Tag: Colon Cancer

Advancing therapy by measuring the ‘games’ cancer cells play

Cleveland: Despite rapid advances in targeted therapies for cancer, tumors commonly develop resistance to treatment. When resistance emerges, tumor cells continue to grow unchecked, despite all attempts to slow cancer progression. While mutations in cancer cells significantly affect drug sensitivity, it is increasingly recognized that ecological interactions between cells can also play a role. Jacob

Interaction between immune factors triggers cancer-promoting chronic inflammation: Blocking IL-33/Treg axis prevents development of skin and colon cancer in mice with chronic inflammation

A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team has identified interaction between two elements of the immune system as critical for the transformation of a protective immune response into chronic, cancer-promoting inflammation. In their report published in PNAS, the investigators demonstrate that elevated levels of the immune factor IL-33 and regulatory T cells (Tregs), which suppress

New target for gastric cancer therapies: Researchers shed light on development of gastric cancer

Cardiff University researchers have uncovered new information about the underlying mechanisms for gastric cancer, providing hope of potential new therapies in the future. The team, at the University’s European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, found they could stop gastric cells dividing and growing by deleting a particular cell-surface receptor implicated in the function of stem

White blood cells related to allergies may also be harnessed to destroy cancer cells: Eosinophil immune cells are capable of killing colon cancer cells, researchers say

A new Tel Aviv University study finds that eosinophils — white blood cells that may have played an evolutionary role in combating parasites, but which are today responsible for chronic asthma and modern allergies — may be used to eliminate malignant colon cancer cells. The research was led by Prof. Ariel Munitz of the Department

Genetics may influence the effects of vitamin E on cancer risk

Almost half of all Americans take a vitamin supplement, and yet many large-scale, placebo-controlled clinical trials of various supplements have found little or no benefit. A new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggests an intriguing reason for this: genetic variation may be influencing these effects, increasing risk in some individuals while

Defective DNA damage repair leads to chaos in the genome

Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have now found a cause for the frequent catastrophic events in the genetic material of cancer cells that have only been known for a few years: If an important DNA repair system of the cells has failed, this promotes fragmentation and defective assembly of the

Loss of protein p53 helps cancer cells multiply in ‘unfavourable’ conditions: The loss of tumor protein p53 ensures cancer cells can still multiply in a hostile environment that lacks proper growth stimuli

Researchers have discovered a novel consequence of loss of the tumour protein p53 that promotes cancer development, according to new findings in eLife. The study in mouse and human cells, from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, suggests that multiplication of cancer cells in the absence of appropriate growth stimuli is supported by the additional loss of

Mitochondria come together to kill cancer cells: Uncovered details of a molecular pathway in cancer cells could lead to improved treatment

A team of Hokkaido University scientists studied the molecules involved in mitochondrial movements within highly invasive breast cancer cells. They identified a pathway that ultimately leads to the dispersion of these energy-generating organelles towards the cells’ periphery, increasing cancer invasiveness. When this pathway was blocked, mitochondria aggregated within the cell’s center, where they started overproducing

Experts advise against routine testing for prostate cancer: But for those men who seek counsel from their physicians, shared decision making is essential

Routine testing for prostate cancer is not recommended for most men because the benefit is small and uncertain and there are clear harms, say a panel of international experts in The BMJ today. But they acknowledge that some men, such as those with a family history of prostate cancer, may be more likely to consider

Researchers compare chemotherapy regimens for best outcomes in invasive bladder cancer: Less-frequently used combination associated with better response than standard of care

Patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer have been shown to benefit from chemotherapy prior to surgical removal of the bladder. But which type of chemotherapy leads to the best outcomes in terms of complete response rates or cancer control? Moffitt Cancer Center researchers examined data from more than 800 surgical patients with advanced bladder cancer. The

Combination approach shows promise for beating advanced melanoma: New treatment is more effective in people receiving immunotherapy for the first time, study finds

A UCLA-led study has found that a treatment that uses a bacteria-like agent in combination with an immunotherapy drug could help some people with advanced melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, live longer. The research showed that using the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab and the experimental agent SD-101, a sequence of nucleic acids that mimics

Major new vulnerability of childhood leukemia uncovered

Childhood leukemia is a diagnosis that no family ever wants to endure. While the treatment of most types of leukemia has improved steadily over the years, a few specific types remain very difficult to treat. One of these is called “mixed lineage leukemia,” and for children affected by this cancer, their chance of survival is

Mechanisms of action of key genetic abnormality in Ewing sarcoma: Epigenome editing reveals how a fusion protein found in cancer cells enhances the expression of target genes

A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team has used epigenome editing tools to investigate how the genetic abnormality that drives Ewing sarcoma — the second most common bone cancer in children and young adults — unleashes tumor growth. In their paper in the journal Genes & Development the researchers show that blocking the fusion protein

A study points to new therapeutic targets for tumors associated with chronic inflammation: A new study demonstrates that myeloid cells use p38 protein signalling to support inflammation-associated colon cancer

Scientists headed by ICREA researcher Angel R. Nebreda at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) report a new mechanism that contributes to the development of inflammation-associated colon cancer and points to new therapeutic targets. The study has been published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine. More than a million people worldwide are diagnosed