Stockholm, Sweden: Until recently, options for patients with bone metastases from advanced prostate cancer have been very limited. But now the first Phase III study of an alpha-pharmaceutical in these patients has shown that it can prolong survival significantly, according to research reported at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress [1]. Dr. Chris Parker, Consultant […]
Infusing chemotherapy directly into the liver delivers extra months of disease-free life for melanoma patients
Stockholm, Sweden: Melanoma of the eye (ocular or uveal melanoma) frequently spreads to the liver and, once this has happened, there is no effective treatment and patients die within an average of two to four months. Only about one in ten patients live for a year. Now, final results from a phase III study have […]
Undernutrition in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood increases risk of heart disease in later life
A study of women who were children, teenagers or young adults during the Dutch famine in 1944-45 has shown that undernutrition, particularly in the adolescent years, is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease in later life. The research, published online today in the European Heart Journal [1], provides the first direct evidence […]
Professional exposure of physicians to radiation prompt cellular changes that may protect the body from harm
Cardiologists who perform heart operations using x-ray guided catheters are exposed to ionising radiation at levels two to three times higher per year than those experienced by radiologists. Now, new research has found the first evidence that these constant, high levels of exposure cause changes at cell level that might represent the body’s way of […]
Diabetes and a history of heart disease increase the risk of heart problems for elderly breast cancer patients on trastuzumab
The first study to investigate the effect of the breast cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) on heart and vascular function in elderly patients has found that it increases the risk of heart problems, particularly in women with a history of heart disease, diabetes or both. Authors of the study, published in the cancer journal, Annals of […]
Socioeconomic class and smoking linked to premature menopause
Stockholm, Sweden: Women from the lowest social class are almost three times as likely to have premature ovarian failure (POF) as those from the highest social class, a researcher told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology on Wednesday. POF is not only associated with infertility but also with significantly […]
Giving up smoking as soon as pregnancy is confirmed averts the adverse birth outcomes associated with tobacco
Stockholm, Sweden: Scientists have shown for the first time in a large population study that mothers’ stopping smoking around the time of getting pregnant can prevent the harmful effects of tobacco on their babies’ growth. Results from a study of over 50 000 pregnancies revealed that women who gave up smoking when their pregnancy was confirmed […]
New, non-invasive test for chromosome abnormalities may also shed light on genetic origins of faulty eggs
Stockholm, Sweden: Researchers are developing a new way to test a woman’s egg for chromosome abnormalities that avoids the need to manipulate and biopsy the egg itself. The research may also shed light on the crucial role played by certain genes in the development of chromosome abnormalities that are a major cause of miscarriages and […]
‘Vanishing twin’ explains increased risk of birth defects in surviving baby after infertility treatment
Stockholm, Sweden: Australian researchers have made the significant discovery that loss of a twin during very early pregnancy explains the increased risk of birth defects seen in multiple pregnancies after infertility treatment. Professor Michael Davies told the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology on Wednesday that the “vanishing twin” phenomenon, […]
Simple test gives accurate prediction of ovulation to help women become pregnant
Stockholm, Sweden: Using a widely available ovulation test is a more reliable method of predicting when a woman will be at her most fertile than the commonly used calendar method, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard on Tuesday. Researchers said that the ovulation test could cope with cycle […]