Focused ultrasound turns chemo from shotgun blast to sniper shot

When fighting cancer, chemotherapy is still a bit of a blunt instrument. By combining it with soundwaves, however, researchers have found a way to turn it into more of a scalpel than a club, sparing damage to nearby tissue and the body as a whole.Conti… Continue reading Focused ultrasound turns chemo from shotgun blast to sniper shot

New prostate cancer biomarkers to help improve diagnosis and treatment

Researchers have identified three new prostate cancer biomarkers that improve the visibility of cancer cells used by pathologists to grade the disease’s severity. The novel technique could assist in determining which patients require urgent treatment a… Continue reading New prostate cancer biomarkers to help improve diagnosis and treatment

New method of analyzing tumor samples may make pathologists obsolete

Determining changes in the physical properties of cells is crucial to diagnosing and treating some diseases, such as cancer. But a diagnosis requires the expertise of a pathologist. A team of scientists has developed a quick and simple method of analyz… Continue reading New method of analyzing tumor samples may make pathologists obsolete

Cambridge cancer breakthrough may prompt rethink of metastasis

Cancer’s ability to spread through the body is one of its most devastating tricks. Scientists at Cambridge have now identified a protein that plays a key role in metastasis, which not only hints at a new potential treatment but reveals for the first ti… Continue reading Cambridge cancer breakthrough may prompt rethink of metastasis

Cancer cells hibernate like “bears in winter” to survive chemotherapy

Even after the most successful cancer treatment, doctors are reticent to use the word “cured”. Different types of cancers have different rates of recurrence and many cancers can sit quietly, dormant for years, before reappearing and causing a relapse.C… Continue reading Cancer cells hibernate like “bears in winter” to survive chemotherapy

Dormant cancer cells reawakened by stress hormones

Years after a successful treatment cancers can often recur when dormant tumor cells reawaken. Exactly what reactivates these sleeping cancer cells is unknown but a compelling new study is offering a novel hypothesis, suggesting certain stress hormones … Continue reading Dormant cancer cells reawakened by stress hormones

“ImmunoBait” particles surf blood cells to fight metastatic lung tumors

Cancer has an unfortunate and often deadly tendency to spread through the body, and the most common location for secondary tumors to appear is the lungs. Now, scientists at Harvard’s Wyss Institute have developed a way to treat metastatic tumors in the… Continue reading “ImmunoBait” particles surf blood cells to fight metastatic lung tumors

Growing gold nanoparticles inside tumors can help kill cancer

Gold isn’t just a pretty face – it’s shown promise in fighting cancer in many studies. Now researchers have found a way to grow gold nanoparticles directly inside cancer cells within 30 minutes, which can help with imaging and even be heated up to kill… Continue reading Growing gold nanoparticles inside tumors can help kill cancer

One-off radiotherapy dose for breast cancer as effective as longer course

The long-term results of a massive international trial, spanning almost two decades, has shown a single session of a novel form of radiotherapy is as effective in treating most breast cancers as a conventional radiotherapy plan lasting several weeks.Co… Continue reading One-off radiotherapy dose for breast cancer as effective as longer course