Cause of metastasis in prostate cancer discovered

Prostate cancers remain localized in the majority of cases, giving affected individuals a good chance of survival. However, about 20% of patients develop incurable metastatic prostate cancer, resulting in approximately 5,000 deaths each year in Austria alone. Medical research has not yet adequately explained why metastases occur in some people and not in others. A research team has now discovered specific changes in a protein that drive the growth and spread of prostate cancer.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

The nanodrug that attacks cancer twice

A single nanoparticle does two jobs: enhancing the effectiveness of chemotherapy and reinvigorating the immune system.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Burst of accumulated zinc shows how the mineral boosts immune function, suggesting ways to improve health

Zinc’s immune-boosting properties are well-established, but scientists haven’t known exactly how it works. Scientists now reveal two ways the mineral supports immunity and suggest how it could be used to improve health. Using mice, the team discovered that zinc is needed for the development of disease-fighting immune cells called T cells and prompts regeneration of the thymus, the immune organ that produces T cells.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Viral transformations in the female genital tract can spell trouble for women’s health

A new study uses next-generation gene sequencing to get a clearer read on the community of viruses present in vaginal microbiome samples and its implication for the development of cervical cancer.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Researchers identify new targets for immunotherapy in colon cancer

Scientists identify a pathway of immune cell inhibition that may provide the basis for novel approaches to immunotherapy of colon cancer. Their results also highlight important roles of the intestinal microbiota in the development of the disease.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Cancer repair mechanism could be potential drug target

Searching for ways to extend the survival benefit of targeted therapies, a team led by researchers has identified a potential new tactic to disrupt the repair mechanism that cancer cells use after treatment, blunting their ability to regenerate. The approach could present a new treatment strategy.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Global disparities persist in opioid painkiller access

Global opioid sales increased by an estimated 4% annually from 2015 to 2019, but massive disparities in access to essential pain relief medications persist between countries, a new study finds.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Living donation opens new doors for colorectal cancer patients in need of liver transplants

A study is the first in North America to demonstrate that living-donor liver transplant is a viable option for patients who have systemically controlled colorectal cancer and liver tumors that cannot be surgically removed.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Living donation opens new doors for colorectal cancer patients in need of liver transplants

A study is the first in North America to demonstrate that living-donor liver transplant is a viable option for patients who have systemically controlled colorectal cancer and liver tumors that cannot be surgically removed.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Hands, feet, and fins: The connection that explains acral melanoma

Scientists are using zebrafish to understand human skin cancer that attacks the hands and feet.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Hands, feet, and fins: The connection that explains acral melanoma

Scientists are using zebrafish to understand human skin cancer that attacks the hands and feet.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Anti-cancer dream cream shrinks oral tumors

Researchers have found that treatment with miR-634 reduces the resistance of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells to cisplatin, resulting in increased tumor cell killing. An ointment containing miR-634 had a similar effect in mice, suggesting that this simple topical treatment could be used to improve the prognosis of patients with advanced oral cancer.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Anti-cancer dream cream shrinks oral tumors

Researchers have found that treatment with miR-634 reduces the resistance of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells to cisplatin, resulting in increased tumor cell killing. An ointment containing miR-634 had a similar effect in mice, suggesting that this simple topical treatment could be used to improve the prognosis of patients with advanced oral cancer.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Study shows critical protein may play a role in origin of mesothelioma

Researchers have discovered that a protein critical in the embryonic stages of life is reactivated in certain cases of mesothelioma, offering clues into the origin of this aggressive cancer.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

New algorithm will improve bowel-cancer patient care

An algorithm which can predict how long a patient might spend in hospital if they’re diagnosed with bowel cancer could save the money and help patients feel better prepared.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Researchers identify key complex for ribosome generation

Researchers have identified a four-protein complex that appears to play a key role in generating ribosomes — organelles that serve as protein factories for cells — as well as a surprising part in neurodevelopmental disorders. The findings could lead to new ways to manipulate ribosome production, which could impact a variety of conditions that affect human health.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Study finds 10-second videos predict blood cancer relapse

Ten-second videos of white blood cell motion in the skin’s microvasculature greatly improved the prediction of which stem cell and bone marrow transplant patients would have a relapse of their blood cancer.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

How accelerated biological aging may cause bowel cancer

Scientists have shown how accelerated biological aging measured by an epigenetic clock may increase the risk of bowel cancer, according to a new report.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Researchers shorten manufacturing time for CAR T cell therapy

A new approach could cut the time it takes to alter patients‘ immune cells for infusion back into the body to find and attack cancer. The cell manufacturing process for this type of immunotherapy that was pioneered at Penn — CAR T cell therapy — typically takes nine to 14 days. In a pre-clinical study, scientists have abbreviated this process and generated functional CAR T cells with enhanced anti-tumor potency in just 24 hours.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Distinct classes of fibroblasts in tumors play opposing roles, promoting or restraining pancreatic cancer growth

Researchers discovered that two distinct classes of fibroblast cells accumulate in pancreatic tumors and play opposing roles to promote and restrain pancreatic cancer growth. Appropriately targeting these cells may offer options to improve treatment outcomes.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Black patients with cancer fare worse with COVID-19, study shows

Lack of access to health care, social determinants of health, preexisting comorbidities and reduced access to clinical research are common to both cancer and COVID-19 in Black individuals. Together these two diseases create a perfect storm in this population, a new study indicates.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

The surprising diversity of the fallopian tube

A new study creates a detailed ‚atlas‘ of the various cell types and their gene activities within the highly specialized fallopian tube, paving the way for new research into infertility and other diseases affecting this organ, including some cancers.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Researchers offer new treatment protocol for advanced head and neck cancer

The current treatment of patients diagnosed with advanced or metastatic head and neck cancer (HNC) is ineffective. Researchers have investigated and validated a potential treatment combination against the aggressive disease driven by hyper-activation of a specific signaling pathway, which is found in over 40 percent of HNC patients.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Potential therapy may boost chemoimmunotherapy response in bladder cancer

Adding an anti-inflammatory medication to immunotherapy and standard chemotherapy drugs may provide long-term suppression of aggressive bladder tumor growth, according to a proof-of-concept study.

Quelle: Sciencedaily

Octopus-like tentacles help cancer cells invade the body

With help from the best tweezers in the world a team of researchers has shed new light on a fundamental mechanism in all living cells that helps them explore their surroundings and even invade tissue. Their discovery could have implications for research into cancer, neurological disorders and much else.

Quelle: Sciencedaily