cancer treatment

It has been reported for the first time in Germany that healthy ovarian tissue has been taken from a nonpregnant woman with cancer and then reimplanted after cancer therapy.

The patient is now 32-years-old, and could become pregnant as a result.

Researchers have discovered new targets for cancer treatment aimed at blocking a key step in tumor progression. This step -- the creation of new blood vessels -- enables tumors to grow out of control and ultimately spread cancer to other parts of the body.

(University of Chicago) A team of University of Chicago scientists has shown how two proteins locate and repair damaged genetic material inside cells.

One protein detects and repairs damage in malignant cells that may result from a certain type of cancer therapy.

In a paper published in the April 24 issue of the journal Nature, the team raised the possibility of designing a molecule that could interfere with the repair process, making cancer treatment more effective.

Certain biases may exist in observational studies that compare outcomes of different cancer therapies, making the results questionable.

That is the conclusion of a new study published in Cancer. Clinical trials are considered the gold standard for demonstrating the effectiveness of new treatments for cancer, but observational studies, which do not involve randomization but where available data are nonetheless analyzed to make treatment comparisons, have also been used to provide information on how well patients respond to particular drugs.

Researchers are directing the body's immune system to shrink tumors and prevent new ones from forming. New research details how cellular strategies and new vaccines are changing the cancer treatment landscape.

Researchers are directing the body's immune system to shrink tumors and prevent new ones from forming. Data presented at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, April 12-16, detail how cellular strategies and new vaccines are changing the cancer treatment landscape.

As promising cancer therapies and drugs emerge, researchers strive to find ways to deliver them to patients with minimal side effects.

At the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, April 12-16, researchers report that therapies delivered by "trojan horse" peptides and through the use of nanotechnology may enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

A shortage of medical specialists for cancer treatment in developing countries is a driving force behind a new web-based educational course that could help change the health-care picture over time.

The course -- in the speciality of radiation oncology -- is being spearheaded in the Asia and Pacific region through partners working with the IAEA.

A unique study proposes a new paradigm in cancer treatment: instead of selectively attacking cancer cells, protect all the healthy cells.

Animal studies and in vitro human cell studies show that a short fast protects healthy cells against chemotherapy, while tumor cells remain sensitive to the drugs.

A signaling pathway that is universal in vertebrates mediates the formation of blood vessels (vascularisation) both in embryos and tumours.

The research into this mechanism opens up new opportunities to develop novel medicines for cancer treatment.