Cancer Research Journal » Lymphoma

Canine Cancer Patients Benefit from Cliff Book

Lisa — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:10:45 +0000

An inspirational book is helping dogs with cancer receive expensive medical treatments their owners can’t afford to give them.

Cliff and I: My Dog’s Journey Through Cancer and Beyond chronicles the author’s personal experience helping her German Shepherd battle cancer.

As a tribute to her beloved pet, Cliff’s writer Joanne M. DeFluri is donating the proceeds from every copy of the book purchased through the CanineCancerAwareness.org web site to CCA’s charity fund. (Buyers also need to mark their order “CCA” for the group to get the donation.)

Canine Cancer Awareness is a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance and support to people caring for dogs diagnosed with cancer.

Small animals commonly develop cancers similar to those found in their human counterparts including lymphomas, hard and soft tissue sarcomas, adenocarcinomas and breast/mammary cancers. As it is with humans, early detection and treatment greatly improves an animal’s chance of surviving the disease. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, dogs or cats who display one or more of these symptoms should be examined by a qualified professional as soon as possible:

Abnormal swellings that persist or continue to grow
Sores that do not heal
Unusual weight loss
Loss of appetite
Bleeding or discharge from any body opening
Offensive odor
Difficulty eating or swallowing
Hesitation to exercise or loss of stamina
Persistent lameness or stiffness
Difficulty breathing, urinating or defecating

If you’re interested in purchasing Cliff, but you’d like to channel your charity dollars elsewhere, the $15.95 book is also available at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.

Source: Canine Cancer Awareness Announcements

Technorati Tags: veterinary medicine; comparative oncology; cancer caregivers; animal advocacy; cancer survivors; canine chemotherapy

Chloroquine Blocks Burkitt Lymphoma

Lisa — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:59:52 +0000

A study conducted by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital shows chloroquine, a common prescription drug used to treat malaria, prevents certain types of cancers from developing.

The Scripps and St Jude’s researchers used mouse models to test chloroquine’s impact on tumors. Their investigation revealed the drug blocked Burkitt lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, and ataxia telangiectasia, an immunodeficiency disease that predisposes humans to leukemia, lymphoma and other cancers.

More research is required, but the scientists are hopeful this discovery will lead to the development of new drugs to prevent cancer. As one explained,

“The fact that the drug attacks premalignant cells, and cells that overexpress transcription factor MYC, a notorious contributor to tumorigenesis that is implicated in more than 70 percent of all cancers, make the use of this drug very attractive for chemoprevention and cancer treatment.”

John Cleveland
Dept of Cancer Biology, The Scripps Research Institute
Jupiter, Florida

The study has been published in the online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation and is scheduled to appear in January 2008 print edition of JCI.

Source: US News & World Report

Related Links: Science Daily; ASscribe.org; azonano.com; unisi.it

Related Spanish Link: Ataxia-Telangiectasia from the University of Maryland Medical Center

Tags: A-T; chemotherapy; cancer drugs; oncology; amebicide; blood cancers; chromosome 8; Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL); Epstein-Barr Virus; Memphis, TN

FDA Issues New Warnings About Anti-Anemia Drugs

Lisa — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:45:07 +0000

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued new warnings on several drugs commonly prescribed for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

The drugs, known as Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents or ESAs, contain genetically engineered proteins used to increase red blood cell counts in many patients with cancer or chronic kidney failure.

The new warnings caution that ESA dosages administered when hemoglobin levels exceed 12 grams per deciliter have been linked to increased tumor growth and shortened survival in patients with advanced breast, head and neck, lymphoid, or non-small cell lung cancer. ESA dosing outside the range being recommended by the FDA has also been shown to increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and death in patients with chronic kidney failure.

ESAs are routinely dispensed to help patients combat the effects of acute anemia and avoid the risk and inconvenience of blood transfusions. The popular drugs are marketed under the brand names Aranesp®, Epogen® and Procrit®.

While the drugs are still approved for continued use, physicians are cautioned to evaluate each patient on a case-by-case basis to ensure ESA use is appropriate.

Source: washingtonpost.com

Related Video: Alice on Anemia from Understanding Cancer TV

Tags: drug safety; oncology; darbepoetin alfa; epoetin alfa; pharmacology; prescription medications

Cancer Group Holds Charity Concert on Mount Everest

Lisa — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 11:55:29 +0000

The international charity Love Hope Strength Foundation (LHSF) has successfully completed an exhausting 14-day trek and acoustic rock concert at the base camp of Mount Everest to raise funds for the Nepal Cancer Relief Society.

Musicians from The Alarm, Stray Cats, The Fixx, Squeeze and other groups performed at the event held at an elevation of 18,500 feet.

Acclaimed MTV Unplugged producer Alex Coletti headed a documentary team to record the group’s preparations and the October 21st performance. Cancer survivor and musician Shannon Foley, executive director of LHSF in the United States, has contacted the Guinness Book of World Records to obtain formal recognition as the highest concert held on Earth.

In addition to raising funds for better equipment at the Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital near Kathmandu, LHSF organizers hope the unusual event will increase awareness about the disease and the challenges patients in developing countries face when they require cancer treatment.

Source: lovehopestrength.com

Related Audio: Good News Broadcast from WhiteBlox.com

Tags: James Chippendale; CSI Entertainment; Denver; Mike Peters; leukemia survivor; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor

Protein May Promote Cancers in AIDS Patients

Lisa — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:00:28 +0000

Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is uncovering new information about a protein that appears to help cancer-causing viruses hide from the body’s natural defense system.

The protein under scrutiny is known as LANA, short for latency-associated nuclear antigen. Penn’s study showed the LANA protein enabled Kaposi’s Sarcoma-associated Herpes Virus (KSHV) to avoid immune system defenses. According to the research, LANA interferes with a crucial signaling molecule called intracellular notch by competing for the same binding site it uses. This interference derails the normal cell degradation process resulting in uncontrolled cell growth in patients who have immune-compromised conditions such as AIDS.

Now the researchers hope to discover more about LANA’s role in tumor development by studying animals infected with KSHV. As they explained, the animal models will be useful for testing drug therapies that may eventually prevent the growth of viral-associated cancers like Kaposi Sarcoma and primary effusion lymphoma.

The University of Pennsylvania study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Source: University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center

What in the World is a Mini-Whipple?

Lisa — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:24:01 +0000

No, it’s not a tiny bird.

Or the latest step on Dancing With The Stars.

Actually, mini-Whipple is the nickname of a surgical procedure used to treat pancreatic cancer. The proper medical term for the procedure is pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and the technique is used to remove tumors in the head of the pancreas while sparing other parts of the anatomy. Patients usually experience fewer difficulties and shorter hospital stays with the mini-Whipple than with other surgical methods used as therapy for the disease.

If you’d like to see an actual mini-whipple procedure being performed, or learn about other major breakthroughs in pancreatic cancer care, OR-Live has a free webcast in their archives entitled Advancements in Pancreatic Cancer Care.

The surgery was performed at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, by their Chair of Surgery, Charles J. Yeo, MD, FACS. In this segment, Dr Yeo is joined by colleagues specializing in anesthesiology, gastroenterology, radiology, and surgery who discuss recent innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with the disease.

OR-Live will be broadcasting more cancer-related webcasts on October 10th (breast cancer) and Oct 18th (lymphoma). If you’re interested, you can also sign up to receive e-mail reminders about future healthcasts.

Caution: OR-Live videos contain close-up shots of actual surgeries. The graphic images may not be suitable for some viewers.

Source: marketwire.com

Tags: oncology; upper duodendum; resection; stomach; Jefferson Medical College; Philadelphia; Pennsylvania

Scientists Find Anti-Cancer Agent in South Pacific Soil

Lisa — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:05:44 +0000

Scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the international Pediatric Preclinical Testing Program have been busy trying to unlock the healing secrets of an unusual bacteria discovered in soil samples taken from the volcanic regions of Easter Island.

The bacteria produced a substance known as rapamycin, which was initially shown to be an effective anti-fungal agent. Things really got interesting when drug makers discovered that rapamycin also helped prevent organ rejection in transplant patients by suppressing their immune systems.

Now researchers are studying ways to harness the properties of rapamycin to develop molecularly targeted therapies for various cancers. The team’s preclinical trials with tumor cultures and mouse models have already shown rapamycin has the ability to effectively inhibit the progression of diseases such as rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and one form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

A report in the online edition of Pediatric Blood and Cancer details the team’s progress to date. More testing is already in the works according to the report’s lead author,

“During the next stage of testing we will combine rapamycin with standard chemotherapy drugs to see if there are combinations that work particularly well against specific cancers. But the greatest potential for improving treatment might be combining rapamycin and other molecularly targeted drugs in specific ways according to the genetic characteristics of the cancer and of the child.”

Peter Houghton, PhD
Molecular Pharmacology Chair
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Source: St Jude Children’s Research Hospital News

Related Links: Lymphoma Research Foundation

Related Podcast: “Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: From Diagnosis to Therapy” from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Tags: sirolimus, immunosuppressant

Lab-Matured Eggs May Give Childhood Cancer Survivors a Chance at Children

Lisa — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:34:56 +0000

Fertility research being done in Israel is giving new hope to young cancer patients who hope to have children one day. For the first time, doctors have extracted eggs from young female cancer patients and successfully matured them in a laboratory.

Once the removed eggs completed the hormone-induced maturation process in the lab, they were frozen and stored for later use.

The toxicity of chemotherapy treatments used to combat cancer can often render female patients infertile, damage ovaries, or reduce the number of eggs they produce. Since the prognosis for surviving many childhood cancers is relatively high, this new advancement could provide future girls a way to overcome their disease and still preserve their ability to conceive children later in life.

The study was conducted at the Hadassah University Hospital in Israel and included patients between the ages of 5 and 20 years old.

Findings from the study were presented to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Lyon, France, but the final success of the project will be impossible to evaluate until the eggs are thawed and fertilized. According to the lead researcher on the project, Dr Ariel Revel:

“We will only know the final chapter of this story in about 10 years, when we hope to close the circle of this research.”

Source: Hadassah Medical Organization

Related Articles: Associated Press; The Jerusalem Post

Enclosures: National Library of Medicine Chemotherapy Tutorial

Tags: artificial insemination; fertility treatments; oocytes; oophorectomy; pregnancy

FDA Says Sweetener is Still Safe, Italian Scientists Not So Sure

Lisa — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:00:56 +0000

Debate over the safety of aspartame has reignited as a result of a second Italian study linking the artificial sweetener to several cancers in rats.

The controversial research, conducted by the European Ramazzini Foundation in Bologna, Italy, showed an increased instance of leukemia, lymphoma and renal cancers in a population of Sprague Dawley rats who consumed high doses of the common additive over the course of their lives. Unlike rats in a previous study who were killed at the two-year point, these rats were allowed to live until they died naturally.

The findings prompted the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) to call for an urgent review of the product by the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, according to an FDA spokesperson, the agency presently has no plans to conduct a review since the conclusions from the European Ramazzini Foundation study are inconsistent with those drawn from a large number of other completed studies evaluating aspartame’s safety.

Aspartame, commonly marketed as Equal or NutraSweet, is widely used in diet soft drinks and is also sold in packets for use in coffee, tea, or other foods.

Source: CNN

Related Podcasts: MSNBC

Tags: Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center; Merisant; United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization; Morando Soffritti; Michael Jacobson; Michael Herndon; Environmental Health Perspectives; U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Coca-Cola