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October 6, 2008
Drug combo doesn't boost lung cancer survival
ZURICH/LONDON (Reuters) - Roche Holding AG and Genentech Inc said on Monday a study of the benefits of combining their Tarceva and Avastin drugs for lung cancer patients did not show an increase in overall survival.
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October 3, 2008
Genetic tests may pinpoint who should get Avastin
LONDON (Reuters) - Genetic tests could in future show who will respond best to Genentech and Roche's blockbuster cancer drug Avastin - a positive development for patients but not necessarily for sales.
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September 29, 2008
Lilly's Alimta OK'd as front-line lung cancer drug
BOSTON (Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co on Monday said it has won U.S. approval for its drug Alimta as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced lung cancer.
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September 25, 2008
Living near asbestos plant raises cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who have ever lived a short distance from an asbestos-manufacturing plant may have an elevated risk of a rare form of cancer, a new study suggests.
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September 24, 2008
Lung fluid test may predict lung cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Testing lung fluid samples for levels of surfactant protein D (SP-D), which is thought to have a protective effect on the lungs, may help identify patients with a high risk of lung cancer, Canadian researchers report.
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September 23, 2008
Arthritis patients have increased lung cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The risk of lung cancer is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, even after taking into account the effects of established risk factors such as tobacco and asbestos exposure, according to a study with United States military veterans.
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September 23, 2008
U.S. doctors offer patients scant empathy in study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - During an appointment with his doctor, a man diagnosed with lung cancer sounded dispirited when talking about what cigarettes had done to him.
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September 22, 2008
Natalie Cole hospitalized in hepatitis C setback
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Grammy Award-winning singer Natalie Cole has been hospitalized in New York after suffering a setback in her battle against hepatitis C, her spokeswoman said on Friday.
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September 16, 2008
Healthy lifestyle raises beneficial enzyme: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sweeping lifestyle changes including a better diet and more exercise can raise the body's levels of an enzyme closely involved in controlling the aging process, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
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September 15, 2008
Avastin slows progression of lung cancer
ZURICH/LONDON (Reuters) - The results of a study presented on Monday show that Avastin combined with gemcitabine-cisplatin chemotherapy improves the time lung cancer patients live without progression of the disease, according to Swiss drugmaker Roche. There was also a positive trend to extended survival.
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September 11, 2008
Lung cancer deaths among Dutch women leveling off
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The lung cancer epidemic among Dutch women appears to be ending, researchers there say.
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September 9, 2008
Among nonsmokers, lung cancer is deadlier for men
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Men who have never smoked are more likely to die from lung cancer than women nonsmokers, researchers reported on Monday.
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September 9, 2008
Blacks with lung disease at high risk for cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Emphysema and similar lung diseases seem to put African Americans at particularly high risk for developing lung cancer, a new study suggests.
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September 5, 2008
Breathing disorder puts blacks at high cancer risk
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Blacks with a history of the chronic breathing disorder COPD have a far greater risk of developing lung cancer than whites who have the lung disease, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
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September 4, 2008
Tobacco caused 2.4 million U.S. cancers - report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tobacco use caused 2.4 million cases of cancer in the United States from 1999 to 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.
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September 2, 2008
Cancer, diabetes leave fingerprints in blood, serum
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Diseases such as cancer and diabetes leave "fingerprints" in the serum and blood plasma of patients and these may provide a valuable and non-invasive diagnostic tool in time to come, according to a Chinese study.
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August 25, 2008
Burning incense linked to respiratory cancers
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Burning incense may create a sweet scent, but regularly inhaling the smoke could put people at risk of cancers of the respiratory tract, researchers reported Monday.
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August 25, 2008
Gene found for rare and deadly childhood cancer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers have found a gene that causes most inherited forms of neuroblastoma, a rare and deadly form of childhood cancer, and say the discovery points to new treatments.
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August 19, 2008
Bigger belly may up smokers' lung cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Smokers who carry more weight around their waistlines may be at greater risk of lung cancer, according to a new study.
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August 12, 2008
Cancer patients at increased risk of suicide
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Cancer patients often think about ending their lives and their suicide rate is roughly twice that seen in the general population, according to the results of three studies appearing in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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August 11, 2008
Gene raises risk of lifetime smoking habit: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) - For most people, the first experimental drags on a cigarette bring on nausea, coughing and other signals from the brain that say, "Turn back. This is a bad idea." But for some, they bring a wave of pleasure.
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August 6, 2008
European payers question value of new cancer drugs
LONDON (Reuters) - Cancer is the fastest-growing section of the drugs market but developing new treatments is only half the battle. Persuading payers to use them, particularly in Europe, is another matter.
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August 5, 2008
Pain in chest, upper abdomen an ominous sign
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Unexplained pain in the chest or upper gastrointestinal tract may signal an increased risk of death from alcohol-related causes, pneumonia or lung cancer, Danish researchers report.
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July 30, 2008
Few aware that smoking can cause bladder cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While most people know that smoking can cause lung cancer, a new study shows that few know that it is a major risk factor for bladder cancer -- even among people who have the disease.
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July 22, 2008
New drug helps shrink prostate tumors: study
LONDON (Reuters) - A once-a-day pill significantly shrank tumors in men with advanced prostate cancer who had not responded to other treatments, researchers said on Tuesday.
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July 21, 2008
Gene test for lung cancer aggressiveness sought
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and Canadian researchers have taken steps toward developing a gene test to determine whether a patient's lung cancer is especially aggressive, or whether radical treatment can be avoided.
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July 18, 2008
Bone drug has benefits in cancer patients
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The bone-strengthening drug zoledronic acid not only reduces fracture risk in patients with cancer that has spread to the bones, it also improves overall survival, according to the results of a retrospective analysis of three large studies.
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July 10, 2008
Vision vitamins may be harmful for smokers
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Based on new research, smokers may want to check the beta-carotene content of any multivitamin supplements they are taking, especially if these supplements are promoted as being beneficial for eye health.
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July 9, 2008
Decline in cancer deaths in US tied to education levels
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Declines in death rates from the four leading types of cancer in the United States since the early 1990s have been driven largely by progress among college-educated men and women, researchers said on Tuesday.
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July 8, 2008
US Medicare changes don't affect cancer care: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation that cut fees doctors receive for giving chemotherapy to Medicare patients has not affected care so far, researchers reported on Tuesday.
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July 3, 2008
Doctors extract cancer cells from blood sample
BOSTON (Reuters) - An experimental process that snags lung cancer cells from a blood sample could give doctors real-time feedback on the most effective therapy, researchers reported on Wednesday.
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July 3, 2008
Tumor-starving pill helps thyroid cancer: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Amgen's once-a-day pill to starve tumors can help many patients with hard-to-treat thyroid cancer, either by shrinking tumors or slowing their growth, researchers reported on Wednesday.
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July 2, 2008
Biomarkers needed to gauge passive smoke exposure
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Biological indicators, or "biomarkers" of exposure to secondhand smoke that can be analyzed in blood, tissue or other samples, or through imaging scans are needed to examine whether exposure to secondhand smoke may cause lung cancer.
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July 2, 2008
Study shows how broccoli fights cancer
LONDON (Reuters) - Just a few more portions of broccoli each week may protect men from prostate cancer, British researchers reported on Wednesday.
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July 2, 2008
Smokeless tobacco ups oral cancer risk 80 percent
LONDON (Reuters) - Chewing tobacco and snuff are less dangerous than cigarettes but the smokeless products still raise the risk of oral cancer by 80 percent, the World Health Organisation's cancer agency said on Tuesday.
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June 30, 2008
Accidental fungus leads to promising cancer drug
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A drug developed using nanotechnology and a fungus that contaminated a lab experiment may be broadly effective against a range of cancers, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday.
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June 25, 2008
Study suggests colon cancer vaccine possible
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A protein found only in the intestines may help lead the way to a vaccine that can treat colon cancers and perhaps other tumors too, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
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June 24, 2008
Cuba approves, makes available lung cancer vaccine
HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban scientists said on Tuesday the first vaccine to extend lives of lung cancer patients has been approved by Cuban authorities for use and is available in the island's hospitals.
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June 16, 2008
Lung cancer no more common in women smokers: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Women who smoke are no more likely than men to get lung cancer but, among non-smokers, women appear to have a higher risk than men, U.S. researchers reported on Friday.
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June 3, 2008
Romance blossoms in Australian asbestos ghost town
WITTENOOM, Australia (Reuters) - Of the 20,000 people who once lived in this outback mining town in western Australia, at least 1,000 are dead of asbestos-related diseases. Just about everyone else left long ago.
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June 2, 2008
Celebrex shows promise in lung cancer prevention
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A high dose of the arthritis drug Celebrex showed early signs that it may help prevent lung cancer in heavy smokers, U.S. researchers said on Sunday.
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June 2, 2008
Erbitux adds 5 weeks to lung cancer survival
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Lung cancer patients treated in a large clinical trial with ImClone Systems Inc's Erbitux and chemotherapy lived about five weeks longer than patients treated with chemotherapy alone, according to study results released on Saturday.
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June 2, 2008
Blood test may detect lung cancer in early stages
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A simple blood test may be able to detect lung cancer in its early stages, which would represent a promising strategy to improve survival rates, researchers said on Sunday.
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May 30, 2008
Lung cancer patients fight stigma
WASHINGTON (Reuters Life!) - "I'm sorry. You don't have breast cancer," the oncologist told Charmaine Atkenson.
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May 28, 2008
Dietary boron reduces lung cancer risk in women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Higher amounts of boron in the diet are associated with lower risk of lung cancer in women, researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston report.
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May 27, 2008
Gum disease may raise cancer risk, study finds
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Gum disease may increase the risk of developing cancer, researchers said on Tuesday.
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May 21, 2008
Cancer risk soars in HIV-infected people: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People with HIV have a much higher risk for many cancers, including anal cancer, but a lower risk for prostate cancer, researchers said on Tuesday.
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May 19, 2008
Cancer risk mixed in rheumatoid arthritis patients
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to develop lymphoma or lung cancer, but are less likely to develop colorectal cancer or breast cancer, according to American and Canadian researchers.
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May 19, 2008
Blood test for early lung cancer shows promise
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The pattern of active genes in white blood cells can accurately distinguish people with early-stage lung cancer from cancer-free people, researchers report. They are hopeful that such a test may one day be used alongside lung CT scanning in patients with suspected lung cancer.
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May 16, 2008
Lung cancer patients may live longer with Alimta
WASHINGTON (Reuters Life!) - Adding a little extra chemotherapy after finishing the initial course helped advanced lung cancer patients live longer without having their tumors grow or come back, researchers reported on Thursday.