clinical cancer research
Study links vitamin D to lung cancer survival
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Recent research suggests vitamin D may be able to stop or prevent cancer. Now, a new study finds an enzyme that plays a role in metabolizing vitamin D can predict lung cancer survival.
The study, from researchers at the U…
Painful hip fractures strike breast cancer survivors
CHICAGO — A hip fracture is not common in a 54-year-old woman, unless she is a 54-year-old breast cancer survivor, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. Researchers found that a combination of early menopause due to breast cancer treatme…
Virus might fight brain tumors better if armed with bacterial enzyme, study shows
COLUMBUS, Ohio — New research shows that oncolytic viruses, which are engineered to destroy cancer cells, might be more effective in treating deadly brain tumors if equipped with an enzyme that helps them penetrate the tumor.
The enzyme, called …
Dartmouth study uses the patient’s tumor to form vaccine
A new process for creating a personalized vaccine may become a crucial tool in helping patients with colorectal cancer develop an immune response against their own tumors. This dendritic cell (DC) vaccine, developed at Dartmouth and described in a r…
Vitamin D boosts radiation treatment for breast cancer
A form of vitamin D has been found to greatly enhance radiation treatment for tumors associated with breast cancer, according to a new collaborative Dartmouth Medical School study. The findings support the potential benefits of combining a vitamin D analog with radiation to wipe out radiation-resistant cancer cells.
Success of chemotherapy tied to genetics
Genetics may play a role in the success of anti-cancer therapy, according to researchers. Their study, published in today’s issue of Clinical Cancer Research, shows that some colorectal cancer patients with a particular gene mutation respond much better to therapy than those without this genetic change.
DNA-based vaccine triples survival for dogs with melanoma
The options for treating advanced melanoma are limited – regardless of whether the patient is a dog or a human. Because this deadly cancer is virtually resistant to chemotherapy and radiation in its late stages, new approaches are being investigated including vaccines that harness the immune system. For nine dogs that naturally developed canine malignant melanoma, treatment with a new DNA-based vaccine more than tripled their median survival from an expected 90 days to an average of 389 days.
Melanoma discovery could aid diagnosis, treatment
Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have identified a signaling pathway that is turned on when benign moles turn into early-stage malignant melanoma. The pathway could provide a new target for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of the most lethal form of skin cancer. The research was reported in the December issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research.