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The latest news, views and opinions on cancer research and cancer biology - from Cancer Research UK, the UK's largest cancer charity
Cancer Research UK
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- July 16, 2010
- 11:27 AM
- 2,038 views
‘Molecular relay race’ at the heart of new targeted cancer therapy
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
A big problem in cancer treatment is how to deliver enough of the drugs needed to treat the tumour without causing excessive side effects. To make matters worse, cancers can develop resistance to drugs over time, meaning that increasingly higher doses and more potent cocktails of drugs are often needed to tackle the disease. But [...]... Read more »
Middleton, M., Knox, R., Cattell, E., Oppermann, U., Midgley, R., Ali, R., Auton, T., Agarwal, R., Anderson, D., Sarker, D.... (2010) Quinone Oxidoreductase-2-Mediated Prodrug Cancer Therapy. Science Translational Medicine, 2(40), 40-40. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3000615
- April 3, 2009
- 12:03 PM
- 1,578 views
Bowel cancer: screening for people at high risk
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
Detecting cancer early is the key to saving lives. In the case of bowel cancer, around eight out of ten people will survive if their disease is spotted at an early stage, but only one in ten cancers are detected this early.
Last week, Cancer Research UK-funded scientists discovered a simple test that can reveal whether [...]... Read more »
Butterworth, A., Higgins, J., & Pharoah, P. (2006) Relative and absolute risk of colorectal cancer for individuals with a family history: A meta-analysis. European Journal of Cancer, 42(2), 216-227. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2005.09.023
Lubbe, S., Webb, E., Chandler, I., & Houlston, R. (2009) Implications of Familial Colorectal Cancer Risk Profiles and Microsatellite Instability Status. Journal of Clinical Oncology. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2008.20.3364
- April 3, 2009
- 10:04 AM
- 1,540 views
Hot tea and oesophageal (gullet) cancer
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
As a nation, we love a good cuppa. Morning, noon or night we can often be found cradling a nice cup of tea. But you may have read in the papers recently about a study looking at whether drinking hot tea can cause cancer of the oesophagus.
Well, you don’t need to axe your favourite brew [...]... Read more »
Islami, F., Pourshams, A., Nasrollahzadeh, D., Kamangar, F., Fahimi, S., Shakeri, R., Abedi-Ardekani, B., Merat, S., Vahedi, H., Semnani, S.... (2009) Tea drinking habits and oesophageal cancer in a high risk area in northern Iran: population based case-control study. BMJ, 338(mar26 2). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.b929
- March 24, 2009
- 12:19 PM
- 1,517 views
Does red and processed meat increase the risk of dying from cancer?
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
The carnivores among us may have been taken aback by this morning’s headlines, warning of the health risks of eating too much red meat.
These claims come from a meaty new report (freely available online) looking at the effects of different types of meat on our risk of dying from various causes.
The report is the latest [...]... Read more »
Sinha, R, Cross, AJ, Graubard, BI, Leitzmann, MF, & Schatzkin, A. (2009) Meat Intake and Mortality: A Prospective Study of Over Half a Million People . Arch Intern Med, 169(6), 562-571. DOI: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/169/6/562
- February 13, 2009
- 07:11 AM
- 1,495 views
Improving the detection of prostate cancer
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
A paper published in Nature this week by a team of US researchers led to media reports about a new ‘urine test for prostate cancer‘ that can supposedly discriminate between aggressive and non-aggressive cancers.
This is a bit of a ‘holy grail’ in the field of prostate cancer diagnosis.
Prostate cancer, the fourth most common cancer in [...]... Read more »
Arun Sreekumar, Laila M. Poisson, Thekkelnaycke M. Rajendiran, Amjad P. Khan, Qi Cao, Jindan Yu, Bharathi Laxman, Rohit Mehra, Robert J. Lonigro, Yong Li.... (2009) Metabolomic profiles delineate potential role for sarcosine in prostate cancer progression. Nature, 457(7231), 910-914. DOI: 10.1038/nature07762
Rosalind A Eeles, Zsofia Kote-Jarai, Graham G Giles, Ali Amin Al Olama, Michelle Guy, Sarah K Jugurnauth, Shani Mulholland, Daniel A Leongamornlert, Stephen M Edwards, Jonathan Morrison.... (2008) Multiple newly identified loci associated with prostate cancer susceptibility. Nature Genetics, 40(3), 316-321. DOI: 10.1038/ng.90
K. Stoeber et al. (2002) Diagnosis of Genito-Urinary Tract Cancer by Detection of Minichromosome Maintenance 5 Protein in Urine Sediments. CancerSpectrum Knowledge Environment, 94(14), 1071-1079. DOI: 10.1093/jnci/94.14.1071
Christopher S Foster, Alison Falconer, Andrew R Dodson, Andrew R Norman, Nening Dennis, Anne Fletcher, Christine Southgate, Anna Dowe, David Dearnaley, Sameer Jhavar.... (2004) Transcription factor E2F3 overexpressed in prostate cancer independently predicts clinical outcome. Oncogene, 23(35), 5871-5879. DOI: 10.1038/sj.onc.1207800
- April 24, 2009
- 08:59 AM
- 1,461 views
Can nicotine gum cause mouth cancer?
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
For people who want to stop smoking, there are many different options available. These include products based on nicotine, the addictive drug that keeps smokers hooked.
These “nicotine replacement therapies” or NRT can take the form of gum, patches, nasal sprays or tablets. In each case, they aim to help smokers wean themselves off tobacco by [...]... Read more »
Gemenetzidis, E., Bose, A., Riaz, A., Chaplin, T., Young, B., Ali, M., Sugden, D., Thurlow, J., Cheong, S., Teo, S.... (2009) FOXM1 Upregulation Is an Early Event in Human Squamous Cell Carcinoma and it Is Enhanced by Nicotine during Malignant Transformation. PLoS ONE, 4(3). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0004849
- March 18, 2009
- 01:51 PM
- 1,438 views
The PSA test - the picture becomes slightly clearer
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
The controversy over the PSA prostate cancer blood test has been rumbling on, on both sides of the Atlantic, for many years.
Does screening for prostate cancer with the PSA test actually save lives? Does it cause too many false alarms? Do the risks outweigh the benefits? These questions have lacked clear answers for a long [...]... Read more »
Gerald L. Andriole et al. (2009) Mortality Results from a Randomized Prostate-Cancer Screening Trial. New England Journal of Medicine. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa0810696
Fritz H. Schröder et al. (2009) Screening and Prostate-Cancer Mortality in a Randomized European Study. New England Journal of Medicine. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa0810084
Dubben, H. (2009) Trials of prostate-cancer screening are not worthwhile. The Lancet Oncology, 10(3), 294-298. DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(09)70066-X
- March 22, 2009
- 02:00 PM
- 1,406 views
Anti-angiogenesis drugs: why low doses could do more harm than good
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
Angiogenesis – the growth of new blood vessels– is a hot topic in cancer research. Many scientists (including those funded by Cancer Research UK) are researching the process by which tumours ‘hijack’ blood vessels to feed themselves, and developing new treatments that can block it.
Some drugs, such as Avastin, are already being used to treat [...]... Read more »
Ebos, J., Lee, C., Cruz-Munoz, W., Bjarnason, G., Christensen, J., & Kerbel, R. (2009) Accelerated Metastasis after Short-Term Treatment with a Potent Inhibitor of Tumor Angiogenesis. Cancer Cell, 15(3), 232-239. DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2009.01.021
Pàez-Ribes, M., Allen, E., Hudock, J., Takeda, T., Okuyama, H., Viñals, F., Inoue, M., Bergers, G., Hanahan, D., & Casanovas, O. (2009) Antiangiogenic Therapy Elicits Malignant Progression of Tumors to Increased Local Invasion and Distant Metastasis. Cancer Cell, 15(3), 220-231. DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2009.01.027
Nabors, L., Mikkelsen, T., Rosenfeld, S., Hochberg, F., Akella, N., Fisher, J., Cloud, G., Zhang, Y., Carson, K., Wittemer, S.... (2007) Phase I and Correlative Biology Study of Cilengitide in Patients With Recurrent Malignant Glioma. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 25(13), 1651-1657. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2006.06.6514
- March 12, 2009
- 11:46 AM
- 1,404 views
Early results from ovarian cancer screening trial look promising
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
As we’ve said before, ovarian cancer is difficult to spot.
Although it’s sometimes dubbed ‘the silent killer’, it does have a distinct set of symptoms, but they’re quite similar to those of many other diseases. As a result, many women aren’t diagnosed with the disease until it’s reached a late stage, when treatment is less likely [...]... Read more »
Menon, U., Gentry-Maharaj, A., Hallett, R., Ryan, A., Burnell, M., Sharma, A., Lewis, S., Davies, S., Philpott, S., & Lopes, A. (2009) Sensitivity and specificity of multimodal and ultrasound screening for ovarian cancer, and stage distribution of detected cancers: results of the prevalence screen of the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS). The Lancet Oncology. DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(09)70026-9
- February 9, 2009
- 05:59 AM
- 1,402 views
Guarding the genome – p53 and Cep63
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
Cancer is an all-too-common disease, affecting one in three people at some point in their lives. But – on a biological level – cancer is actually extremely rare.
Of the billions of cells that make up our bodies, millions divide every day with virtually every single division going according to plan. And when rare mistakes [...]... Read more »
Janice M. Nigro, Suzanne J. Baker, Antonette C. Preisinger, J. Milburn Jessup, Richard Hosteller, Karen Cleary, Sandra H. Signer, Nancy Davidson, Stephen Baylin, Peter Devilee.... (1989) Mutations in the p53 gene occur in diverse human tumour types. Nature, 342(6250), 705-708. DOI: 10.1038/342705a0
J.-C. Bourdon. (2005) p53 isoforms can regulate p53 transcriptional activity. Genes , 19(18), 2122-2137. DOI: 10.1101/gad.1339905
Eloise Smith, Donniphat Dejsuphong, Alessia Balestrini, Martin Hampel, Christof Lenz, Shunichi Takeda, Alessandro Vindigni, & Vincenzo Costanzo. (2009) An ATM- and ATR-dependent checkpoint inactivates spindle assembly by targeting CEP63. Nature Cell Biology. DOI: 10.1038/ncb1835
Marcilei E. Buim, Fernando A. Soares, Ðlvaro S. Sarkis, & Maria Aparecida Nagai. (2005) The Transcripts of SFRP1,CEP63 and EIF4G2 Genes Are Frequently Downregulated in Transitional Cell Carcinomas of the Bladder. Oncology, 69(6), 445-454. DOI: 10.1159/000090984
- March 24, 2009
- 06:36 AM
- 1,395 views
Nano-scale advance in targeted cancer therapy
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
Perhaps the biggest challenge in cancer treatment is the issue of selectivity – how to kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. But many commonly used chemotherapy drugs aren’t especially selective.
As a result, patients can experience unpleasant and distressing side effects, including hair loss, sickness, tiredness and susceptibility to infections.
Modern ‘targeted’ treatments, such as [...]... Read more »
Chisholm, E., Vassaux, G., Martin-Duque, P., Chevre, R., Lambert, O., Pitard, B., Merron, A., Weeks, M., Burnet, J., Peerlinck, I.... (2009) Cancer-Specific Transgene Expression Mediated by Systemic Injection of Nanoparticles. Cancer Research, 69(6), 2655-2662. DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-08-2657
- January 14, 2009
- 04:54 AM
- 1,388 views
Does mouthwash cause cancer?
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
The latest cancer scare story to hit the headlines this week was about mouthwash. An Australian researcher claimed to have found ‘sufficient evidence’ of a link between alcohol in mouthwashes and mouth cancer.
He even went on to suggest that ‘it is inadvisable for oral healthcare professionals to recommend the long-term use of alcohol-containing mouthwashes’.
Now, most [...]... Read more »
MJ McCullough, & CS Farah. (2008) The role of alcohol in oral carcinogenesis with particular reference to alcohol-containing mouthwashes. Australian Dental Journal, 53(4), 302-305. DOI: 10.1111/j.1834-7819.2008.00070.x
N. Guha, P. Boffetta, V. Wunsch Filho, J. Eluf Neto, O. Shangina, D. Zaridze, M. P. Curado, S. Koifman, E. Matos, A. Menezes.... (2007) Oral Health and Risk of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck and Esophagus: Results of Two Multicentric Case-Control Studies. American Journal of Epidemiology, 166(10), 1159-1173. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwm193
- January 12, 2009
- 11:15 AM
- 1,385 views
Oestrogen causes DNA mutations – is this how it fuels cancer?
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
The evidence that the sex hormone oestrogen is involved in cancer is overwhelming.
For example, breast cancer is more common among women who take HRT and the Pill for long periods, both of which add oestrogen to the body’s natural levels. And this most common of cancers is intimately linked to levels of the hormone over [...]... Read more »
Siim Pauklin, Isora V. Sernández, Gudrun Bachmann, Almudena R. Ramiro, & Svend K. Petersen-Mahrt. (2009) Estrogen directly activates AID transcription and function . The Journal of Experimental Medicine. DOI: http://jem.rupress.org/cgi/content/full/jem.20080521v1
- May 12, 2009
- 03:37 AM
- 1,382 views
Communicating the results of cervical screening – room for improvement?
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
According to reports, the death of Jade Goody from cervical cancer has made many more women aware that cervical screening is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of getting the disease. The screening test is designed to detect small changes that happen before cancer develops, and these changes can then be treated.
But [...]... Read more »
Goldsmith, M., Austoker, J., Marsh, G., Kehoe, S., & Bankhead, C. (2008) Cervical screening result communication: a focus-group investigation of English women's experiences and needs. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 17(5), 334-338. DOI: 10.1136/qshc.2007.023275
- May 19, 2009
- 02:57 PM
- 1,377 views
US research suggests that cancer cells trigger depression
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
It hardly needs to be said that a diagnosis of cancer, and subsequent treatment for the disease, can be an upsetting and harrowing experience that profoundly affects how we feel.
But over the past decade or more, researchers have begun to appreciate the depth of the link between cancer and our mental state.
Maybe, scientists have wondered, [...]... Read more »
Pyter, L., Pineros, V., Galang, J., McClintock, M., & Prendergast, B. (2009) Peripheral tumors induce depressive-like behaviors and cytokine production and alter hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0811949106
- February 9, 2009
- 12:00 AM
- 1,370 views
Vitamin supplements do not reduce the risk of cancer
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
The prospect of reducing your risk of cancer through popping a simple pill is certainly attractive. But the big question about vitamin supplements is this: do they actually prevent the disease?... Read more »
Marian L. Neuhouser;, Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller;, Cynthia Thomson;, Aaron Aragaki;, Garnet L. Anderson;, JoAnn E. Manson;, Ruth E. Patterson;, Thomas E. Rohan;, Linda van Horn;, James M. Shikany;.... (2009) Multivitamin Use and Risk of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease in the Women's Health Initiative Cohorts. Archives of Internal Medicine , 169(3), 294-304. DOI: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/169/3/294
- June 2, 2009
- 10:32 AM
- 1,350 views
Cancer Research UK recruits viruses for cancer battle
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
On the whole, adenoviruses don’t do us any favours.
These microscopic particles invade human cells, wriggle their way to the cell’s nucleus – and then hijack the cell’s internal machinery to replicate as rampantly as possible. They replicate so fast, in fact, they burst our cells open. They then spread around the body looking for new [...]... Read more »
Cawood, R., Chen, H., Carroll, F., Bazan-Peregrino, M., van Rooijen, N., & Seymour, L. (2009) Use of Tissue-Specific MicroRNA to Control Pathology of Wild-Type Adenovirus without Attenuation of Its Ability to Kill Cancer Cells. PLoS Pathogens, 5(5). DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000440
Hedley, D., Ogilvie, L., & Springer, C. (2007) Carboxypeptidase G2-based gene-directed enzyme–prodrug therapy: a new weapon in the GDEPT armoury. Nature Reviews Cancer, 7(11), 870-879. DOI: 10.1038/nrc2247
- March 5, 2009
- 08:56 AM
- 1,325 views
Behind the headlines - Can housework really reduce your risk of breast cancer?
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
Scientists have known for some time that physical activity can reduce the risk of cancer, especially bowel and breast cancer. In December 2006, researchers working on the EPIC study published results showing that physical activity can cut the risk of breast cancer. Specifically, the team found that activity in the home – namely housework – [...]... Read more »
P. H. Lahmann, C. Friedenreich, A. J. Schuit, S. Salvini, N. E. Allen, T. J. Key, K.-T. Khaw, S. Bingham, P. H.M. Peeters, E. Monninkhof.... (2007) Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Risk: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers , 16(1), 36-42. DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-06-0582
P. H. Lahmann, C. Friedenreich, A. J. Schuit, S. Salvini, N. E. Allen, T. J. Key, K.-T. Khaw, S. Bingham, P. H.M. Peeters, E. Monninkhof.... (2007) Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Risk: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers , 16(1), 36-42. DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-06-0582
Christine Friedenreich et al. (2006) Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Risk: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition . Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers , 2398-2407. DOI: http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/15/12/2398
- March 18, 2009
- 08:08 AM
- 1,322 views
Behind the Headlines - HPV vaccines and cervical cancer
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
This week the Welsh Assembly Government announced that its catch-up programme for HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination is to be sped up, protecting even more young women and girls from the virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer.
Here’s an article taken from the “Behind the Headlines” section of our website, explaining more about the vaccine, [...]... Read more »
J PETO, C GILHAM, O FLETCHER, & F MATTHEWS. (2004) The cervical cancer epidemic that screening has prevented in the UK. The Lancet, 364(9430), 249-256. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16674-9
- February 27, 2009
- 09:59 AM
- 1,320 views
Overweight teenagers have the same risk of early death as smokers
by Cancer Research UK in Cancer Research UK - Science Update
As a nation, we’re getting fatter. You’ve probably heard people speak about an ‘obesity epidemic’ sweeping the country, and worryingly, about a quarter of adults are now obese. And a new study published this week in the British Medical Journal shows that being obese could be just as risky to our health as being a [...]... Read more »
M. Neovius, J. Sundstrom, & F. Rasmussen. (2009) Combined effects of overweight and smoking in late adolescence on subsequent mortality: nationwide cohort study. BMJ, 338(feb24 2). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.b496
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