Category: Cancer

Liquid biopsies can detect which cancer patients may be at higher risk of developing additional blood cancers

Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have found that liquid biopsies, which are increasingly used in the routine care of patients to identify and monitor the progress of cancer, can also detect a disorder of blood cells that places patients at higher risk of developing blood cancers as well. The findings are presented on Friday at the 34th […]

Results revealed from phase I clinical trial of the first drug to successfully inhibit the MYC gene, which drives many common cancers

Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have found that a drug that targets the key, cancer-causing gene, MYC, has for the first time been able to inhibit the function of the gene in a phase I clinical trial. Until now, no other drug has been able to do this safely and effectively. Presenting preliminary results from the trial […]

Obstructive sleep apnoea linked to increased risk of cancer, a decline in mental processing powers and an increased risk of blood clots

People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are at an increased risk of cancer, according to a large study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Barcelona, Spain [1]. A second study showed that OSA was also linked to a decline in processing powers in the elderly; in particular, those aged […]

PCOS in mothers is linked to increased risk of health problems in their children

Children born to mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have an increased risk of developing infections, allergies and other childhood illnesses by the age of 13, according to the largest study to investigate this. The study, which is published in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals, looked at 1,038,375 children […]

Cancer clinical trials bounce back after significant COVID-19 disruption: data from two large US cancer centres

Data from two large cancer centres in the United States have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic caused substantial disruption to clinical trials for cancer treatment and care. The research, published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1], shows that, compared to the immediate pre-pandemic period, there was a 46% decrease in new patient […]

Incidental findings in genomics: how does their utility balance with their psychological effect on patients?

Vienna, Austria: As the cost of genome and exome1 sequencing falls, its use in characterising rare diseases and personalising cancer treatment, for example, is becoming far more frequent. But such analyses may throw up findings unrelated to the condition for which it has been requested. What to do with these secondary findings (SFs) or incidental […]

Death rates from ovarian cancer will fall in the EU and UK in 2022

Death rates from ovarian cancer are predicted to fall by 17% in the UK and by 7% in EU countries in 2022 compared to 2017, according to new research published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1]. Researchers led by Carlo La Vecchia (MD), a professor at the University of Milan (Italy), say […]

Atrial fibrillation and death are more common during the first year after breast cancer diagnosis

Women are significantly more likely to develop an abnormal and often rapid heart rhythm in the first year after being diagnosed with breast cancer than women without cancer, according to research published in the European Heart Journal [1]. The study also found that patients who developed the condition, known as atrial fibrillation, after a breast […]

Fewer cases of children’s cancer picked up during COVID pandemic

But cancer diagnosis following admission to intensive care was higher A study of cancer in children and young adults in England has found that fewer patients were diagnosed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, presented at the NCRI Festival [1], also shows that children who were diagnosed with cancer during the first wave of the […]

Simple, cheap urine test can detect urothelial cancers in Lynch Syndrome patients

Researchers have shown for the first time that it is possible to detect signs of urothelial cancer using a simple, postal, urine test in Lynch Syndrome (LS) patients who are at high risk of developing tumours. The findings, presented at the NCRI Festival[1], offer the potential to develop a cheap, easy and non-invasive way of […]