Saturday, October 22, 2022
Chemical hair straighteners linked to higher risk of uterine cancer
Saturday, February 19, 2022
New combination therapy shows promise for advanced ovarian cancer
CANCER DIGEST – Feb. 19, 2022 – Ovarian cancer patients whose tumors have recurred or resisted standard chemotherapy treatments showed promising response to a new combination regimen using ixabepilone (Ixempra®) and bevicizumab (Avastin®), results of an early clinical trial show.
Ovarian cancer continues to be one of the most lethal gynecologic cancers with 5-year survival rates ranging from 31 percent to 93 percent depending on type and stage of the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. However, the cancer often recurs and becomes resistant to current taxane-based treatments. Such drugs block cell growth by interfere with cell division.
Ovarian cancer continues to be one of the most lethal gynecologic cancers with 5-year survival rates ranging from 31 percent to 93 percent depending on type and stage of the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. However, the cancer often recurs and becomes resistant to current taxane-based treatments. Such drugs block cell growth by interfere with cell division.
Friday, February 4, 2022
Melanoma drug shows promise for treating rare form of ovarian cancer
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Ovarian cancer screening fails to reduce deaths
CANCER DIGEST – May 15, 2021 – One of the largest trials ever conducted to screen women for ovarian cancer failed to reduce deaths from the disease, a new study shows.
The UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening followed more than 200,000 women ages 50 to 74 for an average of 16 years. A third of the women underwent no screening, a third underwent annual ultrasound screens and the final third underwent blood tests and ultrasound scans.
The UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening followed more than 200,000 women ages 50 to 74 for an average of 16 years. A third of the women underwent no screening, a third underwent annual ultrasound screens and the final third underwent blood tests and ultrasound scans.
Saturday, December 19, 2020
Oral contraceptives protect women from ovarian and endometrial cancer
Courtesy Uppsala University photo credit Matton
CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 19, 2020 – Women who had taken oral contraceptives had a 50 percent lower risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer 15 years after discontinuing the drugs, a new Swedish study has found. At the same time the women in the study had only a small increased risk of breast cancer.
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| Courtesy Uppsala University photo credit Matton |
Saturday, August 15, 2020
Women who use tobacco less likely to get cancer screenings
CANCER DIGEST – Aug. 14, 2020 – A new study has found a strong link between smoking and lower used of cancer screening services by women, and a link to more advanced disease once cancer is diagnosed. The study appears in the online journal BMJ Open.
The study led by Victor Eng of the Department of Dermatology at Stanford University used data collected from the Women’s Health Initiative, a long-running study that originally started in the 1990s and has been extended several times. This analysis of data collected from questionnaires answered by 89,058 women looked at the odds of women undergoing breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening tests based on smoking status.
The study led by Victor Eng of the Department of Dermatology at Stanford University used data collected from the Women’s Health Initiative, a long-running study that originally started in the 1990s and has been extended several times. This analysis of data collected from questionnaires answered by 89,058 women looked at the odds of women undergoing breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening tests based on smoking status.
Friday, April 24, 2020
New drug shows promise for a deadly type of uterine cancer
CANCER DIGEST – April 24, 2020 – The first early clinical trial of a new drug for a deadly type of uterine cancer showed an impressive 30 percent response rate, according to a report presented online at Thursday's virtual session of the Society for Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
New combination therapy may overcome HER2 resistance
Dhivya Sudhan, Ph.D., (left) and Carlos L. Arteaga, M.D. –
Credit UT Southwestern
CANCER DIGEST – Jan. 25, 2020 – A combination therapy using a drug already on the market together with a promising new drug still being tested may overcome cancers with HER 2 mutations, that have long shown resistance to treatment.
“This finding may give clinicians an effective response to neratinib resistance,” Carlos L. Arteaga, M.D., Director of the Simmons Cancer Center at UT Southwestern said in a press release. "That could make a real difference for patients with breast, ovarian, lung, and other cancers harboring HER2 mutations."
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Dhivya Sudhan, Ph.D., (left) and Carlos L. Arteaga, M.D. –
Credit UT Southwestern |
“This finding may give clinicians an effective response to neratinib resistance,” Carlos L. Arteaga, M.D., Director of the Simmons Cancer Center at UT Southwestern said in a press release. "That could make a real difference for patients with breast, ovarian, lung, and other cancers harboring HER2 mutations."
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Single dose of HPV vaccine may be enough
Credit BMJ
CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 28, 2019 – One dose of the HPV vaccine may be enough to prevent infection from the potential cancer-causing virus, according to new research published in JAMA Network.
The study led by Ashish Deshmukh, PhD, MPH, and Kalyani Sonawane, PhD from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) showed that a single dose of the HPV vaccine may be as effective as the currently recommended two- or three-dose series.
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| Credit BMJ |
The study led by Ashish Deshmukh, PhD, MPH, and Kalyani Sonawane, PhD from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) showed that a single dose of the HPV vaccine may be as effective as the currently recommended two- or three-dose series.
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Tumor left after ovarian cancer surgery makes significant difference in survival
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Anti-cancer vaccine linked to dramatic reduction of other cervical disease
Photo courtesy BMJ
CANCER DIGEST – April 6, 2019 – Researchers in Scotland have found that women born between 1995 and 1996 who were vaccinated against HPV had a 89 percent reduction in the highest grade of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN3), the type of lesions indicating the highest risk of invasive cervical cancer.
CIN is categorized by risk for developing cancer with CIN1 at lowest risk, up to CIN3 at highest risk.
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| Photo courtesy BMJ |
CIN is categorized by risk for developing cancer with CIN1 at lowest risk, up to CIN3 at highest risk.
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Women with HPV-positive vulvar cancer have longer survival
Copyright: rocketclips / 123RF Stock Photo
CANCER DIGEST – Dec. 28, 2017 – An analysis of 18 studies of vulvar cancer involving 1,638 women showed longer survival for women who had been infected with the human papilloma virus (HPV) than women who did not have the infection, say researchers.
The study published online Nov. 16 ahead of the December 2017 issue of the International Journal of Cancer was led by Dr. Christina Rasmussen of the Danish Cancer Society Research Center in Copenhagen, Denmark.
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| Copyright: rocketclips / 123RF Stock Photo |
The study published online Nov. 16 ahead of the December 2017 issue of the International Journal of Cancer was led by Dr. Christina Rasmussen of the Danish Cancer Society Research Center in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Saturday, November 18, 2017
IUDs may protect against cervical cancer
CANCER DIGEST – Nov. 17, 2017 – Use of intrauterine devices or IUDs to prevent pregnancy may also prevent cervical cancer, a new study from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine shows.
An analysis of data from 16 observational studies involving more than 12,000 women worldwide showed that women using an IUD, experienced cervical cancer one-third less often compared to those who didn’t use the devices.
An analysis of data from 16 observational studies involving more than 12,000 women worldwide showed that women using an IUD, experienced cervical cancer one-third less often compared to those who didn’t use the devices.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Education key to acceptance of surgery step to prevent ovarian cancer
CANCER DIGEST – July 12, 2016 – Ovarian cancer most often starts in the fallopian tubes, an observation that caused the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to issue an opinion in January 2015 recommending that women undergoing hysterectomies for non-cancerous conditions should also have the fallopian tubes removed, while sparing the ovaries as a way to prevent ovarian cancer.
In issuing their opinion, the ACOG acknowledged that randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to determine if salpingectomy, or removing fallopian tubes, does reduce ovarian cancer risk.
CANCER DIGEST – July 12, 2016 – Ovarian cancer most often starts in the fallopian tubes, an observation that caused the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to issue an opinion in January 2015 recommending that women undergoing hysterectomies for non-cancerous conditions should also have the fallopian tubes removed, while sparing the ovaries as a way to prevent ovarian cancer.
In issuing their opinion, the ACOG acknowledged that randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to determine if salpingectomy, or removing fallopian tubes, does reduce ovarian cancer risk.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Gene complex predicts ovarian cancer survival
Richard Morgan is the Director of the University of
Bradford's Institute of Cancer Therapeutics in the UK
Image courtesy of U of Bradford
CANCER DIGEST – June 29, 2016 – A new British study has identified a genetic marker that predicts poor survival from ovarian cancer. In addition, the study also identified a set of genes that help the cancer develop resistance to chemotherapy.
The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, examined the role of HOX genes in ovarian cancer resistance to chemotherapy and whether a drug known as HXR9, which targets HOX, could help prevent the resistance from developing.
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Richard Morgan is the Director of the University of
Bradford's Institute of Cancer Therapeutics in the UK
Image courtesy of U of Bradford
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The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, examined the role of HOX genes in ovarian cancer resistance to chemotherapy and whether a drug known as HXR9, which targets HOX, could help prevent the resistance from developing.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Study gives new meaning to having a chemical peel
CANCER DIGEST – March 31, 2016 – A chemical peel may prevent cervical cancer, a new Austrian study shows. Researchers at the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital have developed a new treatment for the pre-stages of cervical cancer, caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. The study appeared in the Feb. 2016 Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The treatment involves using 85% trichloroacetic acid, an acid that is traditionally used for medical and cosmetic skin peeling.
CANCER DIGEST – March 31, 2016 – A chemical peel may prevent cervical cancer, a new Austrian study shows. Researchers at the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital have developed a new treatment for the pre-stages of cervical cancer, caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. The study appeared in the Feb. 2016 Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The treatment involves using 85% trichloroacetic acid, an acid that is traditionally used for medical and cosmetic skin peeling.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
'Simple Rules' boost ovarian cancer determination
Cancer Research UK / Wikimedia
Commons
CANCER DIGEST – Jan. 20, 2016 – New method of evaluating ovarian lesions shown on ultrasound could dramatically improve the ability of doctors to accurately determine whether they are cysts or cancerous tumors.
In a study published online today in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a group of European researchers led by Professor Dirk Timmerman, MD, PhD, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium, showed the new method to be accurate nearly 90 to 100 percent of the time, which could speed treatment for those women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
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| Cancer Research UK / Wikimedia Commons |
CANCER DIGEST – Jan. 20, 2016 – New method of evaluating ovarian lesions shown on ultrasound could dramatically improve the ability of doctors to accurately determine whether they are cysts or cancerous tumors.
In a study published online today in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a group of European researchers led by Professor Dirk Timmerman, MD, PhD, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium, showed the new method to be accurate nearly 90 to 100 percent of the time, which could speed treatment for those women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Common heart drug linked to longer survival in ovarian cancer
A very large ovarian cancer (in circle) as seen on CT
CANCER DIGEST – Sept. 2, 2015 – A common drug used to lower blood pressure has been linked to longer survival in women who underwent chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.
The study looked at the records of 1,425 women who had previously been treated for ovarian cancer, including 269 who were also taking a beta-blocker during chemotherapy. The study was published in the journal Cancer.
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| A very large ovarian cancer (in circle) as seen on CT |
CANCER DIGEST – Sept. 2, 2015 – A common drug used to lower blood pressure has been linked to longer survival in women who underwent chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.
The study looked at the records of 1,425 women who had previously been treated for ovarian cancer, including 269 who were also taking a beta-blocker during chemotherapy. The study was published in the journal Cancer.
Monday, April 13, 2015
HPV vaccine for boys could prevent oral cancer, save money
Imagae: courtesy CDC
CANCER DIGEST – April 13, 2015 – The vaccine that prevents cervical cancer in girls may save healthcare dollars if comprehensive vaccination of boys were implemented to prevent oral cancers in boys.
A new study suggests that vaccinating 12-year-old boys against the humanpapilloma virus (HPV) may be a cost-effective strategy for preventing oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer, a cancer that starts at the back of the throat and mouth, and involves the tonsils and base of the tongue.
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| Imagae: courtesy CDC |
CANCER DIGEST – April 13, 2015 – The vaccine that prevents cervical cancer in girls may save healthcare dollars if comprehensive vaccination of boys were implemented to prevent oral cancers in boys.
A new study suggests that vaccinating 12-year-old boys against the humanpapilloma virus (HPV) may be a cost-effective strategy for preventing oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer, a cancer that starts at the back of the throat and mouth, and involves the tonsils and base of the tongue.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Anti-leukemia drug may also work against ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer cells are shown
forming small tumor. Image courtesy
of University of Gothenburg
CANCER DIGEST – Nov. 17, 2014 – An experimental monoclonal antibody called cirmtuzumab is currently in a first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial to assess its safety and effectiveness in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia CLL may also prove effective against ovarian cancer as well as others, a new study shows.
Developed at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center by Thomas Kipps, MD, PhD, and colleagues, cirmtuzumab targets a specific protein that is normally inactive in adult normal cells. The new study appears on the Nov. 17 online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
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Ovarian cancer cells are shown
forming small tumor. Image courtesy of University of Gothenburg |
CANCER DIGEST – Nov. 17, 2014 – An experimental monoclonal antibody called cirmtuzumab is currently in a first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial to assess its safety and effectiveness in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia CLL may also prove effective against ovarian cancer as well as others, a new study shows.
Developed at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center by Thomas Kipps, MD, PhD, and colleagues, cirmtuzumab targets a specific protein that is normally inactive in adult normal cells. The new study appears on the Nov. 17 online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Developed at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center by Thomas Kipps, MD, PhD, and colleagues, cirmtuzumab targets a specific protein that is normally inactive in adult normal cells. The new study appears on the Nov. 17 online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Monday, November 10, 2014
New drug shows promise for people with BRCA1 or 2 cancers
CANCER DIGEST – Nov. 10, 2014 – People with certain cancers that stem from mutations of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene may soon have another treatment option to slow the cancer progression.
In an early stage clinical trial of the twice-daily drug olaparib, 26 percent of patients had their tumors shrink or disappear for up to 7 months. The phase II trial was designed to determine whether tumors responded to the drug. Whether the drug significantly increases survival will need to be tested in larger phase III studies.
CANCER DIGEST – Nov. 10, 2014 – People with certain cancers that stem from mutations of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene may soon have another treatment option to slow the cancer progression.
In an early stage clinical trial of the twice-daily drug olaparib, 26 percent of patients had their tumors shrink or disappear for up to 7 months. The phase II trial was designed to determine whether tumors responded to the drug. Whether the drug significantly increases survival will need to be tested in larger phase III studies.
Friday, October 17, 2014
New test may boost accuracy of ovarian cancer diagnosis
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| Photo courtesy of BMJ – Dr. P. Marazzi |
CANCER DIGEST – Oct. 17, 2014 – A new test to help doctors diagnose ovarian tumors and choose the most appropriate treatment is ready for clinical use, researchers say.
In a study published today in the British Medical Journal, an international team led by Imperial College London and KU Leuven, Belgium describe the new test, called ADNEX, which can discriminate between benign and malignant tumors, and identify different types of malignant tumor, with a high level of accuracy.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
FDA to scrutinize cancer risks of uterine surgical device
YouTube courtesy:Smith & Nephew Digital Communications
CANCER DIGEST – July 9, 2014 – Sale and use of a device used in a minimally invasive surgery to remove uterine fibroids, called myomectomy, and to perform hysterectomies has been suspended pending a FDA advisory committee meeting July 10 and 11. The committee will examine recent cases linking the device to the spread of a rare cancer. The device is a laparoscopic morcellator, which is used to cut fibroid and uterine tissue into small pieces that can be removed through a small incision. The device has been used since the early 1990s to perform more than 50,000 hysterectomies or myomectomies each year. In an alert issued in April, the FDA estimated that 1 in 350 women undergoing such procedures is found to have unsuspected uterine cancer. “If laparoscopic power morcellation is performed in women with unsuspected uterine sarcoma,” the alert stated, “there is a risk that the procedure will spread the cancerous tissue within the abdomen and pelvis, significantly worsening the patient’s likelihood of long-term survival.” Some hospitals have suspended the use of the device and Johnson & Johnson, the largest manufacturer of the device, has halted sales, distribution and promotion of the device until FDA’s investigation is completed and the role of the device in these procedures is redefined.
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| YouTube courtesy:Smith & Nephew Digital Communications |
CANCER DIGEST – July 9, 2014 – Sale and use of a device used in a minimally invasive surgery to remove uterine fibroids, called myomectomy, and to perform hysterectomies has been suspended pending a FDA advisory committee meeting July 10 and 11. The committee will examine recent cases linking the device to the spread of a rare cancer. The device is a laparoscopic morcellator, which is used to cut fibroid and uterine tissue into small pieces that can be removed through a small incision. The device has been used since the early 1990s to perform more than 50,000 hysterectomies or myomectomies each year. In an alert issued in April, the FDA estimated that 1 in 350 women undergoing such procedures is found to have unsuspected uterine cancer. “If laparoscopic power morcellation is performed in women with unsuspected uterine sarcoma,” the alert stated, “there is a risk that the procedure will spread the cancerous tissue within the abdomen and pelvis, significantly worsening the patient’s likelihood of long-term survival.” Some hospitals have suspended the use of the device and Johnson & Johnson, the largest manufacturer of the device, has halted sales, distribution and promotion of the device until FDA’s investigation is completed and the role of the device in these procedures is redefined.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
New drug shows promise for recurrent ovarian cancer
Garland Science YouTube channel
CANCER DIGEST – June 22, 2014 – Women treated with a new type of drug halted their recurrent ovarian cancer significantly longer than women treated with a standard chemotherapy treatment, according to a new report in the June 19,Lancet Oncology. The doctors at the University of Arizona Cancer Center published data from 919 women with recurrent ovarian cancer treated at 179 cancer centers in 32 countries. The drug, called Trebananib is a first-in-class agent that prevents two proteins from binding to a tumor cell receptor that triggers the process of angiogenesis, or growing blood vessels needed for tumor growth. Women in the trial who received the drug plus paclitaxel had disease progression halt for an average of 7.2 months compared to 5.4 months for women treated with paclitaxel. Previous anti-angiogenesis drugs, like bevacizumab (Avastin®), block a growth factor (VEGF) needed for blood vessel growth.
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| Garland Science YouTube channel |
Monday, June 2, 2014
Combination therapy halts disease progression nine months more in recurrent ovarian cancer
Jane Robertson, MD, Global Product Vice
President for olaparib at AstraZeneca,
describes the mechanism of action of
olaparib. YouTube
CANCER DIGEST – June 2, 2014 – Advances in treating recurrent ovarian cancer are usually marked in weeks or a month or two. So a study showing disease progression halted by an additional nine months is capturing attention at this week’s annual meeting of the Association of Clinical Oncologists in Chicago. In a Dana Farber Cancer Cancer Institute study, 90 women with recurrent ovarian cancer received a targeted therapy, called olaparib, or olaparib with another targeted therapy called cediranib. Almost half (48 percent) of those who received the single drug treatment had their tumors shrink and had the cancer held in check for an average of nine months. By comparison 80 percent of those in the combination treatment group had their tumors shrink and it took an average of 18 months before the cancer resumed progression. Targeted therapies act on specific proteins or genes of the tumor resulting in milder side effects than typically occurs with chemotherapy.
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Thursday, April 24, 2014
FDA approves HPV test for cervical cancer screening
Read more ...
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Obesity increases risk of uterine cancer
MEDICAL NEWS TODAY – Mar. 25, 2014 – Obese women reduced their risk of uterine cancer by 71 percent following bariatric surgery that resulted in a dramatic weight loss and 81 percent if normal weight is maintained. Analyzing data from more than 7 million patients compiled by a consortium of university health systems, researchers at the University of California, San Diego found that a woman with a BMI of 40 has approximately eight times greater risk of endometrial cancer compared to women with a BMI of 25. Their findings suggest that bariatric surgery may be useful for heading off endometrial cancer in certain patients. They published the study in the April issue of Gynecologic Oncology.
May 20, 2010 – HOUSTON (Cancer Digest) – Change in blood protein over time may detect ovarian cancer
