April 22, 2009, 5:11 AM CT

New chemo combination against recurrent gynecologic cancers

Recurrent and metastatic endometrial and ovary cancers can be notoriously difficult to treat: They have spread to other organs and typically have developed resistance to chemotherapy; and patients already heavily treated with chemotherapy may not be able to endure more chemo. Now, physicians at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have shown that a combination of two chemotherapy drugs not only produced clinical benefit for such patients but were also well tolerated. The findings are published online in the journal Gynecologic Oncology

"Women with recurrent gynecologic cancers have often had multiple rounds of chemotherapy, which can cause tumor cells to develop resistance to these drugs," says Mark H. Einstein, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics & gynecology and women's health at Einstein, who headed the study. "This resistance can make it difficult for doctors to devise a therapy protocol that will impact the cancers while avoiding the often-severe side effects that certain chemotherapy drugs can cause, especially when patients have already been heavily pretreated with other anti-cancer drugs".

In prior clinical studies, the chemotherapy drugs topotecan and docetaxel showed effectiveness when used separately against recurrent gynecologic cancers. The phase 2 trial conducted by Dr. Einstein and colleagues─the first to evaluate the combination of the drugs for this purpose─involved 24 women with recurrent uterine, ovarian, fallopian or peritoneal cancers. The women were given the topotecan-docetaxel combination on Day 1 of the trial and then weekly for three weeks; after a one-week rest, the women received another three-week therapy cycle, ultimately undergoing six such therapy cycles......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

April 2, 2009, 5:00 AM CT

Ovarian cancer screening

The only available screening tests for ovary cancer fail to catch early signs of the disease and often result in unnecessary surgery, said scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The newly released study looked at a screening regimen that combines ultrasound and a blood test for CA-125, a marker for women's cancer.

Results showed the combo screening caught 70 percent of the ovary cancers in their late stages, when effective therapy options are limited.

Knowing this screening limitation means the search has intensified for a better way to detect ovary cancer, often called the "silent killer," said Edward Partridge, M.D., director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and the lead study author.

"We still have some comparison data to review, but right now it looks like the positive predictive value of these tests is pretty low," Partridge said.

The study puts the positivity value for both tests at around 1.6 percent per 100 positive screening results, a remarkably low positivity rate that led to a number of false positives, he said. False positives are erroneous signals of cancer where there is none.

The UAB results are published April 1 in the journal Obstetrics & Genecology......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

February 6, 2009, 6:02 AM CT

No increased risk of ovarian cancer from fertility drugs

The use of fertility drugs does not increase a woman's risk of developing ovary cancer, finds a large study from Danish scientists published on bmj.com today.

During the past three decades there has been considerable debate as to whether use of fertility drugs increases a woman's risk of developing ovary cancer. Prior studies have given conflicting results and concerns remain, especially for women who undergo several cycles of therapy or who never succeed in becoming pregnant.

So Allan Jensen and his colleagues at the Danish Cancer Society examined the effects of fertility drugs on ovary cancer risk by using data from the largest cohort of infertile women to date.

The study involved 54,362 women with infertility problems referred to all Danish fertility clinics between 1963 and 1998. 156 of these women had ovary cancer. After adjusting for several risk factors, the scientists assessed the effects of four groups of fertility drugs over an average period of 16 years.

They found no overall increased risk for ovary cancer after use of any fertility drug. They also found no increased risk among women who had undergone 10 or more cycles of therapy or among those who did not become pregnant.

Eventhough the authors did observe a statistically significant increase in risk of the most common serious type of ovary cancer among women who had used the drug clomiphene, they stress that this was probably a chance association......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

February 3, 2009, 6:17 AM CT

Genes associated with ovarian cancer survival

A newly released study published this week in the open-access journal PLoS Medicine identifies molecular pathways linked to outcomes in ovary cancer. Currently, outcomes following diagnosis of ovary cancer are very poor, with up to 65-70% of women dying within five years of diagnosis.

Anne Crijns and her colleagues from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands aimed to find out whether the expression levels of particular genes were linked to overall survival in ovary cancer. The scientists initially studied a series of tissue samples, obtained during surgery to remove malignant tissue from 157 consecutive patients seen at the University Medical Center Groningen. Analysis of the samples identified 86 genes which correlated with overall survival in the women. The scientists were then able to confirm, for 57 of the 86 genes, that these were also correlated with survival in a second, entirely separate dataset. Specific genes, and pathways, were identified which provide specific targets around which scientists might be able to design potential therapies in future.

For example, Crijns and his colleagues find high expression of a gene encoding a FK506 binding protein, FKBP7, is linked to poor prognosis. This protein can be targeted with existing drugs, the mTOR inhibitors. Another implication of the work discussed by the scientists is the use of this expression signature to identify women who are at greater risk of relapse, and thus potentially personalize therapy. However, as the authors acknowledge, such implications are still some way off. It would be important to carry out prospective studies in order to show that the signature performs effectively in a clinical setting......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

September 15, 2008, 9:46 PM CT

Ovarian cancer drug: promising new treatment

Irvine, Calif. Women with recurrent ovary cancer can be helped by an experimental treatment using a drug already touted for its ability to fight other cancers, a finding that provides hope for improved therapy of this deadly disease.

Dr. Bradley Monk, a UC Irvine gynecologic oncologist who led the worldwide phase III clinical trial, said trabectedin is the most recent addition to a short list of active drug therapies for recurrent ovary cancer. He presents study results Sept. 15 at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Stockholm.

"These are exciting results because positive trials in recurrent ovary cancer are rare and have almost always led to federally approved therapys," said Monk, an associate professor who studies and treats ovary cancers at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at UC Irvine. "This therapy undoubtedly will be reviewed carefully by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and, if approved, will give women with ovary cancer another much needed option".

Phase III studies are multicenter trials on large patient groups designed to be the definitive assessment of a drug's effectiveness. Such a study is often the last step before a drug is evaluated by a regulatory agency like the FDA for approval as a safe, effective therapy......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

April 17, 2008, 8:09 PM CT

Ovarian cancer stem cells identified

Scientists at Yale School of Medicine have identified, characterized and cloned ovary cancer stem cells and have shown that these stem cells may be the source of ovary cancers recurrence and its resistance to chemotherapy.

These results bring us closer to more effective and targeted therapy for epithelial ovary cancer, one of the most lethal forms of cancer, said Gil Mor, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine.

Mor presented his findings recently at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Meeting in San Diego, California.

Malignant tumors are made up of cells that are both malignant and non-malignant. Within malignant cells, there is a further subclass referred to as cancer stem cells, which can replicate indefinitely.

Present chemotherapy modalities eliminate the bulk of the tumor cells, but cannot eliminate a core of these cancer stem cells that have a high capacity for renewal, said Mor, who is also a member of the Yale Cancer Center. Identification of these cells, as we have done here, is the first step in the development of therapeutic modalities.

Mor and his colleagues isolated cells from 80 human samples of either peritoneal fluid or solid tumors. The cancer stem cells that were identified were positive for traditional cancer stem cell markers including CD44 and MyD88. These cells also showed a high capacity for repair and self-renewal......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

April 17, 2008, 7:47 PM CT

Drug compound leads to death of ovarian cancer cells

In a discovery that may be useful for maintaining remission in chemo-resistant ovary cancer, Yale researchers report that pre-clinical studies have shown the drug compound NV-128 can induce the death of ovary cancer cells by halting the activation of a protein pathway called mTOR.

Gil Mor, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine, and associate research scientist Ayesha Alvero, M.D. presented the data April 15 during an oral presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

In cancer cells, mTOR signals enhance tumor growth and may be linked to resistance to conventional therapies. Inhibition of mTOR could shut down a number of of these survival pathways, including proteins that protect the mitochondria of cancer cells.

NV-128, developed by Novogen Limited, holds promise as a more targeted treatment for ovary cancer because it works differently from traditional therapies that are dependent on enzymes known as caspases to trigger cell death. Therapies using caspases to kill cancer cells can be ineffective in chemo-resistant cancer cells due to mutations that short-circuit signals that trigger cancer cell death.

We consider that the capacity of NV-128 to trigger caspase-independent cell death, in otherwise chemoresistant ovary cancer cells, opens new possibilities for the use of NV-128 as a potential addition to conventional chemotherapy targeting ovary cancer cells, said Mor......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

March 13, 2008, 9:10 PM CT

Preventing spread of ovarian cancer

A drug that blocks production of an enzyme that enables ovary cancer to gain a foothold in a new site can slow the spread of the disease and prolong survival in mice, as per a research studyby scientists from the University of Chicago Medical Center, but only if the drug is given early in the disease process.

In the recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the scientists show that an enzyme known as MMP-2 is necessary for ovary cancer to attach itself to the sites where it tends to spread. Several drugs known as MMP inhibitors (for example, marimastat or prinomastat) inhibit the enzyme, dramatically reducing the tumor's ability to establish itself at sites beyond the ovary. But such MMP inhibitors, which were abandoned after they failed to extend survival in earlier clinical trials, have to be given before the cancer has spread.

"Our study suggests that MMP-2 inhibitors could have a significant impact on ovary cancer but only if administered quite early, before the cancer has advanced beyond the ovary," said Ernst Lengyel, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago.

This approach could help women who receive surgical therapy while the disease is still limited to the ovary as well as those who have successful surgery to remove all evidence of local spread of the disease. In the earlier trial, marimastat was given to women with late-stage disease that had already spread......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

March 11, 2008, 5:42 AM CT

Recurrent low-grade carcinoma of the ovary less responsive to chemo

Recurrent low-grade serous carcinoma, a rare type of ovary cancer, is less sensitive to chemotherapy and therefore more difficult to treat than more common high-grade ovary cancers, as per scientists from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The findings were reported at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists 39th Annual Meeting on Women's Cancers.

The retrospective study is the first to analyze how women with low-grade tumors respond to chemotherapy in recurrent setting and confirms clinical impressions that the tumors are chemoresistant, said lead author David M. Gershenson, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology at M. D. Anderson. Prior studies have shown similar tumor resistance in newly diagnosed patients, and there is currently no standard of care for women facing the disease.

The results support a growing body of research that shows low-grade ovarian tumors behave differently than their high-grade counterparts, genetically and clinically. "In order to make meaningful advances in therapy, women with low-grade ovarian tumors must not be grouped together with those with more common ovarian tumors. They require unique consideration and more targeted therapy options for a better chance of survival," Gershenson said......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

February 12, 2008, 9:41 PM CT

Test detects early stage ovarian cancer with 99 percent accuracy

Scientists at Yale School of Medicine have developed a blood test with enough sensitivity and specificity to detect early stage ovary cancer with 99 percent accuracy.

Results of this new study are reported in the February 15 issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research. The results build on work done by the same Yale group in 2005 showing 95 percent effectiveness of a blood test using four proteins.

The ability to recognize almost 100 percent of new tumors will have a major impact on the high death rates of this cancer, said Mor. We hope this test will become the standard of care for women having routine examinations.

Epithelial ovary cancer is the leading cause of gynecologic cancer deaths in the United States and three times more lethal than breast cancer. It is commonly not diagnosed until its advanced stages and has come to be known as the silent killer.

This new phase II clinical trial led by Gil Mor, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at Yale, included 500 patients; 350 healthy controls and 150 ovary cancer patients. Mor and his colleagues validated the prior research and used a new platform called multiplex technology to simplify the test into one single reaction using very small amounts of serum from the blood. The new platform uses six protein biomarkers instead of four, increasing the specificity of the test from 95 to 99.4 percent. The team looked for the presence of specific proteins and quantified the concentration of those proteins in the blood......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

February 10, 2008, 9:47 PM CT

Why certain ovarian cancers develop resistance

A team of scientists led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has identified a new mechanism that explains why some recurrent ovarian tumors become resistant to therapy with usually used platinum-based chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatin and carboplatin. They describe their research online Feb. 10 in the journal Nature.

While these findings are based on the study of ovarian-cancer cells from women with inherited mutations in the BRCA2 gene, they also may help explain the mechanics of cisplatin resistance in ovarian-cancer patients with BRCA1-gene mutations. Together such genetic mistakes are thought to cause about 10 percent of ovary cancers, as per senior author Toshiyasu (Toshi) Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D.

Because BRCA1 and BRCA2 have similar functions in terms of DNA repair, we may be able to generalize these findings for women with either mutation, said Taniguchi, an assistant member of the Hutchinson Centers Human Biology and Public Health Sciences divisions.

BRCA2 works to repair damaged DNA; inherited mutations in this gene disrupt that ability, which increases the risk of ovarian and breast cancer. At the same time, such mutations also make cancer cells more vulnerable to DNA-damaging agents such as cisplatin and carboplatin. While ovarian tumors initially respond very well to platinum-based chemotherapy, eventually between 70 percent and 80 percent of advanced-stage ovarian-cancer patients develop a resistance to these drugs......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

November 14, 2007, 9:45 PM CT

Predicting the future in ovarian cancer

Kisspeptin and its receptor GPR54 predict a favourable clinical outcome in women with ovarian carcinoma, and are specific for the clear cell carcinoma subtype, research published this week in the online open access journal, BMC Medicine, reveals.

The kisspeptins, a family of peptide hormones, and the receptor GPR54 have previously been linked to anti-metastatic activity in certain human tumours. In this study, scientists have shown that kisspeptin and GPR54 are independent prognostic biomarkers specific for ovarian clear cell carcinoma - the first such markers to be identified.

A research team based at the BC Cancer Agency and Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, Canada created a tissue microarray - paraffin blocks which allow numerous tissue samples to be analysed simultaneously - from 518 cases of early-stage ovarian carcinoma. They analysed the samples using antibodies against kisspeptin and the G-protein-coupled receptor GPR54. Cases that showed strong staining for either kisspeptin or GPR54 were scored as positive, the rest negative.

The study revealed that patients who were positive for both kisspeptin and GPR54 had a favourable prognosis as in comparison to those patients who were negative for both kisspeptin and GPR54 cases - both in terms of disease-specific survival and overall survival. Scientists also observed that these molecular markers were significantly linked to the clear cell ovarian carcinomas subtype......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

October 31, 2007, 8:10 PM CT

Avastin Improves Ovarian Cancer Treatment

A new study appearing in International Journal of Gynecological Cancer states that Bevacizumab, a biologic anti-cancer agent that prevents tumor growth by interfering with the formation of new blood vessels, may have the potential to improve the efficacy of standard combination chemotherapy in ovary cancer.

Ovary cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women, accounting for nearly 14,000 deaths annually in the United States. Despite the use of chemotherapy therapy, nearly 70 percent of all ovary cancer patients will eventually succumb to their disease. Consequently, studies have continued to investigate the activity of novel medications in combination with standard treatment to improve overall and disease-free survival in ovary cancer patients.

Bevacizumab has been studied clinically and was recently approved as a therapy for metastatic colon cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. Currently, Bevacizumab is also being studied as a therapy to improve patient survival rates for breast and kidney cancers. Since Bevacizumab has a unique mechanism of action and a favorable safety profile, the medicine is not linked to unreasonable levels of toxicity. However, prior studies have reported that gastro-intestinal perforations and high blood pressure may be a consequence of therapy involving Bevacizumab. "The results from our research suggest that the combination of Bevacizumab and standard treatment for the therapy of ovary cancer may be promising, especially with regard to safety and efficacy," says Dr. Bram Goldstein, co-author of the study......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

October 9, 2007, 8:55 PM CT

Low-Fat Dietary To Lower Risk of Ovarian Cancer

A diet low in fat could reduce the risk of ovary cancer in healthy postmenopausal women, as per new results from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Dietary Modification Trial. Scientists observed that after four years, women who decreased the amount of dietary fat they consumed were 40 percent less likely to develop ovary cancer than women who followed normal dietary patterns. As expected, no effect was found during the first four years because preventive benefits on cancer often take a number of years to develop. Ovary cancer affects about 1 in 60 U.S. women in their lifetimes and has the highest mortality of all cancers of the female reproductive system.

"Low-Fat Dietary Pattern and Invasive Cancer Incidence: Further Results from the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial," is published online October 9 by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The WHI Dietary Modification Trial was conducted in 40 clinical centers throughout the United States and is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

The WHI Dietary Modification clinical trial followed 48,835 healthy, postmenopausal women for an average of 8.1 years to test whether a low-fat diet would reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Nearly 20,000 women in the intervention group were counseled to decrease fat intake to 20 percent of calories and to replace calories from fat with calories from vegetables, fruits, and grains. The control group (nearly 30,000 women) received diet-related education materials only......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

September 27, 2007, 10:04 PM CT

Drug Boosts Survival in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer

New clinical data showed an experimental drug called pertuzumab prolonged the survival time for women with recurrent ovary cancer, a University of Alabama at Birmingham doctor said recently.

The data was presented Sept. 24 during a scientific session of the 14th European Cancer Conference held in Barcelona, Spain. The session's main speaker was Sharmila Makhija, M.D., an associate professor in UAB's Division of Gynecologic Oncology.

Makhija said Phase II clinical trial data showed that pertuzumab added weeks to the lives of Stage 3 ovary cancer patients whose disease had returned after therapy with existing chemotherapy regimens.

In the study, pertuzumab was administered in combination with a standard chemotherapy agent sometime after the initial therapys had been given, and after the re-emergence of cancer. Makhija said the new combination added weeks to the standard survival period for recurrent patients, and the drug combo was well-tolerated by the body and caused minimal side effects.

"We wanted to know if pertuzumab would improve the effects of the chemotherapy with cancer recurrence, and if it would improve their lives. It did," Makhija said. "Now we want to see if it impacts overall survival".

Once ovary cancer becomes resistant to multiple types of chemotherapy, fewer therapy options exist and the focus becomes lengthening patients' survival periods......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

September 25, 2007, 10:02 PM CT

Mutation of the COX2 gene and ovarian cancer

Scientists in Portugal have discovered that a specific mutation of the COX2 gene seems to play a role in the onset of ovary cancer, increasing womens susceptibility to developing the disease.

The discovery raises the possibility that, if the findings are confirmed by further studies, it might be possible to use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen, which are used already for other conditions, to prevent ovary cancer developing in women with the COX2 mutation.

Dr Ana Carina Pereira told the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14) in Barcelona, today (Tuesday) that the COX2 gene is responsible for the production of the enzyme COX-2, which plays a crucial role in prostaglandins production; prostaglandins cause inflammation, pain and fever, as well as mediating a wide range of other physiological processes. Eventhough the causes of ovary cancer are not fully understood yet, inflammation is known to play an important role in the onset of both ovarian and invasive cervical cancer, she said. COX-2 has an important role in the inflammatory process, as well as in key steps in tumour development.

Dr Pereira, who is a junior scientist in the molecular oncology group at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology, Oporto, Portugal, said that one mutation, the -765G>C COX2 polymorphism, had been linked to the development of many diseases such as cancers of the stomach, oesophagus and prostate, and asthma, heart attacks and stroke. So she and her colleagues decided to investigate the role it played in ovarian and invasive cervical cancer......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

August 21, 2007, 6:33 PM CT

Cranberries may improve chemotherapy for ovarian cancer

Compounds in cranberries may help improve the effectiveness of platinum drugs that are used in chemotherapy to fight ovary cancer, scientists have found in a laboratory study that will be reported today at the 234^th national meeting of the American Chemical Society. The researchers demonstrated in cell culture studies that human ovary cancer cells resistant to platinum drugs became up to 6 times more sensitized to the drugs after exposure to the cranberry compounds compared to cells that were not exposed to the compounds, which were obtained from juice extracts.

Eventhough preliminary, the findings have the potential to save lives and reduce the harmful side effects linked to using high doses of platinum drugs for the therapy of ovary cancer, the scientists say, adding that human studies are still needed. The new study adds to a growing number of potential health benefits associated with cranberries.

For the first time, we have shown in our in vitro studies that cranberry extracts can sensitize resistant human ovary cancer cell lines, say study co-presenters Ajay P. Singh, Ph.D., and Nicholi Vorsa, Ph.D., natural products chemists at Rutgers University. This has opened up exciting possibilities for therapeutic intervention linked to platinum treatment, add Singh and Vorsa, who collaborated with colleagues Laurent Brard, M.D., Ph.D, Rakesh K. Singh, and K.S.Satyan, Ph.D., of Brown University......... Posted by: Janet      Read more         Source

June 13, 2007, 1:05 PM CT

Warning Signs Of Ovarian Cancer

Cancer experts have identified a set of health problems that may be symptoms of ovary cancer, and they are urging women who have the symptoms for more than a few weeks to see their doctors.

The new advice is the first official recognition that the disease, long believed to give no warning until it was far advanced, does cause symptoms at earlier stages in a number of women.

The symptoms to watch out for are bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and feeling a frequent or urgent need to urinate. A woman who has any of those problems nearly every day for more than two or three weeks is advised to see a gynecologist, particularly if the symptoms are new and quite different from her usual state of health.

Doctors say they hope that the recommendations will make patients and doctors aware of early symptoms, lead to earlier diagnosis and, perhaps, save lives, or at least prolong survival.

But it is too soon to tell whether the new measures will work or whether they will lead to a flood of diagnostic tests or even unnecessary operations.

Cancer experts say it is worth trying a more aggressive approach to finding ovary cancer early. It is among the more deadly types of cancer, because most cases are diagnosed late, after the disease has begun to spread......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

March 29, 2007, 4:51 AM CT

Women without regular medical care

In North America, ovary cancer is the second most common gynecological cancer and is the leading cause of death among women with gynecological cancer. The high mortality is in part due to the difficulty of detecting and diagnosing this condition at an early stage.

In this case-control study, Abenhaim and his colleagues examined whether the frequency of medical visits and pelvic examinations and the type of health care provider visited had an effect on the risk of ovary cancer. They observed that women who did not have an annual medical visit or pelvic examination and who had no regular health care provider were at an increased risk of ovary cancer. This risk was most pronounced among postmenopausal women. Eventhough the study could not determine whether women who sought regular health care and had a regular doctor were at a decreased risk of ovary cancer, the most prudent recommendation is that women, particularly those who are postmenopausal, should be encouraged to maintain regular health care......... Posted by: Emily      Read more         Source

March 19, 2007, 5:10 AM CT

Smart Therapies For Breast, Ovarian Cancer

New non-toxic and targeted therapies for metastatic breast and ovary cancers may now be possible, thanks to a discovery by a team of scientists at the University of British Columbia.

In a collaboration between UBC stem cell and cancer scientists, it was observed that a protein called podocalyxin which the scientists had previously shown to be a predictor of metastatic breast cancer changes the shape and adhesive quality of tumour cells, affecting their ability to grow and metastasize. Metastatic cancer is invasive cancer that spreads from the original site to other sites in the body.

The discovery demonstrated that the protein not only predicted the spread of breast cancer cells, it likely helped to cause it. The findings were recently published online by the Public Library of Science.

"We believe weve found a new important culprit in metastatic breast cancer, which opens up an entirely new avenue of cancer research," says Calvin Roskelley, an associate professor of cellular and physiological science who specializes in breast cancer and is co-senior principal investigator. "The culprit is hiding in plain sight on the surface of tumour cells, so we are now developing "smart" molecules to block its function. The ultimate goal is to generate new targeted, non-toxic therapys very different from the standard slash and burn chemotherapy"......... Posted by: Janet      Read more         Source

September 28, 2006, 9:56 PM CT

Radiofreqency Ablation For Ovarian Cancer

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation, a procedure that uses a high frequency electric current to kill tumor cells, is effective in achieving local control in selected patients with metastasis from ovary cancer, as per a preliminary study conducted by the department of radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA.

The study consisted of six patients with advanced ovary cancer who underwent radiofrequency ablation to destroy disease that had spread to the liver. "Some studies have shown that patients with advanced ovary cancer can survive longer if they have repeated surgery to remove recurrent or new disease," said Debra Gervais, MD, lead author of the study. "We wanted to see if we could use radiofrequency ablation instead of repeated open surgical resection for some of these patients," she said.

The study observed that, "after a single session, radiofreqency ablation resulted in complete necrosis" in five of the six patients, said Dr. Gervais. "We followed the patients for between eight months and 3.3 years, and four of the five patients had no evidence that the cancer in the area that had been destroyed by radiofrequency ablation had returned," she said.

"Treatment of ovary cancer requires multi-modality approaches including surgery and chemotherapy, but our study indicates that a small number of patients may benefit from radiofrequency ablation instead of repeated surgery," she said.........

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