Cancer
Diagnostic Tool Provides Additional Therapeutic Treatment Guidance for Third Deadliest Form of Cance
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Genzyme Genetics announced today that it now offers KRAS mutation testing for colorectal cancer. The Genzyme assay, now validated in colorectal cancer and other solid tumors, evaluates a patient’s tumor tissue for mutations in the KRAS gene. Recent studies have shown that identifying KRAS mutations can assist oncologists in selecting treatment for patients with colorectal cancer.
“Determining how efficacious a therapy will be for a cancer patient is an important component of personalized medicine,” said Michael C. Dugan, M.D., vice president of pathology services at Genzyme Genetics. “Colorectal cancer is not only the third most common type of cancer, but it is also the third deadliest. It is vital for oncologists to determine the best course of therapy for their patients, since time is of the essence when treating cancer. Choosing the most effective therapy can extend a patient’s life, as well as improve overall quality of life.”
Mutations in the KRAS gene have been associated with poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer and have been reported in approximately 30 to 50 percent of cases of colorectal adenocarcinoma. Recent studies have shown that KRAS mutations are associated with resistance to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
Breast Reconstruction Advances Fix Distortions Left by Lumpectomy
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Lumpectomy or breast conservation surgery is the most common type of breast cancer surgery currently performed. A benefit of the surgery is that only part of the breast is removed, but a drawback can be the resulting physical appearance of the breast, which may be disfigured, dented or uneven. A report in April’s Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery(R), the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), examines advances plastic surgeons have made in breast reconstruction to repair the damage left when cancer is removed.
“Although breast conservation therapies are a huge advance in the treatment of breast cancer, women are still concerned about how their breast will look after surgery,” said Sumner Slavin, MD, ASPS Member and report co-author. “Breast conservation surgery or lumpectomy can mean many things; a biopsy, partial mastectomy, wedge resection, or having a quarter of the breast taken. Women are often left with portions of their breasts removed and there are currently no implants that can address this unique cosmetic issue.”
Doctors Can Unmask Deceptive High Risk Breast Tumors Using Genetic Profile
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A unique genetic signature can alert physicians to high-risk breast tumors that are masquerading as low-risk tumors, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions. Although these tumors are apparently estrogen-receptor positive meaning they should depend on estrogen to grow they don’t respond well to anti-estrogen therapy.
Until now, doctors had no way to know these tumors would be unresponsive because their pathology is deceptive the tumors appear to be more easily treatable estrogen-receptor-positive tumors, but they rapidly lose their estrogen receptors. The researchers demonstrated that the chance for cancer recurrence in such patients is significantly higher, and standard post-operative care with long-term anti-estrogen therapy is often not effective. The genetic signature defined by the researchers will permit doctors to identify their high-risk patients and direct them to more effective therapy.
Cancer risk soars in HIV-infected people: study
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People with HIV have a much higher risk for many cancers, including anal cancer, but a lower risk for prostate cancer, researchers said on Tuesday.
Some types of cancers like Kaposi’s sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma have long been associated with people infected by the AIDS virus.
The study focused on trends from 1992 to 2003, finding that these two types of cancer became relatively less common among HIV-infected people in the United States. But other cancers are on the rise among these patients, who are living longer thanks to anti-HIV drugs.
New analysis boosts drug’s prostate cancer value
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A new analysis of data from a key prostate cancer study has strengthened the view that a drug that is now sold as a generic may be a valuable weapon to prevent prostate cancer, researchers said on Monday.
The drug is finasteride, formerly sold by Merck and Co as Proscar to treat enlargement of the prostate and now available generically. The drug affects male hormone levels.
The men in the study were taking the drug in a dose of 5 milligrams. In a one milligram dose, finasteride is sold by Merck as the baldness remedy Propecia.
Bone drug could help prevent the spread of breast cancer
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Maintaining bone density could be a key to decreasing the spread of cancer in women with locally advanced breast cancer, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Bones are common sites for the spread, or metastasis, of breast cancer. Scientists here found that women treated for stage II/III breast cancer who also received a bone strengthening drug were less likely to have breast tumor cells growing in their bones after three months. The bone-strengthening drug used was zoledronic acid, a drug that decreases bone turnover and reduces bone fractures in patients with osteoporosis.
The findings will be reported June 3 at 11 a.m. CT at the 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Heart risks high in childhood cancer survivors
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Children who survive cancer while they are young are five to 10 times more likely than their healthy siblings to develop heart disease, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
The finding comes from a study of more than 14,000 survivors of childhood cancers, and suggests that cancer survivors and their doctors need to be vigilant about heart risks.
“This study clearly shows for children, and particularly children treated with radiation therapy to the chest or certain drugs that are particularly toxic to the heart, there are significant risks of cardiovascular disease at a far younger-than-expected age,” said Dr. Richard Schilsky of the University of Chicago.
Vitamin D may lower breast cancer risk
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Breast cancer patients with lower levels of vitamin D were far more likely to die and far more likely to have their cancer spread than women with normal levels, Canadian researchers reported on Thursday.
Women deficient in the “sunshine vitamin” when they were diagnosed with breast cancer were 94 percent more likely to have their cancer spread and were 73 percent more likely to die than women with adequate vitamin D levels, the researchers said.
More than three-quarters of women with breast cancer had a vitamin D deficiency, the researchers reported to an upcoming meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Legislation needed to provide coverage for ED treatment after prostatectomy
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Men who have developed erectile dysfunction (ED) following surgery for prostate cancer usually do not have insurance coverage for ED treatment even though their insurance policies cover surgery for prostate cancer, according to an analysis presented today at the 103rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association. In contrast, federal law requires that insurance companies which cover mastectomy for breast cancer treatment also cover breast reconstruction.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common side effect of radical prostatectomy, though not always permanent, and almost all men experience some degree of ED following this surgery. The impact of ED on self-esteem and body image to prostate cancer patients can be as detrimental as the loss of a breast can be to a woman. However, the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act, passed by Congress in 1998, requires that third-party payers who cover mastectomy for breast cancer also cover the costs of breast reconstruction.
“There is compelling evidence that ED treatment leads to improved quality of life for the man and his partner,” said Ira D. Sharlip, M.D., a spokesman for the AUA. Therefore, as in the case of breast reconstruction for women, the cost of ED treatment should most certainly be covered for men.”
Rapid prostate cancer test does not ease anxiety
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The stress and anxiety associated with receiving results of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer is not relieved by using rapid PSA tests, but men still prefer to have their results quickly, results of a study indicate.
Waiting for PSA results often creates anxiety for patients and their families because of the potential implications, researchers explain. Dr. Simon Wilkinson from Weiss Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois and colleagues investigated whether reporting PSA results within 15 minutes of obtaining the blood sample would cause less anxiety to patients than reporting the results 1 or 4 days later.
Some statins may protect against cancer: study
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High-doses of cholesterol-lowering statins that are “lipophilic”—meaning they are soluble in fats—may offer protection against cancer, according to a new study that found a significant reduction in the incidence of cancer in users of these statins.
Examples of lipophilic statins are atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), lovastatin (Mevacor), or fluvastatin (Lescol).
Anti-cancer effects for statins have been proposed, “although original reports had actually suggested the potential opposite, pro-carcinogenic effects of statins,” Dr. Louise Pilote, of McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and colleagues note in the American Journal of Medicine. “Despite massive amounts of data, the issue remains inconclusive.”
Pilote’s team examined the association between lipophilic statin use and cancer occurrence in over 30,000 patients discharged from the hospital after treatment for heart attack in the province of Quebec. The team linked the Quebec hospital discharge summary database to the drugs claims database.
Nerve block cuts hot flashes after breast cancer
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Blocking parts of the nervous system that regulate body temperature can reduce hot flashes and improve sleep in survivors of breast cancer, researchers reported on Thursday.
With the experimental nerve blocker therapy, the average number of hot flashes per week fell from about 80 to just 8. Very severe hot flashes were almost totally abolished and a marked drop in nighttime awakenings was also seen, according to a report in the online issue of the Lancet Oncology.
Hot flashes and sleep dysfunction are common in breast cancer survivors, particularly those who use anti-estrogen agents like tamoxifen. Conventional treatments, such as hormone therapy or herbal remedies, have proven either ineffective or have been linked to important side effects.
Racial differences in cancer care still unexplained
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Even though black patients and white patients with rectal cancer are equally likely to consult with an oncologist, blacks are less likely to undergo additional treatment after surgery, according to research findings posted online by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The lower rates of radiation and chemotherapy partially explain why long-term survival after rectal cancer surgery is up to 20 percent lower for black patients than for white patients. Dr. Arden M. Morris, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and her colleagues hypothesized that blacks may not be referred as often to medical and radiation oncologists.
Using information from a large national database, the researchers identified 2,716 patients 66 years of age or older who had undergone surgery for stage II or III rectal cancer.
Supplemental Breast Ultrasound Boosts Cancer Detection
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Among women at high-risk of developing breast cancer, breast ultrasound combined with mammography may detect more cancers than mammography alone, according to results of a multicenter trial that included UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers.
Overall, 40 participants were diagnosed with breast cancer. Of those cases, a dozen lesions were suspicious only on ultrasound and eight were suspicious on both ultrasound and mammography.
The most recent findings, presented in the current issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, are from the first round of screening in the American College of Radiology Imaging Network’s ACRIN-6666 trial. More than 2,800 women at high risk of developing breast cancer participated. The median age of the participants was 55 years and more than half had a personal history of breast cancer.
Girls, Young Women Can Cut Risk of Early Breast Cancer Through Regular Exercise
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Mothers, here’s another reason to encourage your daughters to be physically active: Girls and young women who exercise regularly between the ages of 12 and 35 have a substantially lower risk of breast cancer before menopause compared to those who are less active, new research shows.
In the largest and most detailed analysis to date of the effects of exercise on premenopausal breast cancer, the study of nearly 65,000 women found that those who were physically active had a 23 percent lower risk of breast cancer before menopause. In particular, high levels of physical activity from ages 12 to 22 contributed most strongly to the lower breast cancer risk.
The study, by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University in Boston, will be available online May 13 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
