Breast #cancers can be grouped based on different molecules that are found on the surface of the cancer cells. This trial involved 521 women whose breast cancer had hormone receptor molecules on their surface but didn’t carry a molecule called HER2. Everyone on the trial had previously taken hormone therapy.⧫
When these breast cancers stop responding to other treatments, women are offered chemotherapy instead, which can often have debilitating side effects.⧫
The trial found that adding palbociclib to the hormone therapy in women with advanced, hormone-sensitive breast cancer might delay their need for chemotherapy.⧫
Women taking the combination treatment started chemotherapy around 18 months after the trial began, compared with 9 months in women taking hormone therapy and the placebo. ⧫
In total, 3 years after the study began, 5 in 10 women who received the combination treatment were still alive, compared to 4 in 10 women who received hormone therapy and the placebo. ⧫
The trial found that adding palbociclib to the hormone therapy in women with advanced, hormone-sensitive breast cancer might delay their need for chemotherapy.⧫
Women taking the combination treatment started chemotherapy around 18 months after the trial began, compared with 9 months in women taking hormone therapy and the placebo. ⧫
In total, 3 years after the study began, 5 in 10 women who received the combination treatment were still alive, compared to 4 in 10 women who received hormone therapy and the placebo. ⧫
A transatlantic collaboration to develop blood tests that pinpoint cancer location
ReplyDeleteDr Chunxiao Song, a group leader and chemist at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford, is developing novel tools to analyse liquid biopsies for pancreatic and oesophageal cancer. Here Chunxiao tells us about his latest project, jointly funded by CRUK and Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), developed in collaboration with Dr Thuy Ngo. Together they aim to use epigenetic and transcriptome technology to detect cancer earlier and provide information on where the cancer originated from.
A new international Accelerator Award is funding researchers from the UK, Spain and Italy to improve early detection and intervention of haematological malignancies. The team is working together to develop disease models and produce data for studying blood cancers at an earlier stage. We talked to the lead investigator, Professor Jesus San Miguel – the Director of Clinical and Translational Medicine and Vice-Dean of the Medical Faculty at the University of Navarra – to learn about how they are combining their expertise to accelerate early detection for blood cancers.
ReplyDeleteYou usually have cancer drug treatment in cycles. A cycle means that you have a single cancer drug or a combination of drugs and then have a rest to allow your body to recover.
ReplyDeleteYou might have some chemotherapy injections over a day or two and then have some time with no treatment. The treatment and rest time make up one treatment cycle. When you get to the end of the cycle, it starts again with the next cycle.
If you're having some cancer drugs as tablets you might take them every day for the whole cycle, or just for a few days or weeks and then have a rest period.
Introducing lung screening for people at high risk of lung cancer could reduce deaths from the disease, according to new unpublished research.
ReplyDeleteA European study found the number of lung cancer deaths among men at high risk of lung cancer was 26% lower in those who had screening with a CT scan.
The first glimpse of the highly anticipated results suggested the benefits could be even greater in women. But experts said closer scrutiny of the data will be needed once it’s published.
“The results we’ve heard reporting that CT lung screening can reduce lung cancer deaths are hugely exciting" - Professor Charlie Swanton, Cancer Research UK
CRC cell lines were seeded in six-well plates and allowed to attach for 24 h (density was determined for each cell line on the basis of growth rate). The following day, cell lines were treated with various concentrations of ENMD-2076 for 24, 48, and 72 h. Following exposure, cells were scraped into RIPA buffer containing protease and phosphatase inhibitors (Pierce, Santa Ana, California, USA). Cells were lysed with a Qsonica Q55 probe sonicator (Qsonica, Newtown, Connecticut, USA) for 20 s. Samples were centrifuged at 16 000g at 4°C for 10 min. Total protein was determined using the Pierce 660 nm Protein Assay (Pierce, Santa Ana, California, USA). Fifty micrograms of protein were electrophoresed on 4–12% Bis-Tris precast gels (Life Technologies, Carlsbad, California, USA) and transferred to nitrocellulose membrane using Pierce G2 Fast Blotter (Pierce, Santa Ana, California, USA). Membranes were blocked for 1 h in blocking buffer (0.1% Casein solution in 0.2× PBS) at room temperature. Membranes were incubated overnight at 4°C in blocking buffer plus 0.1% Tween-20 with the following primary antibodies: phosphor-aurora A/B/C, p53, BCL-XL, p21, BAX, pHH3, surviving, and actin. All primary antibodies were purchased from Cell Signaling Technology (Danvers, Massachusetts, USA) and diluted as per manufactures’ instructions. Blots were washed 3×10 min in 1× TBS containing 0.1% Tween-20 and incubated with the appropriate secondary goat anti-rabbit and goat anti-mouse immunoglobulin G (H+L) DyLight conjugated antibodies (Cell Signaling Technology) at a 1 : 15 000 dilution for 1 h at room temperature. Blots were washed 3×15 min and then developed using the Odyssey Infrared Imaging System (LI-COR Biosciences, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA). p53 signal was quantified using Image J software (National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA) with identical area measured for each band and compared with their relative control.
ReplyDeleteThe treatment of cancer is complicated in that the drugs used target human cells, albeit cells that have undergone genetic changes and are dividing at a fast and uncontrolled rate. However, certain anticancer drugs can differentiate to some degree between normal tissue cells and cancer cells, and the rate at which cancer cells proliferate may in fact play a role in the apparent selectivity of agents. For instance, alkylating agents, which act on cells at all stages of the cell cycle, appear to be most toxic to cells in the synthesis, or S, stage, when DNA is in the process of replicating and unpaired nucleotides (the nitrogen-containing units of DNA and RNA) are most vulnerable to alkylation (the addition of an alkyl group). In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the identification of molecular features unique to cancer cells fueled the development of targeted cancer therapies, which possess a relatively high degree of specificity for cancer cells.
ReplyDeleteRenal cancer or kidney cancer is the cancer of kidneys. Its risk factors include smoking, obesity and use of NSAIDS. Prognosis depends on type and stage of cancer, patient’s medical history. Tumors confined to the kidney have a better prognosis than tumors that have spread outside the kidney. People with elevated blood calcium, low RBC count have poor prognosis.
ReplyDelete....Lymphoma is the cancer of lymphatic system. It includes lymph nodes and lymph vessels. It can either be Hodgkin’s lymphoma or Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It is characterized by swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy), fever and weight loss. It is diagnosed by lymph node biopsy and radiological tests. It can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy or using combination of both.
ReplyDeleteTreatment of brain #tumor depends on a number of factors like location, type and size of the tumor, age and health of the patient. Treatment options include surgery (mostly preferred), radiation therapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Chemotherapy is given orally, intravenous or through wafers delivered to brain. Commonly used drugs include vincristine, lomustine, carmustine, procarbazine, temozolomide
ReplyDeleteIn US only, the newly diagnosed cancer patient is 1,665,540 every year and the estimated death is 585,720 which are increasing as countries become more developed and more people reach advanced ages. Therefore, many efforts are being done in the war against cancer . One of these efforts is the continuous development of new drugs and forms of chemotherapy.
ReplyDeleteHormone therapy is most often used to treat breast and prostate cancers, where its role is well established through numerous clinical trials. Meanwhile, research is ongoing to study the potential efficacy of hormonal manipulation in treating other cancer types. Hormone therapy can be given in a few ways:
ReplyDeleteOral medication – some therapies are taken by mouth
Injection – some therapies are given by an injection under the skin (subcutaneous) or in the muscle (intramuscular)
Surgical intervention – for example, removal of the ovaries in women, or testicles in men, results in decreased production of certain hormones.
Many patients think of hormone therapy as being "less potent" than chemotherapy, but it can be just as effective in certain breast and prostate cancers. Hormone therapy is considered a "systemic" therapy, meaning that it travels throughout the body. Surgery or radiation therapy are considered "local" treatments
Your health care team can help you prevent or treat many side effects. Today, many more medications are available for side effects than in the past. Preventing and treating side effects, called palliative care or supportive care, is an important part of cancer treatment.
ReplyDeleteDoctors and scientists work constantly to develop drugs, drug combinations, and ways of giving treatment with fewer side effects. Many types of chemotherapy are easier to tolerate than they were a few years ago.
You may worry about the side effects of chemotherapy. But many types of chemotherapy given today are easier to tolerate than they were in the past. And your healthcare team is there to help prevent side effects and help you treat them. Side effects of chemotherapy will depend mainly on the type of drug, the dose, how it’s given and your overall health.
ReplyDeleteRead more: http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/diagnosis-and-treatment/chemotherapy-and-other-drug-therapies/chemotherapy/side-effects-of-chemotherapy/?region=on#ixzz5VLmmSeqa
The following are the most common side effects that people tend to experience with chemotherapy. Tell your healthcare team if you have these side effects or others you think might be from chemotherapy. The sooner you tell them of any problems, the sooner they can suggest ways to help you deal with them.
DeleteChemotherapy can cause you to have trouble thinking clearly and concentrating. This is often called “chemo brain.” These effects can go away after chemotherapy is finished or may last up to a year after treatment is over. Sometimes these effects happen long after treatment is finished. Your healthcare team can suggest ways to help improve concentration and manage changes in memory. They may suggest cognitive exercises that help retrain memory and improve concentration.
ReplyDeleteHair loss can be upsetting. Talk to your care team if you find losing your hair difficult to cope with.
ReplyDeleteThey understand how distressing it can be and can support you and discuss your options with you.
For example, you may decide you want to wear a wig. Synthetic wigs are available free of charge on the NHS for some people, but you'll usually have to pay for a wig made from real hair.