Surprise' prostate result probed

Researchers are probing an unexpected success in a study of an experimental treatment for prostate cancer.
In three men with advanced disease, use of an immune drug called ipilimumab, shrank their tumours to such an extent surgeons were able to operate.....

Animal fats pancreas cancer link

Eating a diet high in red meat and dairy products is linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, a US study has suggested.
Researchers followed 500,000 people who had completed a food diary for an average of six years.
The Journal of the National Cancer Institute paper found those who had the most animal fats in their diet had a higher risk of developing the cancer...

New MRI Technique Could Mean Fewer Breast Biopsies in High-Risk Women


A University of Wisconsin-Madison biomedical engineer and colleagues have developed a method that, applied in MRI scans of the breast, could spare some women with increased breast cancer risk the pain and stress of having to endure a biopsy of a questionable lump or lesion.

The universal technology will give radiologists greater confidence in visually classifying a lesion as malignant or benign.

The American Cancer Society recommends that women with certain breast cancer risk factors — including inherited genetic mutations, family or personal history of breast cancer, or previous radiation therapy to the chest — receive an annual MRI screening in addition to their yearly mammogram.

During a breast MRI, which lasts about a half hour, the technician injects a contrast agent into a vein in the patient’s arm. Over time, the contrast agent flows throughout the body, including the breasts. Because they are growing quickly, cancerous lesions often have immature vasculature, and the contrast agent flows in and “leaks” out quickly. Conversely, benign lesions show more gradual in and out flow---.

Genetically engineered mice yield clues to 'knocking out' cancer

Deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumors, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development of cancer. That's the conclusion of a recent study* in DNA Repair by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and the New York University School of Medicine (NYUSM).
Although all cells need oxygen to survive, the element also can be stressful to cells and their components—particularly DNA—as part of "reactive species" in the environment, such as free radicals and peroxides. The damage levied on DNA by these compounds can include lesions, breaks, cross-links and deletions—errors in our normal genetic codes that, if left unchecked, may accelerate the aging process and increase susceptibility to several disease states. In humans, DNA repair genes produce enzymes called DNA glycosylases that excise sections of DNA strands already modified by oxidative stress, and thus protect the genetic material....

Researchers discover genes that double melanoma risk


Researchers have identified two new genes that double a person's risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Researchers from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) studied the genes and mole count of nearly 6,000 people.
They found that particular changes in two genes increased the subjects' risk of developing moles. The researchers then found in another 4,000 subjects that having those same two genes doubled melanoma risk...