Cancer Research Journal » Bladder Cancer

Korea Unveils Clones of Cancer-Detecting Dog

Lisa — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:43:59 +0000

A collaborative project between Seoul National University and the Korean biotechnology firm RNL BIO Co Ltd (Public, SEO: 003190) has produced four identical puppies cloned from a Labrador Retriever with the ability to detect cancer by its smell.

Cancer-sniffing dogs are trained to sit in front of people or biological samples that carry the scent of specific chemicals present in cancer cells. Previous research has shown these dogs can detect the presence of bladder, breast, prostate and lung cancers simply by smelling a patient or their urine.

RNL Bio cloned Marine, a black Labrador Retriever trained by the St Sugar Cancer Sniffing Dog Training Center in Shirahama, Japan, from skin samples sent to Seoul National University last December. Yuji Satoh, the head trainer at St Sugar’s, made the decision to give Marine’s DNA to the university after a womb disease made it impossible for the dog to give birth.

The three-week-old puppies have been given the names Marine-L, Marine-N, Marine-R and Marine-S. Once the puppies have been trained, one will be donated to St Sugar’s and another to Seoul National University. The company plans to sell the two remaining puppies for $500,000.

RNL Bio used patent-pending technology to enhance the embryo implantation process so multiple births would be possible. As one of the company’s executives said,

“Cloning dogs is nothing new anymore. But we are the world’s first to have cloned four at a time from one surrogate mother. This makes it cost effective, and now we mean real business.”

Jeong Chan, Ra
CEO, RNL BIO Co Ltd

If you’re a cancer patient in the US who’d like to learn more about cancer detection, click here to visit the American Cancer Society Early Detection Guidelines web page.

Source: ABC News

Study: Dogs Don’t Get Bladder Cancer Drinking Tap Water

Lisa — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:08:13 +0000

A study led by Dr Lorraine Backer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing comfort to some pet owners who worry their dogs will get bladder cancer from drinking tap water.

When earlier research suggested a human’s risk of bladder cancer increases after long-term exposure to chemically-treated waters, some concerned pet owners began giving their dogs bottled water to quench their thirst.

Dr Bracker’s team studied 200 dogs, 100 with bladder cancer and 100 without, living in residential settings. After reviewing the chemical exposures in both dog populations, the scientists’ found no statistics to support a connection between tap water consumption and bladder cancer.

One possible reason for this difference in animals and humans: Dogs often let water sit longer before drinking it than humans do which reduces chemical concentrations in the water. Also, people typically take more showers and baths, so there are more opportunities for chemicals to be absorbed through the skin.

If you’d like to learn more, this canine cancer study is published in the June 1, 2008, edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Source: American Veterinary Medical Association News

Related Audio: Tap Water or Bottled Water? from KUOW.org on NPR

Technorati Tags: chloramine; oncology; urologic cancer; genitourinary cancer; chlorine

UCSF to Firefighters: Consider Bladder Cancer Screenings

Lisa — Tue, 27 May 2008 01:29:38 +0000

A University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) study suggests firefighters may face an increased risk of developing transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), a cancer of the bladder.

Firefighters are regularly exposed to smoke and chemical fumes known to be carcinogenic. The body absorbs carcinogens and transfers them to the blood, where they are filtered by the kidneys and expelled in the urine. Chemicals in the urine can damage the lining of the bladder increasing the risk of TCC.

In the UCSF study, researchers screened 1,286 active and retired firefighters and found two retired firefighters with TCC. Since TCC typically occurs at a rate of 36 cases per 100,000 people (after adjusting for age and gender), the findings indicate retired firefighters may be at high-risk for the disease.

No routine screening guidelines currently exist for bladder cancer so UCSF recommends firefighters and their physicians consider regular screenings for TCC. As one SFFD lieutenant said,

“We need to know the potential health hazards of simply reporting for duty so we can be able to do something about it.”

Tom O’Connor
SF Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation

The UCSF Medical Center, the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD), and the city of San Francisco have already formed a partnership offering free bladder cancer screening to active and retired SFFD firefighters – the first program of its kind in the US.

Results of the UCSF study were presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association.

If you’re a patient who’d like to learn more about bladder cancer, you can visit MayoClinic.com.

Sources: American Urological Association and the Federation of bladder cancer patients (FBCP)

Technorati Tags: Matritech, Inc; NMP22® BladderChek® Test; oncology; occupational safety; genitourinary cancers; emergency services; urine cytology; Marshall Stoller, MD; job-related cancers; occupational and environmental medicine

Free Downloads for Bladder and Skin Cancer Patients

Lisa — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:16:06 +0000

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 67,000 new cases of bladder cancer and over one million cases of skin cancer were diagnosed last year. And once those patients heard that distressing news, they were each faced with the challenge of choosing the right treatment option for their condition.

To help patients and their caregivers make an informed choice, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) is offering new brochures explaining various treatment options available for bladder cancer and skin cancer patients in the United States.

The brochures, which are part of ASTRO’s award-winning public awareness campaign, educate patients on the different types of radiation therapy available for these common cancers as well as giving expert tips on caring for your body while undergoing treatment.

These resources are available at no cost on-line so patients can familiarize themselves on radiation therapy before they meet with their doctors to discuss their treatment options. As one physician explained,

“Deciding on a course of treatment can be a confusing and trying time for a cancer patient. The more patients educate themselves, the more they will be able to understand the different options that their doctor is presenting to them.”

Greg Patton, MD
Radiation Oncologist, Rose Quarter Cancer Center
and Chair, ASTRO Communications Committee

ASTRO offers 14 educational brochures in English plus 8 publications available in Spanish and Arabic. All materials can be downloaded for free at www.RTAnswers.org. Healthcare providers and cancer support groups can also order hard copies of the publications in bulk at www.astro.org/shop.

Source: ASTRO News Release

Related Links: Siteman Cancer Center; UroToday

Related Podcast: Not Safe from the American Academy of Dermatology

Technorati Tags: radiotherapy; melanoma; basal cell carcinoma; genitourinary cancer; hematuria

Urology Breakthrough: Single-Port Laparoscopic Surgeries

Lisa — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:18:51 +0000

Dr Mihir Desai, a urological surgeon at Cleveland Clinic, has performed the world’s first single-port laparoscopic surgeries in the field of urology.

The innovative procedures were completed by inserting all the necessary instruments through a single incision in the patient’s navel. Laparoscopic surgeries traditionally require 3 to 6 abdominal incisions.

Dr Desai’s single-port surgeries included a laparoscopic nephrectomy (complete kidney removal), bilateral pyeloplasty (uretero-pelvic junction repair), ileal ureter replacement, and psoas hitch uretero-neocystostomy (for ureteral obstruction).

Indications are the new approach not only reduces pain but, when performed trans-umbilically through the navel, it also leaves no visible scar.

During the procedures, Dr Desai employed a device known as the r-Port™, developed by Advanced Surgical Concepts Ltd of Ireland.

Detailed information on the surgeries will be published in the British Journal of Urology International.

Source: United Press International

Tags: urologic cancers; endourology; renal cell carcinoma; Ohio

Triptolide Could Help Treat Pancreatic Cancer

Lisa — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:30:08 +0000

Research conducted at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center has found that a natural compound helps break down treatment-resistant pancreatic cancer.

The compound, known as triptolide, is a toxic agent which has been used as a natural medicine in China for hundreds of years.

In the Minnesota study, Ashok Saluja, PhD, discovered triptolide had the ability to invade heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) which serves as a survival mechanism for cancer cells. Results of experiments with mice showed those who received triptolide experienced decreased cancer growth and significantly fewer invasions into the spleen, liver, kidney and small intestine.

Other reports have indicated triptolide may also be an effective therapy for breast cancer, bladder cancer, melanoma and stomach cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is usually well advanced when it is detected and difficult to treat. Approximately half of the 37,000 people diagnosed annually in the United States die within four months of discovering they have the disease.

Dr Saluja and his team hope to refine the compound so clinical trials on patients with cancer of the pancreas can begin.

Findings from the study are published in the October issue of Cancer Research, a journal from the American Association for Cancer Research.

Source: University of Minnesota Cancer Center News Releases

Tags: Selwyn M. Vickers MD; University of Minnesota Academic Health Center; William E Grizzle; University of Alabama, Birmingham; tripterygiuym wilfordii; Rajinda K Dawra, PhD; biochemistry

FDA OKs Fast-Track Trials for Bladder Cancer Treatment

Lisa — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:00:42 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Bioniche Life Sciences, Incorporated (TSE: BNC) special protocol assessment status for upcoming clinical studies of a new bladder cancer treatment.

The Ontario-based company plans to enroll 800 patients from Australia, Europe and North America in double-blind, randomized Phase 3 trials of Urocidin, the company’s product for treating bladder cancers with a high risk for recurrence or progression.

The first trial of Urocidin was also given fast-track status by the FDA in 2006. Bioniche expects to begin recruiting patients for the second study in early 2008. The principal investigator for the second trial is Dr. Alvaro Morales, professor of urology and oncology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Over 300,000 people a year are diagnosed with urothelial bladder cancer. If you’d like to learn more about participating in drug trials, please visit clinicaltrials.gov.

Source: CANADIAN BUSINESS ONLINE

Tags: investigational medication; Belleville; transitional cell carcinoma

UF & UM Unite to Develop Dipstick Test

Lisa — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:13:50 +0000

Colleagues from the University of Michigan and the University of Florida have teamed up to identify proteins in urine which may signal the presence of bladder cancer.

Using technological advances, the scientists were able to isolate 186 proteins in the urine of patients with and without bladder cancer. Five of the proteins identified were found to only be present in patients with the cancer making them promising biomarkers for the disease. One of the proteins being scrutinized has already been linked to ovarian and liver cancers in other studies.

The researchers hope their findings will lead to the development of a reliable, non-invasive dipstick urine test to detect the disease while it is still in the early stages. Currently, bladder cancer patients must undergo an uncomfortable procedure, known as a cystoscopy, several times a year to determine if their cancer has returned.

Results of the study are published in the American Chemical Society‘s Journal of Proteome Research.

Bladder cancer has a 94% five-year survival rate if caught early, but it also has a high rate of recurrence so aggressive monitoring is a key component in the treatment of this common urological disease.

The American Cancer Society estimates over 67,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2007.

Source: University of Florida News

Tags: Steve Goodison; glycoproteins

Summer Gear for the Active Cancer Survivor

Lisa — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:15:19 +0000

Congratulations, you’ve got your cancer under control and you’re ready to enjoy your summer vacation in the great outdoors.

But there’s a problem.

Your cancer treatments have left you with some special clothing needs that aren’t being addressed at the local mall.

In the past, finding appropriate attire after a mastectomy, ostomy, or other major surgery was certainly a challenge. Fortunately, more and more retailers are recognizing the growing demand for activewear designed to fit today’s cancer survivor.

To help you get on your way, we did a little browsing of our own and found some survivor-friendly summer products that may help you get through the warmer months a bit more comfortably and stylishly.

This list represents just a small sampling of the many useful products out there. CancerResearchJournal.com wishes we could include all the suggestions we hear about, but that would be impossible. Please share news about the products or services you find useful–or don’t–with other members in your cancer support group. Because, as we always say, information=choices.

Source: CancerResearchJournal.com

Phase 3 Trials Begin on Non-Invasive Bladder Cancer Treatment

Lisa — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 19:26:30 +0000

Last month Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SPPI) announced it initiated Phase 3 registrational trials on the company’s new proprietary drug treatment for non-invasive bladder cancer. The drug, named EOquin (R), becomes activated by reductase enzymes found in cancer cells and is formulated for administration directly into the urinary bladder.

The American Cancer Society estimates that there are more than 400,000 bladder cancer patients in the U.S. and more than one million cases in Europe at any given time. Non-invasive bladder cancer accounts for 75 to 80 percent of all bladder cancer cases at first diagnosis and is characterized by a high recurrence rate. No new drugs have been marketed in the last 20 years to combat the disease.

More information about the trial criteria can be obtained at www.clinicaltrials.gov

Source: Spectrum Pharmaceuticals

Bladder Illustration: PLWC

Related Audio: TTMed Interview of Dr. Soloway