Tag Archives: cancer
Positron Emission Tomography can visualize pancreatic cancer tumor changes during chemotherapy and predict longer survival
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancer types. Only 20% of patients live beyond 1 year after diagnosis because of the aggressive nature of this disease and ineffective treatments. Therefore it is crucial to recognize
Lessons learned from the study of non-cancerous meningioma tumors
Meningiomas are the most common among tumors inside the skull (35.6%). The cellular origin of these tumors is the membrane that surrounds the brain, the meninges (Fig. 1) Most meningiomas are grades I & II according to
FDG-PET/CT is accurate in diagnosing breast cancer recurrence
A woman with a substantial risk of breast cancer recurrence experiences worry and anxiety, and a correct diagnosis is relevant in order to make well-founded decision on treatment strategy. It is then crucial to provide accurate diagnostic
Focal salvage for radiorecurrent prostate cancer
Patients primarily treated with radiotherapy for prostate cancer can get a recurrence. The tumour then regrows. Often this is a localised process and the tumour has not spread to other parts of the body. Therefore, these patients
How cancer begins and how to prevent it
Cancer is a problem of chemical carcinogenesis. This means that chemicals are involved in the processes leading to cancer. Knowledge of how certain molecules work is, therefore, essential for understanding how cancer begins. The chemicals that cause
A new test to select more effective treatments for lung cancer
Sadly, the majority of patients with Lung Cancers who cannot be treated by surgery to remove their tumour, die within a few years. Small numbers are beginning to benefit from chemotherapies which target very specific types of
Less is more for staging vaginal cancer
Criteria for predicting the survival of women with vaginal cancer has been established by physician specialists trained in treating gynecologic cancers in the United States and around the world. The current 5-year overall survival is approximately 74%
Ovarian cancer. Silent and deadly
Ovarian cancer is relatively uncommon but it is extremely deadly. For example, there are approximately 210,000 new cases of breast cancer every year in the United States and nearly 40,000 women die. In contrast, there are about
The synergistic role of prolactin and estrogen in breast cancer requires PAK1
In 2016, the American Cancer Society estimates about 40,000 deaths will result from breast cancer. This makes breast cancer the second leading cause of cancer-related among women. Despite the frightening statistics, the death rates from breast cancer
Genes on or off! How regulatory DNA variations disrupt the balance of P53 and cMYC binding
Identification of causative DNA variants in common complex diseases is very important to screen individuals with high-risk for diseases and for developing therapies to target the genetic cause of diseases, in particular cancer. DNA variations that lie
Androgen receptor; a tale of two cancers
Prostate cancer and breast cancer share similarities as hormone related cancers with a wide range of heterogeneous settings. Macklin, as early as 1954, provided evidence for a significantly higher frequency of prostate cancer among relatives of breast
Targeting cancer’s sweet tooth
The primary source of energy for nearly all living cells is glucose. This simple molecule of sugar, a so-called monosaccharide can be found not only in sweets but also from the digestion of more complex carbohydrates molecules
Biotransformation of bufadienolides in human liver microsomes
Bufadienolides are a family of cardiac aglycone compounds with the inhibitory activity of Na+/K+-ATPase. They exist extensively in both animal and plant species, such as Crassulaceae, Ranunculaceae, Bufonidae and Colubridae families. In traditional Chinese medicine, bufadienolides are
Atomic classification of cancer cells
Cancer cells have molecules, known as receptors, on their surface that distinguish them from healthy cells. Knowing receptors that are present on malignant cells can help to detect and/or classify the disease. Here, we developed a method
Where the titanium Woozle wasn’t? – Speeding cancer cells to an early death…
Nearly 40 years ago in the excitement of cisplatin, the first general anti-cancer based on useful but toxic platinum, many other metals go tried and some positive effects were found for titanium. It was natural to assume
MSX1 sensitises cells to ovarian cancer treatment
Ovarian cancer is an insidious disease which in the majority of cases is diagnosed only at a very late stage. The majority of ovarian tumours are of a particular aggressive type, called high grade serous ovarian cancer.
Special molecular mechanism makes CD147 an interesting drug target in cancer or autoimmune diseases
T cells are important players of the immune system, recognizing foreign or dangerous agents with their unique receptors. They defend the body from these agents either directly by killing or by recruiting or regulating other immune system
Mobile phones support palliative care services in Africa
The African Palliative Care Association (APCA) are a pan-Africa advocacy and research organisation working to expand palliative care services in the Africa region. APCA have been working with Honexus, a software development company, to create an electronic
Cancer and blood vessels: an old ridlle resolved
As any other organ of the human body, cancer needs a blood supply to provide oxygen and nutrients and to eliminate wastes. Although already the ancient Greeks had realized that there is a close relationship between tumours
May apple inspires new anti-tumour compounds that trigger preferential death of cancer cells
Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) are woodland plants, typically growing across most of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. All the parts of the plant are poisonous even the leaves and the root. Mayapple contains podophyllotoxin which is
