Cancer – Page 2 – GOLLYGEE!

03.06.2013

breath test for stomach cancer

A breath test for cancer.

Researchers are reporting a new test for gastric cancer in the British Journal of Cancer (Abstract is free, subscription required for full article). In the study the researchers looked at 130 patients with different gastric conditions. Of the patients 37 had gastric cancer, 32 had ulcers and 61 had less serious complaints. As it turns out, the cancer causes an identify chemical identifier. Patients diagnosed with cancer produced elevated levels of the following volatile organic compounds: 2-propenenitrile, 2-butoxy-ethanol, furfural, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one and isoprene. These levels can be detected by gas chromatography, but the researchers developed a special nanoparticle sensor that could detect these compounds at the parts per billion level. This study seems to bolster previous research where dogs were able to identify cancer patients with ~71% accuracy based on breath samples. It is also supported by a study where lung cancer was detected using a breathalyzer type test. But, since this was a small study these results will have to be confirmed using a larger sample.

01.11.2013

can pap smears do more?

Endocervical cells from a pap smear. Picture from Wikipedia.

Pap smears are used to diagnose cervical cancer in women. Cells from the cervix are collected and examined under a microscope for abnormalities. A new study suggests that it might be an even more useful procedure, with the ability to detect ovarian and uterine cancers as well. From the New York Times:

For the first time, researchers have found genetic material from uterine or ovarian cancers in Pap smears, meaning that it may become possible to detect three diseases with just one routine test.

But the research is early, years away from being used in medical practice, and there are caveats. The women studied were already known to have cancer, and while the Pap test found 100 percent of the uterine cancers, it detected only 41 percent of the ovarian cancers. And the approach has not yet been tried in women who appear healthy, to determine whether it can find early signs of uterine or ovarian cancer.

On the other hand, even a 41 percent detection rate would be better than the status quo in ovarian cancer, particularly if the detection extends to early stages. The disease is usually advanced by the time it is found, and survival rates are poor. About 22,280 new cases were expected in the United States in 2012, and 15,500 deaths. Improved tests are urgently needed.

There is still much more to work out. Can it detect early stage cancers? Are the signs present in women who haven’t already been diagnosed with cancer and appear healthy? Here’s hoping. More here.

12.20.2012

engineered algae

Green algae.

Scientists are trying to figure out a way to reduce costs of producing targeted cancer treatments. Popular Science highlights a research group who engineered algae to produce and antibody conjugated with a fragment of the toxic protein, exotoxin A, from P. aeruginosa.

But recently, a group of scientists at University of California, San Diego engineered algae to produce a human antibody with a built-in toxic weapon–a ready-made molecular cancer assassin. The researchers produced the new therapy by embedding the genetic code of the toxin P. aeruginosa into a human antibody gene, which they then spliced into the algae’s DNA.

In their research paper, the scientists note that this feat has been attempted before, using bacteria instead of algae, but the bacteria weren’t capable of folding the complex antibody into the right shape, so the method required a researcher to follow along behind and refold the proteins. The new therapy could not be produced by mammal cells, either, the researchers write, because the presence of the toxin would prohibit the engineered cells from reproducing.

If the new treatment is able to stand up to the battery of medical trials required by law, the targeted, assassin-style fight against cancer may soon get a lot more affordable.

More here and here.

GOLLYGEE!

Category: Cancer (page 2 of 5)

breath test for stomach cancer

can pap smears do more?

engineered algae