Lung Cancer

New results on genetic techniques that are helping doctors diagnose and treat lung cancer were released at the 1st European Lung Cancer Conference jointly organized by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) in Geneva, Switzerland. In one report (Abstract No. 81O; Friday 25th April, 16:30), Israeli researchers from Rosetta Genomics, a biotech company developing microRNA-based technologies for diagnostic and therapeutic applications, describe a test that helps make crucial distinctions between types of lung cancer.

A clinical trial evaluating the benefit of adding the drug sorafenib to the combination of carboplatin/paclitaxel chemotherapy for lung cancer patients has been stopped based on results from an interim analysis, after an independent data monitoring committee concluded that the study would not meet its primary endpoint of improved overall survival.In a late-breaking abstract presented at the 1st European Lung Cancer Conference jointly organized by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Prof.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Proteolix, Inc. today announced that patient dosing has commenced in a Phase 2 clinical trial of carfilzomib (PR-171), a selective blocker of proteasome activity, in relapsed solid tumors. A Phase 1b dose-escalation trial of carfilzomib in patients with advanced solid tumors has recently been completed. The Phase 2 trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of single-agent carfilzomib in patients with recurrent or advanced solid tumors.

A groundbreaking free tool to help oncologists choose the best therapies for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer has been launched this week by scientists at the 1st European Lung Cancer Conference jointly organized by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) in Geneva, Switzerland. The online database brings together data on all the known somatic mutations (tumor derived - tumor specific) in a molecule called epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR).

Papers presented at the 1st European Lung Cancer Conference, jointly organized by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) in Geneva, Switzerland highlight emerging evidence that common viruses may contribute to the development of lung cancer. Experts agree that smoking is by far the most important factor that contributes to lung cancer development. But other factors can play a role in some cases. In one report at the conference (Abstract No. 124PD; Friday 25th April, 09:50) Dr.

Destroying a tumor in a body with radiation poses a number of challenges and risks, especially for a pregnant woman and her fetus. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are working to reduce those risks by advancing computer techniques that use virtual models of the human body. Their latest research looks at ways to protect a developing fetus. Their goal is to help hospitals and radiologists more accurately calculate required dosages to destroy a tumor, while minimizing or eliminating the risk of damage to nearby cells and organs. The work at RPI adds to similar research worldwide.

Scientists in Scotland yesterday revealed a major breakthrough in helping to preserve women's fertility. A team from Edinburgh University have succeeded in taking early stage follicles from a woman's ovaries and maturing them into eggs in the lab for the first time. The discovery should help women undergoing cancer treatment, or those wishing to delay motherhood so they can concentrate on their careers. It could revolutionise the preservation of fertility for women in the next five to ten years.

Exposure to levels of radon gas typically found in 90 percent of American homes appears to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer by as much as 60 percent, according to a study published in the March 2008 issue of the journal Health Physics. The finding differs significantly from the results of previous case-control studies of the effects of low-level radon exposure, which have detected a slightly elevated lung cancer risk (but without statistical significance) or no risk at all.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients treated with high-dose chemotherapy did not have better survival rates than those treated with standard doses, according to a randomized controlled trial published online April 8 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.SCLC accounts for nearly 13 percent of lung cancer cases in the United States. Although many patients with SCLC initially respond to chemotherapy, most suffer disease recurrence relatively quickly.

SAN DIEGO -- Researchers at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit today presented findings that support the role of inflammation in determining lung cancer risk, particularly among African-American women. The abstract titled, Cytokine SNPs Differentially Predict Risk of Non Small Cell Lung Cancer in African American and Caucasian Women, was given at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.