease. »
Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005
Hope over cheek lung cancer test
A simple check of cells taken from inside the cheek can help give an early warning of lung cancer, a study says. »
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2005
Intestinal cancer drug breakthrough
A new anti-cancer medicine has been shown to dramatically delay the progression of the disease in patients with a rare type of intestinal cancer who have run out of options because their tumours have become resistant to the latest high-tech drugs. »
Primrose oil cancer hope
A SUBSTANCE found in evening primrose oil may prove to be a powerful new weapon against aggressive breast cancer. »
Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005
Nanotechnology may help treat cancer
Experiments on mice have shown promise for the future of nanotechnology in treating cancer - research that could bring doctors a step closer to using the technology to release cancer-killing drugs inside tumors while leaving the rest of the body unscathed. »
Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2005
Some veggies wonder drugs against cancer - study
Want a better chance of beating cancer? Eat your veggies - and not just the ones your grandmother cooked. »
Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005
Fighting women’s diseases: 400 drugs under development, 62 breast cancer drugs in testing
Sixty-two new drugs to treat breast cancer are now undergoing tests, according to a survey released by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). »
Friday, Oct. 21, 2005
Researchers set for T-cell cancer breakthrough
Australian researchers are on the path to a cure for a rare group of cancers known as cutaneous T-cell lymphomas, following the breakthrough discovery of a key gene. »
Blood test could detect rare cancer
A rare form of cancer could soon be detected with a simple blood test, after a key discovery by Western Australian researchers. »
Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005
Drug has stunning effect on breast cancer
Doctors believe they may have a cure for a form of breast cancer which afflicts thousands of women in Britain every year. Herceptin had already been unveiled as a potential lifesaver after trials of the drug suggested it could halve the risk of the cancer returning. »
Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005
Cancer drug performs well in tests
A cancer drug being developed by the British biotechnology company Antisoma has shown promising results in reducing the size of tumours and stopping the progression of the disease. »
Friday, Oct. 14, 2005
Scientists develop cancer nanobomb
University of Delaware researchers are opening a new front in the war on cancer, bringing to bear new nanotechnologies for cancer detection and treatment and introducing a unique nanobomb that can literally blow up breast cancer tumors.
Balaji Panchapakesan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UD, has recently reported on the discoveries in the journals NanoBiotechnology and Oncology Issues.
He is the lead investigator for a team that includes Eric Wickstrom, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and his student Greg Cesarone, and UD graduate students Shaoxin Lu, Kousik Sivakumar and postdoctoral researcher Kasif Teker.
Panchapakesan said this is basic research in the very early stages of inquiry and that it would take extensive testing and years of clinical trials before the nanobombs could actually be used in medical applications to treat human beings.
“Make no mistake, we are focused on eradicating cancer,” Panchapakesan said, explaining that the nanobombs are the result of work over the past two years with carbon nanotubes, which are atoms of carbon arranged in tubular form.
Originally, he said, the research team was looking at the use of the carbon nanotubes as drug delivery vehicles. Because they are smaller than the size of a single cell, the nanotubes can provide for the highly selective injection of drugs into individual cells.
As they undertook various experiments, however, the team made a startling discovery. “When you put the atoms in different shapes and forms, they take on different properties at the nanoscale,” Panchapakesan said. “We were experimenting with the molecules and considering optical and thermal properties, and found we could trigger microscopic explosions of nanotubes in wide variety of conditions.”
Explosions in air of loosely packed nanotubes have been seen before in an oxygen environment, creating ignition. However, the work reported by Panchapakesan uses the localized thermal energy imbalance to set off explosions that are intrinsic in nature.
Panchapakesan said the nanobombs are just that, tiny bombs on the nanoscale. “They work almost like cluster bombs,” he said. “Once they are exposed to light and the resulting heat, they start exploding one after another.”
The bombs are created by bundling the carbon nanotubes. With a single nanotube, the heat generated by the light is dissipated by surrounding air. In bundles, the heat cannot dissipate as quickly and the result is “an explosion on the nanoscale,” Panchapakesan said.
When the UD researchers saw the explosions, they realized it might be possible to use the microscopic bombs to kill cancer cells. They recreated the explosions in solutions including water, phosphate and salt, which meant the nanobombs could be used in the human body. In fact the explosions were more dramatic in saline solutions, Panchapakesan said.
“The nanobomb is very selective, very localized and minimally invasive,” Panchapakesan said. “It might cause what I would call nanopain, like a pin prick.”
He believes the nanobomb holds great promise as a therapeutic agent for killing cancer cells, with particular emphasis on breast cancer cells, because its shockwave kills the cancerous cells as well as the biological pathways that carry instructions to generate additional cancerous cells and the small veins that nourish the diseased cells. Also, it can be spread over a wide area to create structural damage to the cancer cells that are close by.
The nanobombs are superior to a variety of current treatments because they are powerful, selective, non-invasive, nontoxic and can incorporate current technology, including microsurgery.
Laser light ignites bundles of nanotubes, which explode like tiny cluster bombs.
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Thursday, Oct. 13, 2005
Researchers Use Human Embryonic Stem Cells To Kill Cancer Cells
For the first time, stem cell researchers at the University of Minnesota have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to create cancer-killing cells in the laboratory, paving the way for future treatments for various types of cancers (or tumors). The research will be published in the Oct. 15 issue of the Journal of Immunology. »
Monday, Oct. 10, 2005
Breast cancer survival rates soar
Almost two thirds of women now diagnosed with breast cancer are likely to survive for at least 20 years, Cancer Research UK experts predict. »
New protein may aid cancer fight
Queensland researchers have found a new protein that could help prevent the development of cancer. »
Sunday, Oct. 9, 2005
Schools may offer cervical cancer vaccination to all girls
Vaccination against cervical cancer could become as common in schools as jabs against meningitis are now, following the dramatic results of the latest clinical trials. The breakthrough is generally seen as a real victory against one of the commonest cancers and may eliminate it in the UK. »
Thursday, Oct. 6, 2005
Cancer jab available in a year
A controversial vaccine against cervical cancer could be available within a year following dramatic trial results. »
Scientists find cancer cell defense method
Team leader Kim Kun-hong of Yonsei University told the Korea Times the discovery that enzyme protein kinase CK2 makes cancer cells resistant to cancer-specific therapeutic chemicals, such as “Trail,” is a step toward developing effective treatments for the disease. »
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005
U.S. Cancer Death Rate Dropping
America’s cancer death rate has been dropping since the early 1990s, a new study shows. »
Stockholm breast cancer discovery could improve care
Researchers from Sweden say that a handful of genes can determine how patients respond to breast cancer therapy, opening the door to methods that could make treatment more effective. »
Saturday, Oct. 1, 2005
Breast cancer curable
It is possible to cure breast cancer, if it can be identified at the primary stage. This was disclosed at a press conference in the city yesterday by »
Friday, Sep. 30, 2005
Nanowires help spot cancer
Arrays of silicon nanowires with biomolecular coatings can spot molecular traces of cancer far more accurately, quickly and specifically than technology currently available to doctors, »
Marriage Tied To Better Bladder Cancer Survival
The support of a spouse may help bladder cancer patients live longer lives, new research suggests. »
Tuesday, Sep. 27, 2005
Drink pomegranate juice, avoid prostrate cancer
The juice of the pomegranate, say researchers at University of Wisconsin Medical School, shows major promise to combat prostate cancer - the most common invasive cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in American men. »
Rock pool sponge may fight cancer
Sponges collected from rock pools in south Wales could be a source of new drugs to combat breast and lung cancer, say researchers. »
Monday, Sep. 26, 2005
Cancer pain inspires wig service
Sherilyn King was distraught when she lost her hair during treatment for breast cancer. »