Cancer Research
07 Oct Novel microRNA Regulatory Network Has Important Therapeutic Implications in Rhabdomyosarcoma
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Riccardo Taulli, PhD Assistant Professor of Biochemistry Dept. of Oncology, University of Turin Via Santena 5, 10126 Torino, Italy MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Rhabdomyosarcoma is a muscle-derived pediatric cancer for which therapeutic options have not improved significantly over the past decades, especially for its metastatic form. MicroRNAs are small regulatory molecules that control gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, fine tuning a wide number of cellular mechanisms, processes and behaviors. In our work, we underwent a large microRNA isolation and sequencing effort using human samples of the three major rhabdomyosarcoma subtypes, along with cell lines and normal muscle, to identify novel molecular circuits with therapeutic potential.06 Oct DRD2 Inhibitors As Potential Therapy Against Pancreatic Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Pouria Jandaghi Functional Genome Analysis, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg, Germany Department of Human Genetics, McGill University University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre Montreal, Canada MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Although the overall five-year survival of all patients with cancer stands at 63%, for pancreatic cancer patients, it is a disheartening 8% - a number that remains largely unchanged for three decades. Of the patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, about 85% exhibit pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Most of these patients die within 4 to 6 months after diagnosis. The poor prognosis is caused by the its detection at only late stages, and lack of effective options for chemotherapy. The widely used chemotherapeutic agent gemcitabine, confers a median survival advantage of only 6 months, and resistance to therapy develops in the vast majority of patients. Given this poor prognosis of patients with PDAC, there is an urgent need to find more effective therapies. In this study, we set out to investigate potential therapeutic targets by dissecting gene expression profiles of tumors and control samples. Candidate targets were validated with respect to their suitability and analyzed functionally.05 Oct Depression Common in Lung Cancer and Linked To Mortality
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28555" align="alignleft" width="96"]
Dr. Donald Sullivan[/caption]
Donald R. Sullivan, M.D., M.A.
Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine
Oregon Health & Science University
Investigator, VA Portland Health Care System
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: There is an inextricably link between physical and mental health, and all too often clinicians focus solely on the physical components of disease. A life-threatening diagnosis such as cancer often evokes significant psychological distress and lung cancer patients are at significantly risk. Up to 44% of lung cancer patients experience depression symptoms and 5-13% major depressive disorder, higher than most other cancers. Previous studies have demonstrated the development of depression or depression symptoms at lung cancer diagnosis can increase patient mortality, but there is a paucity of research exploring how longitudinal changes in depression symptoms impact patient outcomes.
04 Oct Epidemic of HPV Associated Throat Cancer in Men
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28537" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Eric Genden[/caption]
Eric M Genden, MD, FACS
Isidore Friesner Professor and Chairman
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this report? How has the clinical picture of HPV infections of oral and throat cancers changed over the past two decades?
Response: There has been no change however there has been a epidemic of viral induced throat cancer in men. The HPV virus has been established a the causative agent in cervical cancer in women. It has now been identified as a major causative agent in tonsillar and base of tongue cancer.
04 Oct Breast Cancer Mortality Varies By Latina Subgroups
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28533" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Bijon Hunt[/caption]
Bijou R. Hunt, MA
Sinai Urban Health Institute, Sinai Health System
Chicago, IL
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Hispanic women, as well as the leading cause of cancer death for this group. Research has shown that there are differences by Hispanic subgroup in various causes of death, including cancer, but we haven’t seen data on breast cancer specifically among Hispanic subgroups. The most important question we wanted to address with this study was: do breast cancer prevalence and mortality vary by Hispanic subgroup?
04 Oct Leukoencephalopathy As Marker of Cognitive Impairment After Chemotherapy For Childhood ALL
Posted at 00:06h
in Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Cognitive Issues, Education, Lancet, Leukemia, Mental Health Research, Pediatrics
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Yin Ting Cheung, PhD
Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control and
Noah D Sabin, MD
Department of Diagnostic Imaging
St Jude Children's Research Hospital
Memphis, TN
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Long-term survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who are treated with high-dose intravenous methotrexate or intrathecal chemotherapy are at risk for neurocognitive impairment, particularly in cognitive processes such as processing speed, attention and executive function. However, many children who receive these therapies do not experience significant impairments, suggesting the need for biomarkers to identify patients at greatest risk. Prior research from our team demonstrated that, during chemotherapy, patients were at risk for white matter changes in the brain, also known as leukoencephalopathy. No studies documented the persistence or impact of brain leukoencephalopathy in long-term survivors of childhood ALL treated on contemporary chemotherapy-only protocols.
In this study, we included prospective neuroimaging from active therapy to long-term follow-up, and comprehensive assessment of brain structural and functional outcomes in long-term survivors of ALL treated with contemporary risk-adapted chemotherapy. We demonstrated that survivors who developed leukoencephalopathy during therapy displayed more neurobehavioral problems at more than 5 years post-diagnosis. Moreover, these survivors also had reduced white matter integrity at long-term follow-up, and these structural abnormalities were concurrently associated with the neurobehavioral problems.
03 Oct Cell Biomarkers To Distinguish Deadly From Less Aggressive HPV Oral Cancers
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28510" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Elizabeth Franzmann[/caption]
Elizabeth Franzmann, M.D.
Scientific Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Vigilant Biosciences
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Head and neck cancer involves cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx and larynx. It is difficult to treat. Part of the challenge is that it is distinguishing the patients with tumors that are going to behave aggressively from those with less aggressive disease. As a result, many patients undergo treatment that may be more intensive and morbid than they need while others need more aggressive treatment. Tissue markers associated with prognosis may be able to help clinicians differentiate patients who need more aggressive treatment from those whose treatment can be less intensive. CD44 is a cell surface glycoprotein and tumor-initiating marker. CD44 and another surface protein, EGFR, are involved in tumor extension and are associated with poor prognosis. Certain forms of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) are known to cause oropharyngeal cancer and are associated with a good prognosis. P16 is a surrogate marker for the kind of HPV that causes cancer. Understanding the relationships between how these markers are expressed in cancer tissue may direct patient treatment in the future.
30 Sep No Link Found Between Vasectomy and Developing or Dying From Prostate Cancer
Posted at 23:01h
in Author Interviews, Journal Clinical Oncology, Prostate Cancer, Surgical Research, Urology
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28482" align="alignleft" width="134"]
Dr. Eric Jacobs[/caption]
Eric Jacobs, PHD
Strategic Director, Pharmacoepidemiology
American Cancer Society, Inc.
250 Williams St.
Atlanta, GA 30303
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Vasectomy is a common, inexpensive, and very effective method of long-term birth control. However, in 2014, an analysis from a large epidemiologic cohort study, the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, found that vasectomy was associated with about 10% higher overall risk of prostate cancer and about 20% higher risk of fatal prostate cancer. Together with other researchers at the American Cancer Society, I analyzed the association between vasectomy and fatal prostate cancer among more than 363,000 men in the Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) cohort, age 40 and older, who were followed for up to 30 years. This is the largest prospective analysis of vasectomy and fatal prostate cancer to date. We also examined vasectomy and prostate cancer in a subset of about 66,000 CPS-II study participants who were followed for new diagnoses of prostate cancer.
We found no link between having had a vasectomy and risk of either developing or dying from prostate cancer.
30 Sep Mibefradil Dihydrochoride with Hypofractionated Radiation for Recurrent Glioblastoma
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28487" align="alignleft" width="175"]
Dr. Nataniel Lester-Coll[/caption]
Nataniel Lester-Coll, MD
Chief Resident in Radiation Oncology at Yale
New Haven, Connecticut
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) has limited treatment options and the prognosis is poor. Mibefradil diydrochloride was identified using a high-throughput compound screen for DNA double stranded break repair inhibitors. Mibefradil was found to radiosensitize GBM tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. Based on these findings, we sought to determine the maximum tolerated dose of mibefradil and radiation therapy in a Phase I recurrent GBM study. Eligible patients with recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme received Mibefradil over a 17 day period, with hypofractionated radiation (600 cGy x 5 fractions). There are 18 patients currently enrolled who have completed treatment. Thus far, there is no clear evidence of radionecrosis. A final dose level of 200 mg/day was reached as the maximum tolerated dose. The drug was very well tolerated at this dose. We saw intriguing evidence of enhanced local control in selected cases. Patients enrolled in a translational substudy who received Mibefradil prior to surgery were found to have adequate levels of Mibefradil in resected brain tumor tissue.
30 Sep Histone Switch Allows Some Cancer Cells To Become Immortal
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28461" align="alignleft" width="180"]
Dr. Paola Scaffidi[/caption]
Paola Scaffidi, PhD
Group Leader
Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory
The Francis Crick Institute
London
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Every cancer is different, but even within the same tumor cells are highly diverse, and only some of them are truly immortal and drive tumor growth. This is quite surprising if we think that cancer arises from one cell that keeps replicating itself. So why are some cancer cells more dangerous than others? And why do some cells "get tired" along the way and, at some point, stop dividing?
In our study we describe one cellular mechanism that provides some answers to these questions. We have found that to be able to divide indefinitely, cancer cells have to strongly reduce the levels of a nuclear protein called histone H1.0. This is needed to allow activation of many genes important for cancer cell proliferation, which otherwise would be somehow "hidden" within the cell nucleus. Importantly, though, while tumors grow, some cells raise back the levels of H1.0, which hides these genes again and makes the cells stop proliferating. So the end result is that within the same tumor we have a mix of cells, some which keep these important genes on, while others switch them off and, as a consequence, lose their ability to divide, and differentiate into a more mature state.
30 Sep Survey Reveals Communication Gaps Between Oncologists and Patients With Advanced Breast Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28448" align="alignleft" width="120"]
Dr. Adam Brufsky[/caption]
Adam Brufsky, MD, PhD, FACP
Medical Director of the Women's Cancer Center
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
- The Make Your Dialogue Count survey was conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Novartis between June 20 and August 22, 2014. A total of 359 surveys were collected among women 21 years+ living with advanced breast cancer in addition to 234 caregivers of women with advanced breast cancer and 252 licensed oncologists who treat at least five advanced breast cancer patients per month within the United States. Novartis conducted the survey with guidance from oncologists, patient advocacy experts and a psychologist to better understand the dialogue around treatment goals and decisions that takes place among advanced breast cancer patients, caregivers and oncologists.
- Main survey findings show communication gaps exist in discussions between patients and oncologists, particularly around treatment plans and goals.
- 89% of patients and 76% of oncologists said that it’s important or very important to discuss long-term treatment plans beyond the current recommended treatment at their initial advanced breast cancer diagnosis. Yet, 43% of patients reported that this did not take place.
- 70% of patients and 65% of oncologists said that it’s important or very important to refer patients to support services at their initial advanced breast cancer diagnosis. Yet, only 36% of patients reported that this was something their doctor did.
- 23% of oncologists said that at times their emotions have kept them from sharing certain information with their advanced breast cancer patients, and 27% of oncologists said that, in certain situations, they do not discuss with patients the fact that advanced breast cancer is incurable.
27 Sep IL-33 May Be First Stand Alone Biomarker of Prostate Cancer Recurrence
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Iryna Saranchova MD PhD candidate Michael Smith Laboratories Vancouver, BC MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? • The immune system is efficient at identifying and halting the tumour emergence at early stages. However, when metastatic (sufficient to cause death) tumour appears, the immune system is no longer able to recognize the cancer cells and control their growth and spread. • Recent studies of solid cancers have shown considerable heterogeneity between different tumour types and several lines of evidence suggest that tumours are not only heterogeneous, but they constantly evolve during the disease progression and this often hampers the existing treatment methods. • It means that it is important to consider each patient’s mutational changes accumulated over time in antecedent primary, metastatic lesions and/or local recurrences. This approach will help to understand the mechanism of tumour development, create a background for specific treatment modality and prevent therapeutic failure with consequent systemic relapse of the disease • Therefore, in our project we were aiming to find possible immune markers of tumour transition from the primary stage to its metastatic form. For this purpose, we selected a special study model: two pairs of separate mouse tumour cell lines, where metastatic cells arose from the initial primary tumour.27 Sep Study Supports Routine Colon Cancer Screening Through Age 75, With Individualized Decisions Afterwards
Posted at 19:48h
in Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Colon Cancer, Geriatrics
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28323" align="alignleft" width="124"]
Dr. Xabier Garcia-De-Albeniz[/caption]
Xabier Garcia-De-Albeniz MD PhD
Research Associate
Department of Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Mongan Institute for Health Policy
Massachusetts General Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Randomized controlled trials are considered the gold standard to inform health care delivery. Unfortunately, no randomized controlled trials of screening colonoscopy have been completed. Ongoing trials exclude persons aged 75 or older, and will not have mature results before 2025. However, healthy persons older than 75 may live long enough to benefit from colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. The Medicare program reimburses screening colonoscopy without an upper age limit since the year 2001. We used the extensive experience of Medicare beneficiaries to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of screening colonoscopy.
23 Sep Scaffold Can Potentially Deliver Therapeutic miRNA To Decrease Breast Cancer Metastases
Posted at 21:41h
in Author Interviews, Breast Cancer, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Nature, Technology
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28309" align="alignleft" width="157"]
Dr. Natalie Artzi[/caption]
Natalie Artzi PhD
principal research scientist
MIT's Institute for Medical Engineering and Science and
Assistant professor of medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital
With co-authors:
Avital Gilam, João Conde, Daphna Weissglas-Volkov, Nuria Oliva, Eitan Friedman, Noam Shomron
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Metastases are the primary cause for mortality in breast cancer, the most common cancer in women regardless of ethnicity. Recent studies show that germline sequence variants, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA-binding sites, can disrupt the downregulation by miRNAs, with a profound effect on gene expression levels and consequentially on the phenotype, including increased risk for cancer.
In the current study, we aimed to determine the potential effect of SNPs within miRNA-binding sites on metastatic breast cancer progression and their potential use as suppression targets to prevent metastasis.
Our collaborators at Tel-Aviv Universityin a research led by Dr. Noam Shomron found that the SNP, rs1071738, located in a target site for miR-96 and miR-182 on the 3’-UTR of the PALLD gene, encodes the Palladin actin-associated protein, which is a documented player in breast cancer motility. In vitro experiments revealed a functional downregulation of Palladin levels by miR-96 and miR-182, which subsequently reduces migration and invasion abilities of breast cancer cells.
My lab then showed in an in vivo experiment that the use of nanoparticles embedded in a hydrogel scaffold as a miRNA delivery vehicle enables an efficient and specific delivery of miR-96/miR-182 directly to breast tumours, which results in marked reduction of breast cancer metastasis. We then proceeded to study the effect of combination therapy in which we will use a chemotherapy drug to shrink the primary tumor and the miRNAs to prevent metastasis. The intercalation of a chemotherapy drug, cisplatin, to the miR-conjugated nanoparticles further improved the effect, leading to significant reduction in both primary tumour growth and metastasis.
Our study highlights the therapeutic potential of miRNAs, and specifically miR-96 and miR-182, and support the importance of Palladin regulation in breast cancer metastasis.
23 Sep Designing an Implantable Scaffold To Capture Cancer Cells and Personalize Treatment
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28279" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Grace Bushnell[/caption]
Grace G. Bushnell PhD candidate
Department of Biomedical Engineering
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: This study builds off of previous work from the Shea and Jeruss laboratories at the University of Michigan, which reported that implanted scaffolds can capture early metastatic cells in vivo prior to the colonization of other organs and serve as a platform for early detection of metastatic disease. Furthermore, the presence of a scaffold reduced the tumor burden in other metastatic locations.
In this work, the major finding was that early detection using a scaffold combined with a therapeutic intervention led to a survival advantage relative to mice that did not receive a scaffold. The scaffolds had been designed to persist in vivo for longer periods of time than in the original study. Additionally, the scaffold was implanted prior to the inoculation of metastatic cancer cells in the mouse. The role of the immune system in the process was further refined, as the immune cell composition at the scaffold changed significantly after disease initiation. These studies demonstrate that early intervention in a metastatic setting can lead to enhanced survival. This principle of early intervention is well established for the primary tumor, and these studies suggest that this principle may be extended to metastatic disease.
23 Sep Genetic Ancestry using Mitochondrial DNA in patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28272" align="alignleft" width="96"]
Dr. Roshni Rao[/caption]
Roshni Rao, M.D
Breast Surgery
University of Texas Southwestern
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by not having estrogen, progesterone, or Her2Neu receptors. Although a less common type, it is aggressive, and leads to a disproportionate number of deaths from breast cancer.
TNBC is more common in young, African American women, but can be found in other ethnic groups as well.
This study performed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, to evaluate for patient genetic ancestry, in 92 patients with TNBC. In regards to self-identified ethnicity, there were 31 African-Americans, 31 Whites, and 30 Hispanics. Utilizing mtDNA, 13% of patients had discordance between self identified ethnicity and mtDNA analysis. Discordance was highest in the Hispanic group. The Hispanic patients were also much younger at initial age of diagnosis, and less likely to have a family history of breast cancer. Ancestry from Nigeria, Cameroon, or Sierre Leone were most common in the African-Americans with triple negative breast cancer.
22 Sep Genetic Determinants of Cisplatin Resistance in Patients With Advanced Germ Cell Tumors
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28253" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Darren Feldman[/caption]
Darren R. Feldman, MD
Medical Oncologist
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: There is limited knowledge as to why a minority of patients with advanced germ cell tumors are resistant to chemotherapy while the majority achieve complete responses. Patients with cisplatin-resistant disease require intensive salvage treatment and are at high risk of dying from their disease. We sought to determine whether certain genomic alterations within tumors might be associated with cisplatin-resistance in GCT. We also wanted to identify the spectrum of genomic alterations in this population which might represent novel targets for existing or new drug development in this disease.
21 Sep Melanoma Self-Examination May Be Less Effective in Elderly Patients
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28161" align="alignleft" width="93"]
Dr. José Antonio Avilés-Izquierdo[/caption]
José Antonio Avilés-Izquierdo, PhD
Department of Dermatology
Hospital Gregorio Marañón
Madrid, Spain
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Melanoma is responsible for most of skin cancer-related deaths and the cancer with the highest cost per death and the highest lost of productive-life years in Europe.
Despite the importance on early diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma, there are few studies analyzing the reasons that lead patients with melanoma to consult. The impact on prognosis in patients with melanoma according to who first detects melanoma have not been established.
21 Sep High SPF Sunscreen Use Linked To Lower Risk of Melanoma
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28154" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Reza Ghiasvand[/caption]
Reza Ghiasvand, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow,
Department of Biostatistics,
Faculty of Medicine,
University of Oslo.
Oslo, Norway
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: To date, findings from studies have been inconsistent. Some studies found a decreased risk of melanoma among sunscreen users, while others found no association or a higher risk of melanoma among sunscreen users. Several studies found that many sunscreen users do not apply sunscreens properly and do not reapply as recommended and stay longer in the sun after using sunscreen and as a result get sunburn and increase their risk of skin cancer.
Our findings suggest higher UV exposure among sunscreen users compared to nonusers. However, those who used sunscreen with high SPF had 33% lower risk of melanoma compared to users of low SPF sunscreens.
21 Sep President of AACR Discusses Sixth Annual Cancer Progress Report
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_28144" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Dr. Nancy Davidson[/caption]
Nancy Davidson, MD
President of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and
Director, Cancer Institute
University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Davidson discusses the 2016 AACR Cancer Progress Report. “The report serves as an educational document for both Congress and the public, alike. The report is a call to action, designed to urge Congress and the American public to stand firm in their commitment to the conquest of cancer”.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background and goals for this report?
Dr. Davidson:
- This is the sixth edition of our annual Cancer Progress Report.
- The annual report is the cornerstone of the AACR’s educational and advocacy efforts:
- The report outlines efforts to increase public and Congressional understanding of cancer and the importance of cancer research to public health and
- Efforts to advocate for increased federal funding for the NIH, NCI, FDA, and other federal agencies that are vital for fueling progress against cancer
- The first report was written in 2011, the year that marked the 40th anniversary of the signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971, to commemorate the advances in cancer research that had been made to date and to paint a picture of where the science was leading us.
19 Sep Computer Bests Neuroradiologists in Distinguishing Tumor Recurrence From Radiation Necrosis
Posted at 21:39h
in Author Interviews, Brain Cancer - Brain Tumors, Case Western, MRI, Radiology, Technology
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28107" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Pallavi Tiwari[/caption]
Dr. Pallavi Tiwari PhD
Assistant Professor biomedical engineering
Case Western Reserve University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: One of the biggest challenges in neuro-oncology currently is distinguishing radionecrosis, a side-effect of aggressive radiation, from tumor recurrence on imaging. Surgical intervention is the only means of definitive diagnosis, but suffers from considerable morbidity and mortality. The treatments for radionecrosis and cancer recurrence are very different. Early identification of the two conditions can help speed prognosis, therapy, and improve patient outcomes.
The purpose of this feasibility study was to evaluate the role of machine learning algorithms along with computer extracted texture features, also known as radiomic features, in distinguishing radionecrosis and tumor recurrence on routine MRI scans (T1w, T2w, FLAIR). The radiomic algorithms were trained on 43 studies from our local collaborating institution - University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and tested on 15 studies at a collaborating institution, University of Texas Southwest Medical Center. We further compared the performance of the radiomic techniques with two expert readers.
Our results demonstrated that radiomic features can identify subtle differences in quantitative measurements of tumor heterogeneity on routine MRIs, that are not visually appreciable to human readers. Of the 15 test studies, the radiomics algorithm could identify 12 of 15 correctly, while expert 1 could identify 7 of 15, and expert 2, 8 of 15.
19 Sep Is Testosterone Therapy Safe in Patients with Treated and Untreated Prostate Cancer?
Posted at 19:04h
in Author Interviews, Endocrinology, Prostate, Prostate Cancer, Testosterone, Urology
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_28090" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Dr. Jesse Ory[/caption]
Dr. Jesse Ory
Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine
Dalhousie University, Halifax
Nova Scotia, Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The use of Testosterone Therapy (TT) in men diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer (CaP) has been highly controversial for several decades. Unfortunately, this controversy is largely founded on the results of a single patient in a study by Huggins and Hodges in the 1940s [1]. This wasn't challenged until recently, when Morgentaler reviewed the literature on the topic and found no scientific basis for the assumption that TT will act like fuel on the fire of prostate cancer [2]. He also proposed a mechanism, the "saturation hypothesis" that helps account for why TT may in fact be safe for men with prostate cancer. [3]. Over the past decade, retrospective evidence has been accumulating that supports the safety of Testosterone Therapy in hypogonadal men with CaP on Active Surveillance, or in those who have been definitively treated for prostate cancer..
19 Sep Variable Effects of Dairy, Calcium, Vitamin D on Ovarian Cancer Risk in African–American Women
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_24508" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Bo Qin[/caption]
Bo (Bonnie) Qin, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Associate
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancer in the US. African-American patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer tend to have a worse 5-year survival rate compared to their European-American patients. Therefore, identifying preventive factors in African-Americans women is particularly important.
African Americans tend to consume less calcium and vitamin D from dietary sources, due to a higher prevalence of lactose intolerance, and supplemental intake. Meanwhile, darker color of the skin reduces the synthesis of vitamin D upon sun exposure. They together place African-American women at risk for calcium and vitamin D deficiency. It remains unknown whether calcium, vitamin D, lactose and dairy products are associated with ovarian cancer risk in African-American women and our study aimed to answer this question.
19 Sep New Onset Diabetes, Especially In Lean Patients, Can Be Marker of Pancreatic Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Pavel Škrha Charles University, Prague Czech Republic MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Incidence of pancreatic cancer (PAC) is still increasing. The main problem is in the late diagnosis of the cancer. It was found, that diabetes mellitus was much more frequent in the pancreatic cancer patients than in the general population. DM can be already the first symptom of the disease (secondry T3cDM). In our study nearly 80 % of all the pancreatic cancer patients had DM/prediabetes and it was of new-onset (less than 2 years before the cancer diagnosis) in 73 % out of them. We have measured the current marker of PAC (CA 19-9) together with serum microRNA-196 and -200 (that we have chosen in the previous pilot study). All the markers were significantly elevated in the pancreatic cancer patients, without any difference between the subgroups according to DM presence/absence. While the sensitivity of CA 19-9 alone (to detect the cancer) was 85 % (specificity 73 %), combining all the three markers improved it to 95 % (specificity 77 %). In the pancreatic cancer group, there were only six patients with T1 or T2 stage (others had an advanced stage of the disease - T3, T4). While CA 19-9 alone identified only 2 patients of them, the combined test identified all the six patients (data not shown in the poster).15 Sep Risk of breast cancer associated with a diagnosis of atypical ductal hyperplasia may be lower than previously reported
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Tehillah S. Menes, MD Department of Surgery Tel Aviv-Sourasky Medical Center Tel Aviv, Israel MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) is a known risk factor for breast cancer. The diagnosis is made by a biopsy showing a uniform proliferation of cells lining the ducts of the breast. These cells have monomorphic round nuclei and characteristically fill only part of the involved duct. Women diagnosed with ADH are recommended to undergo increased surveillance and offered chemoprevention (i.e. Tamoxifen) for risk reduction. Most studies reporting on the risk of subsequent breast cancer in women with ADH were done prior to the wide use of screening mammography and percutaneous needle biopsy. Our study examined 10-year risk of invasive breast cancer in women diagnosed with ADH (by needle biopsy or excisional biopsy), using data collected by the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC).15 Sep RANK signaling-blockade reduces breast cancer recurrence by inducing tumor cell differentiation
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27944" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Eva Gonzalez Suarez[/caption]
Eva Gonzalez Suarez, PhD
Group Leader Transformation and Metastasis lab.
Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program-PEBC
Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge-IDIBELL
Hospital Duran i Reynals Avinguda Gran Via de l'Hospitalet,
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat-Barcelona-Spain
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Thousands of cancer patients worldwide are taking RANKL inhibitors for the management of bone metastasis, based on the key role of RANKL and its receptor, RANK, driving osteoclastogenesis. RANK signaling pathway acts as a paracrine mediator of progesterone in mouse and human mammary epithelium. RANK expression is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer even though its therapeutic potential remained unknown.
Complementary genetic and pharmacological approaches demonstrate that therapeutic inhibition of RANK signaling drastically reduces the cancer stem cell pool, decreases tumor and metastasis initiation and enhances sensitivity to chemotherapy in mouse models that closely resemble the clinical disease. Mechanistically, genome wide expression analyses showed that anti-RANKL therapy promotes differentiation of tumor cells into milk-producing cells, as observed during pregnancy.
15 Sep Localized Prostate Cancer: Patient-Reported Outcomes after Monitoring, Surgery, or Radiotherapy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27922" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Prof. Jenny Donovan[/caption]
Professor Jenny Donovan PhD
OBE FMedSci NIHR-SI AcSS FFPHM
Director, NIHR CLAHRC West
(National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for
Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care West)
at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust
Bristol, UK
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: PSA testing identifies many men with prostate cancer, but they do not all benefit from treatment. Surgery, radiation therapy and various programs of active monitoring/surveillance can be given as treatments for fit men with clinically localized prostate cancer. Previous studies have not compared the most commonly used treatments in terms of mortality, disease progression and patient-reported outcomes. In the ProtecT study, we used a comprehensive set of validated measures, completed by the men at baseline (before diagnosis), at six and 12 months and then annually for six years.
The main finding is that each treatment has a particular pattern of side-effects and recovery which needs to be balanced against the findings from the paper reporting the clinical outcomes (Hamdy et al).
14 Sep One Size Fits All Strategy No Longer Works For Treatment of Ovarian Cancer
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27715" align="alignleft" width="114"]
Dr. Larissa Meyer[/caption]
Larissa A. Meyer, MD MPH F.A.C.O.G.
Assistant Professor
Dept of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine
Houston, TX 77030-1362
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Despite the completion of two randomized controlled trials, controversy regarding the optimal approach for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer remains. Our observational study highlights the importance of thoughtful selection of individuals for primary cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer. Our results suggest that primary cytoreductive surgery may improve survival for patients with stage IIIC ovarian cancer who are likely to achieve an optimal cytoreduction, while neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be the preferred option for many women with stage IV ovarian cancer.
14 Sep Adolescent Girls Not Adequately Screened For Pregnancy Before Chemo or CT Scans
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_27794" align="alignleft" width="144"]
Dr. Pooja Rao[/caption]
Pooja Rao, MD, MSCE
Assistant Professor
Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Penn State College of Medicine
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Although many chemotherapy drugs can cause birth defects, no standardized guidelines exist for pregnancy screening in adolescent female patients with cancer. Additionally, little is known about how often they are screened prior to receiving treatment.
Our study found that adolescent girls are not adequately screened for pregnancy prior to receiving chemotherapy or CT scans that could potentially harm a developing fetus. Adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, had the lowest pregnancy screening rates of the patients studied.