Cancer Research Journal » Podcasts

Cervical Cancer Scientist Shares Nobel Prize for Medicine

Lisa — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:00:51 +0000

The Karolinska Institute in Stockholm has named German virologist Harald zur Hausen a winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine. Dr zur Hausen was recognized for his discovery of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a virus known to cause cervical cancer, the second most common form of cancer in women.

Dr zur Hausen discovered type 16 HPV in 1983 by studying the biopsies of women diagnosed with cervical cancer. A year later, he cloned HPV types 16 and 18, the two forms of the virus responsible for approximately 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. His research led to the development of a vaccine to help prevent cervical cancer.

Dr zur Hausen will share his award with two French virologists, Dr Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Dr Luc Montageir, who are both credited with discovering the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) responsible for causing AIDS.

The 2008 Nobel Prizes for physics, chemistry, literature and peace are scheduled to be announced later this week.

To read more about the amazing scientists and discoveries that have earned the prestigious Nobel Prize, check out NobelPrize.org.

If you’d like to learn about other cervical cancer risk factors, you can visit MayoClinic.com.

Source: The New York Times

Related Links: Reuters; Gynecologic Cancer Foundation

Tags: epidemiology; female cancers; Gardasil , gynecologic cancer; reproductive health; public health; sexually transmitted diseases; women’s health

All UK Cancer Patients Will Get Information on Clinical Trials

Lisa — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:58:39 +0000

Health officials in the United Kingdom are implementing a new program to ensure patients with cancer and other serious diseases are kept better informed about ongoing clinical research related to their condition.

The goal of this new government program is to increase patient awareness about clinical trials taking place to advance medical research. The program calls for all patients to be routinely informed about scientific studies relevant to their case.

In addition to keeping individuals updated on new treatment options, the initiative also seeks to make it easier for patients who meet study criteria to participate in clinical trials.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced his plans for the new program at a summit hosted by the Prime Minister commemorating 60 years of research by the National Health Service. During his speech, Secretary Johnson praised the contributions of past patients, clinicians and scientists whose research efforts have helped ensure the health of today’s population. When asked about this new initiative, the head of the UK’s leading cancer charity had this to say,

“It shows a commitment to provide more information about the health research taking place in this country, and to involve and recruit more patients in clinical trials. This is good news for patients, both now and in the future.”

Harpal Kumar
Chief Executive, Cancer Research UK

If you’re a cancer patient in the United States who’d like to learn more about clinical trials being conducted both here and abroad, you can ask your oncologist or visit http://clinicaltrials.gov/.

Source: Cancer Research UK News

Technorati Tags: cancer awareness; health reform; England; outreach programs; patient-centered care; public health education; volunteers

Berkeley Microarray Makes Cancer Diagnosis Less Costly

Lisa — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:30:36 +0000

Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have invented an innovative microarray technique that has the potential to make cancer detection faster and less expensive.

Berkeley’s technique uses a process called electrostatic repulsion to analyze DNA and RNA assays used to build personalized genetic profiles and to detect cancer, as well as other diseases. In electrostatic repulsion, thousands of electrically-charged microscopic glass beads are dispersed in fluid across the surface of a sample and then the motion of the spheres is measured to reveal specifics about the genes, mutations and pathogens present.

Berkeley Lab reports the technique can be used to analyze millions of DNA sequences at a time and results can be recorded with simple hand-held imaging devices like a cell phone camera. Because this electrostatic method doesn’t require the time-consuming fluorescent labeling or high-power instrumentation used in other microarray techniques, it could provide a cost-effective way for smaller US laboratories, rural health facilities, or clinics in developing countries to conduct cancer screening, genetic profiling, and research. As the leader of the Berkeley project said,

“One of the most amazing things about our electrostatic detection method is that it requires nothing more than the naked eye to read out results that currently require chemical labeling and confocal laser scanners. We believe this technique could revolutionize the use of DNA microarrays for both research and diagnostics.”

Jay T. Groves
Chemist, Physical Biosciences Division
US Dept of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The researchers credit physics experiments conducted by Robert Millikan almost 100 years ago with inspiring their discovery.

If you’d like to learn more about this research, the team’s findings have been published in the June 29, 2008, online edition of Nature Biotechnology.

Source: Berkeley Lab News Center

MD Anderson and Duke Help Breast Cancer Survivors and Their Daughters Drop Weight

Lisa — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:42:31 +0000

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Duke University Medical Center have started a program to help breast cancer survivors and their daughters get fit after cancer treatments are done.

Daughters and Mothers Against Breast Cancer, called DAMES for short, is a one-year diet and exercise program sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The program is being conducted as part of larger study exploring possible ways to improve the health of former cancer patients and their families.

To be eligible for DAMES, both the mother and daughter must be overweight (with a Body Mass Index of 25 or more), but not participating in another weight loss program. Mothers must have been diagnosed with breast cancer within the last five years and at least 50 years of age to enroll in DAMES. Daughters must be 21 years of age or older.

Women who participate in the free program will be provided with various resources (diet/exercise journals, pedometers, iPods, etc) to help them develop healthier lifestyles and their progress will be monitored by scientists. As one survivor who joined the program said,

“I gained some weight during my treatment and it’s been hard getting into a regular exercise routine. By participating in DAMES, I believe that I may have that extra incentive to exercise daily and eat healthy because my weight will be monitored regularly by the study researchers.”

Alejandra Leon
Breast Cancer Survivor

To learn more about the DAMES, call 1-866-566-4108 or e-mail DAMES@geri.duke.edu.

Source: MD Anderson Cancer Center – Cancer Awareness and Prevention

UWTV Offers Podcasts on Gynecologic Cancers

Lisa — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:07:34 +0000

University of Washington Television (UWTV) is offering some informative podcasts about cervical and ovarian cancers.

These free broadcasts are available in both audio and video formats. If you’d like to download one to your computer or iPod, here are the links:

Advances in Cervical Cancer

(Run Time: 58:30)

Early Detection and Prognosis for Ovarian Cancer

(Run Time: 53:34)

HPV and Cervical Cancer: 25 Years from Discovery to Vaccine

(Run Time: 58:30)

All these programs are rated G.

Source: UW On-Air Schedule RSS Feed

Technorati Tags: epidemiology; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; oncology; reproductive cancers; women’s health

PBS Program Explains DNA Testing for Hereditary Cancers

Lisa — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:28:03 +0000

On Wednesday, July 2, 2008, the PBS program NOVA scienceNOW will air a segment on personal DNA testing.

During the show, experts will explain how genetic testing is done and how the results are used to help determine if someone is predisposed to developing cancer, Alzheimer’s, or other hereditary diseases.

Rudolph (Rudy) Tanzi, PhD and David Altshuler, MD, PhD, both from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), will participate in the discussion, as well as Dietrich Stephan, PhD and Elissa Levin, MS, CGC, from Navigenics™.

NOVA scienceNOW is also inviting viewers to ask questions online. Questions will be collected until July 3, 2008, and then turned over to Rudy Tanzi. Tanzi, who is the director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at MGH and a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, will post his answers to selected questions on July 8, 2008.

To find out which channel in your area will broadcast the program, check the PBS Station Finder.

Source: NOVA scienceNOW – Personal DNA Testing

Technorati Tags: bioethics; BRCA; cancer risk factors; diabetes; genetic counseling; genomics; oncology; preventive medicine

MIT: Striped Nanoparticles Can Deliver Drugs Inside Cells

Lisa — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:23:50 +0000

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created the first synthetic molecules that can penetrate a cell without killing it. This discovery could change how cancer drugs are delivered to tumors.

In recent years, scientists around the world have been exploring ways to use nanoscale devices to deliver potent oncology drugs and other medicines to specific cells inside the body. Tremendous advances have been made in the field of nanoengineering, but a big problem has plagued tiny drug delivery devices. When cells recognize a foreign object, they wrap themselves around the object and encase it in a small bubble to be excreted later. This biological phenomenon keeps the drug cargo carried inside the devices from reaching the sections of the cell where it would have the most effect.

MIT’s team found that gold nanoparticles coated with alternating bands of two different types of molecules could quickly pass through the protective membranes of cells without harming them while similar nanoparticles coated randomly with the same materials couldn’t. According to MIT, the stripes were the key.

MIT’s innovation could impact more that just drug delivery — it may also help scientists learn more about how peptides and other biological materials enter living cells.

The co-leaders of the project were Francesco Stellacci, an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Darrell Irvine, the Eugene Bell Career Development Associate Professor of Tissue Engineering.

If you’d like to learn more about MIT’s striped nanoparticles, their research is published, in the May 25, 2008, advance online edition of Nature Materials.

Source: MIT News

Related Audio: Nanoparticles of a Different Stripe from Technology Review by MIT

Technorati Tags: chemotherapy; cytosol; nanomedicine; nanoscience; targeted therapies

Stat3 Protein Could Be Key to Stopping Prostate Cancer

Lisa — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:15:13 +0000

Scientists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University say it may be possible to stop the progression of prostate cancer by blocking a signaling protein called Stat3.

Recent studies have shown the Stat3 protein is conspicuously active in several types of metastatic cancer, including advanced prostate cancer. To get a better understanding of the role Stat3 plays in prostate cancer progression, Dr Marja Nevalainen of Jefferson Medical College and her colleagues conducted a series of experiments using mouse models.

During their prostate cancer investigation, the scientists found Stat3 was activated in 77 percent of lymph node metastases, as well as 66 percent of bone metastases. And when the scientists caused mice lacking immune systems to overproduce Stat3, metastases increased 33-fold.

The team’s findings offer evidence that Stat3 is involved with prostate cancer migration. As Dr Nevalainen said,

“This is the first proof that Stat3 may have a major effect on metastatic dissemination of prostate cancer. Stat 3 now becomes a potential drug target to interfere with the metastatic progression of prostate cancer.”

Marja Nevalainen, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Cancer Biology,
Thomas Jefferson University

If you’d like to learn more, the team’s findings are published in the June 2008 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.

Source: Thomas Jefferson University News

Siteman Cancer Center Offers Free Podcasts on iTunes

Lisa — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:05:08 +0000

Would you rather listen to cancer news than read about it? The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center can help you out.

The Siteman Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center located at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, produces an informative audio podcast series called Cancer Connection which you can get free on iTunes.

Siteman offers Cancer Connection at no cost to inform the public about breakthroughs in cancer research, prevention and treatment.

Cancer Connection’s format lets you hear updates on a variety of cancer-related topics when it’s convenient for you. You can choose to listen to individual episodes on your computer, download the archives on your hard drive to reference later, or transfer them to an iPod / MP3 player to hear while you’re on the go. When I last checked, there were 26 episodes posted in the archives.

Each episode runs about 10 minutes and new ones are being added to iTunes a couple times a month. Recent segments have featured experts on hereditary cancer, pancreatic cancer surgery, and radiation oncology.

If you’d like to find other interesting cancer broadcasts, check out Yale Cancer Center Answers and Mayo Clinic Podcasts.

Source: Siteman Cancer Center News and Events

Need Cancer Information in Spanish? Lance Armstrong Foundation Launches LIVESTRONG Espanol

Lisa — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:40:28 +0000

Those who need reliable cancer education and support services in Spanish have a new online resource: LIVESTRONG Espanol.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), a nonprofit cancer advocacy group based in Austin, Texas, launched the multi-faceted web service on June 2, 2008, to assist cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and healthcare providers within Hispanic/Latino communities.

LIVESTRONG Espanol offers free brochures, videos, and other types of cancer information that patients and their families can watch or download on their computer. No registration, passwords or dues are required to use the resource.

In addition to the web site, LAF is producing five one-hour call-in shows featuring Dr Amelie Ramirez and other bilingual medical experts. The shows will broadcast on Spanish radio stations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and San Antonio between June 15 and June 21, 2008. (To see the complete schedule, click here.)

If you’d like to find more cancer information in Spanish, you can check out the National Cancer Institute (Instituto Nacional del Cáncer) and Cancer.Net En Español.

Source: livestrongblog.org

Technorati Tags: oncology; health literacy; ESL; minority health; rural health; immigration