Novel regulatory mechanism for cell division found

A protein kinase or enzyme known as PKM2 has proven to control cell division, potentially providing a molecular basis for tumor diagnosis and treatment. A study, led by Zhimin Lu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neuro-oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, showcased the non-metabolic abilities of PKM2 (pyruvate kinase M2) in promoting tumor cell proliferation when cells produce more of the enzyme. Read more here.

STING pathway key to tumor immunity

A recently discovered protein complex known as STING plays a crucial role in detecting the presence of tumor cells and promoting an aggressive anti-tumor response by the body's innate immune system, according to two separate studies published in Immunity. The studies, both from University of Chicago-based research teams, have major implications for the growing field of cancer immunotherapy. The findings show that when activated, the STING pathway triggers a natural immune response against the tumor. This includes production of chemical signals that help the immune system identify tumor cells and generate specific killer T cells. The research also found that targeted high-dose radiation therapy dials up the activation of this pathway, which promotes immune-mediated tumor control. Read more here.

More breast cancer patients opting for mastectomy, Vanderbilt study finds

Far more breast cancer patients are choosing to undergo mastectomy, including removal of both breasts, instead of choosing breast conservation surgery even when they have early stage disease that is confined to one breast, a Vanderbilt study shows. In the past decade, there have also been marked trends toward higher proportions of women opting for breast reconstruction. This is a reversal of trends seen since the 1990s when breast conservation surgery (BCS) was found to produce equivalent cancer outcomes and was endorsed as a standard of excellence by a National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference. Read more here.

Power behind ‘master’ gene for cancer discovered

In bean sprouts, a collection of amino acids known as a protein complex allows them to grow longer in the darkness than in the light. In humans, a similar protein complex called CSN and its subunit CSN6 is now believed to be a cancer-causing gene that impacts activity of another gene (Myc) tied to tumor growth. Somehow the same mechanisms that result in bigger bean sprouts, also cause cancer metastasis and tumor development. A study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center led by Mong-Hong Lee, Ph.D., a professor of molecular and cellular oncology, has demonstrated the significance of CSN6 in regulating Myc which may very well open up a new pathway for treating and killing tumors. Read more here.

Antiangiogenic treatment improves survival in animal model of ovarian cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most lethal cancer of the female reproductive organs, with more than 200,000 new cases and more than 125,000 deaths each year worldwide. Now new research in an animal model finds that a novel combination therapy, which couples low-dose chemotherapy with an antiangiogenic treatment, resulted in better survival rates compared with standard therapy. Led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the University of Guelph, the findings show that the agent, 3TSR, not only led to tumor regression, but also improved tumor blood flow and enabled more efficient delivery of much smaller and less toxic doses of chemotherapy. Read more here.

Memorial Sloan Kettering team makes key discovery in understanding immunotherapy’s successes—and its failures

A collaborative team of leaders in the field of cancer immunology from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has made a key discovery that advances the understanding of why some patients respond to ipilimumab, an immunotherapy drug, while others do not. MSK was at the forefront of the clinical research that brought this CTLA-4 blocking antibody to melanoma patients. Read more here.

Salk scientists deliver a promising one-two punch for lung cancer

Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a powerful one-two punch for countering a common genetic mutation that often leads to drug-resistant cancers. The dual-drug therapy–with analogs already in use for other diseases–doubled the survival rate of mice with lung cancer and halted cancer in pancreatic cells. “There really have been no effective treatments to target the KRAS mutation so far,” says Inder Verma, a professor in the Laboratory of Genetics and American Cancer Society Professor of Molecular Biology. “We found a drug combination that successfully targets KRAS and stops tumor growth in the mouse model.” Read more here.

Withdrawal of the marketing authorisation application for balugrastim

On 4 November 2014, Teva Pharma B.V. officially notified the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) that it wishes to withdraw its application for a marketing authorisation for balugrastim (Egranli), for reduction in the duration of neutropaenia and the occurrence of febrile neutropaenia in adult cancer patients. Read more here.

NICE Is updating Its guideline on suspected cancer to help GPs spot the early signs and symptoms of cancer

Around 300,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in England and Wales in 2011. The best way of tackling the disease is for patients to receive an early diagnosis, as this improves the chances of beating cancer. If cancer is caught at an early stage before the disease has spread, treatment is more likely to be successful.

Yet not enough is currently being done in England to identify cancer and treat it an early stage. Up to 10,000 people in England could be dying each year due to late diagnoses.

To help GPs ensure they are making prompt and accurate diagnoses, NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) has updated its suspected cancer guideline and has included a number of tables which link symptoms to the cancers they are associated with. Read more here.

Ontario moves to regulate e-cigarettes, ban flavoured tobacco

Ontario moved Monday to regulate the sale of electronic cigarettes, ban all flavoured tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, and mandate calorie counts on restaurant menus with its Making Healthier Choices Act. The omnibus bill would treat e-cigarettes just like tobacco cigarettes, with a total ban on sales to youth and on using them in restaurants and public buildings. Read more here.

NCCS post: Forgotten survivors - supporting the needs of patients with advanced cancers

"Though more and more cancer patients are being diagnosed today than ever before (1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women, based on the American Cancer Society ) more and more are becoming survivors of their disease and treatment. This can result in those who eventually lose their lives to this disease being less noticed and in some cases, forgotten. They are forgotten cancer survivors. Some may live only a few months post diagnosis while others may live a decade or more. Their issues and concerns are not the same as those who are believed to be cured from their cancer. They have unique needs that all too often go unaddressed." Continue reading the NCCS blog here.

Summary Basis of Decision (SBD) for KADCYLA

Health Canada has issued a Notice of Compliance to Hoffmann-La Roche Limitedfor the drug product Kadcyla. Based on Health Canada's review, the benefit/risk profile of Kadcyla is favourable as a single agent for the treatment of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive, metastatic breast cancer who received both prior treatment with Herceptin (trastuzumab) and a taxane, separately or in combination. Patients should have either received prior therapy for metastatic disease, or developed disease recurrence during or within 6 months of completing adjuvant therapy. Read more here.

Patients with advanced papillary RCC respond well to a combination of bevacizumab and erlotinib

Dr Ramaprasad Srinivasan, head of the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics Section, Urologic Oncology Branch, of the National Cancer Institute, USA, reported at the 26th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Barcelona, Spain (18-21 November 2014) that the combination of bevacizumab and erlotinib produced excellent response rates with tolerable side effects in patients with advanced papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC) and in patients with a highly aggressive form of pRCC called hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC). Read more here.

Immuno-Oncology 2014 press release: Immunotherapy set to revolutionise cancer treatment

Immunotherapy is set to revolutionise the treatment of cancer, according to ESMO President Professor Rolf A. Stahel. His comments come as the ESMO Symposium on Immuno-Oncology 2014 is about to open in Geneva, Switzerland (21-22 November). Read more here.

First genetic-based tool to detect circulating cancer cells in blood

Northwestern University scientists now have demonstrated a simple but powerful tool that can detect live cancer cells in the bloodstream, potentially long before the cells could settle somewhere in the body and form a dangerous tumor. The NanoFlare technology is the first genetic-based approach that is able to detect live circulating tumor cells out of the complex matrix that is human blood -- no easy feat. In a breast cancer study, the NanoFlares easily entered cells and lit up the cell if a biomarker target was present, even if only a trace amount. The NanoFlares are tiny spherical nucleic acids with gold nanoparticle cores outfitted with single-stranded DNA "flares." Read more here.

TopBP1 a sweet spot for treatment in multiple cancers

A compound called calcein may act to inhibit topoisomerase IIβ-binding protein 1 (TopBP1), which enhances the growth of tumors, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears online in the journal Nature Communications. "The progression of many solid tumors is driven by de-regulation of multiple common pathways," said Dr. Weei-Chin Lin, associate professor of medicine- hematology & oncology, and a member of the NCI-designated Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor. Among those are the retinoblastoma (Rb), PI(3)K/Akt and p53 pathways, which, when de-regulated, lead to accumulation and structural alteration of TopBP1. Read more here.

Investigational oral drug combo shows promise for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma in Mayo Clinic-led study

The investigational drug ixazomib taken orally in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone shows promise in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to the results of a phase 1/2 study published in the journal Lancet Oncology. "Ixazomib is an investigational, oral proteasome inhibitor with promising anti-myeloma effects and low rates of peripheral neuropathy," says Shaji Kumar, M.D., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study. Read more here.

A noncoding RNA promotes pediatric bone cancer

A new study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation indicates that a long noncoding RNA named Ewing sarcoma-associated transcript 1 (EWSAT1) is a critical target of the fusion protein and contributes to the complex network of changes that occur in Ewing Sarcoma. A team led by Alejandro Sweet-Cordero at Stanford University identified increased expression of EWSAT1 in cancer cells from children with Ewing sarcoma. Further they showed that this noncoding RNA is important for cancer cell growth and associated with the repression of several genes downstream of EWS-FLI1. Read more here.

Metabolic ‘reprogramming’ by the p53 gene family leads to tumor regression

Scientists have found that altering members of the p53 gene family, known as tumor suppressor genes, causes rapid regression of tumors that are deficient in or totally missing p53. Study results suggest existing diabetes drugs, which impact the same gene-protein pathway, might be effective for cancer treatment. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center investigation showed that, in vivo, the genes p63 and p73 can be manipulated to upregulate or increase levels of IAPP, a protein important for the body’s ability to metabolize glucose. Read more here.

Potential therapy found for incurable pediatric brain tumor

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a new potential drug therapy for a rare, incurable pediatric brain tumor by targeting a genetic mutation found in children with the cancer. By inhibiting the tumor-forming consequences of the mutation using an experimental drug called GSKJ4, they delayed tumor growth and prolonged survival in mice with pediatric brainstem glioma. Read more here.

Killing cancer by protecting normal cells

Although radiation treatments have become much more refined in recent years, it remains a challenge to both sufficiently dose the tumor while sparing the surrounding tissue. A new anti-cancer drug, already in clinical development, may help address this issue by protecting normal cells – but not the cancer – from the effects of radiation. The research further suggests this drug may also be useful in treating accidental exposure to radiation. Read more here.

Nonsmokers in automobiles are exposed to significant secondhand smoke

Nonsmokers sitting in an automobile with a smoker for one hour had markers of significantly increased levels of carcinogens and other toxins in their urine, indicating that secondhand smoke in motor vehicles poses a potentially major health risk according to a groundbreaking study led by UC San Francisco researchers. The nonsmoking passengers showed elevated levels of butadiene, acrylonitrile, benzene, methylating agents and ethylene oxide. Read more here.

IU researchers identify key mechanism and potential target to prevent leukemia

Researchers have identified two proteins that appear crucial to the development -- and patient relapse -- of acute myeloid leukemia. They have also shown they can block the development of leukemia by targeting those proteins. The studies, in animal models, could lead to new effective treatments for leukemias that are resistant to chemotherapy, said Reuben Kapur, Ph.D., Freida and Albrecht Kipp Professor of Pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Read more here.

Direct drug screening of patient biopsies could overcome resistance to targeted therapy

A new screening platform using cells grown directly from tumor biopsy samples may lead to truly individualized treatment strategies that would get around the problem of treatment resistance, which limits the effectiveness of current targeted therapy drugs. Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center describe how screening samples grown from treatment-resistant tumors against a panel of current and potential targeted therapy drugs identified previously unknown resistance mechanisms, several of which could not be found by gene sequencing. Read more here.

FDA approves bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy for platinum resistant, recurrent ovarian cancer

On 14 November 2014, the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved bevacizumab in combination with paclitaxel, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, or topotecan for the treatment of patients with platinum resistant, recurrent epithelial ovarian, Fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

The approval is based on the results of an international, randomised AURELIA trial. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) in patients treated with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy vs. chemotherapy alone. Read more here.

Hedgehog signaling pathway for breast cancer identified

Molecules called long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in breast cancer but exactly why they cause metastasis and tumor growth has been little understood...until now. Scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report that hedgehog, a unique cell signaling pathway known to contribute to many types of cancer, may be behind breast cancer metastasis. This molecular message service works with the lncRNA known as BCAR4 giving the genetic green light for tumor growth. Read more here.

Tumor suppressor also inhibits key property of stem cells, researchers say

A protein that plays a critical role in preventing the development of many types of human cancers has been shown also to inhibit a vital stem cell property called pluripotency, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Blocking expression of the protein, called retinoblastoma, in mouse cells allowed the researchers to more easily transform them into what are known as induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. Read more here.

Novel cancer vaccine approach for brain tumors

Glioblastoma is the most common aggressive primary brain tumor, and despite advances in standard treatment, the median survival is about 15 months (compared to 4 months without treatment). Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have been working on a cancer vaccine that would extend that survival by activating the patient’s immune system to fight the brain tumor. Read more here.

Lung cancer screening with low-dose CT could be cost effective according to Dartmouth study

Dartmouth researchers say lung cancer screening in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) meets a commonly accepted standard for cost effectiveness as reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. This relatively new screening test uses annual low-dose CT scans to spot lung tumors early in individuals facing the highest risks of lung cancer due to age and smoking history. Read more here.

Alberta to phase in flavoured tobacco ban legislation, but exempts menthol

Alberta has exempted menthol from its flavoured tobacco ban law that health groups once held up as an example for other governments to follow. Health Minister Stephen Mandel said Thursday the legislation — to be phased in — will still protect young people from the dangers of other flavoured tobacco. Health, medical and anti-smoking groups say exempting menthol is a mistake, because the flavour is the most popular with young people. Read more here.

Ten years of progress in translational research in oncology

The past 10 years have witnessed a remarkable acceleration in the pace of translational research in oncology. James Doroshow and Shivaani Kummar of the National Cancer Institute, USA, reviewed in the latest issue of the Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology selected developments in translational cancer biology, diagnostics, and therapeutics that have occurred over the past decade and offer their thoughts on future prospects. Read more here.

Mentored Training for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer

An exciting learning collaborative of dissemination and implementation (D&I) researchers: Funded by a five year grant from the National Cancer Institute, this unique education program is positioned to build capacity in D&I research in cancer prevention and control. The deadline to submit applications is January 16, 2015. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by March 2, 2015. The 2015 MT-DIRC cohort will have on-site training June 1-5, 2015, and again June 6-10, 2016, at Washington University in St. Louis. Click here for more information: http://prcstl.wustl.edu/training/Pages/MTDIRC.aspx

Promising prognostic biomarker candidates for ovarian cancer uncovered by Roswell Park team

Cancer researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute have identified two independent classes of novel candidate prognostic markers for ovarian cancer, advancing efforts to develop targeted therapies for the disease. The findings resulted from two separate studies published in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE and based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, the world’s largest public database on gene expression in different tumor types. Read more here.

Classification of gene mutations in a children's cancer may point to improved treatments

Oncology researchers studying gene mutations in the childhood cancer neuroblastoma are refining their diagnostic tools to predict which patients are more likely to respond to drugs called ALK inhibitors that target such mutations. Removing some of the guesswork in diagnosis and treatment, the researchers say, may lead to more successful outcomes for children with this often-deadly cancer. Read more here.

Next-gen melanoma drug, TAK-733, excels in lab tests

A recent University of Colorado Cancer Center study reports anti-cancer activity in 10 out of 11 patient tumor samples grown in mice and treated with the experimental drug TAK-733, a small molecule inhibitor of MEK1/2. While the drug is conceived as a second-generation inhibitor in patients harboring the BRAF mutation, the study shows drug activity in melanoma models regardless of BRAF mutation status. Treated tumors shrunk up to 100 percent. Read more here.

Study identifying cell of origin for large, disfiguring nerve tumors lays groundwork for development of new therapies

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have determined the specific type of cell that gives rise to large, disfiguring tumors called plexiform neurofibromas, a finding that could lead to new therapies for preventing growth of these tumors. "If we can isolate and grow the cells of origin for neurofibromas, then we can reconstruct the biological steps that lead these original cells to tumor stage,” said Dr. Le, a member of the Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center. “Once we know the critical steps in the process, then we can design inhibitors to block each step in an effort to prevent or slow tumor formation.” Read more here.

Personalized genetic test could predict prostate cancer recurrence: researchers

Canadian researchers have developed a genetic test to identify which men are at highest risk for recurrence of prostate cancer following localized treatment with surgery or radiation therapy. The genetic test provides a quick and highly accurate tool to determine which men with prostate cancer would do well with only surgery or radiation, and those who would need additional treatment — chemotherapy and hormone therapy, say the researchers. Read more here.

Lung cancer screening with low-dose CT could be cost effective

The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) showed that screening with low-dose computed tomography (LD-CT) as compared with chest radiography reduced lung cancer mortality. In a study reported in the 6th November 2014 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers reported that lung cancer screening in the NLST study meets a commonly accepted standard for cost-effectiveness. Read more here.

Researchers take new approach to stop 'most wanted' cancer protein

Researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center have found a way to defeat one of the most tantalizing yet elusive target proteins in cancer cells – employing a strategy that turns the protein’s own molecular machinations against it. In a study published online by the journal Cell, the scientists used a specially crafted compound to disrupt the protein’s ability to rev up its own production and that of other proteins involved in tumor cell growth. Read more here.

UCLA study finds tai chi reduces inflammation in breast cancer survivors

UCLA researchers have discovered that the Chinese practice of tai chi can reduce inflammation in people who have had breast cancer, thereby reducing a risk factor for the recurrence of the cancer. “We saw that tai chi reversed cellular inflammation, by producing a down-regulation of the genes that lead to inflammation,” said UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center member Dr. Michael Irwin. Read more here.

Half of premature colorectal cancer deaths due to socioeconomic inequality

Half of all premature deaths from colorectal cancer (described as deaths in people ages 25 to 64) in the United States are linked to ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic inequalities, and therefore could be prevented according to a new study by American Cancer Society researchers. The report found more preventable deaths occur in southern states than in northern and western states, but that in virtually all states those with the least education had significantly higher colorectal cancer death rates. Read more here.

Risk of brain cancer can triple after 25 years of cellphone use, study finds

Swedes who talked on cellphone or cordless phones for more than 25 years had triple the risk of a certain kind of brain cancer compared to those who used wireless phones for less than a year, a new study suggests. The odds of developing glioma, an often deadly brain cancer, rose with years and hours of use, researchers reported in the journal Pathophysiology. Even if the odds of developing a glioma were doubled or tripled, however, the risk would still remain low. Read more here.

Toronto hospital live-tweeting colon cancer surgery

Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital is live-tweeting colon cancer surgery this morning to raise awareness about prevention and treatment for the disease. Cancer surgeon Dr. Shady Ashmalla is performing the procedure, which got underway shortly after 8 a.m. EST and is expected to take about two hours. Ashamalla and his team are providing updates, photos and short videos as they perform a laparoscopic right hemicolectomy, a minimally invasive colon cancer procedure. Read more here.

Young patients with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer anticipated to nearly double by 2030

In the next 15 years, more than one in 10 colon cancers and nearly one in four rectal cancers will be diagnosed in patients younger than the traditional screening age, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. This growing public health problem is underscored by data trends among 20- to 34-year-olds in the USA, among whom the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is expected to increase by 90% and 124.2%, respectively, by 2030. Read more here.

Convocating student explores impact of patient's death on nurses

When a child dies from cancer, it is almost unbearably tragic for family and friends. And, as a recent research study indicates, it may also adversely affect the career of the registered nurse who cared for that child. In her doctoral research, Faculty of Nursing graduate student Angela Morck, who will convocate on Monday, examined the effects of a death of a child on the pediatric oncology nurse. She discovered that nurses struggle to navigate the ideals of nursing versus the realities of practice when working with dying children. Read more here.

Olaparib in patients with BRCA-related cancers

Olaparib produced a tumour response rate of 26.2% in several advanced cancer types associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. The response rate provides new hope for patients with ovarian, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers whose disease has not responded to standard therapies. Results of the phase II study are published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Read more here.

From bench to bedside: EACR collaboration with ESMO young oncologists

After the ESMO 2014 meeting in Madrid on Precision Medicine in Cancer Care, ecancer.tv interviewed Professor Joan Seoane on his work on the molecular mechanisms behind brain tumours, and on his involvement in an initiative at the Congress to bridge the gap between basic and clinical cancer research. Read more here.

Immune booster combined with checkpoint blocker improves survival in metastatic melanoma

Patients with metastatic melanoma who were treated with ipilimumab, an immune checkpoint blocker, survived 50 percent longer – a median 17.5 months vs. 12.7 months – if they simultaneously received an immune stimulant, according to a study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists. Patients in the clinical trial who got the combined therapies also had fewer serious adverse side effects than those who received only ipilimumab. Read more here.

Telephone counseling leads more adult childhood cancer survivors to get heart screenings

Supplementing written heart screening guidelines with telephone counseling from specially trained nurses more than doubled the likelihood that adult survivors of childhood cancer received recommended heart checks, according to results from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. This study was designed to understand and address why more survivors do not get the periodic heart screenings that are recommended to detect cardiomyopathy early when interventions may slow disease progression and prevent heart failure. Read more here.

Immunotherapy for cancer toxic with obesity

Immunotherapy that can be effective against tumors in young, thin mice can be lethal to obese ones, a new study by UC Davis researchers has found. The findings, published online today in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggest a possible link between body fat and the risk of toxicity from some types of immunotherapy. UC Davis researchers have been working with mouse models to determine if there is a subset of patients for whom certain types of immunotherapies are especially toxic. Read more here.

NSAIDs prevent colon cancer by inducing death of intestinal stem cells that have mutation

Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) protect against the development of colorectal cancer by inducing cell suicide pathways in intestinal stem cells that carry a certain mutated and dysfunctional gene, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and the School of Medicine. Read more here.

Studies show exercise therapy, acupuncture benefit breast cancer survivors

Two new studies from the Abramson Cancer Center and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania offer hope for breast cancer survivors struggling with cancer-related pain and swelling, and point to ways to enhance muscular strength and body image. The studies appear in a first of its kind monograph from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monographs focusing on integrative oncology, which combines a variety of therapies, some non-traditional, for maximum benefit to cancer patients. Read more here.

Canadian Breast Cancer Network annual report, 2013-14

The Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN) exists to voice the views and concerns of those affected by breast cancer to ensure equitable access to optimal breast cancer care for all Canadians. CBCN is Canada's leading survivor-directed, national network of organizations and individuals concerned about breast cancer. CBCN strives to voice the views and concerns of breast cancer survivors through promotion of information sharing, education and advocacy activities. This annual report highlights the CBCN's successes from the past year. Read the report here.

Obesity, physical inactivity drive up cancer numbers: study

Every year in Canada, more than 12,000 people develop cancer because of excess body weight and physical inactivity, according to new research by Alberta Health Services. Obesity and physical inactivity are well-known risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but people may tend to overlook the role they play in the development of cancer,” says Dr. Darren Brenner, an AHS epidemiologist and the author of the study. “The evidence is clear that thousands of cancers could be prevented each year if people paid more attention to diet and exercise.” Read more here.

Rewiring metabolism slows cancer growth

A University of Utah-led study reports that cancers select against a protein complex called the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC), and re-introduction of MPC in colon cancer cells impairs several properties of cancer, including growth. The research, which appears online in Molecular Cell, implicates changes in a key step in metabolism – the way cellular fuel is utilized – as an important driver of colon cancer that is also likely to be important in many other cancer settings. Read more here.

Staying indoors with a smoker similar to being outdoors in Beijing

Living with a smoker can be like breathing the air in the world’s most polluted cities, according to a new study from Britain. “The message is pretty simple, really – smoking in your home leads to really poor air quality and results in concentrations of fine particles, that you can’t see, that would cause real concern to us if they were found outside,” said lead author Dr. Sean Semple, of the Scottish Centre for Indoor Air at the University of Aberdeen. Read more here.

Study shows clear new evidence for mind-body connection

For the first time, researchers have shown that practising mindfulness meditation or being involved in a support group has a positive physical impact at the cellular level in breast cancer survivors. A group working out of Alberta Health Services’ Tom Baker Cancer Centre and the University of Calgary Department of Oncology has demonstrated that telomeres — protein complexes at the end of chromosomes — maintain their length in breast cancer survivors who practise meditation or are involved in support groups, while they shorten in a comparison group without any intervention. Read more here.

Oxygen-deprived RNA molecules lead to tumor progression

New research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has unearthed a previously unknown phenomenon: Key regulatory molecules are decreased when deprived of oxygen which leads to increased cancer progression in vitro and in vivo. “We showed that that hypoxia causes a downregulation of, or decrease in, quantities of Drosha and Dicer, enzymes that are necessary for producing microRNAs,” said Anil Sood, M.D., professor of gynecologic oncology and reproductive medicine and cancer biology. “At a functional level, this process results in increased cancer progression when studied at the cellular level.” Read more here.

New molecular imaging technology could improve bladder cancer detection

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a new strategy that they say could detect bladder cancer with more accuracy and sensitivity than standard endoscopy methods. The researchers identified a protein known as CD47 as a molecular imaging target to distinguish bladder cancer from benign tissues. In the future, this technique could improve bladder cancer detection, guide more precise cancer surgery and reduce unnecessary biopsies. Read more here.

Generic medications boost adherence to breast cancer therapy

Although oral hormonal therapy is known to substantially reduce breast cancer recurrence in women with hormone receptor–positive tumors, about one-half of patients fail to take their medications as directed. A study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers has found that the introduction of generic aromatase inhibitors (the most common type of hormone therapy), which are considerably less expensive than their brand-name counterparts, increased treatment adherence by 50 percent. Read more here.

Genomic landscape of ccRCC in Central Europe

New research by the international Cancer Genomics of the Kidney consortium ( CAGEKID) reveals an important connection between clear cell renal cell cancer (ccRCC) and exposure to aristolochic acid, an ingredient in some herbal remedies. The findings, published in Nature Communications, have important implications for public health. Read more here.