“Molecular signature may tell which cancer patients will respond to ... - Zee News” plus 4 more |
- Molecular signature may tell which cancer patients will respond to ... - Zee News
- Wine May Benefit Radiation Treatment Patients - Redorbit.com
- Hologic: FDA approves new radiation therapy system - Seattle Times
- Work ethic of 80-year-old Clarksville McDonald's employee shines - Leaf Chronicle
- Health News - Mercury
| Molecular signature may tell which cancer patients will respond to ... - Zee News Posted: 07 Sep 2009 07:25 AM PDT
In a study, they have found that a receptor sitting on the surface of certain aggressive tumour cells can activate a key enzyme, src-kinase, which helps tumour cells to become more aggressive in the body. Writing in their study report, the researchers have pointed out that this enzyme is the target of the anticancer drug dasatinib, which blocks its activity and is currently approved for treating chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). They further state that the scientists the presence of the receptor – a protein called integrin alpha-v beta-3 – on some of the more common solid tumors such as breast, colon, lung and pancreas could help identify individuals with many other types of cancer that are also likely to respond to the drug.
"Rather than treat all patients with a given tumor type the same way, by identifying a specific molecular signature consisting of the receptor and its activated enzyme, we can customize the treatment in such a way that we impact the patients most likely to be sensitive to a drug," he added. During the study, the researchers compared the growth properties of pancreatic and breast cancer cells that expressed the alpha-v beta-3 receptor with those that did not.
"Once we identified the pathway, we immediately realized that the drug dasatinib, which targets this pathway, would be a logical choice to use against these cancers," Cheresh said. Experimenting on a pre-clinical model of pancreatic cancer, the researchers have confirmed that tumour cells with the receptor responded to the drug, while those not expressing receptors did not. Cheresh pointed to pancreatic cancer tumours, approximately 60 percent of which carry the marker on the tumour cell surface. "We would argue that pancreatic cancer patients with alpha-v beta-3 would respond to dasatinib," he said. According to him, tumours that lack the marker appear to be resistant to the drug. "We discovered an unexpected pathway that accounts for increased malignancy in a population of some of the most dangerous cancers," he said, noting that the marker could be identified by a biopsy. "There are features of the findings that allow us to implicate dasatinib not just for a single tumour type, but for all tumours with the malignant signature," he added. Dr. Barbara Parker, medical director of oncology services at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center, said: "These observations suggest a strategy for testing the effectiveness of dasatinib in breast cancer patients who are positive for the alpha-v beta-3 receptor." A research article on the study has been published in the online edition of the journal Nature Medicine. ANI  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Wine May Benefit Radiation Treatment Patients - Redorbit.com Posted: 02 Sep 2009 11:12 AM PDT Posted on: Wednesday, 2 September 2009, 13:15 CDT A new study in women with breast cancer found that drinking red wine could help limit the toxic effects of radiation therapy, Reuters reported. Dr. Gabriella Macchia, of Catholic University, Campobasso, Italy, called the possibility that particular dietary practices or interventions could reduce radiation-induced toxicity is "very intriguing". Experts have long known that some wine components, like polyphenols and tannins, may protect against the harmful effects of radiation. Macchia and colleagues studied the potential protective effects of varying levels of self-reported red wine consumption in 348 women treated with radiation therapy after breast cancer surgery. Macchia said the findings were "interesting". The results showed that the incidence of radiation-induced skin toxicity was 38.4 percent in non-drinkers, 31.8 percent in women drinking only half a glass of wine daily, 13.6 percent in those drinking one glass daily, and 35 percent in those drinking two glasses daily. The study noted that women who drank only one glass daily had a much lower risk of suffering skin effects from radiation therapy, as their risk of significant skin toxicity was about 75 percent less than that in non-drinkers. Macchia said if wine can prevent radiation-induced toxicity without affecting antitumor efficacy, it also has the potential to enhance the therapeutic benefit in cancer patients without increasing the risk of serious adverse effects. She concluded that the possible protective effect of wine, assessed only in women with breast cancer, should also be evaluated in male and female patients with other types of tumors (e.g., prostate carcinoma) who are undergoing radiotherapy. Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Hologic: FDA approves new radiation therapy system - Seattle Times Posted: 01 Sep 2009 02:27 PM PDT BEDFORD, Mass. — Hologic Inc. said the Food and Drug Administration approved a new version of its MammoSite system, which delivers radiation seeds to prevent recurrences of breast cancer. The agency approved the MammoSite ML radiation therapy system, which allows physicians to better target specific areas of tissue than the original MammoSite system, the company said. MammoSite devices include balloon catheters that are inserted into the body after a tumor has been removed. Inside the catheter is a pellet of radioactive material. The radiation seed is left inside the body for five days, delivering radiation to the areas the cancer is most likely to return, Hologic said. The treatment is intended to prevent a recurrence while not harming healthy tissue. Hologic, which makes medical diagnostic products for illnesses affecting women, said the new version of the device will allow therapists to treat patients who are not otherwise good candidates for radiation seeding. It said it will also be usable in more typical cases. The company said it plans to launch the MammoSite ML by Dec. 26, the end of its fiscal fourth quarter. The original MammoSite device was approved in 2002. In aftermarket trading, Hologic stock rose 50 cents, or 3 percent, to $16.70. The shares finished at $16.20 Tuesday.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Work ethic of 80-year-old Clarksville McDonald's employee shines - Leaf Chronicle Posted: 07 Sep 2009 08:58 AM PDT Today is Labor Day, a national holiday set aside to recognize the contributions of the American worker, and an 80-year-old Clarksville woman is a perfect example of the work ethic applauded. Five days a week, Mildred Hudson Plummer will show up for work around 3:30 a.m. at McDonald's near Exit 11. Since 2003, she has been a morning prep person responsible for serving up piping-hot biscuits, griddles, burritos and muffins. "Ms. Mildred is very dependable. She runs circles around the younger ones," said general manager Becky Moore. Plummer deals with arthritis. She is a breast cancer survivor since 1976 and she has a pacemaker. "She doesn't ask for any slack. She's serious about her job, and she's the sweetest person you would ever want to work with," said swing manager LaRhonda Ellis. Crew worker Justin Brue said Plummer "has remarkable energy." "She doesn't act old, even with her arthritis, she just works through it. She has a system to keep things organized, but she's always kind and generous," Brue said. Plummer works through even the bad days. "There are lots of times I don't feel very good, and a few times I've had to be out sick, but very seldom. I come to work because they are depending on me," said Plummer, a widow for 14 years. "I pull my weight and help them pull theirs," she said with a laugh. Mildred and H.B. Plummer were married "for 43 years to the day" when he died in 1995. The couple raised five children. Mildred graduated from Clarksville High School in 1948 and recalls learning how to make biscuits "southern-style" when she was about 7 years old. "I would have to stand on a box to reach the back of the stove, and that stove sure wasn't a nice, convenient electric stove," she said with a chuckle. Mildred has always been an early morning riser. "I got up early every morning of my adult life. I would always get up every morning and cook my children a hot breakfast to be sure they weren't hungry before the left for school," said Mildred, who now has six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 07 Sep 2009 08:08 AM PDT READING — "What You Need to Know: Preparation for Breastfeeding," a class designed to dispel myths and offer evidence-based information and practical tips, will be offered at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the St. Joseph Medical Center Family Birthing Center.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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