Chemotherapy is treatment of cancer with anticancer drugs. Chemotherapy is administered in different ways, depending on the drugs to be given and the type of cancer. Doctors decide the dose of chemotherapy drugs considering many factors, among them being the patient’s height and weight.
Prostate cancer: A change in circulating tumor cells detection has high potential in the prediction – A new study reveals that in the prediction of treatment outcome for castration-resistant prostate cancer, a change in circulating tumour cells detection might be more accurate than the change in prostate-specific antigen levels.
Pazopanib shows better quality-of-life in advanced kidney cancer – Two oral targeted drugs — Pazopanib (Votrient) and sunitinib (Sutent) — approved for metastatic kidney cancer worked equally well, but one proved superior in tolerability, the safety profile and many measures of quality of life favored pazopanib.
UCLA researchers find nanodiamonds could improve effectiveness of breast cancer treatment – Recently, doctors have begun to categorize breast cancers into four main groups according to the genetic makeup of the cancer cells. Which category a cancer falls into generally determines the best method of treatment.
US FDA approves new treatment for late-stage breast cancer – Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine) – a new therapy for patients with HER2-positive, late-stage (metastatic) breast cancer is approved by US FDA. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women. Almost 20 percent of breast cancers have increased amounts of the HER2 protein.
FDA approves Zaltrap for metastatic colorectal cancer – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Zaltrap (ziv-aflibercept) for use in combination with a FOLFIRI (folinic acid, fluorouracil and irinotecan) chemotherapy regimen to treat adults with colorectal cancer.
Researchers discover new mechanism behind resistance to cancer treatment — Finding could lead to development of better therapies to cure cancer – Developing resistance to chemotherapy is a nearly universal, ultimately lethal consequence for cancer patients with solid tumors ? such as those of the breast, prostate, lung and colon ? that have metastasized, or spread, throughout the body.
Breast cancer charity under fire for overstating the benefits of screening — Experts challenge ‘pink ribbon’ creator for misusing statistics to generate false hope – Professors Lisa Schwartz and Steven Woloshin of the Center for Medicine and the Media at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice argue that last year’s breast cancer awareness month campaign by Susan G Komen for the Cure “overstates the benefit of mammography and ignores harms altogether.”
Gold nanoparticles could treat prostate cancer with fewer side effects than chemotherapy — In new study published in PNAS, scientists found that nanoparticles, produced from chemicals in tea, reduced tumors by 80 percent – Currently, large doses of chemotherapy are required when treating certain forms of cancer, resulting in toxic side effects. The chemicals enter the body and work to destroy or shrink the tumor, but also harm vital organs and drastically affect bodily functions. Now, University of Missouri scientists have found a more efficient way of targeting prostate tumors by using gold nanoparticles and a compound found in tea leaves.
Study examines quality of life factors at end of life for patients with cancer – Better quality of life at the end of life for patients with advanced cancer was associated with avoiding hospitalizations and the intensive care unit, worrying less, praying or meditating, being visited by a pastor in a hospital or clinic, and having a therapeutic alliance with their physician.
Study finds high risk of GI cancers among childhood cancer survivors – Survivors of childhood cancers are at an increased risk of another battle with cancer later in life, according to new research published by the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers found that childhood cancer survivors develop these malignancies at a rate nearly five times that of the general population.
