Category: Cancer
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Ultrasound combined with contrasting agent for radiation-free tumor detection
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0086642 University of North Carolina Professor Nancy Klauber-Demore has improved the resolution and tumor-detecting ability of ultrasound scans. Combining ultrasound with a contrast agent composed of tiny bubbles that pair with an antibody that many cancer cells produce at higher levels than do normal cells, Klauber-Demore was able to visualize lesions created by angiosarcoma. By binding to…
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Sensors detect radiation complications early, at home
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24395986 Susan Peterson and colleagues at MD Anderson have completed a feasibility study showing that equipping head and neck cancer patients with home-based sensors can identify dehydration during radiation treatment. Physicians reviewed patients’ information daily using CYCORE (CYberinfrastructure for COmparative Effectiveness REsearch), a software-based platform to collect and manage data from multiple systems through a suite of home-based and…
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Capsule endoscopy modification detects stomach cancer via “diagnostic pill”
http://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticle.php?artid=57925 Researchers at Chongqing University in China have developed an ingestible capsule capable of detecting chemical precursors of a gastric tumor. The findings might allow oncologists to catch the disease at a very early stage. It is based on a modification of existing capsule endoscopy to detect occult bleeding — tiny quantities of blood associated with…
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Breath sensor identifies lung cancer
Journal of Thoracic Oncology Metabolic processes are different in those with and without lung cancer. Cleveland Clinic researchers have developed a colorimetric sensor that analyzes breath to identify lung cancer and characterize cancer histology. The sensor evaluates the activity of antioxidant pathways, the handling of energy stress, and the metabolism of specific volatile organic compounds. The…
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MD Anderson uses IBM’s Watson supercomputer to accelerate cancer fighting knowledge
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/42214.wss Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center is feeding IBM’s Watson “cognitive computer” case histories on more than 1 million leukemia patients, along with information about the disease, research and treatment options. Hospital staff and doctors hope it will help guide care and reduce the death rate. They also hope the supercomputer will be able to…
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Eliminating sugar slows cancer growth
http://www.scotsman.com/news/health/cutting-off-sugar-could-stop-cancer-growth-1-3024411 Old but important news: Eliminating sugar can slow cancer growth. Researchers were aware that all cancer cells are attracted to sugar, grabbing it from the blood before using it to fuel their growth. In breast cancer the process involves binding proteins called CtBPs together to form pairs known as dimers. These in turn help…
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Real-time MRI guided gene therapy for brain cancer
http://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/Pages/2013-08-06-MRI-guided-gene-therapy-for-brain-cancer.aspx Neurosurgeons at the University of California San Diego School and Moores Cancer Center utilize MRI navigational technology to guide the delivery of investigational gene therapy Toca 511, or vocimagene amiretrorepvec, precisely into a brain malignancy in an attempt to make it more susceptible to chemotherapy.
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Sound waves detect disease related changes in red blood cell shape
http://www.cell.com/biophysj/abstract/S0006-3495(13)00624-3 Ryerson University investigators used photoacoustics to create detailed images to detect changing shapes of red blood cells associated with diseases including maria, sickle cell anemia and certain types of cancer. A drop of blood is placed under a microscope that picks up sounds produced by the cells. Researchers then focus a laser beam on the samples.…
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Nanotube sensor detects skin cancer
http://www.monell.org/news/news_releases/monell_led_research_identifies_scent_of_melanoma A study from the Monell Center and the University of Pennsylvania suggests that non-invasive odor analysis may be a valuable technique in the detection and early diagnosis of human melanoma. The researchers used sophisticated sampling and analytical techniques to identify VOCs from melanoma cells at three stages of the disease, as well as from normal…
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DNA “nanotrain” for targeted cancer drug delivery
http://news.ufl.edu/2013/04/29/nanotrain/ The nanotrain cost-effectively delivers high doses of drugs to precisely targeted cancers and other medical maladies without leaving behind toxic nano-clutter. “The beauty of the nanotrain is that by using different disease biomarkers you can hitch different types of DNA probes as the train’s ‘locomotive’ to recognize and target different types of cancers,” said…
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Chip could individualize prostate cancer treatment
http://cedars-sinai.edu/About-Us/News/News-Releases-2013/New-diagnostic-technology-may-lead-to-individualized-treatments-for-prostate-cancer-.aspx A research team jointly led by scientists from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the University of California, Los Angeles, have enhanced a device they developed to identify and “grab” circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, that break away from cancers and enter the blood, often leading to the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. If…