Experimental drug for osteosarcoma improves overall survival

Patients with osteosarcoma who received the experimental drug mifamurtide (L-MTP-PE) along with chemotherapy fared better than patients who received chemotherapy alone, researchers are reporting. Osteosarcoma is a rare but often fatal cancer of the bone. The disease typically affects children and young adults, and no new therapies have been introduced in two decades. more  

Protein may stop melanoma before it starts

A single protein may enable skin cells to detect genetic damage and stop growing rather than become cancerous, researchers are reporting. more

Low risk seen in monitoring, not treating, some prostate cancers

The vast majority of older men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer who initially forego treatment will die of something other than prostate cancer, researchers said last week. The finding supports the view that actively monitoring the cancer's progression until such time as treatment is needed - a strategy called watchful waiting - is a reasonable response to a diagnosis of early-stage disease for some men. more  

Partial nephrectomy to treat small renal tumors underused

The use of partial nephrectomy to treat small, newly diagnosed kidney tumors appears to be vastly underused, researchers from the New York University School of Medicine are reporting. more

More genetic clues for prostate cancer found  

A new wave of genome scans for prostate cancer ties additional chromosome regions to the disease while also confirming previously reported associations on chromosomes 8 and 17. The results, from three genome-wide association studies published online this month in Nature Genetics, underscore the complexity of prostate cancer genetics. more

Study details risk of NHL in some autoimmune diseases 

Researchers found that the risks for developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), especially some NHL subtypes, are significantly increased in individuals who reported previously having had certain autoimmune diseases, according to results published online February 8 in Blood. more

Thyroid cancer's rising incidence: Reality or illusion?

Since the early 1970s, the incidence of thyroid cancer has more than doubled. Among women, in fact, it is the cancer with the fastest rising number of new cases. more

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