The Importance of Targeted Cancer Treatment

A few years ago, gefitinib was written off as an ineffective drug treatment for lung cancer. This conclusion was based on a 2004 study that found no correlation between gefitinib and prolonged lifespan among lung cancer participants. However, scientists who revisited the drug eventually found that gefitinib is exceptionally effective in treating a small minority of lung cancer patients.

Through additional research, scientists were able to determine that individuals who harbored a lung cancer tumor that exhibited a specific mutant form of EGFR (epithelial growth factor receptor) responded well to gefitinib. As a result, the drug currently serves as a viable treatment option for a select group of patients.

This example is just one of several that shows the importance of targeted cancer treatment. While past treatment philosophies have focused on treating all individuals with a specific type of cancer in the same way, new research shows that a variety of cancer subsets within a cancer type are more susceptible to certain types of treatment.

This shift in cancer treatment has been in the works for several years. Unfortunately, success stories have been slow to materialize. According to experts such as MIT professor Michael Yaffe, one reason for this is the breakdown in communication between cancer biologists who identify mutations and doctors in the clinic who put such knowledge to application.

As Yaffe explains, “We need a better translational mechanism for being able to take the things we discover here at MIT and elsewhere, and test them directly in large clinical trials. That’s sort of a bottleneck that I think everyone is aware of.”

Despite such hurdles as this, a handful of landmark targeted cancer treatments have already been identified. Most notably is the success of Gleevec, a drug that has single-handedly made CML (a rare type of leukemia) a manageable chronic illness.

Currently, breast cancer is one of the few cancer types to be routinely screened for specific genetic mutations. This is because the presence of specific mutations may indicate whether or not Herceptin will serve as an effective treatment. However, many scientists foresee a future in which all cancer patients receive a comprehensive screening immediately following diagnosis.

According to Alan D’Andrea of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the purpose of such default screening would be to identify the potential benefits of conventional treatment. “If we could identify up front the patients who are not going to respond to conventional drugs, we could immediately put them on an experimental therapy.”

Before such a vision becomes a reality, however, viable pathways must be identified to target. Additionally, safe and effective drugs must be developed to attack these pathways one identified. Presently, there are a wide number of studies investigating both of these steps among a number of cancer types.

Source:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/

This entry was posted on Monday, December 6th, 2010 at 2:44 pm and is filed under cancer treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

View the original article here

Mesothelioma Asbestos Lung Cancer

mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer

Asbestos exposure can lead to a number of lung diseases including asbestosis, pleural fibrosis and lung cancer. Asbestosis results in widespread scarring of the lungs and can leave victims short of breath and more likely to develop lung cancer. Pleural fibrosis causes inflammation, hardening and thickening of the lining of the lung tissue but has a number of symptoms so can be fairly straightforward to diagnose.

The other type of lung disease that can develop after asbestos exposure is asbestos lung cancer. This can affect either the internal portions of the lungs or the outer lining. Although it is impossible to determine the exact figure for the number of people who develop the disease because of asbestos, it is thought that there are around as many asbestos lung cancer deaths in Great Britain annually as there are mesothelioma deaths.

The reason why it can't be said how many lung cancer related deaths are down to this is because there are many other factors which can lead to the illness developing. Tobacco smoke is just one of these so it wouldn't be possible to say whether a person got cancer because of asbestos exposure or because they smoked.

Asbestos lung cancer can be hard to detect because in the early stages there may be no symptoms at all. There are a few such as having a cough, chest pain and weight loss but this can also indicate other illnesses which is what makes it so hard to diagnose.

If it is thought that someone may be suffering from asbestos lung cancer then a number of steps will be taken in order to confirm this. A full physical examination will be conducted and more than likely a sample of phlegm (spit) will be tested for any cancer cells. If any cancerous cells are found then either a tissue sample will be taken or a biopsy will be performed to get an accurate result.

The people who are most likely to suffer from asbestos lung cancer are those who were exposed to it during their working life. The majority of patients who have been diagnosed with the disease once worked in mines, mills or factories. However, others who have suffered high levels of asbestos exposure include construction, boilermaking and automotive repair.

More and more people who are suffering from illnesses such as asbestos lung cancer are claiming compensation from companies who failed to implement safety precautions to prevent heavy exposure. If you are looking for an asbestos lawyer then there are companies out there who can help claim payments for various things such as the cost of care you have accrued.

About the Author

J M Skinner & Co Solicitors asbestos lung cancer provide specialist legal services for property,asbestos, employment, personal injury and many other matters. Submitted by search engine consultants at http://www.webrepairservices.co.uk

Account limit of 2000 requests per hour exceeded.
Mesothelioma, Asbestos Lung Cancer Asbestosis- Legal Help

Tags: asbestos, attorney, cancer, lung, mesothelioma

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 28th, 2010 at 2:30 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

View the original article here

Is Cancer a Manmade Illness?

A recent review of tissue samples taken from ancient Egyptian mummies has revealed a strikingly rare occurrence of cancer, says a team of British and American scientists. Given the relatively high frequency of cancer among the modern population, the lack of cancer patients in Ancient Egypt leads researchers to propose the fact that cancer is a modern, manmade illness.

According to one of the lead researchers for the study, Rosalie David, “In industrialized societies, cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as a cause of death, but in ancient times, it was extremely rare.” This fact leads her to conclude, “There is nothing in the natural environment that can cause cancer.”

However, this conclusion is not a universal viewpoint of the scientific community. Certainly, there are a few variables that need to be taken into account when reviewing signs of cancer in a mummified subject that is more than 1,000 years old.

For example, John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin points out, “To see cancers with the skeletal record, you really have to have a tumor that’s affecting bone. Although there might be few confirmed diagnoses of tumors in bones, it’s because cancer is a difficult diagnosis to make from bone.”

Still it is not unheard of to effectively diagnose cancer from a skeletal record. In fact, Dr. Michael Zimmerman of Villanova University (and lead author for the study) was able to use mummified tissue to identify rectal cancer in a mummified specimen that is approximately 1,700 years old. Given this success, and the lack of cancer found across all mummies examined, Zimmerman agrees with David on the fact that cancer appears to be caused by pollution, diet and other manmade health hazards.

To bolster their claims, David and Zimmerman combed through ancient Egyptian and Greek texts in an effort to identify any mentions of cancer among both human and animal populations. The near lack of such data may be interpreted as an additional sign that some credence can be given to the controversial idea.

Critics have also brought up the fact that individuals living in ancient times had a typical lifespan of less than 30 years. Today, cancers generally manifest beyond the 30-year mark. As such it could just be that ancient individuals did not live long enough for cancer to occur.

The British/American team attempted to debunk this possibility by reviewing signs of other age-related illnesses. The fact that they found fairly common symptoms of atherosclerosis, osteoporosis and Paget’s disease of bone suggests that aging was progressed enough to reveal higher rates of cancer than actually found.

Still, the idea that cancer is wholly a manmade illness is a hard pill to swallow – signs of cancer have previously been found in the remains of dinosaurs. However, the evidence compiled by the team is compelling enough to raise questions about how much human contributors have affected the rise of cancer in our society.  In the cases of clear carcinogens like asbestos, the connection to cancer (mesothelioma) is certainly present, but for many other cancers it is not clear.

Sources:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/
http://www.care2.com/

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 at 8:33 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

View the original article here

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer occurs in the epithelial cells which line the ducts or lobules of the breast tissue. Breast cancer is malignant (cancerous) proliferation of these epithelial cells. Breast cancer is one of the leading cancers in women and among epithelial cancers breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Breast cancer can occur only rarely if ever among men and the ratio of female to male is 150:1.

In regards to occurrence breast cancer is very common, but due to improved treatment in case of breast cancer the mortality has come down to a great extent in most of the countries where the cancer treatment facilities are available. Unlike other cancers, breast cancer has very good survival rate if treated properly. As compare to number of breast cancer detection every year, the number of deaths due to breast cancer is much less due to improved survival with adequate treatment.

Breast cancer is dependent on hormone and a woman without functional ovaries do not develop breast cancer and also women who has never taken estrogen replacement therapy also do not develop breast cancer. Due to the hormone dependency, breast cancer shows typical pattern in occurrence. The incidences of breast cancer start increasing after menarche (starting of menstruation in females) and increase till menopause, from where the incidence starts declining again.

Three dates in women’s life has major impact on breast cancer incidence, they are age at menarche, age at first full-term pregnancy and age at menopause. Early menarche increase risk of breast cancer e.g. menarche at 12 years of age increase the risk of breast cancer by 50-60% in compare to menarche at the age of 16 years. First full term pregnancy at the age of 18 years reduces the risk of breast cancer by approximately 35% in compare to women without children. Menopause at early age reduces the risk of breast cancer e.g. menopause 10 years earlier can reduce risk of breast cancer by 35%.

The outcome of treatment of breast cancer depends on the stage of breast cancer. Stages of breast cancer are divided from Stage I through Stage IV, the worst results with the Stage IV.

View the original article here

Stress May Reduce Effectiveness of Cancer Treatment

Increased levels of stress n either mental or physical n may reduce the effectiveness of cancer treatment, according to researchers at Ohio State University. These findings are based on studies that looked at how breast cancer cultures reacted to treatment in relation to levels of a stress-related protein.

Results suggest that the heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1) protein, which increases in production at the onset of stress, reduces the body’s ability to kill cancer cells. This decrease in effectiveness was witnessed even after cancer cells were damaged through the process of radiation or chemotherapy treatment.

HSF-1 is associated with both mental stress and physical stress. The body produces it in an attempt to insulate healthy cells and tissues from the negative effects of stress. Apparently, it also helps insulate cancer cells from negative harm as well.

In response to this, Ohio State researchers recommend patients take steps to reduce mental and physical sources of stress in the days leading up to treatment. Both relaxation and physical inactivity are important, according to researchers.

While exercise and activity are often recommended for cancer patients, lead study author Govindasamy Ilangovan notes that timing of exercise is important: “It looks like any intense or prolonged physical activity a couple of days before the start of cancer therapy is highly risky, and has potential to reduce the benefits of treatment.”

Though the study looked only for a link between breast cancer and stress, it should be noted that HSF-1 production could affect a wide variety of cancer types.

Based on these findings, researchers suggest that it may be possible to develop drugs that effectively suppress the adverse treatment effects of HSF-1. The University of Ohio study was published in the September 21st online edition of Molecular Cancer Research.

Sources:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hiCLJ_GqdRgeCbHM587ophqP3pnQ
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/643444.html

This entry was posted on Monday, November 1st, 2010 at 7:52 am and is filed under Medical news, cancer treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

View the original article here

New Cancer Drug Shows Early Promise

More than 80 percent of malignant melanoma patients in a recent study experienced a dramatic reduction in tumor size thanks to a new experimental drug treatment. While drug trials for the treatment are still in the early stages, industry experts such as Matthew Meyerson of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston report the findings as “a major breakthrough in cancer treatment.”

The findings of the study, published in a recent edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, are the result of targeted drug development. In previous genome analysis, it was found that production of a protein called BRAF is overactive in approximately 50 to 60 percent of patients diagnosed with malignant melanomas. This insight led to the production of drugs that inhibit the molecular pathways associated with BRAF production.

Two pharmaceutical companies n Roche and Plexxikon n collaborated to develop the specific drug used to hinder BRAF pathways. For the study, 32 melanoma patients were given the drug, with 81 percent showing a partial or complete response. In a few cases, tumors actually disappeared altogether for a short time.

The drug shows significant promise for a cancer that is notoriously difficult to treat. If caught early, surgery may prove an effective treatment. However, cases in which the cancer grows beyond the skin come with a poor diagnosis (many patients do not survive more than 12 months once metastasis occurs). Presently, only 10 to 20 percent of patients respond well to FDA approved drug treatments.

Thanks to the innovation of targeted genome sequencing, the number of participants in clinical trials can be greatly reduced. Given the promising effects of the phase II trial, the drug is ready to enter phase III trials to further test its efficacy. Of primary concern for future trials, is the analysis of a cancer’s ability to become resistant to the new drug. Current tests indicate that resistance can occur anywhere from three months to two years from the beginning of treatment.

To counter this resistance, researchers may try a combination of drugs that target additional protein mutations beyond the BRAF protein.

If found effective, the potential of BRAF inhibitor drugs may extend beyond malignant melanoma cancer. The mutation is also present in seven to eight percent of all other cancers.

Resource:
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/26117/?a=f
http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/090710/page2

This entry was posted on Friday, November 12th, 2010 at 12:05 pm and is filed under Medical news, cancer treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

View the original article here

Mesothelioma Testing May Predict Cancer Development and Improve Prevention Efforts

Mesothelioma Law Blog: Mesothelioma Testing May Predict Cancer Development and Improve Prevention EffortsMesothelioma Law Blog« Mesothelioma Treatment Improved with the Addition of Tomudex to Cisplatin Therapy |Main| Asbestos group wants research not review »

Mesothelioma Testing May Predict Cancer Development and Improve Prevention Efforts

Researchers at UCLA and various treatment centers around the country are teaming up with surgical oncologist Dr. Robert Cameron and the Pacific, Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (PHLBI) to create tests (including a breath test) that predict individuals at risk of developing mesothelioma cancer.

Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with the cancer each year. Similar to other asbestos-related diseases, mesothelioma has a long latency period. In most cases, patients with mesothelioma will not experience symptoms until 20 to 50 years have passed since their initial exposure to asbestos.

Unfortunately, the rare cancer does not respond well to current mesothelioma treatment methods and researchers across the globe have conducted numerous studies to better understand the cancer and develop more effective testing methods and treatments.

The researchers have already reported some success with breath tests in lung cancer patients. The researchers now plan to extend the breath test to persons exposed to asbestos who are at risk for developing mesothelioma. With the successful identification of asbestos-exposed persons at risk of mesothelioma, the team of researchers can then begin testing the efficacy of a COX-2 inhibitor (such as the medication Celebrex) that may prevent mesothelioma from developing.

Dr. Robert Cameron is a world renowned mesothelioma surgeon and serves as the scientific advisor of PHLBI, in addition to his roles as the director of the mesothelioma program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the chief of thoracic surgery at the West Los Angeles Veterans’ Administration Medical Center.

PHLBI’s medical research is also under the direction of Dr. Cameron, who innovated the lung-sparing pleurectomy/decortication (PD) surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma and has performed the procedure on more than 300 patients. Research programs at PHLBI currently focus on immunotherapy, screening, early detection and prevention of mesothelioma.

Source

October 21, 2010 in Mesotheliom Research | Permalink

Comments Verify your Comment Previewing your CommentPosted by:  | 

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Your comment could not be posted. Error type: Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Post a comment Comments are moderated, and will not appear until the author has approved them.

Comment below or sign in with TypePad Facebook Twitter and more... You are currently signed in as (nobody). Sign Out (URLs automatically linked.)

Your Information

(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)

Name is required to post a comment

Please enter a valid email address

Invalid URL

November 2010SunMonTueWedThuFriSat 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930    Recent PostsN.Y.'s high court tosses asbestos suitMesothelioma Cases Rising in the United KingdomDisagreement over the use of surgery to treat mesothelioma patientsAsbestos group wants research not reviewMesothelioma Testing May Predict Cancer Development and Improve Prevention EffortsMesothelioma Treatment Improved with the Addition of Tomudex to Cisplatin TherapyFemale Mesothelioma Patients Live Longer After Surgery Test May Detect MesotheliomaStudy suggests radical surgeries produce better resultsFire at Remington Arms Plant in Connecticut May Reveal Asbestos CategoriesAnti Cancer TreatmentAsbestosAsbestos BillsAsbestos CasesAsbestos CleanupAsbestos CompensationAsbestos DangersAsbestos DeathsAsbestos in the WorkplaceAsbestos SettlementsAsbestos WisconsinColorado MesotheliomaConnecticut AsbestosCrocidolite AsbestosDetecting MesotheliomaErie County AsbestosFight Against CancerFiji AsbestosGeneral Mesothelioma NewsGeorgie AsbestosIllinois AsbestosLegal QuestionsLegal RightsLondon AsbestosMaryland AsbestosMasschusetts AsbestosMesotheliom ResearchMesothelioma AnswersMesothelioma CancerMesothelioma CasesMesothelioma CompensationMesothelioma LawMesothelioma law verdictsMesothelioma LawyerMesothelioma LawyersMesothelioma Legal NewsMesothelioma SettlementsMesothelioma StoriesMesothelioma Treatment OptionsMinnesota Minnesota MesotheliomaMissouri AsbestosNew Jersey MesotheliomaNew York AsbestosOhio ResearchPitsburgh MesotheliomaPreventing MesotheliomaSouth Carolina MesotheliomaTelomerase Gene SequenceTennessee MesotheliomaTexas Mesothelioma AttorneysUK AsbestosUncategorizedUnderstanding MesotheliomaVermont AsbestosVermont Asbestos LawVirginia AsbestosMesothelioma News From Topix.netBlog Created ByLawyers CourtOther Legal BlogsDUI SarasotaKent Washington Personal InjuryRenton Personal InjuryLynnwood Personal InjuryBellevue Personal InjuryEverett Personal Injury LawyerCriminal Tax BlogSecurities Law NewsSacramento DUI LawTax Litigation BlogSearch Engine BlogsExecutive SEO MarketingSearch Engine WatchSearch Engine LowdownGoogle BlogYahoo Search BlogSEARCH MARKETING NEWSSubscribe to this blog's feedAdd me to your TypePad People listOther Legal SitesChicago Medical MalpracticeClearwater DUI AttorneyKirkland Personal Injury LawyerChicago Personal InjuryPolk County Drunk Driving LawyersOrlando DUI Law FirmWashington Auto Accident AttorneysRenton Family LawyersFort Wayne Slip & FallDUI ExpungementDeer Park LawyerChicago LawyersSecurities Arbitration AttorneysMinnesota LawyersPalm Springs DUIChicago AttorneysIllinois Tax AttorneyChicago Securities LawSeattle Car Accident LawyerChicago Illinois AttorneyNew York Construction LawyerChicago Shareholder DisputesCalifornia DUI LawyersIllinois Antitrust LawyersWashington Accident AttorneySeattle Personal InjuryChicago Eminent DomainChicago Corporate LawyersPortland Real Estate LawIowa Injury LawyersChicago Business LawLegal DirectoryChicago Securities LawyerChicago Wills AttorneyChicago Probate LawyersChicago LawyersLegal News FeedsLaw Firm ConsultantChicago Tax LawyersAttorney SEOOther SitesChicago Gutter CleaningHospitality TrainingCredit InsuranceSun ProtectionChicago Career CoachWest Palm Beach BankJackson Hole ContractorsBoston LimousinesSun HatsChicago Web DesignArchivesNovember 2010October 2010September 2010August 2010July 2010June 2010May 2010April 2010March 2010February 2010More...

document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js'%3E%3C/script%3E"));COMSCORE.beacon({ c1: 2, c2: "6035669", c3: "", c4: "http://www.mesotheliomalawblog.com/2010/10/mesothelioma-testing-may-predict-cancer-development-and-improve-prevention-efforts.html", c5: "", c6: "", c15: ""});

View the original article here