Cancer Research: Cancer drugs approved quickly but not to patient's benefit ♦ Scientists identify promising new melanoma treatment strategy ♦ Automated counting of tumor cells in blood

Fragments of tRNA suggest a novel mechanism for cancer progression Researchers discover that particular genetic fragments, of a type of RNA known as transfer RNA, or tRNA, appear to be capable of reducing the growth and spread of breast cancer cells.

Scientists identify promising new melanoma treatment strategy The enzyme GMPS drives melanoma growth, researchers report. The scientists propose a new strategy for targeting that protein that may help advance toward a new melanoma treatment strategy.

Automated counting of tumor cells in blood Biological and medical scientists have been using flow cytometry to count cancer cells for the past 40 years. But the large instruments are expensive and can only be operated by trained personnel. By contrast the PoCyton cytometer is cheap to produce, no bigger than a shoebox, and automated.

Cancer drugs approved quickly but not to patient's benefit,Highly priced cancer drugs get rushed approvals despite poor trial methodology and little effect on the longevity of patients, cautions one expert, who adds that drug reviewers don't look at the long term survival of patients who take them

3D 'organoids' grown from patient tumors could personalize drug screening Three dimensional cultures (or 'organoids') derived from the tumors of cancer patients closely replicate key properties of the original tumors, reveals a study. These 'organoid' cultures are amenable to large-scale drug screens for the detection of genetic changes associated with drug sensitivity and pave the way for personalized treatment approaches that could optimize clinical outcomes in cancer patients.