In the bank

Britain is profiling the genes, health, and lifestyles of its citizens and handing the results to scientists across the world.

https://tinyurl.com/un87rov

Ultrasound destroys 80 percent of prostate cancers in one-year study

The new technique is called MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) and has been under development for a number of years. The minimally invasive technology involves a rod that enters the prostate gland via the urethra and emits highly controlled sound waves in order to heat and destroy diseased tissue, while leaving healthy tissue unharmed. These waves come from 10 heating elements built into the length of the rod to treat the entire prostate gland. An algorithm controls which of these elements emit the sound waves at any one time, along with their shape, direction and strength. All of this takes place within an MRI scanner, allowing doctors to keep a close eye on which tissues are being heated and by how much.

“Clinically significant cancer” was totally eliminated in 80 percent of the subjects a year after the TULSA treatment. Sixty-five percent of the subjects exhibited no evidence of cancer at all in their biopsies, while prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the key biomarker for prostate cancer, was reduced by a median of 95 percent. No bowel complications were reported, while the group reported low rates of severe toxicity, low rates of impotence and close to no incontinence (involuntary urine loss from the bladder). Additionally, the technique can be used to treat other benign conditions, such as prostate enlargement. On average, prostate volume among the study subjects decreased from 39 cubic centimeters beforehand, to 3.8 cubic centimeters following the treatment.

https://newatlas.com/medical/ultrasound-destr...e-cancers-one-year-study/

Chemists' calculations may advance cancer prediction

Scientists' approach to cell dynamics builds new view of lifetime risk

A compulational study by chemists showed the dynamics of tumor formation don't nessarily correlate with clinical data on lifetime cancer risks. It suggests biomarkers may someday be able to help predict when mutations in cells will turn cancer-prone cells into full blown cancer.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191212122554.htm

Should You Give the Gift of a Genetic Testing Kit?-Consumer Reports, December 2019

If you've been searching for holiday gifts for friends and family, you might have considered the possibility of getting someone a direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing kit? The kind where you spit into a tube, mail it off and receive insights about your relatives, your ancestry and even your health.

https://www.consumerreports.org/genetic-testi...of-a-genetic-testing-kit/

Drug targeting common cancer cause enters phase 2 clinical trials

A promising new cancer drug will soon enter phase 2 clinical trials, after finding success in animal models and preliminary human studies. Known as AMG 510, the drug targets a gene mutation that’s one of the most common causes of cancer.

Errors in a gene called KRAS are responsible for up to 20 percent of human cancers, particularly leukemia, colorectal, lung and pancreatic cancers. That, of course, put it squarely in the sights of scientists – but unfortunately, effective treatments have eluded them until now. The KRAS(G12C) mutation is found in about 13 percent of lung adenocarcinomas, three percent of colorectal cancers and two percent of other solid tumors, meaning AMG 510 is a promising potential treatment for those diseases.

More at: https://newatlas.com/medical/common-cancer-cause-drug-phase2-clinical-trials/