http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232987.php

"Article Date: 19 Aug 2011

According to new research published in the European Respiratory Journal, sniffer dogs could be used for the early detection of lung cancer, Researchers from the Schillerhoehe Hospital in Germany were the first to discover that sniffer dogs can reliably detect lung cancer.

Lung cancer, the second most frequent form of cancer in men and women across Europe and the most common cause of death from cancer worldwide, claims over 340,000 deaths per year.

Lung cancer does not reveal any symptoms and early detection is therefore often by chance. Because current methods of detection are unreliable, scientists have been examining the use of exhaled breath specimens from patients for future screening tests. The method identifies volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are associated to the presence of cancer..."

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/233070.php

"Article Date: 19 Aug 2011

Modified Ecstasy May Effectively Treat Leukemia, Lymphoma And Myeloma

A modified form of Ecstasy (MDMA) may have enormous potential in the treatment of myeloma, lymphoma and leukemia, scientists from the University of Birmingham, England, wrote in the journal Investigational New Drugs. The modified drug is 100 times more powerful as a cancer-busting compound than Ecstacy, which is already known to be effective against over half of white blood cell cancers. The researchers believe they may eventually be able to create drugs to treat human patients.

Scientists at the University of Birmingham had already discovered six years ago that over half of all white blood cancer cells responded to psychotropic drugs - the drugs suppressed their growth. Included in their laboratory experiments were weight-loss pills, antidepressants (including Prozac) and Ecstasy.

Six years ago, the scientists wrote that the main problem was dosage - using enough MDMA to effectively treat a malignant tumor would probably kill the patient. So, they set about finding a way of breaking down the drug's actions so that its cancer-killing properties could be isolated and separated from its other toxic ingredients.

They worked together with scientists from the University of Western Australia, who created the new compounds. The Birmingham researchers discovered that the altered forms of Ecstasy had considerably greater cancer busting properties - 100 times greater - than Ecstasy.

With excitement, the scientists added that they think they now understand the mechanism behind the modified compounds..."

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/233144.php

"Article Date: 23 Aug 2011

Saffron Shows Promise In Preventing Liver Cancer


New research suggests that saffron provides a significant chemopreventive effect against liver cancer in animal models. When saffron was administered to rats with diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver cancer an inhibition of cell proliferation and stimulation of apoptosis was observed. Full findings appear in the September issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver cancer, is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer mortality in the world. Medical evidence has shown that chronic infection with hepatitis B and C are major risk factors for HCC, and exposure to environmental carcinogens, iron overload, fatty liver disease and alcohol abuse can also contribute to development of liver cancer. DEN, an environmental carcinogen, is found in tobacco-smoke, cosmetics, gasoline, and processed foods including milk and meat products.

"In the fight against cancer, there has been much interest in chemopreventive properties of natural herbs and plants," said Prof. Amr Amin from United Arab Emirates University. "With limited treatment options, approaches that prevent cancer development are among the best strategies to protect against the disease." Prior studies have shown that saffron, a naturally derived plant product, possesses antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Saffron is a commonly used spice, adding flavor and color to foods, and a possible cancer-fighting substance that is readily available..."

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/233404.php

"Article Date: 26 Aug 2011

Tumors Can Be Attacked Using Measles Cell Receptor Virus

Findings of Canadian researchers published on the 25th August in the Open Access journal PLoS Pathogens show, that a tumor cell marker is a receptor for measles virus, which could potentially help in the fight against cancer.

Infections are caused, by a virus' attachment to specific proteins on cell surfaces, called receptors. Dr. Chris Richardson of Dalhousie Medical School in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and his colleagues discovered the tumor cell marker, PVRL4 (Nectin 4), is a receptor for the measles virus.

Found in airway cells, the PVRL4 receptor and the measles virus infect tissue in the respiratory tract and lungs. Many cancers that originate from lung, breast, colon and ovarian cells also have large amounts of PVRL4.

Researchers discovered the receptor by comparing the proteins made in virus-susceptible cancer cells to those present in cells resistant to the virus. Due to the fact that PVRL4 is evident in various types of human cancers, the measles virus has the potential to be used to specifically infect cancer cells and turn the immune system against tumors..."

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/233669.php

"Article Date: 01 Sep 2011

Cancer Viral Therapy Attacks Tumors And Does Not Harm Healthy Tissue

Intravenous viral therapy has been shown to consistently infect tumors without damaging healthy human tissue, according to a clinical trial published in the journal Nature. The authors say this is the first trial to test viral therapy on humans with cancer. They added that it is also the first trial to demonstrate tumor-selective expression of a foreign gene after intravenous administration.

The clinical study included 23 individuals whose cancer was advanced - it had spread to several organs in the body. The patients had not responded to standard treatments.

They were administered a single intravenous infusion of JX-594, a virus at five different levels of dosage. Ten days later biopsies were obtained and examined.

87% (7) of those who were given the two highest dosages had evidence in their tumor of viral replication, but not in surrounding healthy tissue. They also showed tumor-selective expression of a foreign gene - this gene was engineered into the virus to help the scientists identify it (the virus).

The patients tolerated the virus well at all dosage levels. The most common adverse events were flu like symptoms that cleared up within 24 hours.

Senior co-author, Dr. John Bell, a Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, said:

"We are very excited because this is the first time in medical history that a viral therapy has been shown to consistently and selectively replicate in cancer tissue after intravenous infusion in humans. Intravenous delivery is crucial for cancer treatment because it allows us to target tumors throughout the body as opposed to just those that we can directly inject..."