Cancer Research: Scientists test new strategy that could help fight ovarian cancer ♦ Most men not getting prostate cancer screening ♦ Cancer death rate continues steady drop

Radiation an important addition to treatment for pancreatic cancer surgery candidates Radiation therapy was associated with a lower risk of cancer recurrence in pancreatic cancer surgery patients, making it, like chemotherapy, an important addition to treatment, new research found. Whether radiotherapy helps patients after pancreatic cancer surgery has been a long-standing question, and the findings suggest that it does.

Cancer death rate continues steady drop Steady reductions in smoking combined with advances in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment have resulted in a 23 percent drop in the cancer death rate since its peak in 1991

Scientists test new strategy that could help fight ovarian cancer A promising novel method to treat gynecologic tumors has been discovered by researchers. The approach focuses on a protein called p53, which is commonly mutated in women who have high-grade serous ovarian cancer, the deadliest form of reproductive cancer. In many women with the disease, the cancer is very advanced by the time it is diagnosed and is therefore difficult to treat.

Most men not getting prostate cancer screening, treatment information they need Men and their health providers are not having important discussions when it comes to prostate cancer screening and treatment,

Cancer Research:'Smart fat cells' cross blood-brain barrier to catch early brain tumors ♦ Magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer

'Smart fat cells' cross blood-brain barrier to catch early brain tumors An MRI contrast agent that can pass through the blood-brain barrier will allow doctors to detect deadly brain tumors called gliomas earlier, say researchers. This ability opens the door to make this fatal cancer treatable.

Multiple-dose, targeted radiation more effective for treating pituitary tumors Multiple small doses of highly focused radiation therapy is safer and more effective than a single larger dose of radiation at destroying pituitary gland tumors.

Immunotherapy breakthrough now approved as standard of care for advanced melanoma A first-of-its-kind (anti-PD-1) immunotherapy was recently approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as first-line treatment for metastatic melanoma—allowing greater access to this therapy for patients without having to previously receive other prior treatments.

Magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer Researchers have found that magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer. Using information from the VITamins and Lifestyle study, the study analyzed data on more than 66,000 men and women, between the ages of 50 and 76, looking at the direct association between magnesium and pancreatic cancer.

Cancer Research: Protein's work in eye lens suggests a way to tame cancer ♦ Oral contraceptive use associated with better outcomes in patients with ovarian cancer.

Previous oral contraceptive use associated with better outcomes in patients with ovarian cancer. Patients who develop ovarian cancer appear to have better outcomes if they have a history of oral contraceptive use.

World first blood cancer drug trial reveals life-changing results A breakthrough has been achieved with the results of the world-first clinical trial with actual patients of a new drug to treat particular blood cancers. This clinical trial, a first-in-human study, looked at the efficacy of a new inhibitor, ONO/GS-4059, in the treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma patients refractory or resistant to current chemotherapies

Preventing radiation in cancer therapies to damage healthy organs When a person receives a cancer treatment through radiation, he or she is exposed to ionizing radiation and to avoid that energy to damage healthy tissue. A new study looked at the properties of various materials called dosimeters that measure radiation doses.

Protein's work in eye lens suggests a way to tame cancer How does a protein called connexin put the clamps on cancer? Researchers have now reported an explanation. In the future, cancer therapies could potentially be based on connexin molecules.

Cancer Research:Aspirin could hold key to supercharged cancer immunotherapy ♦ Variations in cell programs control cancer ♦Low-risk prostate cancer not likely to succumb to the disease

Some with low-risk prostate cancer not likely to succumb to the disease Men with relatively unaggressive prostate tumors and whose disease is carefully monitored by urologists are unlikely to develop metastatic prostate cancer or die of their cancers, according to results of a study that analyzed survival statistics up to 15 years.

Researchers develop a likely new combo treatment for the deadliest form of brain cancer Scientists have developed a potentially promising new combination therapy for glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer. Glioblastoma, also known as grade IV glioma, is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in humans. Approximately 23,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) every year.

Targeting newly discovered pathway sensitizes tumors to radiation and chemotherapy In some patients, aggressive cancers can become resistant to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. In a new paper, researchers identified a pathway that causes the resistance and a new therapeutic drug that targets this pathway

Aspirin could hold key to supercharged cancer immunotherapy Giving cancer patients aspirin at the same time as immunotherapy could dramatically boost the effectiveness of the treatment, according to new research. Aspirin is part of a group of molecules called COX inhibitors, which stop the production of PGE2 and help reawaken the immune system. Combining immunotherapy with aspirin or other COX inhibitors substantially slowed bowel and melanoma skin cancer growth in mice, compared to immunotherapy alone, authors say.

Variations in cell programs control cancer and normal stem cells In the breast, cancer stem cells and normal stem cells can arise from different cell types and tap into distinct yet related stem cell programs, according to researchers. The differences between these stem cell programs may be significant enough to be exploited by future therapeutics.

Prenatal Research: Lack of folic acid enrichment in Europe causes mortality among fetuses ♦ Better maternal diet linked to lower risk of heart abnormalities in babies at birth

Some radiation okay for expectant mother and fetus During pregnancy, approximately 5 to 8 percent of women sustain traumatic injuries, including fractures and muscle tears. To help evaluate and manage these injuries, orthopaedic surgeons often recommend radiographs and other imaging studies. Most diagnostic studies are generally safe, and the radiation doses from these studies are well below thresholds considered risky.

Parents' preconception exposure to environmental stressors can disrupt early development Even before a child is conceived, the parents' exposure to environmental stressors can alter the way genes are expressed and ultimately harm the child's health when those genes are passed down to the next generation.

Better maternal diet linked to lower risk of heart abnormalities in babies at birth A relatively healthy diet before pregnancy is linked to a lower rate of certain heart abnormalities in babies at birth

Lack of folic acid enrichment in Europe causes mortality among fetuses A new international study shows that 5,000 fetuses in Europe annually are affected by spina bifida and other severe defects on the central nervous system. Seventy percent of these pregnancies are terminated, while increased mortality and serious diseases affect the children who are born. At least half of the cases can be avoided by adding folic acid to staple foods as is already being done in 70 non-European countries

Brain Research: Call for help to killer cells improves cancer rejection ♦ Bringing anti-cancer technology to market ♦ Death-associated protein' promotes cancer growth

Call for help to killer cells improves cancer rejection Many tumors are infiltrated by cells of the innate immune system called eosinophils. Immunologists are now the first to show that eosinophils do, in fact, improve the body's defense against cancer. By releasing special agents, they attract killer T cells into cancerous tissue; the T cells then attack the cancer cells. This finding may help develop more effective cancer immunotherapies

Radiation experts unite to streamline cancer clinical trials Regulations on radiation exposure have been a critical bottleneck in starting up new cancer trials, but now radiation experts are pioneering a new streamlined system to reduce the time taken to set up clinical trials involving radiotherapy and other forms of ionising radiation, such as PET scans

Bringing anti-cancer technology to market New technology involves use of an antibody-based cancer therapy that down-regulates a plethora of pathways associated with resistant disease. The approach could advance treatment for patients with many forms of cancer, including breast, colorectal, lung, skin, and other epithelial-derived cancers.

Deaths attributable to cigarettes for 12 smoking-related cancers Researchers estimate that 48.5 percent of the nearly 346,000 deaths from 12 cancers among adults 35 and older in 2011 were attributable to cigarette smoking

Death-associated protein' promotes cancer growth in most aggressive breast cancers Although traditionally understood to induce death in cancer cells, researchers have discovered that the DAPK1 protein is actually essential for growth in breast and other cancers with mutations in the TP53 gene. This discovery indicates DAPK1 may be a promising new therapeutic target for many of the most aggressive cancers.

Childrens Health: Possible role of gut bacteria in autism ♦ Children's sleep, mental health are related ♦ Fracture' prints, not fingerprints, help solve child abuse cases

Children's sleep, mental health are related Toddlers who take a long time to fall asleep or wake up many times during the night have put many a desperate mom and dad to the test. Tired parents are often told that night waking is part of toddlerhood, and that it will soon pass on its own, but this is not the case for everyone.

Fracture' prints, not fingerprints, help solve child abuse cases Much like a finger leaves its own unique print to help identify a person, researchers are now discovering that skull fractures leave certain signatures that can help investigators better determine what caused the injury

Possible role of gut bacteria in autism Autism:  for a condition that continues to confound researchers and physicians alike, a doctor believes that research into the role of the microbiome could hold a key to new treatments and understanding of autism.

Clinical decision tools in electronic medical records can reduce childhood radiation exposure Childhood exposure to ionizing radiation increases lifetime malignancy risk, but a team of researchers has found that with just a little bit of education, the risk can be significantly reduced. Currently, up to 40% of computed tomography, or CT, scans are ordered unnecessarily

Health News: FDA:17 Dietary supplements contain illegal ingredient ♦ Noroviruses spread several meters by air: ♦ New cellular response to radiation exposure

FDA:17 Dietary supplements contain illegal ingredient   The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has advised 14 dietary supplement companies in warning letters dated April 24, 2015, that their total of 17 products include an ingredient on the Supplement Facts panel which is not approved for such use under federal law

Noroviruses spread several meters by air: Noroviruses, a group of viruses responsible for over 50 percent of global gastroenteritis cases, can spread by air up to several meters from an infected person. The discovery suggests that measures applied in hospitals during gastroenteritis outbreaks may be insufficient..

Engineering new blood vessels in people is one step closer to reality  Scientists moved a step closer toward coaxing the body into producing its own replacement blood vessels after discovering that suppressing parts of the innate immune system may raise the chances of a tissue engineered vascular graft success.

New cellular response to radiation exposure: Must we reconsider the risks of low doses? Almost the entire human genome is transcribed into RNA, but only a fraction of this is actually used to produce protein. The function of the majority of the RNA, the so-called 'non-coding transcriptome' remains an enigma. Some non-coding RNA families have been recognized through their shared structural features.

Impaired sleep linked to lower pain tolerance People with insomnia and other sleep problems have increased sensitivity to pain. The effect on pain tolerance appears strongest in people who suffer from both insomnia and chronic pain, who may benefit from treatments targeting both conditions.

Alaska Seafood is Safe from Fukushima Radiation

The Alaska departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Health and Social Services (DHSS) have received further results from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the latest radiation testing of Alaska seafood. The results confirm information from federal, state and international agencies that seafood in Alaska waters poses no radiation-related health concerns to those who consume it.

This testing of cod and three species of salmon (chinook, chum, and sockeye) showed no detection of the Fukushima-related radioisotopes iodine-131, cesium-134, or cesium-137. The results indicate no appreciable risk from any tested radionuclide in these fish and support previous radionuclide testing results of sablefish, pollock and halibut from Alaska waters. DEC and DHSS have posted the findings on their websites and will update the web pages with any future sampling results.

All samples were analyzed by standard techniques routinely used by the FDA to evaluate food safety. The fish samples were composites, containing tissue from several fish, and were collected using a statistical protocol. Samples were collected from the Aleutian/Bering Sea, Bristol Bay and Gulf of Alaska.

The state of Alaska continues to collaborate with its partners, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Cook Inlet Keeper, North Slope Borough, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), FDA, and others to compile and evaluate additional environmental sample data.

Alaska’s Seafood is Safe from Fukushima Radiation

The Alaska departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Health and Social Services (DHSS) have received results from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on radiation testing of Alaska seafood. The results confirm information from federal, State and international agencies that seafood in the North Pacific and Alaska waters poses no radiation related health concerns to those who consume it.

The FDA is the lead U.S. agency in food safety. The agency has been monitoring radiation in both domestic and imported foods and determined that there have been no levels of Fukushima radiation in those foods that would pose a public health concern. However, Alaskans have insisted on Alaska-specific sampling and data. DEC and DHSS developed a sampling plan and coordinated with the FDA for them to analyze several Alaska fish species that are known to migrate from the western Pacific Ocean and that are harvested by commercial, recreational and subsistence fishers.

“We heard concerns from our neighbors, friends and other citizens throughout Alaska about the possible contamination of Alaska fish with the radiation releases from the Fukushima disaster,” DEC Environmental Health director Elaine Busse Floyd said. “We did not expect to find any problems with Alaska seafood based on federal monitoring of domestic and imported foods. However, we felt that it was important to assist the FDA by developing a sampling plan and obtaining Alaska fish to be tested. The data reassures us and other Alaskans for whom seafood is such a critical part of life in Alaska.”

The testing found no detections of the Fukushima-related radioisotopes Iodine-131, Cesium-134, or Cesium-137. There was some detection of background or naturally-occurring radiation. The results indicate no appreciable risk from any tested radionuclide in these fish. DEC and DHSS have posted the findings on their websites.  

All samples were analyzed by standard techniques routinely used by the FDA to evaluate food safety. The fish samples were composites, containing tissue from several fish, and were collected using a statistical protocol. Samples were collected across the state from the Aleutian Islands/Bering Sea to Southeast Alaska.

DEC continues to collaborate with its partners, including DHSS, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Cook Inlet Keeper, North Slope Borough, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, FDA, and others to continue to compile and evaluate additional environmental sample data.

Adding Chemotherapy Following Radiation Treatment Improves Survival for Adults

Adding chemotherapy following radiation treatment improves survival for adults with low-grade gliomas, a slow-growing type of brain tumor

Adults with low-grade gliomas, a form of brain tumor, who received a chemotherapy regimen following completion of radiation therapy, lived longer than patients who received radiation therapy alone, according to long-term follow-up results from a National Institutes of Health-supported randomized controlled clinical trial.

Since all three chemotherapy drugs in the regimen are commercially available, the treatment used in the clinical trial is available for use now. However, this form of chemotherapy is associated with some toxicities, such as reduced white blood cell counts leading to increased infection risk, and trial investigators recommend that it should be utilized only by physicians experienced with managing the side-effects that may occur.

Low-grade gliomas grow more slowly and have a better outcome than the more common type of brain tumor in adults, which is classified as glioblastoma.

The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), a clinical trials organization funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of NIH, and NCI are making the results public today because a long-term follow-up analysis showed significantly longer survival for those people on the trial who received chemotherapy. Full details from this analysis are to be presented at a scientific meeting in 2014 and in a peer-reviewed publication.

The study, RTOG 9802, enrolled 251 patients with low-grade gliomas between October 1998 and June 2002 to address the role of chemotherapy following radiation treatment. Patients enrolled were at high risk compared to other low-grade glioma patients because they were 40 years of age or older or had a less than complete surgical removal of their tumor if they were under 40 years of age.

All patients started treatment with surgery followed by radiation therapy. By random assignment, half of patients stopped treatment after radiation therapy and the other half received six cycles of chemotherapy after completing radiation therapy. Patients receiving chemotherapy got three drugs: procarbazine (P); CCNU (C), which generically is known as lomustine; and vincristine (V). This chemotherapy, termed PCV, was given over 21 days and repeated every eight weeks for a total of six cycles.

A significant improvement in overall survival was noted for study participants who received PCV chemotherapy plus radiation therapy (13. 3 years median survival time) compared to those receiving radiation therapy alone (7.8 years median survival time), which is a difference of 5.5 years. Median follow-up after initial enrollment has been almost 12 years.

Analysis of how patients are doing based upon the molecular and genetic characteristics of their tumors is ongoing. These studies will be important since molecular characteristics of related brain tumors have been able to identify patients most likely to benefit from chemotherapy.

“The results of this study are practice-changing,” said co-lead investigator Jan Buckner, M.D., professor of oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. “Additionally, ongoing analysis of patient tumor samples should allow us to further identify the patients who will, and who will not, benefit from chemotherapy, taking yet another step toward individualized therapy.”

It is estimated that over 23,000 people will be diagnosed with primary brain tumors in the United States in 2014 and that 10 percent to 15 percent will have low-grade gliomas.