Chemotherapy News and Research

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Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, is the treatment of disease by chemicals especially by killing micro-organisms or cancerous cells. In popular usage, it refers to antineoplastic drugs used to treat cancer or the combination of these drugs into a cytotoxic standardized treatment regimen.

New data shows immunotherapy is beneficial for patients with gastric, esophageal cancers

New data presented at ESMO 2020 have shown that immunotherapy is beneficial for patients with gastric and esophageal cancers who currently have poor survival. (1-3)

24 Sep 2020

Study identifies genetic factors linked to higher risk of capecitabine-induced hand-foot syndrome

Capecitabine is a chemotherapy drug used for breast and colorectal Cancer cancer. It can extend survival rate by nearly 10%.

22 Sep 2020

Study shows how components of body's immune system find intruding cells

Research led by Dr. Wonmuk Hwang has led to a better understanding of how components of the body's immune system find intruding or damaged cells, which could lead to novel approaches to viral and cancer treatments.

17 Sep 2020

Inherited variation in GATA3 gene associated with relapse in children with leukemia

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are investigating the inherited genetics of childhood leukemia and how particular gene variations can affect treatment outcomes. The research showed that an inherited variation in the GATA3 gene strongly influences early response to chemotherapy and is linked to relapse in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

14 Sep 2020

Researchers develop statistical model that predicts risk of developing esophageal cancer

Globally, esophageal cancer is said to be the eighth most common cancer and it usually develops from a condition known as Barrett’s esophagus.

9 Sep 2020

Honeybee venom rapidly destroys aggressive breast cancer cells

Using the venom from 312 honeybees and bumblebees in Perth Western Australia, Ireland and England, Dr Ciara Duffy from the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and The University of Western Australia, tested the effect of the venom on the clinical subtypes of breast cancer, including triple-negative breast cancer, which has limited treatment options.

2 Sep 2020

Natural killer cells could be a powerful weapon for fighting lung cancer

Immune cells called 'natural killer' (NK) cells could be a powerful weapon for fighting lung cancer, according to Australian researchers.

2 Sep 2020

Researchers identify protein that causes adverse side effects in gastric cancer patients

Gastric cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related mortality around the world. It is known for its potential to spread across the peritoneal cavity.

1 Sep 2020

DNA repair enzymes offer potential drug targets for personalized cancer therapies

Chemical lesions in the genetic material DNA can have catastrophic consequences for cells, and even for the organism concerned.

28 Aug 2020

New approach could slow colon cancer metastasis

When cancer metastasizes and spreads throughout the body, it can severely change the prognosis of the disease. It is estimated that metastasis is responsible for 90 percent of cancer deaths.

25 Aug 2020

New bioluminescent reporter tracks DNA double stranded break repair in cells

A new bioluminescent reporter that tracks DNA double stranded break (DSB) repair in cells has been developed by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

24 Aug 2020

Removing copper from the blood can destroy some of the deadliest cancers

Australian researchers have discovered that removing copper from the blood can destroy some of the deadliest cancers that are resistant to immunotherapy using models of the disease.

20 Aug 2020

Gene targeting could lead to better treatment of glioblastoma tumors

New insight into a gene that controls energy production in cancer stem cells could help in the search for a more effective treatment for glioblastoma.

19 Aug 2020

Scientists identify complex enzyme that protects cells from constant DNA damage

A team of researchers have revealed the mechanism and 3D structure of a complex enzyme that guards cells against persistent DNA damage.

19 Aug 2020

Extrachromosomal DNA with potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes

The multiplication of genes located in extrachromosomal DNA that have the potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes across many cancer types, according to a Nature Genetics study published Aug. 17, 2020 by a team of researchers including Professors Vineet Bafna and Dr.Paul Mischel of the University of California San Diego and Professor Roel Verhaak of Jackson Laboratories.

From UC San Diego 18 Aug 2020

A genetic link discovered to predict treatment response for patients with rare, aggressive cancer

A Singapore team led by clinician-scientists and researchers from the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) discovered a genetic link to better predict treatment response for relapsed/refractory patients with natural- killer T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL), a highly aggressive form of blood cancer.

13 Aug 2020

Combination regimen improves overall survival in acute myeloid leukemia patients

A combination regimen of venetoclax and azacitidine was safe and improved overall survival (OS) over azacitidine alone in certain patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to the Phase III VIALE-A trial led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

13 Aug 2020

UC Riverside physicist receives NIH grant to study how pathogens evolve

For several years, physicist John Barton at the University of California, Riverside, has been working on developing models to understand and predict how pathogens, such as HIV, evolve. This research pursuit has just received support from the National Institutes of Health.

11 Aug 2020

Researchers find new way to create natural compound that shows promise as anti-cancer agent

Scripps Research chemists Hans Renata, PhD, and Alexander Adibekian, PhD, have discovered a way to efficiently create a synthetic version of a valuable natural compound called cepafungin I, which has shown promise as an anti-cancer agent.

7 Aug 2020

Epigenetics key to daily production of 10 billion blood cells without mistakes

Just one in 2,000 bone marrow cells are hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), but these are the source of the ten billion blood cells humans make every day.

6 Aug 2020