Women who had their first menstrual period when they were aged 11 or younger have an increased risk of an early or premature menopause and if they remain childless the risk is increased even more, according to results from the first large scale, multi-national study to investigate the links between age at puberty and menopause […]
Quick and easy blood test for gut bacteria can predict accurately risk of death and heart problems in heart attack patients
The bacteria that inhabit our gut digest food and produce metabolites that can have a marked effect on the heart and blood vessels. Researchers have found that measuring the levels of a molecule called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) that is produced by the gut bacteria from components of red meat, eggs and diary products in blood […]
Phase I trial shows that a drug that inhibits the Notch signalling process is active in a range of advanced cancers
Munich, Germany: A new anti-cancer drug that inhibits a key cell signalling process involved in many different cancers has shown that it is capable of stopping the progression of cancer and shrinking tumours. Importantly, it has been able to do this in rare cancers that are less well-studied such as adenoid cystic carcinoma. Dr Christophe […]
Advanced soft tissue sarcomas respond to a combination of a new and an existing anti-cancer drug
Munich, Germany: Researchers working to find effective treatments for soft tissue sarcomas have discovered that combining a new anti-cancer drug with an existing one kills cancer cells not only in the laboratory but also in the first two patients treated with it, leading to unusually long-lasting periods without the disease progressing. Soft tissue sarcomas – […]
‘Revolution in our understanding of cancer’ sees dramatic responses to targeted treatments in advanced cancers
Results from three ground-breaking studies show early benefit to patients Munich, Germany: The “revolution in the understanding of cancer at the molecular level” has led to dramatic responses in cancer patients to new therapies that are targeted precisely at their particular type of tumours, according to an expert. Dr Kapil Dhingra, a member of the […]
How highs and lows in testosterone levels ‘shock’ prostate cancer cells to death
Munich, Germany: A strategy of alternately flooding and starving the body of testosterone is producing good results in patients who have metastatic prostate cancer that is resistant to treatment by chemical or surgical castration, according to new findings. In a presentation at the 28th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Munich, […]
Promising results from new drug combination in patients with advanced solid tumours
Munich, Germany: An experimental drug called TAS-114, which has the potential to increase the anti-cancer effects of chemotherapy without increasing adverse side effects, has shown promising results in patients with hard-to-treat cancers in a phase I clinical trial. In a presentation at the 28th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Munich, […]
Anti-cancer drug, CB-839, in combination with everolimus, stops tumours growing in patients with advanced kidney cancer
Munich, Germany: The first drug to target a key enzyme that cancer cells need to keep them alive has shown that it is effective in controlling disease in patients with advanced kidney cancer when it is used in combination with another anti-cancer drug, everolimus. Dr Funda Meric-Bernstam told the 28th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular […]
World’s largest study shows effects of long-term exposure to air pollution and traffic noise on blood pressure
Long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to a greater incidence of high blood pressure, according to the largest study to investigate the effects of both air pollution and traffic noise by following over 41,000 people in five different countries for five to nine years. The study, which is published in the European Heart Journal […]
First results from the world’s oldest group of ICSI men show they have lower semen quantity and quality
First results from the world’s oldest group of young men conceived by means of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) fertility treatment because of their fathers’ infertility have shown that they have lower sperm quantity and quality than men who were spontaneously conceived. The study, which is published in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading […]