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Category: Completed Research
Forum: Help Conquer Cancer
Thread: Interesting News Articles About Cancer |
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Former Member
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Former Member
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New data show Glivec® halts progression to advanced stages of life-threatening form of leukemia in sixth year of treatment
Risk of disease progression continues to drop from the second year of treatment; no patients taking Glivec in sixth year progressed from initial disease phase Long-term survival trend may suggest many patients could approach normal life expectancy with continued treatment Basel, December 9, 2007 - New data from the largest clinical trial in newly diagnosed patients with a life-threatening form of leukemia showed that long-term use of Glivec® (imatinib) Results of the International Randomized Interferon versus STI571 (IRIS) study reveal that after two years of treatment, the rate of disease progression continued to decline and fell to 0% in the study's sixth year. In addition, the estimated overall six-year survival rate for patients treated with Glivec was 88%. Lead investigators presented the latest findings from this landmark study involving more than 1,100 newly diagnosed patients with a form of the disease known as Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). Patients in the initial (chronic) phase of CML who received continuous treatment with Glivec did not progress to advanced stages of the disease. Without treatment, CML typically progresses over three to five years from the initial phase through a transition (accelerated) phase to a rapidly fatal form called blast crisis[1]. "If this survival trend continues, many patients with CML may approach normal life expectancy with continued Glivec treatment," said Dr. Brian Druker, MD, Director of the Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute Center; the JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Most CML patients are in the chronic phase when the disease is diagnosed. Before Glivec was available, about 50% of patients with Ph+ CML progressed from the initial phase to more advanced stages after only three to five years[2]. Once patients reached the final blast crisis phase, survival was generally three to six months[3]. With a unique six-year record of safety and efficacy, Glivec remains the first-line drug therapy for all patients with Ph+ CML. Glivec has continued to be generally well tolerated as initial drug therapy for Ph+ CML in chronic phase. At the six-year follow-up, the type and frequency of adverse events were similar to previously reported profiles. Newly occurring or worsening grade 3 or 4 hematologic or biochemical adverse events were infrequent. IRIS is an open-label Phase III clinical trial enrolling 1,106 newly diagnosed patients with Ph+ CML in chronic phase in 177 centers across 16 countries. There are two arms to the study: one group of patients received Glivec 400 mg per day, while the other received a target dose of interferon (IFN) of 5 MIU/m2/day in combination with cytarabine (Ara-C) 20 mg/m2/day for 10 days each month. Because of tolerability issues, lack of response or loss of response, 65% of patients in the IFN/Ara-C arm crossed over to the Glivec arm, whereas only 3% of patients in the Glivec arm crossed over to the IFN/Ara-C arm[1]. Cumulative best responses to Glivec treatment improved dramatically between the first and sixth years of treatment. Over the period, the number of Glivec-treated patients showing complete cytogenetic response (or elimination of the abnormal Philadelphia chromosome associated with CML) rose from 70% in the first year to 87% by the sixth year of treatment. The estimated overall survival rate for patients receiving Glivec was 88% when considering deaths from all causes. When deaths from causes unrelated to CML or following transplantation are excluded, the estimated overall survival rate was 95%[1]. Less than 5% of patients died of CML[1]. The rate of disease progression continued to decline in the sixth year of the study, with a 0.4% event rate (including loss of response) and a 0% rate of progression to advanced disease between years five and six among patients who remained on Glivec after five years. No new serious safety issues were identified between the fifth and sixth year of treatment[1]. In a separate study published last month in the ASH journal Blood, Glivec produced a high six-year estimated overall survival rate (76%) in chronic-phase CML patients who had previously failed treatment with interferon. Most of these high-risk patients (57%) also achieved the best treatment outcome - a complete cytogenetic response - and many (40%) were still in cytogenetic response after six years of treatment with Glivec[4]. About Glivec Glivec is approved in more than 90 countries including the US, EU and Japan for the treatment of all phases of Ph+ CML. Glivec is also approved in the EU, US and other countries for the treatment of patients with Kit (CD117)-positive gastrointestinal tumors (GIST), which cannot be surgically removed and/or have already spread to other parts of the body (metastasized). In Japan, Glivec is approved for the treatment of patients with Kit (CD117)-positive GIST. In the EU, Glivec is also approved for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) in combination with chemotherapy and as a single agent for patients with relapsed or refractory Ph+ ALL. Glivec is also approved for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, recurrent and/or metastatic dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) who are not eligible for surgery. Glivec is also approved for the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative diseases (MDS/MPD). Glivec is also approved for hypereosinophilic syndrome and/or chronic eosinophilic leukemia (HES/CEL). The effectiveness of Glivec is based on overall hematologic and cytogenetic response rates and progression-free survival in CML, on hematological and cytogenetic response rates in Ph+ ALL, and on objective response rates in GIST and DFSP. There are no controlled trials demonstrating increased survival. Not all indications are available in every country. Glivec contraindications, warnings and adverse events The majority of patients treated with Glivec in clinical trials experienced adverse events at some time. Most events were of mild to moderate grade and treatment discontinuation was not necessary in the majority of cases. The safety profile of Glivec was similar in all indications. The most common side effects included nausea, superficial edema, muscle cramps, skin rash, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, myalgia, arthralgia, hemorrhage, fatigue, headache, joint pain, cough, dizziness, dyspepsia and dyspnea, dermatitis, eczema, fluid retention, as well as neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and anemia. Glivec was generally well-tolerated in all of the studies that were performed, either as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy, with the exception of a transient liver toxicity in the form of transaminase elevation and hyperbilirubinemia observed when Glivec was combined with high dose chemotherapy. Rare/serious adverse reactions include: sepsis, pneumonia, depression, convulsions, cardiac failure, thrombosis/embolism, ileus, pancreatitis, hepatic failure, exfoliative dermatitis, angioedema, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, renal failure, fluid retention, edema (including brain, eye, pericardium, abdomen and lung), hemorrhage (including brain, eye, kidney and gastrointestinal tract), diverticulitis, gastrointestinal perforation, tumor hemorrhage/ necrosis, hip osteonecrosis/avascular necrosis. Patients with cardiac disease or risk factors for cardiac failure should be monitored carefully and any patient with signs or symptoms consistent with cardiac failure should be evaluated and treated. Cardiac screening should be considered in patients with HES/CEL, and patients with MDS/MPD with high level of eosinophils (echocardiogram, serum troponin level). Glivec is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to imatinib or any of its excipients. Women of childbearing potential should be advised to avoid becoming pregnant while taking Glivec. Disclaimer The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as may, could, can or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding the long-term impact of a patient's use of Glivec or potential future sales of Glivec. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results with Glivec to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee regarding the long-term impact of a patient's use of Glivec. Nor can there be any guarantee regarding potential future sales of Glivec. In particular, management's expectations regarding Glivec could be affected by, among other things, unexpected clinical trial results, including unexpected additional analysis of Glivec clinical data, and unexpected new clinical data; unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the company's ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection; competition in general; government, industry, and general public pricing pressures; and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis' current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Novartis is providing this information as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Novartis Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) is a world leader in offering medicines to protect health, cure disease and improve well-being. Our goal is to discover, develop and successfully market innovative products to treat patients, ease suffering and enhance the quality of life. We are strengthening our medicine-based portfolio, which is focused on strategic growth platforms in innovation-driven pharmaceuticals, high-quality and low-cost generics, human vaccines and leading self-medication OTC brands. Novartis is the only company with leadership positions in these areas. In 2006, the Group's businesses achieved net sales of USD 37.0 billion and net income of USD 7.2 billion. Approximately USD 5.4 billion was invested in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 100,000 associates and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com. References 1. Hochhaus, A. IRIS 6-Year Follow-Up: Sustained Survival and Declining Annual Rate of Transformation in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in Chronic Phase (CML-CP) Treated with Imatinib. Oral Presentation. American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, 2007. Abstract #25. 2. Faderl S; Talpaz M; Estrov Z; O'Brien S; Kurzrock R; Kantarjian HM. The biology of chronic myeloid leukemia. N Engl J Med. 341:164-72, 1999. 3. Besa, Emmanuel C. Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. E-Medicine, WebMD. Available at: http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic371.htm. Accessed 30 November, 2007. 4. Hochhaus, A., Druker, B. et al. Favorable long-term follow-up results over six years for response, survival and safety with imatinib mesylate therapy in chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia post failure of interferon alpha treatment. Blood, 2007. # # # Novartis Media Relations John Gilardi Novartis Global Media Relations +41 61 324 3018 (direct) +41 79 596 1408 (mobile) john.gilardi@novartis.com Kim Fox Novartis Oncology +1 862 778 7692 (direct) kim.fox@novartis.com |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Study Finds Gene Linked to Aggressive Prostate Cancer
12-11-2007 PHOENIX, AZ, DECEMBER 11, 2007-Results from two genome-wide association studies have identified a genetic variant of the DAB2IP gene that is associated with the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Research teams from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions made the discovery jointly. Researchers suspect that the DAB2IP gene is involved in tumor suppression, suggesting that this protective mechanism goes awry in men with the variant form. The finding, reported today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, might one day help doctors tailor treatment based on a patient's genetic makeup. Both genetic and environmental factors are important in the development of prostate cancer, and it is only recently that some of the consistent genetic factors have been identified. It is not clear at present whether men who are genetically prone to the disease tend to have more aggressive disease than men who are not. "Because there is no way to tell whether a person has or will have the aggressive version versus the mild version of prostate cancer, both forms are treated the same-with radiotherapy or surgery to remove the prostate gland. The identification of this genetic variant could lead to better risk assessment for aggressive disease, providing doctors with more information on how to best treat men who may be diagnosed with prostate cancer," said John Carpten, Ph.D., director of TGen's Division of Integrated Cancer Genomics and senior author of the paper. Analysis of 3,159 samples led the researchers to conclude that men possessing the DAB2IP variant appear to carry a nearly 36 percent increased risk of advanced prostate cancer. "In most cases, prostate cancer is not a death sentence, but it would be ideal to identify men with an aggressive form of disease," said Jianfeng Xu, M.D., Dr.PH, a senior author and a professor of epidemiology and cancer biology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. "Our finding suggests the possibility of developing a blood test to gauge disease type so doctors could decide if more aggressive treatment is needed." The researchers screened DNA samples from 500 men with advanced prostate cancer and 500 healthy men of the same age in Sweden. This DNA screening examined the entire genome for more than 550,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are locations on chromosomes where a single unit of DNA, or genetic material, may vary from one person to the next. The team then focused on 60,000 SNPs that have also been evaluated by a similar study conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) called Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility (CGEMS). Evaluation of these 60,000 SNPs identified seven SNPs that appeared to be linked to disease aggressiveness. Additionally, researchers screened another 1,242 men with advanced disease and 917 healthy men who were part of a research project at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. This group included both African and European Americans. Through these multiple screenings, the researchers found that the variant form of DAB2IP is associated with an increased risk of having aggressive disease. Senior authors Henrik Gronberg, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology from Karolinska Institute, and William Isaacs, Ph.D., a professor of urology at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, both agree that the findings were possible because advances in technology allow researchers to take a more systematic approach to looking at the entire genome. Instead of solely studying genes that they suspect may be related to disease susceptibility, they can study the entire genome and look for associations. "By using state-of-the-art technologies, we can find genes that were not previously known or thought to be involved with disease risk," said David Duggan, Ph.D., an Investigator in TGen's Genetic Basis of Human Disease Division. "If we can then learn more about the proteins they produce, it could lead to new understanding about disease mechanisms and new treatments." Co-first authors on the paper were TGen's Duggan and Siqun Lilly Zheng, M.D., from Wake Forest. ### Media Contact: TGen: Amy Erickson, aerickson@tgen.org, 602.343.8522. About TGen The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is focused on developing earlier diagnoses and smarter treatments. Translational genomics research is a relatively new field employing innovative advances arising from the Human Genome Project and applying them to the development of diagnostics, prognostics and therapies for cancer, neurological disorders, diabetes and other complex diseases. TGen's research is based on personalized medicine and the institute plans to accomplish its goals through robust and disease-focused research. About Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. U.S. News & World Report ranks Wake Forest University School of Medicine 18th in family medicine, 20th in geriatrics, 25th in primary care and 41st in research among the nation's medical schools. It ranks 35th in research funding by the National Institutes of Health. Almost 150 members of the medical school faculty are listed in Best Doctors in America. |
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littlepeaks
Veteran Cruncher USA Joined: Apr 28, 2007 Post Count: 748 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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Nanotechnology -- squishy cancer cells
Atomic force microscopy pinpoints cancer cells by their softness -- |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI) 12/12/2007
NCI Issues Cancer Trends Progress Report: 2007 Update The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, today released the Cancer Trends Progress Report: 2007 Update. The report, which spans the cancer control continuum from prevention through end of life, summarizes our nation's progress against cancer in relation to the Healthy People 2010 targets developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This online report, first issued in 2001 as the Cancer Progress Report, is released every other year. The report, intended for policy makers, researchers, clinicians, and public health service providers, offers updated national trends data in a user-friendly format. Report features include: Quick tutorial to ease navigation and downloading of materials within the report Updated "Trends-at-a-Glance" snapshot Links to NCI's State Cancer Profiles' state- and county-level data Links to colorectal cancer mortality projections Links to Healthy People 2010 materials Data, graphs, and slides that are easy to download Custom report features Open text search capability Fully accessible to persons with disabilities The Cancer Trends Progress Report: 2007 Update can be viewed online at http://progressreport.cancer.gov/ General questions about the report may be directed to progressreporthelp@mail.nih.gov. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
IBM world community grid squeezes decades of cancer research into 2 years
http://www.physorg.com/news113593697.html ' Canadian researchers expect to accelerate the war on cancer by tapping into a global network of hundreds of thousands of people who volunteer their idle computer time to tackle some of the world’s most complex problems. The research team, led by Dr. Igor Jurisica at the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI), and scientists at Princess Margaret Hospital and University Health Network, are the first from Canada to use the World Community Grid, a network of PCs and laptops with the power equivalent to one of the globe’s top five fastest supercomputers. The team will use World Community Grid to analyze the results of experiments on proteins using data collected by scientists at the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute in Buffalo, New York. This analysis would take conventional computer systems 162 years to complete. However, using World Community Grid, Dr. Jurisica anticipates the analysis could be finished in one to two years, and will provide researchers with a better way to study how proteins function, insight that could lead to the development of more effective cancer-fighting drugs.' |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
3-D Mammography Adds New Dimension to Breast Cancer Screening:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=3-d-mammography-breast-cancer |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
I have seen some posts above before but never mind , is always good to use the search engine
 Cancer drugs spark 'dead jaw' concerns Tuesday Dec 11 21:34 AEDT Concerns have been raised over a widely used series of bone cancer drugs which, it has emerged, can also cause a debilitating side-effect known as "dead jaw". An estimated 500 Australians have developed the condition named osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) over the past four years, linked to their prescribed use of bisphosphonate drugs which help to treat osteoporosis........ |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Meat raises lung cancer risk, study finds
People who eat a lot of red meat and processed meats have a higher risk of several types of cancer, including lung cancer and colorectal cancer, US researchers say. The work is the first big study to show a link between meat and lung cancer. It also shows that people who eat a lot of meat have a higher risk of liver and esophageal cancer and that men raise their risk of pancreatic cancer by eating red meat................... |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Three-drug combination "extremely promis... myeloma, researchers say
A new combination of bortezomib (Velcade) and two other drugs is showing a very high response rate in patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a team headed by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. The three-pronged regimen of Velcade, lenalidomide (Revlimid) and dexamethasone – referred to as Rev/Vel/Dex – has achieved an overall response rate of 98 percent in 42 patients evaluated thus far in a Phase 1-2 trial, said Paul Richardson, MD, of Dana-Farber and the study's principal investigator. He added that 52 percent of the patients had high quality responses (very good partial response or better), with 30 percent achieving complete response to date........... |
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