Cancer of the colon is the disease characterized by the development of malignant cells in the lining or epithelium of the first and longest portion of the large intestine. Malignant cells have lost normal control mechanisms governing growth. These cells may invade surrounding local tissue, or they may spread throughout the body and invade other organ systems.
Gene expression changes in nasal cells may help identify lung cancer in earliest stages – A simple, minimally-invasive technique using cells from the interior of the nose could help clinicians detect lung cancer in its earliest – and most treatable – stages, according to a study conducted by researchers in Boston.
New class of cancer drugs could work in colon cancers with genetic mutation, U-M study finds — 15 percent of colorectal cancers have mutation that responds to PARP inhibitors – A class of drugs that shows promise in breast and ovarian cancers with BRCA gene mutations could potentially benefit colorectal cancer patients with a different genetic mutation, a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center finds.
Activation of Biomarker Appears Associated With Improved Survival Among Obese Patients With Colorectal Cancer – Among obese patients, activation of the protein biomarker CTNNB1 was associated with better colorectal cancer-specific survival and overall survival, whereas post-diagnosis physical activity was associated with better colorectal cancer-specific survival among patients negative for CTNNB1.
Parents favor genetic testing for melanoma in their children – The vast majority of parents who tested positive for a genetic mutation that increases the risk of melanoma (the most serious form of skin cancer) support genetic testing of their children or grandchildren. Results of the two-year study at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) appear in the December issue of the journal Genetics in Medicine. The data could lead to the establishment of formal, evidence-based guidelines for genetic testing of people younger than 18 years.
New test measures DNA methylation levels to predict colon cancer – An investigational DNA methylation test could alter the screening landscape for colorectal cancer, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research special conference on Colorectal Cancer: Biology to Therapy, held here Oct. 27-30, 2010.
Surprise finding: Pancreatic cancers progress to lethal stage slowly – Pancreatic cancer develops and spreads much more slowly than scientists have thought, according to new research from Johns Hopkins investigators.
Obesity or abnormal body weight related to increased mortality in colon cancer patients – Postmenopausal women diagnosed with colon cancer may be at increased risk of death if they fail to maintain a healthy body weight before cancer diagnosis, revealed by researchers.
Rectal cancer rates are rising in young individuals – A new analysis has found that while colon cancer rates have remained steady over the past several decades among people under the age of 40, rectal cancer rates are increasing in this population across races and in both sexes.
Women fare better than men with metastatic colorectal cancer — are hormones helping? – Younger women with metastatic colorectal cancer lived longer than younger men, revealed by researchers in a new US study. However, this survival advantage disappeared with age, suggesting a benefit from estrogen or other hormones.
New blood tests promise simple, cost-effective diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers – Promising results from a new blood test that can aid in the early identification of patients with colon cancer will be presented at Europe’s largest cancer congress, in Berlin today.
