Glasgow, UK: The rate of men dying from malignant melanoma has risen in populations around the world, while in some countries the rates are steady or falling for women, according to research presented at the 2018 NCRI Cancer Conference. Researchers studied worldwide data on deaths gathered by the World Health Organisation, focusing on 33 countries […]
Category: Cancer
Fluorescent marker can help guide surgeons to remove dangerous brain tumour cells more accurately
Glasgow, UK: A chemical that highlights tumour cells has been used by surgeons to help spot and safely remove brain cancer in a trial presented at the 2018 NCRI Cancer Conference. The research was carried out with patients who had suspected glioma, the disease that killed Dame Tessa Jowell, and the most common form of […]
Treatments for cancer and sickle cell disease deplete germ cells in young boys
Scientists have discovered that some treatments for cancer and sickle cell disease can destroy the germ cells that go on to develop into sperm in the testes of young boys. In some pre-pubescent boys, the treatment for sickle cell disease results in complete destruction of all their germ cells, which are called spermatogonia. The study, […]
Researchers map ‘family trees’ of acute myeloid leukaemia for the first time in patients treated with enasidenib
Paris, France: For the first time, a team of international researchers have mapped the family trees of cancer cells in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) to understand how this blood cancer responds to a new drug, enasidenib. The work also explains what happens when a patient stops responding to the treatment, providing important clues about how […]
Man against machine: artificial intelligence is better than dermatologists at diagnosing skin cancer
Researchers have shown for the first time that a form of artificial intelligence or machine learning known as a deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) is better than experienced dermatologists at detecting skin cancer. In a study published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1], researchers in Germany, the USA and France trained […]
Shorter courses of prostate cancer radiotherapy are safe and effective, and they could save patients’ time and reduce hospital waiting lists
Barcelona, Spain: Radiotherapy given in high doses over a shorter period of time is safe and effective for prostate cancer patients, according to research presented at the ESTRO 37 conference. The treatment, called ultrahypofractionated radiotherapy, involves hospital treatment every other day for two and half weeks, compared to every week day for eight weeks for […]
Targeted radiotherapy for breast cancer offers good quality of life and fewer side effects
Barcelona, Spain: Quality of life for women treated with a more targeted radiotherapy treatment – called accelerated partial breast irradiation – is at least as good as quality of life for women treated with standard radiotherapy, according to research presented at the ESTRO 37 conference and published simultaneously in The Lancet Oncology. The treatment uses […]
Correcting tiny differences in patient’s position for radiotherapy could increase survival chances
Barcelona, Spain: Very small differences in the way a patient lies during radiotherapy treatment for lung or oesophageal cancer can have an impact on how likely they are to survive, according to research presented at the ESTRO 37 conference. These differences of only a few millimetres can mean that the radiation treatment designed to target […]
Brachytherapy for cervical cancer patients does not increase the risk of ureteral stricture
Barcelona, Spain: A rare but potentially serious complication following radiation treatment for cervical cancer is a narrowing of the tube (the ureter) that takes urine from the kidneys to the bladder, which can lead to kidney damage and sometimes life-threatening infections. This is called ureteral stricture and, until now, there have been concerns that brachytherapy […]
Elderly non-small cell lung cancer patients are less likely to benefit from treatment with simultaneous radio- and chemotherapy
Barcelona, Spain: An analysis of elderly patients treated in a phase II trial of radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has shown that they were less likely to benefit than younger patients if the two treatments were given at the same time. Previous research has shown that for NSCLC patients with […]