Tag Archives: tumor
Emergency department presentation predicts poor outcomes after meningioma removal
A meningioma is one of the most common forms of a brain tumor. Unlike many other types of brain tumors, meningiomas are typically associated with relatively favorable outcomes even when they require surgical treatment. In the past
Another prince awakened Sleeping Beauty?
Tumor suppressor genes are one of the body’s defenses against uncontrolled growth of tumor cells. When these genes are ‘silenced,’ or prevented from doing their work, the abnormal cells grow unchecked, usually with fatal consequences to the
Routine brain MRIs may not be needed after meningioma surgery
A meningioma is a very common form of a brain tumor that tends to affect elderly patients and women. Most patients with meningiomas do not need any treatment, however, certain groups undergo surgical removal of the tumor.
The right tool for the right job – it is brain surgery after all!
Getting drugs into the brain to help treat cancer or neurological diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s is pretty difficult. Generally speaking you can’t just take a pill or get an injection as the brain is protected by
Radiotherapy for prostate cancer: restrictions for the treatment of recurrent disease
Patients with prostate cancer who are treated with radiotherapy are not always cured. Depending on their pre-treatment risk factors (most importantly the stage of the tumour), they are at risk of recurrent disease. These recurrences often present
Defeating cancer by taking advantage of its inbuilt frailties
The treatment of cancer is a conflicting and complex process; the drugs that are used to kill cancer cells are also toxic to your healthy tissues. However, the different physiology of tumors provides a route to deliver
Milk exosomes for drug delivery
The need to effectively deliver drugs to target site has employed a multitude of substances varying from biological to a chemical nature and solid metals for the preparation of tiny drug delivery vesicles called nanoparticles. However, factors
Side effects of radiation therapy: Why me?
Most lung cancers are treated with radiation therapy, often in high doses. Although these treatments are absolutely required to prolong life (by killing the tumor or slowing its growth), radiation treatment can have negative side effects that
Importance of updating prognostic predictions: an example from breast cancer
Today prognostic prediction models are an integral part of clinical practice in many fields. They are typically used to access the risk of an event in the future after a well-defined starting point, for instance the risk
The many faces of macrophages in lung cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, accounting for more deaths than breast, prostate, and colon cancer combined. Within the past decade, the role of the immune system in the development and progression of
The molecular analysis of tumor cells in pancreatic tissue – searching for a needle in a haystack
In cancer research usually the tumor cell specific abnormalities are of interest: gene mutations, production of abnormal proteins, production of abnormal quantity of proteins, tumor cells treatment response. But the molecular analysis of pancreatic tumor samples poses
Combinatorial cancer therapies: too many “good guys” don’t do always good!
“Μέτρον άριστον” (Metron ariston) is an ancient Greek phrase, attribute to Cleobulus (6th century BC), one of the Seven Sages of Antiquity, and is translated, as “Moderation is the best”. This was meant to be applied to
Valproic acid treatment for brain tumors
Tumors arising in the brain represent only 2% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States with 23,000 new cases and 14,000 deaths annually. The World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies brain tumors from grade 1 to grade
Could a newly-discovered bacteria contribute to cancer?
For many years, doctors and scientists have known that certain viruses, such as human papilloma virus (HPV), are capable of causing cancer. Until recently, bacteria were ignored as potential carcinogens. This changed with the discovery that Helicobacter
Neurothekeomas, uncommon benign tumors of peripheral nerve
Neurothekeomas are uncommon benign neoplasms with a peripheral nerve sheath origin. This tumor usually involves dermis and is described as a small, solitary, slow growing and reddish to flesh-colored nodule or papule. Neurothekeoma preferentially affects the central aspect of
Spinal tumors in children: a rare disease
Tumors of the Central Nervous System (CNS) are one of the first causes of morbidity and mortality in children in developed countries. Among them, spinal tumors are estimated to account for less than 10% of the cases,
The thymus: a small organ with a mighty big function
The thymus lies in the chest behind the breastbone and above the heart. Relatively large in infancy, it increases in size until puberty and thereafter shrinks to only a few grams in old age. It consists of
How can cancer cells use hydrogen peroxide to strive?
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a well-known antiseptic used in our homes since the 1920s. But did you know that our cells produce this molecule and that at low concentrations H2O2 instructs our cells to do different things,
Using tumor DNA to refine lung cancer staging and treatment
The treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is guided by disease stage as assessed by clinical and pathologic criteria. Clinical tumor stage is determined by imaging including computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron
