The cells of lymphocytic leukemia carry the key for pathogenic transformation. The understanding of these mechanisms could help the medical community to create new therapies with reduced side affects.
Researchers in the group of Prof. Dr. Hassan Jumaa, Centre for Biological Signalling Studies (BIOSS) of the University of Freiburg, Department for Molecular Immunology, have identified a new mechanism that causes immune cells to convert into malignant cancer cells. In Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), one of the most common types of blood cancer in the Western world, cells themselves carry the key for the pathogenic transformation, the scientists report in the journal “Nature”. Understanding these underlying mechanisms could facilitate new therapies with reduced side effects.
In healthy humans, a subgroup of white blood cells, so-called B-lymphocytes, are responsible for producing antibodies that fight infections. Special receptor molecules of B-lymphocytes detect pathogenic agents via the key-lock principle and consequently start producing antibodies. In patients with CLL, however, abnormal forms of these receptors lead to uncontrolled reproduction of malignant B-lymphocytes. As a result, healthy cells of the immune system get repressed.
"Up to now, it was assumed that agents produced in the bodies of patients dock at the receptor and thereby activate CLL lymphocytes”, Jumaa says. “In our study we could show that specific components of the receptors are responsible for the development of CLL.” In B-lymphocytes of CLL patients, receptor components FR2 and HCDR3 are formed in such a manner that they represent key and lock of the receptor. “Hereby, neighboring receptors of the same cells activate each other and trigger a signalling cascade, which finally causes uncontrolled division of cancer cells.”
Currently, approaches like chemotherapy that suppress symptoms in a relatively unspecific manner are applied in CLL treatment. “Based on decoding the molecular basics of CLL, we now strive to translate this knowledge to make it useful for patients”, Marcus Dühren-von Minden says, another author of the study. “It is conceivable to administer numerous copies of the key FR2 to patients, which then dock to the receptors and prevent neighboring receptors to bind at each other. This stops the consequential signalling cascade.” Through this mechanism, the course of the disease could be precluded much earlier than before, and with less side effects.
This video is about targeting B-cell therapy in Lymphoma.
What would it mean to women to know that a lab test was available to detect early breast cancer in conjunction with a mammogram? This would definitely give them confidence that the report is very accurate.
Breast cancer is the fear of most women because it is the number one cause of cancer death in this population
Great news has opened up for detecting a protein that is on the surface of breast cancer cells. The name of the protein is Nodal.
In the new research, the scientists monitored a group of laboratory mice that were designed to serve as models of breast cancer. Once the disease manifested itself, the researchers experimented by turning off expression of Nodal, a protein that is normally found on stem cells but also exists on the surface of breast cancer cells. Shutting down this protein caused the blood vessels that nourished the tumors to collapse, depriving the malignant tissue of the resources it needs to survive.
"Ultimately it would be nice to target Nodal in patients who already have quite advanced, well-vascularized tumors as a new option for therapy," said lead study author Daniela Quail. "Currently, patients like this don't have many options."
In the U.S., more than 228,000 individuals will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, according to the National Cancer Institute. A lab test may help with early detection.
This video above explains the new Nodal discovery and how this information will be used to shut down aggressive breast cancer.
A study over several years was conducted to see if certain supplements could reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer. You may already be taking these cancer reducing antioxidants on a daily basis.
Vitamins C and E, as well as the mineral selenium, are antioxidants that may help neutralize the effects of free radicals. Such compounds may cause genetic damage, which, alongside factors such as type 2 diabetes and poor diet, may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. Every year, more than a quarter of a million people around the world die from this disease.
In order to understand the effects of diet, a team of scientists reviewed food surveys completed by more than 23,000 individuals aged 40 to 74. Between 1993 and 2010, some 86 study participants developed pancreatic cancer.
Analysis of the surveys revealed that individuals in the top quartile of consumption of vitamins C, E and selenium were 67 percent less likely to have pancreatic cancer than people in the bottom quartile."If a causal association is confirmed by reporting consistent findings from other epidemiological studies, then population based dietary recommendations may help to prevent pancreatic cancer," the researchers said.
Persons with rheumatoid arthritis have daily struggles with severe pain and movement. Another serious downfall of the disorder is that these patients are more susceptible to develop cancer.
The association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cancer is not completely clear. Some studies show an increased risk of cancer in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) while others show a decreased risk. But the picture becomes clearer when researchers look at specific cancer types. Lymphoma. The strongest evidence of a link appears to be between lymphoma -- the most common type of blood cancer -- and severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Researchers from Sweden examined data from nearly 75,000 RA patients, 378 of whom had lymphoma. The researchers assessed risk for three different levels of disease activity (low, moderate, and severe) and found that people with moderate disease activity were eight times more likely to have lymphoma than those who had low disease activity, while those with severe disease activity were 70 times more likely. More support for a connection comes from a review of 21 published studies, including the Swedish study and 13 others that tried to determine whether there was a link between lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The findings, reported recently in Arthritis Research & Therapy,showed that overall, people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were twice as likely as the general population to develop lymphoma, particularly Hodgkin's lymphoma (one of the most curable types of cancer when detected early). Lung cancer. The same review also reported that lung cancer was observed more often in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Based on data from 12 studies, people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were 63% more likely to develop lung cancer than the general population. Cancer at other sites. In addition, the authors of the review reported a potentially reduced risk of colorectal cancer among people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) -- possibly due to their increased use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and COX-2 inhibitors. The researchers also reported a slightly reduced risk of breast cancer. What's Behind the Link? An important question that remains unanswered is whether people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are more prone to develop certain cancers than others or if the medications they take could be responsible for the increased risk. In the Swedish study, more than 70% of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) had taken traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, or DMARDs, such as methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall). However, the only DMARD linked to an increased risk of lymphoma was azathioprine (Imuran) -- a treatment that is rarely used today. There was also no link between NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil and others). One encouraging finding was that people who frequently used corticosteroids for inflamed joints had a lower risk of lymphoma, a result that suggests anti-inflammatory drugs could possibly protect against lymphoma.
Kimme L. Hyrich,M.D.,Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit at University of Manchester discusses the risk of rheumatoid arthritis patients.
All RA patients should be regularly tested for cancer. All health care professionals should be aware of this risk and write orders so they can be screened. If you know anyone with RA please ask and encourage them to be tested. Early detection can save a life.
When a patient has pancreatic cancer most will do what it take to extend their life. There is a rare pancreatic cancer called periampullary adenocarcinoma in which chemotherapy will increase the patient's life span.
Ampullary cancer is a malignant tumor that arises from the Ampulla of Vater, the last centimeter of the common bile duct as it passes through the duodenum, the first section of the intestine. All pancreatic and biliary secretions enter the duodenum through the Ampulla of Vater.
A tumor blocking the Ampulla of Vater will interfere with drainage of the pancreatic and biliary secretions into the intestine. Jaundice results when the drainage of bile into the duodenum is blocked causing it to accumulate in in the bloodstream. Jaundice, the yellowing of the skin, is typically one of the first symptoms present with Ampullary cancer.
The diagnostic tests used to for ampullary cancer are similar to those for pancreatic cancer; endoscopy or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) are frequently used to make the diagnosis.
Histology of Periampullay adenocarcinoma
Patients with periampullary cancer who received chemotherapy and surgery lived longer than patients who did not receive the chemotherapy.
This is the finding of a large multi-center research effort that was published in the July 11 issue ofJAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association).
This an important large international multi-center study showing the benefit of chemotherapy after surgical resection of a specific type ofperiampullary cancer," James Farrell, MD, director of the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center Endoscopic Ultrasound Division of Digestive Diseases, told dailyRx in an email,
"It supports the use of adjuvant treatmentwithgemcitabinefor this group of patients," Dr. Farrell said.
Additional study is needed to learn more about this treatment option. "There were different survival outcomes by tumor type, although age, poorly differentiated tumor grade, and lymph node involvement were also independent survival factors,” the authors write.
It is always heartbreaking when children have cancer. Usually cancer in children affects the blood cells or brain. A very rare cancer in children is rhabdomyosarcoma. Where is this cancer located in a child's body?
Fewer than 60 children are diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma
in the UK each year. About the same number in the United States. Most of them are younger than 10 years old. It's
more common in boys than girls.
Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common of the soft tissue
sarcomas in children. These tumors develop from muscle or fibrous
tissue and can grow in any part of the body.
The most common areas of the body to be affected are
around the head and neck, the bladder or the testes. Sometimes tumours
are also found in a muscle or a limb, in the chest or in the abdominal
wall. If the tumour is in the head or neck region, it can
occasionally spread into the brain or the fluid around the spinal cord.
What causes this disease is unknown. Children who have rare genetic disorders are more prone to have rhabdommyosarcoma.
Image of rhabdomyosarcoma that has been removed from a child's body.
The images of the children with this cancer are very disturbing so they will not be displayed.
The signs and symptoms will depend on the part of the body
that's affected by the rhabdomyosarcoma. The most common sign is a
swelling or lump.
If the tumor is in the head area, it can sometimes
cause a blockage (obstruction) and a discharge from the nose or throat.
Occasionally, an eye may appear swollen and protruding.
If the tumor is in the abdomen (tummy), your child may
have discomfort in the abdomen and difficulty going to the toilet.
If the tumor is in the bladder, your child may have blood in the urine and difficulty passing urine.
A variety of tests and investigations
may be needed to diagnose a rhabdomyosarcoma. A small operation may be
needed to remove a sample from the tumour to be looked at under a
microscope. This called a biopsy. It's usually done under a general
anaesthetic.
Various tests may be done to check the exact size of the tumour and whether it has spread to any other part of the body. These may include:
a chest x-ray to check the lungs
an ultrasound
CT or MRI scans
blood and bone marrow tests.
Any tests and investigations that your child needs will be explained to you. The booklet A parent's guide to children's cancer gives details of what the tests and scans involve.
Rhabdomyosarcomas are rare tumours and should be treated at specialist centres.
Treatment depends upon the size of the tumour, its
position within the body, and whether it has spread. Treatment of
rhabdomyosarcoma usually includes surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or a combination of these treatments.
Surgery
If at all possible, surgery will be used to remove the tumour. Chemotherapy, using a combination of drugs,
is often given before surgery to shrink the tumour. Radiotherapy may
also be given to the area of the tumour, particularly if it cannot be
completely removed by surgery.
Chemotherapy
If the tumour cannot be removed with surgery, treatment
will usually involve a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy
cancer cells and is usually given every three weeks. It may be given to
shrink the tumour before surgery or with radiotherapy when the tumour
can't be removed by surgery. The drugs used and the length of treatment
depends on the type and stage of the rhabdomyosarcoma.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy treats cancer by using high-energy rays,
which destroy the cancer cells while doing as little harm as possible to
normal cells. It's given to the area where the rhabdomyosarcoma occurs.
Side effects of treatment
Treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma often causes side effects,
and your child’s doctor will discuss this with you before treatment
starts. Any possible side effects will depend on the particular
treatment being given and the part of the body that's being treated.
Chemotherapy can make your child feel better by relieving
the symptoms of the cancer, but it can sometimes have side effects such
as feeling sick (nausea) and being sick (vomiting), hair loss, an increased risk of infection, bruising and bleeding, tiredness and diarrhoea.
Late side effects
A small number of children may develop side effects many years after their treatment for a rhabdomyosarcoma. Long-term side effects depend on the type of treatment used, and may include a possible reduction in bone growth, infertility,
a change in the way the heart and the kidneys work, and a slight
increase in the risk of developing another cancer in later life.
Your child’s doctor or nurse will talk to you about any
possible late side effects. There is more detailed information about
these late side effects in the booklet A parent’s guide to children’s cancer.
Great new article about new biomarker testing at the end of this year concerning ovarian cancer. Every woman needs to read this to educate yourself and share with others about what is involved with this life threatening cancer.
Autotelic Lab, Fountain Valley, a developer of quantitative rapid tests, announced today that it will be presenting a poster “The Hormones BNP and FSH
in Ovarian Cancer: Potential as Diagnostic Biomarkers” at ENDO 2012.
Ovarian cancer accounts for approximately 3 percent of all cancers in
women and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women
in the United States. Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality of all
cancers of the female reproductive system. This reflects, in part, a
lack of early symptoms and effective ovarian cancer
screening tests. Thus, ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced
stage, after the cancer has spread beyond the ovary. Cancer Antigen
125 (CA125, aka Mucin16) is overproduced by ovarian cancer cells;
however, it cannot be used as a diagnostic biomarker for ovarian cancer
as it can be absent when disease is present, or levels can be high when
no disease or no malignant disease exists. Serial changes in CA125
levels, if elevated, however, can be useful in assessment of disease
status and progression. Ovarian epithelial cancer is more common in
individuals with elevated Gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRH)
including Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone
(LH) such as postmenopausal women or women who have received treatment
to induce ovulation. Conversely, reduced risk of ovarian cancer is
associated with a history of multiple pregnancies, breastfeeding, oral
contraceptive use, and estrogen replacement therapy, all of which are
related to lower levels of and reduced exposure to FSH and LH. FSH
regulates gene expression in ovarian tumors and causes
neovascularization of ovarian cancers by increasing Vascular Endothelial
Growth Factor (VEGF) expression through upregulation of survivin. We
therefore examined FSH levels in relation to CA125 as potential
diagnostic marker for ovarian cancer using a quantitative point-of-care
device for FSH that was recently developed for therapeutic drug
monitoring. The surprising potential of FSH and/or Brain Natriuretic
Peptide (BNP) as diagnostic biomarkers for ovarian cancer will be
presented.
These tests are performed on serum from a blood draw. It usually take a few days to get the results,but are very informative for the oncologist as far as plan of treatment.
An Inspiring Story of a woman (physician) Diagnosed With Ovarian
