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Genomics, the branch of molecular biology concerned with the structure, function, evolution, and mapping of an individual’s genes, is already revolutionizing the way medicine treats cancer. Like many sciences, genomics has “niches;” single-cell genomics is a rapidly developing field, and current technologies can assay a single cell’s gene expression, DNA variation, epigenetic state, and nuclear structure within its environment. Cellular identity is critical by itself; the human body is composed of trillions of cells that belong to approximately 200 different cell types and even those types are, from cell to cell, filled with unique expression profiles. When cancer is involved, a disease…

Minomic, a Sydney-based diagnostic company, has developed an in vitro diagnostic test for the early detection of prostate cancer. Their product, MiCheck®, is a blood test that uses their patented monoclonal antibody together with other biomarkers to estimate the risk of a patient having aggressive prostate cancer. MiCheck® fills a major unmet market in prostate cancer diagnostics to counter reported high PSA levels and better assess patients by differentiating aggressive cancer from non-aggressive or no cancer before potentially invasive, expensive and patient deterring biopsies. MiCheck®, as a simple blood test, is far less invasive than a prostate biopsy, usually providing…

A new combination of two standing drugs and radiation therapy has the potential to revolutionize the treatment and care of pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal diagnoses an oncologist can face with patients. Using data from studies by NFCR fellow Dr. Rakesh Jain, investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital used the popular hypertension drug losartan to augment the efficacy of the chemotherapy drug FOLFIRANOX (FFX). Currently in Phase II clinical trial (of three), the treatment is already generating enthusiasm in the oncological community as an effective tool against a cancer that has become synonymous with a death sentence. “Around 40 percent…

Cancer is an inherently confusing disease. Such a diagnosis can overwhelm an individual with a myriad of questions. Sometimes these questions pour out, one after another. Other times, the stream of questions is too overwhelming to articulate the hundreds of questions clouding the mind. Approximately 3500 women diagnosed with cancer this year will have just one question: ‘How will cancer affect my pregnancy?’ Though a relatively small number of women battle cancer while pregnant, there does not appear to be a key risk factor or any specific preventative measures aside from basic healthy habits. This means that any woman who is pregnant or…

Approved by the FDA in 1993, the drug cladribine offered hope for the then-fatal blood cancer called hairy cell leukemia, or HCL, and was soon expanded as a therapy for multiple sclerosis. Developed by NFCR scientist Dr. Dennis Carson at the University of California, San Diego, cladribine acts like a purine nucleoside agent, which prevents cells from making DNA and RNA, and can selectively kill hairy cell leukemia cells. Heralded as a breakthrough cure, cladribine remains the first-line treatment for HCL and is also tapped as a treatment for B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Now researchers have expanded its use to another deadly form of…

Prostate cancer is, after skin cancer, the most common cancer among men and the second biggest cancer killer for men in the United States. It’s typically an older man’s cancer with approximately 60 percent diagnoses in men over 65, with the average age being 66. As cancers go, prostate cancer has one of the better prognosis: the five-year survival rate for most men with local or regional prostate cancer is nearly 100 percent. However, for men diagnosed with prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, that number falls to 30 percent. An estimated 174,650 men in the United…

As we honor Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, it’s important to be cognizant of the realities of these deadly diseases. All women with reproductive organs are susceptible to developing one of the seven gynecologic cancers, with the exception of women who have received a full hysterectomy and are at a lower risk. Know your body, know the facts, know your risk. #1. Gynecologic cancer is an umbrella term for seven different cancers that occur in women’s reproductive organs. Types of gynecologic cancers include… Cervical cancer. This occurs when the cells inside and outside the cervix mutate. This is the move preventable cancer through annual…

Some women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are able to choose between different types of surgery to remove their tumors. Because these surgical options are equally effective, the decision often comes down to the woman’s preference about factors such as recovery time, potential complications, and effect on appearance. But a new study shows that some women also take another factor into consideration: cost. The cost of care is particularly important for women with lower incomes, the study found. However, the researchers found that very few women reported discussing costs with their medical team, despite their desire to do so. “Doctors discuss many variables with women facing…