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11/13/2008 09:00 PM
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OncoVAX, Other Vaccines Provide Hope For Colorectal Cancer Treatment, Prevention
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NEW YORK, NY -- Propelled by advances in molecular biology, the treatment of colorectal cancer is on the verge of dramatic change and a promising future as innovative vaccines will replace chemotherapy. According to a new report from Kalorama Information, "Cancer Vaccines: Market Forecasts, New Developments and Pipeline Analysis," this market, lead by OncoVAX, is poised for unprecedented growth, creating countless opportunities for market participants. More than 1.2 million cases of colon cancer are diagnosed worldwide each year with more than 529,000 deaths, which displays a considerable medical need. In the United States colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer, accounting for approximately 50,000 d...
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11/13/2008 09:00 PM
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Watson Announces The NDA For A 6-Month Formulation Of Trelstar Accepted For Filing By FDA For The Treatment Of Advanced Prostate Cancer
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CORONA, Calif. -- Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that its New Drug Application (NDA) for a 6-month formulation of TRELSTAR(R) (triptorelin pamoate), a luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist, has been accepted for filing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Watson is seeking marketing approval of this TRELSTAR(R) formulation for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Watson anticipates that FDA will take action on its application in the third quarter 2009. The sustained-release formulation of TRELSTAR(R) is designed to suppress the production of testosterone in men with advanced prostate cancer over 6 months. Prostate can...
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11/13/2008 09:00 PM
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HPV Virus Helps Cervical And Head And Neck Cancers Resist Treatment And Grow And Spread
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The human papillomavirus (HPV) allows infected cervical and head and neck cancer cells to maintain internal molecular conditions that make the cancers resistant to therapy and more likely to grow and spread, resulting in a poor prognosis for patients, researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center found. Virtually all human cancers experience a state called intratumoral hypoxia, or a low amount of oxygen within the tumor. In the UCLA study, researchers showed that the HPV-positive cancers adapted to and took advantage of the hypoxic environment by expressing a protein that activates a cell signaling pathway that helps the cancers survive, grow and spread. The study is published in the Nov. 4, 2008 issue of the journal Cancer Cell. Th...
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11/13/2008 09:00 PM
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Plastics Report Reviewed: Agency To Scrutinize Oft-criticized Findings That Chemical Poses Little Risk
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A controversial report on chemicals found in baby bottles and hundreds of other household products is under intense review by the National Toxicology Program after the agency was swamped with complaints that the authors were unduly influenced by the chemical industry. John Bucher, head of the toxicology program, said Wednesday that the agency is giving unprecedented scrutiny to the work of a panel studying the effects of bisphenol A, a chemical used as a hardening agent for plastic. The panel had downplayed the risks of bisphenol A, finding some concern for fetuses and small children but that adults had almost nothing to worry about. The chemical, commonly used as dental sealants, eyeglasses, CDs, DVDs and as lining in aluminum cans,...
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11/13/2008 09:00 PM
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Oral Rinses Used For Tracking HPV-Positive Head And Neck Cancers Holds Promise For Cancer Screening
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A study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, validates a non-invasive screening method with future potential for detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive head and neck cancers. In the study, researchers at Johns Hopkins University used oral rinses and targeted DNA amplification to track and identify oral HPV infections in patients with HPV16-positive and negative head and neck carcinomas (HNSCC) before and after therapy. Findings showed detection of high-risk HPV infections in patients with HPV16-positive HNSCC for up to five years after therapy, indicating a high rate of persistent infection and reaffirming the connection between high-risk types of HPV a...
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11/13/2008 09:00 PM
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Women Against Cervical Cancer - A New International Network Committed To Empowering Women Through Education
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NICE, France -- New survey results announced today, reveal a significant lack of information and education about the prevention, treatment and consequences of cervical cancer is leaving women unnecessarily worried and anxious.(i) Cervical cancer is largely preventable as a result of powerful tools now available, however due to lack of knowledge, information and access nearly 280,000 women still die from the disease every year, making it the second leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide.(ii),(iii),(iv) The new survey results, conducted among European women who had received an abnormal cell diagnosis following a cervical screening test, accompany the launch of the Women Against Cervical Cancer (WACC) Network, a ne...
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11/09/2008 09:00 PM
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PharmaCom BioVet, Inc. To Provide Novel Canine Cancer Treatment Programs To Meet Exploding Pet Care Demand
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RALEIGH -- PharmaCom BioVet, Inc. is pleased to announce that their new Canine Cancer Treatment Centers will provide state-of-the-art cancer technologies to meet the growing demand for effective treatment of companion animals afflicted with lymphoma and other forms of cancer. Concurrent with human trends for increasing life spans, companion animals are also living longer. According to a recent report by Tatjana Meerman, Publisher of Packaged Facts, Rockville, Maryland, "Pets are living longer because their owners are taking better care of them, both medically and nutritionally." The report continues by stating that the ever growing bond between pet owners and their companion animals means, "...an increased willingness amo...
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11/09/2008 09:00 PM
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The Influence Of Statin Medications On Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels
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BERKELEY -- Christopher P. Evans, M.D. reports on the following: Dr. Robert J. Hamilton and associates report statin use lowers PSA levels, and as a result may confound the detection of prostate cancer (CaP) in these patients. In this study, the investigators sought to determine the effect of statins on serum PSA levels. A retrospective study population of 1,214 men who had filled an outpatient prescription for a statin between 1990 and 2006 was identified in the Durham VA Medical Center database. Men were excluded if they had a diagnosis of CaP, underwent treatment for CaP, had a TURP or prostatitis or were treated with either dutasteride or finasteride. Pre- and post-statin initiation PSA and LDL levels were required....
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11/09/2008 09:00 PM
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Clinical Study Recommends The Use Of Breast MRI For Preoperative Evaluation Of Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patients
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NORTH ANDOVER -- Aurora Imaging Technology Inc. is proud to announce that the Aurora(R) Dedicated Breast MRI System was exclusively utilized in a large clinical study that demonstrated the significance of preoperative breast MRI for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, while producing no delay in treatment. The study, co-sponsored by Mercy Health Center and Breast MRI of Oklahoma LLC, was published by the American Journal of Surgery. Alan Hollingsworth, M.D., medical director and breast surgeon at Mercy Women's Center at Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City, and his colleagues included 603 patients from March 2003 through December 2006 -- the largest single-site study of preoperative patients ever published on MRI for...
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11/09/2008 09:00 PM
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FDA Seeks Regulation Of DNA Tests
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Tests that allow individuals a sneak peek at their genetic predisposition for everything from baldness to breast cancer have fueled dozens of startups, including one that says it can predetermine the likelihood of a successful romantic relationship by analyzing specific genes in DNA. But regulatory guidance has struggled to keep up with all of the advances in genomic medicine, which has advanced at a rapid rate since completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. The 13-year scientific research project coordinated by the Department of Energy and National Institutes of Health has identified more than 20,000 genes in human DNA. The FDA is just now reaching the point where it can provide further guidance on a host of new diagnosti...
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11/09/2008 09:00 PM
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Ikonisys Receives FDA Clearance For Non-Invasive, HER-2 Breast Cancer Test
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Ikonisys, a leading provider of next generation, non-invasive, cell-based diagnostic solutions, announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its oncoFISH her2 test. oncoFISH her2 is a fully automated microscopy application for the determination of HER2 status in human breast cancer specimens processed with Abbott's PathVysion(R) HER2 DNA Probe Kit. The test runs on the company's proprietary CellOptics(R) platform, featuring the Ikoniscope(R), a proprietary high-throughput, digital microscope, and provides "walk-away" automated testing of the HER2 gene to provide an early and accurate indication for gene amplification. Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women in the...
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11/09/2008 09:00 PM
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Lung Cancer Often Gets Pushed To The Back Of The Line By Misconceptions
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They call it "The Invisible Cancer." It develops and grows quietly, stealthily -- invisibly -- typically causing no noticeable symptoms until it's way too late. Only about 15 percent of those who are diagnosed with the invisible cancer survive even five years. Which begs the obvious question: How can a disease that kills more than 160,000 Americans a year -- making it the deadliest of all cancers -- still be invisible? Shouldn't it be visible by now? Theoretically, yes, lung cancer -- the invisible cancer -- should be more than a mere blip on America's cancer radar. Other forms of the disease -- breast cancer for women, prostate cancer for men, just to name a couple -- tend to grab the headlines, the public sympathy and, not coinci...
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11/06/2008 09:00 PM
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Migraines Could Cut Breast Cancer Risk
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Women who have a history of migraine headaches are far less likely to develop breast cancer than other women, U.S. researchers said Thursday. The study was the first to look at the relationship between breast cancer and migraines, and its findings may point to new ways of reducing a woman's breast cancer risk, they said. "We found that, overall, women who had a history of migraines had a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who did not have a history of such headaches," said Dr. Christopher Li, whose findings appear in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. Li, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, said the reduction in risk was for the most common types...
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11/06/2008 09:00 PM
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Dendreon Presents Integrated Analysis Of Clinical Data From Neuvenge Trials At Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium
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SEATTLE -- Dendreon Corporation today will present a summary of Phase 1 clinical data of NEUVENGE(TM) (lapuleucel-T), an investigational active cellular immunotherapy, at the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium in New York City. The presentation, which integrates the data from two clinical trials, highlights the safety profile, immune response and clinical activity of NEUVENGE in patients with HER2/neu-positive cancer who have failed standard therapy. "We are encouraged by the significant immune responses generated to NEUVENGE in these trials, which included patients with advanced breast, ovarian and colon cancer," said John W. Park, M.D., associate clinical professor of medicine and neurosurgery at the University of Califo...
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11/06/2008 09:00 PM
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Genes May Alter Esophageal Cancer Risk
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HOUSTON -- U.S. cancer scientists say they have found variations in a common gene pathway can affect esophageal cancer risk. University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center scientists said their study is the first to look at the association between genetic variations related to microRNAs and esophageal cancer. "Previous research has shown miRNAs control approximately one-third of human genes and may play a part in cancer risk," said Dr. Xifeng Wu, the study's lead author. "But whether genetic variants of miRNA-related genes influence esophageal cancer has largely remained unknown." The researchers said they found seven genotypes were significantly associated with esophageal cancer risk, and four more showed at least a...
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