New treatments for lung cancer

A new report authored by a team at the Yale Cancer Center presents a synopsis of lung cancer treatments over the past 20 years.  According to co-lead author Dr. Roy Herbst, chief of medical oncology at Yale Cancer Center, "options for treatments have improved in recent years with the advent of two classes of drugs - molecularly targeted therapies, and more recently, immunotherapies."

To read more about this report, click here.

Blood test could detect cancer in early stages

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University are currently testing a blood test purported to detected several cancers, including ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas, oesophagus, colorectal, lung, and breast, at early stages.  Known as liquid biopsies, the tests "look for DNA and other things that tumours she into blood, to try to find cancer before it spreads, when chances of cure are best."  While the test is not ready for use yet, it is seen as a significant step towards early detection of cancer before tumours can spread.

To read more about this blood test, click here.

BRCA breast cancer gene doesn't affect patient survival

A new study conducted by the NHS Foundation Trust in England indicates that there is no distinction in survival rates between young breast cancer patients with a BRCA gene mutation and those without.  The study was conducted on more than 2,700 women in the United Kingdom between 18-40 years old, with a first-time breast cancer diagnosis.  12% of the women studied had a BRCA mutation, however lead researcher Diana Eccles stated that findings showed "survival rates after 2 years were 97% for women with a BRCA mutation and 96.6% for those without the mutation."

To read more about this study, click here.

Medicinal cream may aid in recurrence of skin cancer

A study conducted at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island on 930 U.S. veterans, with an average age of 70, indicates that a generic cream known as 5-FU  can reduce recurrence of skin cancer.  According to study results, "just a month's application of 5-FU (fluorouracil 5%) appeared to have a lasting impact in preventing a recurrence - even after use of the cream was stopped." Despite these findings, many dermatologists caution against the side effects associated with 5-FU, including redness, scaling, irritation and plain, which affects ~ 40% of those applying the medicinal cream.

To read more about this study, click here.

Clinical trial alert: comparison of endoscopic visualization and CT imaging of head and neck cancers with pathological validation

A new clinical trial, sponsored by the University Health Network in Toronto, discusses endoscopy as a new method of optimal imaging for radiation therapy in head and neck cancer patients. This method is particular important, as "radiation needs to cover the entire tumour while minimizing the amount of normal tissue that is exposed to radiation.

To read more about this trial, click here.