research

Combining a targeted drug with hormone therapy substantially extends survival for women with advanced breast cancer, a major clinical trial has found. Women taking palbociclib together with hormone therapy lived seven months longer than those on hormone treatment alone - adding to previous data showing the combination could delay the disease's progression. The drug's benefit was stronger in women who had previously responded to hormone therapy - who lived 10 months longer with the combination

  Dr. Nalinikanth Kotagiri of the Cincinnati Cancer Center in Ohio has just received the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Breakthrough Award to study the use of light to target cancer cells in late-stage breast cancer. The researcher explains the benefits of light therapy for metastatic breast cancer. Due to modern advances in medicine and the spread of public awareness campaigns, the outlook for people who develop breast cancer is currently very promising. According to the

A large genomic analysis has linked certain DNA mutations to a high risk of relapse in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, while other mutations were associated with better outcomes, according to researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Baylor College of Medicine and the University of British Columbia. The knowledge could help predict which patients are most likely to have their cancer return and spread, and could help guide treatment decisions. It also

Cancer never rests — and neither do those who have devoted their lives to finding new ways to battle this deadly disease. In this Spotlight, we look at some of the most promising cancer studies from the past month. Many of the most promising investigations into novel cancer therapies focus on the cellular mechanisms at play in cancer formation and progression, and how they can be manipulated in a way that ultimately benefits the patient. We have looked at several such studies

The rarest, but also the most aggressive and hard to treat form of breast cancer, is known as triple negative. For this type of cancer, researchers have so far been unable to identify markers that can classify patients by prognosis or probability of responding to different treatments. Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) are now publishing in Nature Communications a successful classification of triple breast cancer patients, which for the first time discriminates

In a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Mayo Clinic researchers identified that an FDA drug approved for myelodysplastic syndrome may be useful to treat triple-negative breast cancer, which is one of the most aggressive and lethal types of breast cancer. In this study, Mayo investigators identified that the drug 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (decitabine) which is FDA approved for the treatment of certain hematological (blood) cancers, could significantly inhibit

  Two recent papers attack two cancer-related problems using the same drug. They hope that it might improve survival in breast and lung cancer and halt obesity-related cancers. Researchers from Michigan State University in East Lansing are using novel molecular routes to attack cancer. The scientists were particularly interested in bromodomain inhibitors (BET inhibitors). These are a promising new class of drugs that target the genes involved in cancer's growth. BET

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has put out updated guidelines on whole-breast radiation therapy. The updated guidelines say that most women diagnosed with breast cancer should be treated with accelerated whole-breast irradiation as the standard of care. The new guideline greatly increases the number of women recommended to have accelerated whole-breast irradiation. The updated guidelines were published online on March 12, 2018 by the journal Practical Radiation Oncology.

Lymphedema is fluid retention in the tissue caused by damage to the lymphatic system and is one of the most serious side-effects of cancer operations. The problems caused by the swelling can range from severe pain or skin infections right through to loss of limb function and they detract greatly from a patient's quality of life. The conventional forms of treatment are only partially effective and the results temporary. Researchers at the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) at MedUni Vienna/Vienna

Most breast cancers are estrogen receptor-positive, meaning that signals received from estrogen, a hormone, promote the growth of the tumors. To stop these cancers from spreading, estrogen inhibitors are usually prescribed. But what happens when tumors develop treatment resistance? Studies suggest that "approximately 70 percent" of all breast cancers are estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive). These types of cancer are typically treated with drugs