A study of over 64,000 women of childbearing age in the USA has found that infertility is associated with a higher risk of developing cancer compared to a group of over three million women without fertility problems, although the absolute risk is very low at just 2%. As cancer is unusual in pre-menopausal women, the […]
Category: Cancer
Air pollution causes 800,000 extra deaths a year in Europe and 8.8 million worldwide
Air pollution could be causing double the number of excess deaths a year in Europe than has been estimated previously, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. Using a new method of modelling the effects of various sources of outdoor air pollution on death rates, the researchers found that it caused […]
Sperm quality unaffected by one course of chemotherapy for early testicular cancer
Men with early stage testicular cancer can safely receive one course of chemotherapy or radiotherapy after surgery without it having a long-term effect on their sperm count, according to a study published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1]. Although it is known already that several rounds of chemotherapy or high doses of […]
No overall increased risk of cancer in children born after fertility treatment
Children born after assisted reproductive technology (ART) do not appear to be at greater risk of developing cancer than other children, according to the first study to look at the long-term cancer risk in ART children compared to those in the general population or who were naturally conceived by subfertile women. The study of 47,690 […]
Death rates from cancer will fall in Australasian countries and Russia in 2018: researchers call for urgent measures on tobacco control, especially in Russia
Researchers predict that death rates from cancer will fall in 2018 in Australasian countries and in Russia. However, a greater proportion of the population will die in Russia from the disease than in any of the other countries, mainly because of the large numbers of men who still smoke. In a study published in the […]
Patients with rare, incurable digestive tract cancers respond to new drug combination
Dublin, Ireland: Patients with rare, but incurable cancers of the digestive tract have responded well to a combination of two drugs that block the MEK and BRAF pathways, which drive the disease in some cases. They have survived for longer without the disease progressing than the usual average time of less than five months, even […]
Combination of two immunotherapies shows activity in non-small cell lung cancer patients
Dublin, Ireland: A combination of two drugs, which prompt the body’s immune system to identify and kill cancer cells, is a safe treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and has shown some signs of efficacy. Results from a phase I/II clinical trial in 25 patients, presented at the 30th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium […]
Difficult-to-treat bowel cancers respond in first study of new drug combination
Dublin, Ireland: Early results from a phase I trial in a small group of patients with advanced cancer using two drugs (nivolumab and pixatimod) that stimulate the immune system report that patients with bowel cancer may benefit from the combination. Dr James Kuo, a medical oncologist and the deputy medical director of Scientia Clinical Research, […]
Drug combination makes cancer disappear in mice with neuroblastoma: ‘significant’ findings suggest potential for effective, non-toxic treatment for this aggressive childhood cancer
Dublin, Ireland: Researchers investigating new treatments for neuroblastoma – one of the most common childhood cancers – have found that a combination of two drugs made tumours disappear in mice, making it more effective than any other drugs tested in these animals. Professor Murray Norris, deputy director of the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia for Medical […]
Two genomic tests identify groups of patients most likely to benefit from new drugs: latest results from I-SPY 2 trial
Dublin, Ireland: New results from a long-running trial to identify which new drugs or combinations of drugs are most effective in which types of breast cancer, show that two genomic tests are bringing the era of truly personalised medicine ever nearer. Professor Laura van ‘t Veer, leader of the Breast Oncology Program at the University […]