‘Landmark study’ suggests research should focus more on exposure to major industrial pollutants rather than low-level exposure to chemicals in food, says expert commentator Environmental pollution from industries such as coal mining and metal works may play a role in the increasing numbers of boys born with undescended testicles, according to a study published in […]
Category: Cancer
Investment needed to bring down pancreatic cancer death rates in Europe
Researchers predict over 1.4 million deaths from top 10 cancers in 2021 in the EU and UK. Accompanying editorial warns of adverse effect of COVID-19 on death rates Researchers have called on European policymakers to make adequate resources available to tackle pancreatic cancer, a disease that is almost invariably fatal and where little progress has […]
Metformin may affect risk of breast cancer in women with type 2 diabetes
A study of 44,541 women has found that there appears to be no association between type 2 diabetes and developing breast cancer overall. This may be because most women in the study with type 2 diabetes were taking metformin, a medication widely used to treat type 2 diabetes, whose actions may help to reduce the […]
Cancer patients receiving immunotherapy drugs have a higher risk of heart problems
A study of over a thousand cancer patients treated with immunotherapy drugs has found these patients are at greater risk of heart problems, including death from heart attack or stroke. The patients had either lung cancer or malignant melanoma (a type of skin cancer), for which immune checkpoint inhibitors such as a programmed cell death-1 […]
Tanning beds and sunbathing may be associated with an increased risk of endometriosis
Tanning beds and sunbathing not only increase a woman’s chances of developing malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, but may also be linked to a greater risk of developing endometriosis, according to new research. A study of over 116,000 women in the USA, published in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s […]
Study of COVID-19 levels in oncology staff suggests need for more extensive testing
Second study reveals impact of COVID-19 on oncology staff and their work A study of oncology staff carried out immediately after the spring peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK indicates that many had been infected with the coronavirus as they tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. This included staff who did not show any […]
Artificial intelligence can help to improve prognosis and treatment for glioblastoma
In the first study of its kind in cancer, researchers have applied artificial intelligence to measure the amount of muscle in patients with brain tumours to help improve prognosis and treatment. Dr Ella Mi, a clinical research fellow at Imperial College London (UK) will tell the NCRI Virtual Showcase, that using deep learning to evaluate […]
Inhibitor of KRAS gene mutation shows promise in lung, bowel and other solid tumours
Latest results from KRYSTAL-1 early clinical trial of adagrasib (MRTX849) New results from early clinical trials of a drug that targets a cancer-causing mutation in the KRAS gene have shown that it can shrink tumours and is well-tolerated by patients. In two presentations at the 32nd EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, […]
Next generation BRAF inhibitor cancer drug shows promise in early patient trial
A new drug designed to work on cancers with an altered BRAF gene has shown promise in an early patient trial presented at the 32nd EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, which is taking place online. The BRAF gene is involved in telling healthy cells when to grow and form new cells, […]
Achieving high concentrations of sunitinib in tumours is linked to improved survival
Intermittent high dosing regimen for patients with advanced cancers is safe and results in very high concentrations of the drug in the tumour A strategy for giving intermittent, high doses of the anti-cancer drug sunitinib is well-tolerated by patients with advanced cancer and increases concentrations of the drug in tumours, which is associated with improved […]