FDA approves Lymphoseek to help locate lymph nodes in patients with certain cancers

A new drug has been approved by the FDA to map lymph nodes.  This is the first drug since 1981 that has come out for this purpose.  The objective of the drug is to locate lymph nodes, not cancerous cells.

“Removal and pathological examination of lymph nodes draining a primary tumor is an important diagnostic evaluation for some patients with breast cancer or melanoma,” said Dr Shaw Chen, deputy director of the Office of Drug Evaluation IV in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “To use Lymphoseek, doctors inject the drug into the tumor area and later, using a handheld radiation detector, find lymph nodes that have taken up Lymphoseek’s radioactivity.”

A clinical trial was conducted on over 300 patients with breast cancer or melanoma to find lymph nodes using Lymphoseek or blue dye.  The results showed both were able to locate most lymph nodes, but Lymphoseek was able to find many more than the blue dye.

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2013/03/15/fda-approves-lymphoseek-to-help-locate-lymph-nodes-in-patients-with-certain-cancers/. 

Fewer African-American deaths from cancer

Carol DeSantis is an epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society and lead author of a report regarding African American deaths and cancer. “We see the disparity between black and white men narrowing,” he says, which is due to less lung cancer.  This is a direct result from less cigarette smoking.

Unfortunately, African American men are still diagnosed with cancer 15% more than their white counterparts.  African American women are less likely to develop breast cancer, but more likely to die from it.  Access to screenings is mainly the reason for people not getting care early enough to treat the cancers.

“You’ve got screening for breast cancer, where catching it early improves your outcomes, and screening for colorectal cancer which is preventable,” says DeSantis. “African-Americans are just not getting access to these high-quality screenings that we’ve had over the past few decades.”

For the full article, visit http://thegrio.com/2013/02/05/new-report-fewer-african-american-deaths-from-cancer/. 

New breast cancer drug helps advanced cases

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug that will help women with hard to treat breast cancer.  The type of breast cancer it targets, HER2, is an aggressive form and spreads even with treatment.

This new drug, called Kadcyla, may not cure women of the breast cancer, but it can add many more months onto their lives.

“Kadcyla delivers the drug to the cancer site to shrink the tumor, slow disease progression and prolong survival," Dr. Richard Pazdur, director of the FDA's office of hematology and oncology products.In a trial conducted with results published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 991 patients with HER2 were treated and lived an average of 5.8 months longer, about half a year longer than others.

“Only a few studies in metastatic breast cancer have shown an improvement in overall survival. It’s tough to do,” Dr. Sunil Verma of the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto, who led the study, said in a statement on the National Cancer Institute’s website.

The drug comes with a price - $94,000 for a 10 month supply.  The company will give discounts, or in some cases get it free of charge. Those who have hit their health coverage limit or do not have insurance can get it for free through Genetech, the company who makes the drug.

For more information, visit http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/22/17057745-new-breast-cancer-drug-helps-advanced-cases?lite.

Study: Breast cancer can turn off key immune response

In the peer-reviewed medical journal Nature Medicine, a study published by researchers at Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne discusses how breast cancer can "turn off" the immune response from the body, which allows the cancer to spread to the patient's bones.

Belinda Parker, who led the study, hopes that by identifying and understanding how the cancer allows itself to spread will determine how future patients can avoid the cancer spreading to their bones.

The researchers have experimented with two ways to "turn on" the immune response to help fight breast cancer.  However, it will take years before the practice can become routine.

Parker and her researchers have discovered that in mice, when breast cancer spread into the blood, the IRF7 gene is "switched off," which is the gene that releases interferon.  Interferon is an immune protein which would normally detect and fight the cancerous cells which would spread.

Determining, and experimenting with, two ways to get the interferon detecting the cancerous cells is the work that Parker and her team are currently doing.  They plan on having a clinical trial in two or three years.

For the full article, visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48287917/ns/health-cancer/.

Exercise linked to lower breast cancer risk

Remember those New Year Resolutions to lose weight or start an exercise routine?  Well, here's another reason to keep that up: researchers are finding that keeping a healthy weight and exercise routine can lower the risk of breast cancer.  Even if people are not routine exercisers pick up exercising, no matter how much later in life, will benefit.  The study found that even women who started exercising after menopause saw a 30% decrease in their risk of breast cancer.

For the whole article, visit http://todayhealth.today.com/_news/2012/06/25/12401665-exercise-linked-to-lower-breast-cancer-risk?lite

Coffee may help protect against skin cancer

A Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health Professor, Jiali Han, has found an association between caffine consumption and reduced cancer risk.

The study found that women who drink more than three cups of coffee a day are 21% less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma.  Men are 10% less likely to develop the same compared to those who drink less than one cup of coffee a month.  The researchers determined that decaf coffee doesn't have an effect, so they are saying that it is more than likely the caffeine.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer.  But, since it doesn't usually spread to other organs.  Melenoma is a more deadly type of skin cancer.  More reasearch needs to be done to conclude more findings, but other studies have found caffeine decreases the risk of prostate, breast and endometrial cancers.

For the full article, visit http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/02/12527378-coffee-may-help-protect-against-skin-cancer?lite.

Breast cancer cases shoot up in India

More in more women in India are coming to doctors offices, often in the late stages, with breast cancer.  It is though that now with a different lifestyle that breast cancer is on the rise.  It is important that women do not feel taboo about talking about breast cancer or checking because, "the good thing is it can be completely cured or controlled through proper treatment," says Dr. Sanjay Sharma, president of the Breast Cancer Foundation in India.

Lifestyle changes such as early puberty, late menupause, not breastfeeding their children and having children later in life increase the risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer incidence in India has doubled in the past 24 years.  Part of the issue is the detection process, but the problem still lies in that about 80% of the cases that are seen by doctors are in late stages.  Women feel like they cannot talk about this to their friends or family. 

The next important steps include increasing awareness and getting women tested.

For the full article, visit http://www.aalatimes.com/2012/10/24/breast-cancer-cases-shoot-up-in-india/.

Do you know anyone affected by breast cancer?  Did they wait too long to go to the doctor?  What are your thoughts?