Cancer Research: Targeting telomeres could improve chemotherapy ♦ New colon cancer culprit found in gut microbiome ♦ DNA shed from head and neck tumors detected in blood, saliva

Current blood cancer drug prices not justified The costs associated with cancer drug prices have risen dramatically over the past 15 years, which is of concern to many top oncologists.Researchers concluded that the majority of existing treatments for hematologic, or blood, cancers are currently priced too high to be considered cost-effective in the United States

DNA shed from head and neck tumors detected in blood, saliva On the hunt for better cancer screening tests, scientists led a proof of principle study that successfully identified tumor DNA shed into the blood and saliva of 93 patients with head and neck cancer.

Targeting telomeres, the timekeepers of cells, could improve chemotherapy Telomeres, specialized ends of our chromosomes that dictate how long cells can continue to duplicate themselves, have long been studied for their links to the aging process and cancer. Researchers show how disabling telomere protection during cell division prompts cell death.

Tiny particles in blood useful for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer A protein encoded by the gene glypican-1 (GPC1) present on cancer exosomes may be used as part of a potential non-invasive diagnostic and screening tool to detect early pancreatic cancer, potentially at a stage amenable to surgical treatment,

New pancreatic cancer culprit found in gut microbiome Changes in the gut bacteria of colon cancer patients indicate that some virulent bacteria could be linked to the progression of the disease. The findings could eventually be used to identify a virulence signature in these cancers and help doctors predict how bacterial changes in patients' guts could affect their prognosis.