oncologywatch

Idowu OE, Idowu MA. Environmental causes of childhood brain tumours. Afr Health Sci. 2008 Mar;8(1):1-4. PubMed PMID: 19357723

Something new in the world, and not welcome.

From the summary:

"Brain tumours hitherto said to be rare in Africans are now known to be common. They cause considerable concern due to their relatively high morbidity, mortality and enormous cost of care, especially in the developing world."

No likely causes are verified. Investigation most warranted.

 

[OncologyWatch directory of open-access oncology journals.]

OncologyWatch: Posts about free-access articles on aspects of oncology theory, practice and policy (about the blogger). This blog is not a source for medical advice.

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oncology africa

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Mead MN. Strong signal for cell phone effects. Environ Health Perspect. 2008 Oct;116(10):A422. PMID: 18941554.

Drawing upon a meta-analysis published in the May 2008 issue of the International Journal of Oncology, finding significant associations between long-term cell phone use and brain tumor risk, this review encourages limiting children’s use of cell phones and using speaker phones to minimize direct exposure to the head.

“We found that cell phone use is linked to gliomas [malignant brain tumors] and acoustic neuromas [benign tumors of the brain’s auditory nerve] and are showing up after only ten years,” says lead author Lennart Hardell, an oncologist and cancer epidemiologist at University Hospital in Örebro, Sweden. Specifically, for studies that included at least 10 years of exposure, there was a doubling in the risk of gliomas for ipsilateral (same-side) but not contralateral (opposite-side) exposures to the head (as reflected by which hand the subject typically used to hold his/her cell phone). A 2.4-fold increase in risk was seen for acoustic neuromas due to ipsilateral exposures, whereas no increased risk occurred for meningiomas (tumors that occur in the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord).

 

OncologyWatch: Posts about free-access articles on aspects of oncology theory, practice and policy (about the blogger). This blog is not a source for medical advice.

technorati tags: cell phones

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Price ND, Foltz G, Madan A, et al. Systems biology and cancer stem cells. J Cell Mol Med. 2008 Jan-Feb;12(1):97-110. PMID: 18031300

A comprehensive review of the state of science regarding cancer stem cells (CSCs), a subset of cells found within tumors and hematological malignancies and theorized to be responsible for starting and maintaining cancer. The authors are from the Institute for Systems Biology, the Seattle Neuroscience Institute, and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering & Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

From the conclusion:

"The identification and prospective isolation of CSCs from leukaemia and a number of solid tumours has spawned a new paradigm in cancer research. From the perspective of systems biology – with the goal of predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory (P4) medicine – we envision increasingly global assessment of CSCs and their microenvironments (niche) at the level of complete transcriptome, proteome and epigenome, using empowering new high-throughput technologies. The resulting gene expression profile signatures of cancer stem cell would serve as more accurate indicatives for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Emerging proteomic technologies employing MS and protein chip platforms would allow for identification of better cell-surface markers and their interaction with the resident stem cell niche and potential diagnostic markers from both body fluids and tumour tissues. Incorporating these data into biological networks will provide fundament insights into the biology of CSCs and their abilities for renewal and differentiation. These combined efforts will ultimately lead to new therapeutic strategy specifically targeting CSCs for unprecedented personalized cancer therapy."

OncologyWatch: Posts about free-access articles on aspects of oncology theory, practice and policy (about the blogger). This blog is not a source for medical advice.

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oncology cancer systems biology

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Glioblastoma multiforme (grade IV astrocytoma, GBM) is a fast-growing type of central nervous system tumor that forms from supportive tissue of the brain and spinal cord (glia) (NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms). The cure rate is very low with standard treatment, and several pharmas and biotechs have compounds in development in an effort to improve outcomes.

At ASCO 2008, investigators will report on studies with inhibitors of EGFR tyrosine kinase, mTOR, serine/threonine, topoisomerase  I, and VEGFR; neutralizing monoclonal antibody to VEGF; and EGFR-targeted vaccine.

Seven compounds to watch:

AP 12009
AntiSense Pharma (Regensburg, Germany)
ClinicalTrials.gov
PubMed
ASCO 2008

enzastaurin (LY 317615)
Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development (Raritan, NJ)
ClinicalTrials.gov
PubMed
ASCO 2008

Glivec (imatinib)
Novartis Pharmaceuticals (East Hanover, NJ)
ClinicalTrials.gov
PubMed
ASCO 2008

Tarceva (erlotinib)
Genentech (South San Francisco, CA)
ClinicalTrials.gov
PubMed
ASCO 2008

vatalanib (PTK 787)
Novartis Pharmaceuticals (East Hanover, NJ)
ClinicalTrials.gov
PubMed
ASCO 2008

Iressa (gefitinib)
AstraZeneca (Wilmington, DE)
ClinicalTrials.gov
PubMed
ASCO 2008

Sutent (sunitinib)
Pfizer (New York, NY)
ClinicalTrials.gov
PubMed
ASCO 2008
 
OncologyWatch: Posts about free-access articles on aspects of oncology theory, research, practice and policy (about the blogger).This blog is not a source for medical advice.

Technorati tags:
oncology cancer pharmaceutical industry glioblastoma multiforme

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Iressa (gefitinib)
AstraZeneca (AZN - Wilmington, DE)

Current research in glioblastoma multiforme:

• ClinicalTrials.gov
• PubMed
• ASCO 2008

OncologyWatch: Posts about free-access articles on aspects of oncology theory, practice and policy (about the blogger).This blog is not a source for medical advice.

Technorati tags:
oncology cancer pharmaceutical industry glioblastoma multiforme

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Avastin (bevacizumab)
Genentech (DNA - South San Francisco, CA)

Current research in glioblastoma multiforme:

• ClinicalTrials.gov
• PubMed
• ASCO 2008

OncologyWatch: Posts about free-access articles on aspects of oncology theory, practice and policy (about the blogger).This blog is not a source for medical advice.

Technorati tags:
oncology cancer pharmaceutical industry glioblastoma multiforme

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vatalanib (PTK 787)
Novartis Pharmaceuticals (NVS - East Hanover, NJ)

Current research in glioblastoma multiforme:

• ClinicalTrials.gov
• PubMed
• ASCO 2008

Notes: "Combination of imatinib, hydroxyurea and vatalanib is safe and well tolerated with an encouraging rate of radiographic response." (ASCO 2008. Abstract #2057)

OncologyWatch: Posts about free-access articles on aspects of oncology theory, practice and policy (about the blogger).This blog is not a source for medical advice.

Technorati tags:
oncology cancer pharmaceutical industry glioblastoma multiforme

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Tarceva (erlotinib)
Genentech (DNA - South San Francisco, CA)

Current research in glioblastoma multiforme:

• ClinicalTrials.gov
• PubMed
• ASCO 2008

OncologyWatch: Posts about free-access articles on aspects of oncology theory, practice and policy (about the blogger).This blog is not a source for medical advice.

Technorati tags:
oncology cancer pharmaceutical industry glioblastoma multiforme

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Sutent (sunitinib)
Pfizer (PFE - New York, NY)

Current research in glioblastoma multiforme:

• ClinicalTrials.gov
• PubMed
• ASCO 2008

OncologyWatch: Posts about free-access articles on aspects of oncology theory, practice and policy (about the blogger).This blog is not a source for medical advice.

Technorati tags:
oncology cancer pharmaceutical industry glioblastoma multiforme

Comments and Links Welcome!

Glivec (imatinib)
Novartis Pharmaceuticals (NVS - East Hanover, NJ)

Current research in glioblastoma multiforme:

• ClinicalTrials.gov
• PubMed
• ASCO 2008

Notes: "Imatinib and everolimus potentiated antitumor activity of gimatecan against glioma xenografts suggesting their combination for the treatment of malignant glioma." (ASCO 2008. Abstract #2073)

OncologyWatch: Posts about free-access articles on aspects of oncology theory, practice and policy (about the blogger).This blog is not a source for medical advice.

Technorati tags:
oncology cancer pharmaceutical industry glioblastoma multiforme

Comments and Links Welcome!