'Encouraging' period of stable disease suggested in direct injection vaccine treatment of pancreatic cancer

"The ‘first in human’ series of vaccine injections given directly into a pancreatic cancer tumor is not only well tolerated, but also suggests an “encouraging” period of stable disease, a study shows. Vaccine therapies are designed to strengthen the body's immune defenses. In a previous study, investigators showed that using a vaccine treatment for bladder and breast cancer tumors in laboratory models resulted in a reversal of the traditional immune blockade, as well as the development of tumor specific immunity throughout the body."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

De l'optique non linéaire contre le cancer grâce au laser

"En utilisant la technique de la génération de seconde harmonique en optique non linéaire avec des lasers, il est possible d'étendre le champ d'application de la thérapie photodynamique contre le cancer. On peut désormais traiter de cette façon des tumeurs dans des tissus plus en profondeur sous la peau."

http://www.futura-sciences.com/magazines/mati...-cancer-grace-au-laser%5D

Of nonlinear optics against cancer with laser

"Using the technique of the second harmonic generation in nonlinear optics with lasers, it is possible to extend the scope of application of photodynamic therapy against cancer. We can now treat this way tumors in tissues deeper under the skin."

http://www.nature.com/nphoton/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nphoton.2014.90.html

French Article
http://www.futura-sciences.com/magazines/mati...-cancer-grace-au-laser%5D

1- Block autophagy in multiple cancers: Trials show promise

"The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine blocked autophagy in a host of aggressive cancers -- glioblastoma, melanoma, lymphoma and myeloma, renal and colon cancers -- and in some cases helped stabilize disease. These results come from the largest group of results to date, and show promise for the treatment of cancer in the future."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

2- Lifestyle changes improve biomarkers for breast cancer recurrence, mortality

"Lifestyle changes in the form of healthy eating and regular exercise can decrease biomarkers related to breast cancer recurrence and mortality, a pair of interventional studies involving breast cancer survivors has found. "The findings of both studies support a growing body of research that suggests lifestyle interventions lower biomarkers associated with breast cancer recurrence and mortality, and improve quality of life," said one expert."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

3- Patients with a certain form of kidney disease may have reduced risk of cancer

"After adjusting for demographic differences between kidney transplant recipients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and other kidney transplant recipients, PKD patients were 16 percent less likely to develop cancer than others who received a kidney transplant. Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a kidney disorder passed down through families in which many cysts form in the kidneys, causing them to become enlarged. It's thought to have cancer-like features, but cancer risk has never been compared between PKD patients and others with kidney disease."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

4- Signals found that recruit host animals' cells, enabling breast cancer metastasis

"Chemical signals that certain breast cancers use to recruit two types of normal cells needed for the cancers’ spread have been discovered in mice, researchers report. "If a drug can be found that safely blocks the same signal in humans, it could be a very useful addition to current breast cancer treatment -- particularly for patients with chemotherapy-resistant tumors," says one researcher."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

5- Key mechanism in metabolic pathway that fuels cancers identified

"A significant step in cracking the code of an atypical metabolic pathway that allows certain cancerous tumors to thrive has been cracked, providing a possible roadmap for defeating such cancers. "With this finding, we have learned there are particular enzymes that work together to enable the reverse pathway to function, much like the tiny gears that turn in opposite directions to power a mechanical clock," commented the lead author."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

6- New details on microtubules and how the anti-cancer drug Taxol works

"Images of microtubule assembly and disassembly have been produced by researchers at the unprecedented resolution of 5 angstroms, providing new insight into the success of the anti-cancer drug Taxol and pointing the way to possible improvements. "This is the first experimental demonstration of the link between nucleotide state and tubulin conformation within the microtubules and, by extension, the relationship between tubulin conformation and the transition from assembled to disassembled microtubule structure," says a biophysicist on the study."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

7- Some pancreatic cancer treatments may be going after wrong targets

"New research represents a significant change in the understanding of how pancreatic cancer grows – and how it might be defeated. Unlike other types of cancer, pancreatic cancer produces a lot of scar tissue and inflammation. For years, researchers believed that this scar tissue, called desmoplasia, helped the tumor grow, and they’ve designed treatments to attack this. But new research finds that when you eliminate desmoplasia, tumors grow even more quickly and aggressively. In the study, mice in which the desmoplasia was eliminated developed tumors earlier and died sooner."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

8- New way to combat drug resistance in skin cancer found

"Rapid resistance to vemurafenib – a treatment for a type of advanced melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer – could be prevented by blocking a druggable family of proteins, according to research. Scientists have revealed the MLK family of four enzymes 'undoes' the tumour-shrinking effects of vemurafenib."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

9- New anticancer compound discovered

"A previously unknown Cent-1 molecule that kills cancer cells has been discovered by scientists. The objective of the research was to accelerate the drug development process by identifying new compounds that would possess similar binding properties and cellular phenotype, but a different chemical structure, as the selected drugs in clinical use or investigational compounds in development. The scientists combined computer-based screening and cell-based assays to create a method that can significantly accelerate drug discovery and thereby lower development costs."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

New drug for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia passes early test

"A new chemotherapy drug being investigated for its potency against two types of cancer was found by scientists to be effective in about one-third of the 58 patients who participated in a phase I study. The drug, alisertib or MLN8237, inhibits the enzyme aurora A kinase, which is known to be very active during cell division. The present study looks at the safety, tolerability, and preliminary success of alisertib in treating non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

1- Immunotherapy for prostate cancer in sight

"Patients with advanced prostate cancer have now been given some hope from a new study. In just a few years’ time, Ipilumumab could be approved as a treatment for the world’s third-most common type of cancer, researchers predict. Worldwide, prostate cancer is the third-most common form of cancer and is globally the sixth-most common cause of death from cancer among men."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

2- Refugees struggling to access cancer treatment, experts warn

"There is a high demand for costly cancer treatment among refugees from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Syria, with host countries struggling to find the money and the medicine to treat their new patients, new research concludes. The findings have prompted calls from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Chief Medical Expert, for innovative financing schemes to improve access to affordable high-quality cancer care for refugees."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

3- Cancer immunotherapy : Potential new target found

"Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), are found abundantly in the microenvironment around tumors. They interfere with immune response, promoting cancer progression. Now scientists have found a way to target elusive cells that suppress immune response, depleting them with peptides that spare other important cells and shrink tumors in preclinical experiments."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

4- How signals trigger cancer cells to spread

"A signaling pathway in cancer cells that controls their ability to invade nearby tissues in a finely orchestrated manner has been discovered by researchers. The findings offer insights into the early molecular events involved in metastasis, the deadly spread of cancer cells from primary tumor to other parts of the body."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

5- Gene mutation found for aggressive form of pancreatic cancer

"A mutated gene common to adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) tumors has been discovered by researchers -– the first known unique molecular signature for this rare, but particularly virulent, form of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, with roughly 45,220 new cases diagnosed and more than 38,400 deaths annually. Both numbers are rising. ASC cases are infrequent, but typically have a worse prognosis than more common types of pancreatic cancer."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29

6- An area's level of poverty or wealth may affect the distribution of cancer types

"A new analysis has found that certain cancers are more concentrated in areas with high poverty, while other cancers arise more often in wealthy regions."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/...ily%3A+Top+Health+News%29