Articles

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy, a common procedure to determine whether melanoma has spread, can be utilized safely and effectively even with tumors in the head and neck area according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

SLN biopsy is routinely offered to patients with melanoma meeting or exceeding a certain size. However, many surgeons believed the intricate anatomy combined with the crucial nerves and blood vessels in the head and neck area created an unsafe and inaccurate setting for an SLN biopsy of that region.

A recently developed urine test can assist in the early detection of and treatment decisions regarding prostate cancer, a study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology finds.

The test is designed to supplement an elevated PSA screening result. While defining those men at highest risk for clinically significant prostate cancer, the test could also delay or negate the need for a needle biopsy in some patients.

In its update of its technology assessment guidelines on chemotherapy sensitivity and resistance assays (CSRAs), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) cautioned against the use of this technology to select chemotherapeutic agents for individual patients. Rather, the guidelines recommend that oncologists “make chemotherapy treatment recommendations based on published reports of clinical trials and a patient's health status and treatment preferences.”

When combined, 6 common, recognized radiotherapy safety checks cut potential patient-harming errors by 90%, according to a new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers. 

Late-stage ovarian cancer patients responded well to an experimental carboplatin/decitabine combination therapy, even though they had become resistant to carboplatin, Indiana University researchers report. Furthermore, the researchers believe they have discovered biomarkers that could assist in identifying patients who are most likely to benefit from this therapy. 

New breast cancer screening guidelines recommend mammography screening annually for women beginning at age 40. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) believes that the high incidence of breast cancer combined with the potential to reduce deaths from it when caught early warrants this change from its previous recommendations (every 1-2 years starting at age 40; annually beginning at age 50).

Although maspin is believed to reduce the formation, development, and spread of tumors in several aggressive cancers (breast, ovarian, and head and neck cancers), it has been challenging to utilize this information and predict how cancer patients will fare with its use; the presence of maspin has been associated with both good and bad prognoses. The cause of this irregularity was considered to be based on the location of maspin within the cell, whether in the nucleus or in the cytoplasm, according to Drs. Read More ›

In young women with early-stage breast cancer, coupling the GnRH analogue triptorelin with chemotherapy led to a 17% reduction in the occurrence of early menopause, according to a report in the July 20 issue of JAMA.

The phase 3 study results showed:

Medical oncologists and primary care physicians (PCPs) expressed major differences in knowledge, attitudes, and practices required to care for America's 12 million cancer survivors, according to a recent study published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Patients with HER2+ breast cancer who develop resistance to trastuzumab may soon have an alternative therapy, according to recent findings published in Clinical Cancer Research.