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Lung Cancer Alliance Announces Results of National Survey Revealing Stigma, Pessimism Surrounding Lung Cancer

July 24, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON, July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A national survey announced today by Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA), sheds more light on why support for people affected by lung cancer remains low. The poll indicates Americans are more likely to view lung cancer as “hopeless” and “untreatable” when compared with a diagnosis of breast or colon cancer. In addition, 26% of Americans believe lung cancer is largely “self-inflicted.”

“Many believe that those impacted by lung cancer brought the disease on themselves. This is simply not true,” said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, LCA President & CEO. “Over 77% of those diagnosed today either quit smoking decades ago or never smoked at all. The fact remains that regardless of smoking history, no one deserves lung cancer.”

This survey was conducted to provide guidance to health marketers participating in a unique online and live learning experience, unNiched 2010. During unNiched 2010, participants will learn powerful collaboration and strategic marketing skills. In addition, attendees will apply their knowledge during an event-wide idea competition designed to help LCA correct misperceptions about lung cancer and encourage people to become involved in the movement to increase compassion and support for the disease.

“We believe unNiched 2010 will help us accelerate our ongoing efforts to combat the pervasive stigma and misinformation surrounding lung cancer,” continued Fenton Ambrose. “We are confident participants will come up with creative and exciting concepts intended to enhance the work that LCA is already doing to alleviate stigma and further activate the lung cancer community.”

The full results of this survey will be unveiled in November during the live portion of unNiched 2010. To download an executive summary of the study, please visit www.unniched.com/LungCancerPerceptions.pdf. Learn more about unNiched 2010, by visiting www.unniched.com.

Lung Cancer Alliance, www.lungcanceralliance.org, is the only national non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to patient support and advocacy for those living with or at risk for lung cancer. Lung Cancer Alliance is committed to leading the movement to reverse decades of stigma and neglect by empowering those with or at risk for the disease, elevating awareness and changing health policy.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: ambrose, Attendees, breast cancer, Cancer Alliance, Cancer Community, colon cancer, Exciting Concepts, fenton, LCA, learning experience, lung cancer, marketers, misinformation, Misperceptions, national survey, Pervasive Stigma, pessimism, President Ceo, PRNewswire, strategic marketing

CureVac GmbH: CureVac starts Phase IIa with mRNA immunotherapeutic in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

June 17, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

CureVac GmbH / CureVac starts Phase IIa with mRNA immunotherapeutic in Non-Small Cell
Lung Cancer processed and transmitted by Hugin AS. The issuer is solely responsible for
the content of this announcement.

The company begins Phase IIa trial with CV9201 in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

CV9201 is CureVac’s second RNActive® therapeutic vaccine to enter Phase IIa clinical
development

First results expected by end of 2011

Tuebingen (Germany), June 16, 2010. CureVac GmbH, the mRNA company, today announced that
the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, the German regulatory authority for medicinal products, has
approved the start of a Phase IIa trial for CV9201 to treat Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
(NSCLC). Results so far from the Phase I study suggest CV9201, an RNActive®-derived mRNA
immunotherapeutic, to be safe and well tolerated when tested in patients with advanced
NSCLC who were pre-treated with standard therapies. The clinical trial with CV9201 will
now enter its Phase IIa part which will further evaluate the safety and tolerability as
well as the pharmacodynamics of the vaccine.

The multicentre trial will be conducted in multiple sites in Switzerland and Germany.
CV9201 will be delivered directly into the skin by intradermal injection. CureVac
expects preliminary results to be available by the end of 2011.

CV9201 is CureVac’s second RNActive® derived candidate for the active immunotherapy of
cancer. The therapeutic vaccine comprises modified mRNA components coding for five
different antigens frequently expressed by NSCLC cells.

“With Phase I results for both immunotherapeutics: CV9201 and CV9103 in NSCLC and
prostate cancer, respectively, we are clearly meeting in the clinical development of
this novel class of therapeutic vaccines,” said Ingmar Hoerr, Managing Director of
CureVac. “Now, we will focus on continuing the clinical trials of these interesting
compounds.”

###

About CureVac

CureVac GmbH is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the prophylactic and
therapeutic application of messenger RNA (mRNA). CureVac’s lead programme is dedicated
to the development of active tumor immunotherapies, based on its RNActive technology.
Furthermore CureVac develops prophylactic vaccines to protect from viral infections as
well as adjuvants.

Currently, there are two candidates in clinical stage: CV9103 to treat prostate cancer,
which in the U.S. and Europe is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of
cancer death in men. Additionally, CV9201, to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Lung cancer affects more than 1.4 million people worldwide and is the leading cause of
cancer death.

CureVac, a spin-off from the Tübingen University, Germany, was established in December
2000 and is headquartered in Tübingen with clinical development facilities in Frankfurt.
Since its inception, the Company has raised approximately EUR 65 million. The principal
investor of the company is dievini Hopp BioTech holding GmbH&Co. KG, a venture capital
firm owned by the Hopp family.

RNActive, RNAdjuvant, PUREmessenger are registered trademarks of CureVac GmbH.

About CureVac’s mRNA-derived Technologies

Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) is a genetic template for protein synthesis. It
delivers the information encoded by genes from DNA to ribosomes where the information is
translated into individual proteins. Natural RNA is an unstable biomolecule that is
rapidly digested in the human body.

CureVac has proved it is possible to modify mRNA making it suitable for therapeutic
purposes and maintaining its physiological properties. CureVac’s RNActive®-derived
customized mRNA molecules are used to encode e.g. different tumour-associated antigens
which are expressed by cells residing in the upper layers of the skin. Hence, the immune
system will recognize these antigens on presentation to dendritic cells and react by
forming both antigen-specific T-cells and humoral antibodies.

Building on its unique expertise from many years of RNA research and molecular design
the Company has established proprietary technologies. Furthermore, CureVac has built up
a worldwide unique processing plant for manufacturing mRNA according cGMP (current Good
Manufacturing Practice). The combination of these technologies enables the Company to
design and manufacture mRNA for a broad range of applications.

Contact

CureVac GmbH

Marijke Barner, PhD

Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 15

72076 Tübingen

Germany

T +49 (0) 70 71.92 0 53-0

F +49 (0) 70 71.92 0 53-11

Marijke.Barner@curevac.com mailto:Marijke.Barner@curevac.com

www.curevac.com http://www.curevac.com/

MC Services AG

Hilda Juhasz

T +49 (0) 89.210 228 20

Hilda.Juhasz@mc-services.eu mailto:Hilda.Juhasz@mc-services.eu

HUG#1424162

Press release (PDF) http://hugin.info/141325/R/1424162/372857.pdf

— End of Message —

CureVac GmbH
Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 15 Tübingen Germany

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Men with asthma and eczema ‘at reduced cancer risk’

May 12, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 12 (ANI): Allergic conditions such as asthma and eczema that result from a hyper reactive immune system might enhance the body’s ability to remove malignant cells, which might in turn lower cancer risk, say researchers.

The researchers published their finding in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

“Allergic conditions such as asthma and eczema that result from a hyper reactive immune system might enhance the body’s ability to remove malignant cells, which might in turn lower cancer risk,” said Mariam El-Zein, PhD, INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Laval, Québec, Canada, lead author of the article. “In our study, men with asthma had lower odds of getting stomach cancer and those with eczema had lower odds of developing lung cancer, when compared to men who did not have these conditions.”

The population-based case-control study was conducted in Montreal, Québec over a seven-year period among 3,300 male cancer patients and a control group of 500. Odds ratios were calculated for the association between asthma or eczema and more than 20 cancer types combined, as well as for each of eight common cancer types (stomach, colon, rectum, lung, prostate, bladder, skin and lymph nodes).

“We cannot fully explain why allergic conditions can decrease cancer risk but this research is promising,” said allergist Jonathan Bernstein, MD, Fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “We hope future studies continue to explore this connection and the role the immune system plays in reducing cancer risk.” (ANI)

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Crease-resistant toxin in nurses”” uniform ‘can cause cancer’

May 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, May 8 (ANI): Nurses in several hospitals across Wales and Scotland have reported skin rashes due to allergic reaction to the fabric of their uniforms, which contain potentially carcinogenic formaldehyde.

A leading toxin expert from Government””s Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances until recently, Gwynne Lyons, said that the allergic reaction was caused due to formaldehyde resin, used to make the tunics crease-resistant.

“But there is also a bigger picture, in that many experts consider that formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen when inhaled over time. Therefore, whenever possible, it is high time that safer substances were used instead of formaldehyde,” The Independent quoted Dr Lyons, director of the Chemicals, Health and Environment Monitoring Trust, as saying.

Clothes manufacturers use the chemical in clothes to prevent creasing and mildew during transit. The Health and Safety Executive warn workers that it can cause skin, eye, and nose and throat irritation. Long-term exposure to high levels has been linked with nasal and lung cancer.

Alternative uniforms are being made available to nurses in Wales while the problem is investigated. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: advisory committee, allergic reaction, chemicals, crease, Environment Monitoring, formaldehyde, Hazardous Substances, health and safety, Health And Safety Executive, high time, Human Carcinogen, lung cancer, Lyons, mildew, Nurses Uniform, resin, Term Exposure, throat irritation, toxin, uniforms

Radon in residential buildings can cause lung cancer

March 31, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 31 (ANI): Radon, a radioactive, colourless, odourless, tasteless noble gas present in residential buildings, has been found to contribute to the deaths of patients suffering from lung cancer.

Klaus Schmid of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and his co-authors say that about 1900 deaths from lung cancer per year in Germany are due to radon within residential buildings.

The authors base their assessment on the results of relevant studies, the recently published S1 guideline of the German Society for Occupational and Environmental Medicine and a current publication from the German Commission on Radiological Protection.

These indicate that radon within residential buildings makes a major contribution to the radiological exposure of the general population.

Thus, measurements in residential areas found radon radiation levels of more than 100 Bq/m3 in 36 percent of cases and more than 200 Bq/m3 in 18 percent of cases.

This should be compared with the range of 1 to 15 Bq/m3 found for the concentration of radon in the outside air in Germany.

Exposure within houses is predominantly due to release of radon-containing subsurface air from the soil into the building.

Radon can penetrate into houses through leaks in the base plate or in the walls in contact with the soil.

It is thought that 300 cases of lung cancer per year could be prevented in Germany if the maximum radon concentration in residences was reduced to 100 Bq/m3.

It is also necessary to identify buildings with high radon levels and to take structural measures if necessary.

Occupational physicians have long known that radon can cause lung cancer, particularly in uranium miners.

For individuals without occupational exposure, radon is regarded as the second most important cause of lung cancer after smoking. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Cancer Smoking, Cause Of Lung Cancer, German Commission, German Society, High Radon Levels, Klaus Schmid, Leaks, lung cancer, M3, Nuremberg, Occupational And Environmental Medicine, Occupational Exposure, Occupational Physicians, radiation levels, Radon Concentration, Relevant Studies, Residential Areas, Residential Buildings, university of erlangen, Uranium Miners

Experts stub out bizarre ‘healthy smoking’ claim

March 31, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

A Sydney businessman has claimed in an opinion piece for Indonesia’s Jakarta Times that scientists have shown cigarettes can be good for people.

Murray Clapham’s piece was published just as the Indonesian Government is considering introducing anti-smoking legislation.

Mr Clapham is an Australian businessman working across Asia, who also sits on the fundraising board of the Victor Chang Foundation.

He said he set up the foundation with the Australian surgeon and pioneer of the heart transplant to bring Asian doctors to train in Australia.

Mr Clapham says his support for smoking has little to do with employment or revenue, but that is a bonus.

“If you read the article, I say in there that there may well be some other causes, in relation to some of the chronic diseases which are impacting on our health, that we don’t attribute to smoke,” he said.

“But I’m also saying that the smokes that we smoke today are very, very bad for us.”

The Australian Government’s Department of Health lists smoking as a risk factor in Australia’s three killer diseases – strokes, heart disease and lung cancer – and says it is responsible for 20 per cent of all cancer deaths.

The chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, Anne Jones, says the article is bizarre.

“There is no substance, no accuracy, no evidence that is correct in the claims of Mr Clapham,” she said.

“It’s a bizarre claim by somebody using the Victor Chang name, because he is a director of a fundraising foundation associated with Victor Chang.

“And the timing is very, very bad because Indonesia is losing millions of people a year from smoking.

“The government has been very slow to act and they’re finally about to consider some legislation that could decrease the loss of life. And then this article comes out in a prominent Indonesian newspaper.”

A spokeswoman for the Victor Chang Institute says the foundation is a completely separate body, and overwhelming data shows that smoking is harmful to your health.

A spokesman for Dr Alan Farsworth, a cardiac surgeon and fellow director of the Victor Chang foundation, says Mr Clapham’s views are not representative of the foundation.

The spokesman went on to say that Mr Clapham was not a clinician and his findings were contrary to Western science and medical research.

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Gene linked to lung cancer in non-smokers identified

March 22, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, March 22 (ANI): Scientists have identified a gene that is specifically associated with lung cancer in people who have never smoked.

The research team, co-led by scientists at the Mayo Clinic campus in Minnesota, Harvard University, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and MD Anderson Cancer Center, found that about 30 percent of patients who never smoked and who developed lung cancer had the same uncommon variant, or allele, residing in a gene known as GPC5.

The researchers found in laboratory studies that this allele leads to greatly reduced GPC5 expression, compared to normal lung tissue.

The finding suggests that the gene has an important tumor suppressor-like function and that insufficient function can promote lung cancer development.

“This is the first gene that has been found that is specifically associated with lung cancer in people who have never smoked,” says the study”s lead investigator, Ping Yang, Mayo Clinic genetic epidemiologist.

“What”s more, our findings suggest GPC5 may be a critical gene in lung cancer development and genetic variations of this gene may significantly contribute to increased risk of lung cancer. This is very exciting,” Yang added.

The research teams scanned and analyzed the genomes of 2,272 participants who have never smoked, nearly 900 of whom were lung cancer patients. It took researchers 12 years to identify and enroll these study participants.

“It has been very hard to do this research because never smokers have been mingled with smokers in past studies, and what usually pops up are genes related to nicotine dependence,” Yang said.

“Findings from this study concern pure lung cancer that is not caused by smoking, and it gives us some wonderful new avenues to explore,” Yang added.

The research has been published in the March 22 online issue of Lancet Oncology. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: anderson cancer center, cancer development, Critical Gene, Genetic Epidemiologist, Genetic variations, harvard university, Laboratory Studies, Lancet Oncology, london march, lung cancer, lung cancer patients, lung tissue, Md Anderson Cancer, Md Anderson Cancer Center, new avenues, nicotine dependence, Study participants, Team Co, tumor suppressor, University Of California At Los Angeles

Thin smokers at increased lung cancer risk

March 17, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Kuala Lumpur, Mar 17 (ANI): A research has revealed that smokers who are thin are more at risk of suffering from lung cancer than people who are fat.

According to China’s Xinhua news agency, researchers from the National University of Singapore surveyed 63,257 middle- aged and elderly Chinese Singaporeans from 1993 onwards, reports Star Online.

Local English newspaper the Straits Times reported, the research examined the relationship between smokers’ body mass index (BMI) – a measure of obesity – and their chances of lung cancer.

It found that pack-a-day smokers with a BMI of at least 28 were six times as likely to get lung cancer as equally heavy people who had never lit up.

But thinner pack-a-day smokers, who had a BMI of less than 20, were 11 times as likely to get the disease as non-smokers of a similar weight and BMI.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men in Singapore, and the third most common in women. (ANI)

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Health service sorry cancer patient sent home

March 13, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Hunter New England Health has apologised to the family of an elderly woman who was repeatedly sent home from her local hospital, despite needing palliative care.

The family of the 87-year-old woman, who had terminal lung cancer, says she was sent home three times from Tomaree Community Hospital before she died in early January.

The woman was told she would receive palliative care, but the family says she was instead sent home.

Hunter Health met the family early this month and has apologised for any distress caused while the woman was in the service’s care.

It says it conducted a review into the patient’s case and spoke to staff who may have been involved with her treatment.

Hunter Health says to ensure appropriate discharge processes are in place, staff will undertake education with a specific focus on communication with family members.

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Dame Judi Dench writing memoir

March 11, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, March 10 (ANI): Dame Judi Dench is all set to reveal her live story – the veteran actress is writing her autobiography.

The actress will pen the tome, titled ‘And Furthermore’, with biographer John Miller, reports the Daily Express.

Weidenfeld & Nicolson acquired the rights to the long-awaited book from the 75-year-old.

Although details of the deal haven’t been disclosed it is thought that the actress sold the rights for a six-figure sum.

The tome will document her lengthy career, as well as her 30-year marriage to actor Michael Williams, who died in 2001 after losing his battle with lung cancer.

The book is expected to hit shelves in October (10). (ANI)

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Types Of Cancer | Types Of Cancer List | Cancer List | Common Cancer Types | Common Cancer Types List | All Types Of Cancer | All Types Of Cancer List

December 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Cancer is a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade other tissues. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems.

Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they start – for example, cancer that begins in the colon is called colon cancer; cancer that begins in basal cells of the skin is called basal cell carcinoma.

Common Cancer Types :

* Bladder Cancer
* Breast Cancer
* Colon and Rectal Cancer
* Endometrial Cancer
* Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer
* Leukemia
* Lung Cancer
* Melanoma
* Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
* Pancreatic Cancer
* Prostate Cancer
* Skin Cancer
* Thyroid Cancer

For Information About Cancer Website : http://www.cancer.gov

For More Information About All Cancer Types Website : http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/alphalist

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Turning off oncogene may inhibit lung cancer stem cells’ growth

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 9 (ANI): A lung cancer oncogene, called PKCiota, is necessary for the proliferation of lung cancer stem cells, and turning it off could act as a key for the treatment of this deadly disease, according to scientists at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida.

These stem cells are rare and powerful master cells that manufacture the other cells that make up lung tumours, and are resistant to chemotherapy treatment.

The study also shows that an agent, aurothiomalate, being tested at Mayo Clinic in a phase I clinical trial substantially inhibits growth of these cancer stem cells.

“Our data indicate that PKCiota is required for the earliest steps in the development of lung cancer, which is the expansion of tumor-initiating cells or cancer stem cells,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Alan Fields.

“Lung cancer stem cells appear to be the major drivers in many common lung cancers, and in order for a therapeutic treatment to be effective, it has to disrupt these cancer stem cells. We show that aurothiomalate, the agent now being tested in lung cancer patients, can, in fact, target these cells,” he added.

While aurothiomalate was once used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, the researchers have now discovered that it can also target PKCiota.

Currently, the agent is being tested in patients at Mayo Clinic’s sites in Minnesota and Arizona and, based on this phase I trial, a phase II human clinical trial is planned to combine aurothiomalate with agents targeted at other molecules involved in cancer growth.

“We had previously shown that PKCiota is required to maintain tumor growth, but what this study sought to determine is whether PKCiota is involved in the initial steps of lung cancer development,” said Fields.

Fields said that, in mice, an oncogene known as Kras is thought to transform normal lung stem cells into cancer stem cells, thereby initiating lung cancer.

In the present study, the researchers established a strain of mice in which Kras can be activated at the same time that the PKCiota gene is inactivated.

They found that when the PKCiota gene is inactivated, Kras was unable to cause errant growth and expansion of lung stem cells in mice, the process that initiates tumour formation.

“What this told us is that Kras requires PKCiota to transform the lung stem cells and make them proliferate. In other words, PKCiota is downstream from Kras, and is necessary for Kras to initiate lung tumor formation,” said Fields.

After discovering that aurothiomalate disables PKCiota, the researchers tested whether this agent is effective against lung cancer that develops due to Kras mutation.

“The drug showed potent inhibitory effects on the Kras-dependent proliferation of lung cancer stem cells both in cell culture and in animals,” said Fields.

“That further suggests that a drug like aurothiomalate could have an effect on tumors that are dependent on either Kras or PKCiota for growth and survival, and that is potentially a lot of cancers.

Aurothiomalate appears to be one of the few drugs available that can effectively target these critical cancer stem cells. In the clinic, however, it is likely that aurothiomalate will be most effective when combined with other agents designed to target other tumor survival pathways,” he added.

The study has been published in Cancer Research. (ANI)

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Novel minimally invasive surgery for treating spinal cancer patients

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 8 (ANI): Doctors at Toronto Western Hospital have come up with a new minimally invasive, outpatient spine surgical procedure for treating cancer that has spread to the spine.

It is believed that almost 40-50 percent of metastic cancers end up in the spine and the most common primary cancers to spread to the bones of the spine are breast and lung cancer.

Spinal tumours can drastically affect a patient’s quality of life and result in pain and reduced mobility.

A spinal tumour or a growth of any kind can impinge on nerves, leading to pain, neurological problems and sometimes paralysis.

The new procedure involves a small incision in the back (the size of a loonie) in order to remove the tumour and stabilize the damaged spine.

Other than providing a shorter recovery time, its benefits also include allowing patients to receive radiation treatment shortly after surgery.

Traditional surgical methods involve a longer and more painful recovery process, thus making patients to wait weeks before resuming radiation treatment.

The combination of surgery and radiation leads to better outcomes and quality of life. (ANI)

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Breathalyser screening may help spot lung cancer early

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, August 31 (ANI): Israeli scientists have come up with a device that can help spot lung cancer molecules on the breath of patients.

Dr. Hossam Haick and colleagues at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa think that the technology may lead to pocket-friendly, portable breath-test devices with the potential to save large numbers of lives by detecting cancer early.

“Our results show great promise for fast, easy and cost-effective diagnosis and screening of lung cancer,” the Independent quoted them as having written in a research paper, published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

“The developed devices are expected to be relatively inexpensive, portable, and amenable to use in widespread screening, making them potentially valuable in saving millions of lives every year,” they added.

For their study, the researchers took breath samples from 40 diagnosed patients and 56 healthy individuals.

They observed that the device, when tested, made an easy distinction between simulated “healthy” and “cancerous” breath made from artificial compound mixtures. (ANI)

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Scientists unravel genes linked to lung cancer in smokers

August 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 21 (ANI): British researchers claim to have unravelled the genetics underlying a smoker’s risk of developing lung cancer.

Study leader Professor Richard Houlston has identified three areas of DNA that are linked to lung cancer risk in smokers.

Two of them also influence the type of cancer, which develops.

The research team found specific differences associated with lung cancer risk on chromosomes 5, 6 and 15.

It showed that people with genetic changes on chromosome 5 were more likely to develop a type of cancer called adenocarcinoma.

The region highlighted on chromosome 6 appears to influence whether a patient developed adenocarcinoma or another type called squamous cell carcinoma.

And two independent sites on chromosome 15 were found to have a role in whether or not a smoker develops lung cancer.

The researchers suggest that current or former smokers who carry one copy of each of these genetic variants increase their risk of lung cancer by 28pct.

The risk increases to 80pct in smokers who carry two copies of these genetic variants.

“The next step is to dig deeper to pinpoint which gene, or genes in these regions, cause the increased risk of developing lung cancer and how they actually trigger this increase,” BBC News quoted Houlston as saying.

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK who partly funded the research, said smoking was responsible for the vast majority of lung cancers.

“This research shows that inherited genetic variation accounts for some of this risk and the type of lung cancer that develops,” she said.

She added: “The best thing a smoker can do to reduce their risk of lung cancer, and a range of other life-threatening conditions, is to quit.”

The findings appear in Cancer Research journal. (ANI)

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Jimmy Conway | Jimmy Conway Parole 2004 | Lufthansa Heist | Henry Hill | Jimmy Burke | Paul Vario | Paul Cicero | Tommy Desimone |Jimmy Conway Parole 2004 | Jimmy Conway Parole

August 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

James Jimmy Conway is character in the film Goodfellas. This Jimmy Conway movie personality was based directly on the real-life gangster Jimmy Burke.

Jimmy Conway is first introduced in narration by Henry Hill. Conway was a close associate of mob caporegime Paul Cicero. Because or his Iris race, Jimmy Conway could never become an authority in the Mafia since he is not full-blooded Italian. Jimmy Conway, like what portrayed on the Goodfellas film, organizes the Lufthansa Heist.

On the other end, James Burke, also known as Jimmy the Gent, The Big Irishman, and The Irish Guinea was an Irish-American gangster and Lucchese associate who is believed to have organized the Lufthansa heist in 1978.

James Burke was serving his time in Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York, when he died from lung cancer on April 13, 1996 at age 64. He was eligible for a Parole 2004. Like on the film of Goodfellas, Jimmy Conway Parole 2004 is possible.

Goodfellas – Jimmy Conway Video Click Here

Filed Under: Entertainment News Tagged With: Alden, Alden New York, american gangster, Big Irishman, Correctional Facility, gangster, Goodfellas, Henry Hill, Irish Guinea, Irish-American Gangster, Irishman, James Burke, Jimmy Burke, Jimmy Conway, Jimmy Conway Parole, Jimmy Conway Parole 2004, Jimmy The Gent, Lucchese Associate, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Heist, lung cancer, mafia, mob, narration, New York, Paul Cicero, Paul Vario, Tommy Desimone, Wende Correctional

Two significant advances in treating lung cancer announced

August 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 9 (ANI): Scientists in America have announced two significant advances in treating lung cancer.

Dr. Glen Weiss, from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Scottsdale Healthcare, made the announcements at the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer in San Francisco.

The researcher is hopeful that the new findings will eventually help prevent lung cancer from spreading to the brain.

In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), brain metastasis is a devastating complication that occurs in as many as 1 in 4 patients.

Dr. Weiss says that the ability to identify those at risk for developing brain metastasis may guide new therapies.

During the study, the researchers found several microRNAs – single-stranded RNA molecules that regulate how genes control cellular development as well as several high-tech imaging characteristics – all associated with the spread of lung cancer to the brain.

They are presently exploring the biological significance of these microRNAs.

“With additional validation, this work can lead to better techniques to predict, treat and ultimately prevent brain metastasis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Identifying the highest-risk population for brain metastasis, so that informed therapeutic trials can be undertaken, could enable a paradigmatic shift in treating these patients,” Dr. Weiss said.

The researcher also discussed the results from two Phase I clinical trials that are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of TH-302, a drug activated in the absence of oxygen. Both clinical trials involve patients with advanced solid tumours.

In one, the patients are treated with TH-302 in combination with other chemotherapy agents, and, in the other, they are treated only with TH-302.

In the study of those treated only with TH-302, 75 percent of the patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) “achieved stable disease or better.”

In the study of those treated with TH-302 in combination with other chemotherapy agents, 67 percent of the patients with NSCLC “achieved stable disease or better,” according to a release by Threshold and Scottsdale Healthcare.

“TH-302 is a new, novel, small molecule that is activated when cells are under conditions that lack oxygen, which is a metabolic condition characteristic of cancer cells. We are excited to continue investigations with TH-302 and about the potential benefit that it might confer to people living with lung cancer,” Dr. Weiss said. (ANI)

Filed Under: Health News Tagged With: Biological Significance, brain metastasis, Cell Lung Cancer, cellular development, chemotherapy, chemotherapy agents, clinical trials, dr weiss, lung cancer, Non Small Cell Lung Cancer, paradigmatic shift, risk population, rna molecules, scottsdale healthcare, Small Cell Lung Cancer, stable disease, tgen, therapeutic trials, translational genomics research institute, tumours

What prompts lung cancer to spread

July 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 3 (ANI): Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre claim to have identified a cellular pathway that is involved in spread of lung cancer.

It is the same cellular pathway that has been shown to be involved with the spread of colorectal cancer, say the researchers.

The pathway enhances lung cancer’s ability to infiltrate and colonize other organs without delay.

Using bioinformatics, the researchers analysed large collection of lung tumour samples.

They found that the WNT cell-signalling pathway was the only one out of the six pathways tested that was hyperactive in lung tumours that went on to metastasise, and was normal in those that did not spread.

They also observed that WNT hyperactivity was associated with aggressive biological tumour characteristics and poor clinical outcome, suggesting that cancer metastasis was linked with poor survival.

“Mutations that activate the WNT pathway are a common cause of colon cancer, but lung tumors are initiated by mutations in other genes so we were surprised that a hyperactive WNT pathway would be responsible for metastasis in lung cancer,” said the study’s senior author Dr Joan Massague, Chair of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at MSKCC and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

“Our findings suggest that using treatments that target the WNT pathway may help prevent lung cancer from repeatedly seeding itself throughout the vital organs of patients at risk for metastasis,” she added.

The study has been published online in the journal Cell. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: cancer biology, cancer centre, cancer metastasis, cause of colon cancer, clinical outcome, colon cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Dr Joan, genetics program, howard hughes medical, howard hughes medical institute, hughes medical institute, joan massague, lung cancer, lung tumors, memorial sloan kettering, MSKCC, poor survival, sloan kettering cancer, Vital Organs, wnt pathway

Cancer, 2nd most common cause of death in schizophrenics

June 23, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON: A new study suggests that cancer is the second most frequent cause of death among people with schizophrenia.

Published in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study shows that people with schizophrenia die from cancer four times as often as people in the general population.

The findings indicate that there is a need for extra efforts to improve cancer prevention and early detection in patients with schizophrenia.

While schizophrenia is associated with an increased incidence of premature death due to high rate of suicide among individuals with the disease, this alone does not account for the shortened life expectancy seen in the patients.

There are some previous studies that suggest that cancer may play a role, even though other data show that cancer rates are actually lower among individuals with schizophrenia compared with the general population.

Prof Frederic Limosin of the University of Reims, Robert Debre Hospital, in Reims, France and colleagues set out to more precisely determine the prevalence of cancer in patients with schizophrenia.

For that purpose, the researchers prospectively studied 3,470 patients with schizophrenia, and tracked cancer incidence beginning in 1993. They also sought to identify characteristics that might help predict which schizophrenic patients are likely to develop cancer.

The research team observed that about 14 per cent of the patients died during the eleven years of the study, a death rate was nearly four-fold higher than in the general population.

According to them, 74 patients died of cancer, making it the second most frequent cause of death behind suicide.

In men with schizophrenia, the risk of death due to lung cancer
was significantly higher than that in the general population, but the risk of overall cancer death was not significantly higher.

In women, the risk of overall mortality was significantly higher than among the general population.

In female schizophrenic patients, the risk of death due to breast cancer was significantly higher than in the general population.

The researchers say that possible causes of these findings may include a delay in diagnosis due to patients paying less attention to symptoms, the difficulty for schizophrenic patients to benefit from optimum treatment, and less compliance to treatment.

Prof Limosin stresses the need for more studies to further examine cancer rates in individuals with schizophrenia, and to define the characteristics of tumours that arise in these patients.

Filed Under: Health News Tagged With: american cancer society, Cancer Death, cancer incidence, Cancer Prevention, Cancer Rates, Cause Of Death, Common Cause Of Death, death rate, eleven years, frequent cause, limosin, lung cancer, peer reviewed journal, premature death, prevalence of cancer, reims france, robert debre, schizophrenia, schizophrenic patients, schizophrenics

Cancer second most frequent cause of death among schizophrenics

June 22, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

p
Washington, June 22 (ANI): A new study suggests that cancer is the second most frequent cause of death among people with schizophrenia. /pp
Published in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study shows that people with schizophrenia die from cancer four times as often as people in the general population. /pp
The findings indicate that there is a need for extra efforts to improve cancer prevention and early detection in patients with schizophrenia./pp
While schizophrenia is associated with an increased incidence of premature death due to high rate of suicide among individuals with the disease, this alone does not account for the shortened life expectancy seen in the patients. /pp
There are some previous studies that suggest that cancer may play a role, even though other data show that cancer rates are actually lower among individuals with schizophrenia compared with the general population./pp
Prof. Frederic Limosin of the University of Reims, Robert Debre Hospital, in Reims, France and colleagues set out to more precisely determine the prevalence of cancer in patients with schizophrenia./pp
For that purpose, the researchers prospectively studied 3,470 patients with schizophrenia, and tracked cancer incidence beginning in 1993. They also sought to identify characteristics that might help predict which schizophrenic patients are likely to develop cancer./pp
The research team observed that about 14 per cent of the patients died during the eleven years of the study, a death rate was nearly four-fold higher than in the general population. /pp
According to them, 74 patients died of cancer, making it the second most frequent cause of death behind suicide. /pp
In men with schizophrenia, the risk of death due to lung cancer was significantly higher than that in the general population, but the risk of overall cancer death was not significantly higher. /pp
In women, the risk of overall mortality was significantly higher than among the general population. /pp
In female schizophrenic patients, the risk of death due to breast cancer was significantly higher than in the general population. /pp
The researchers say that possible causes of these findings may include a delay in diagnosis due to patients paying less attention to symptoms, the difficulty for schizophrenic patients to benefit from optimum treatment, and less compliance to treatment. /pp
Prof. Limosin stresses the need for more studies to further examine cancer rates in individuals with schizophrenia, and to define the characteristics of tumours that arise in these patients. (ANI)/p

Filed Under: Health News Tagged With: american cancer society, Cancer Death, cancer incidence, Cancer Prevention, Cancer Rates, Cause Of Death, death rate, eleven years, frequent cause, life expectancy, limosin, lung cancer, mortality, peer reviewed journal, premature death, prevalence of cancer, reims france, robert debre, schizophrenia, schizophrenic patients, schizophrenics