A new technique that hopes to understand the genetic changes of breast cancer just received monetary support.

ScienceDaily reports the University of Nottingham received £15,000 from the charity Breast Cancer Campaign, which carried out a study by top breast cancer experts to identify gaps in research.  Identifying the undiscovered genes thought to be involved in the early stage of breast cancer was deemed one of those gaps.

The charity's grant was awarded to Ian Ellis, Professor of Cancer Pathology, and is part of £2.3 million awarded to 20 projects around the United Kingdom, according to ScienceDaily.

Scientists know that breast cancer can develop when the genes in breast cells change, reports ScieneDaily. Defects in genes account for 5% to 10% of all breast cancers, though the article notes that all forms of breast cancer have acquired gene defects in early development of the disease. Many of these genes are undiscovered, and these defective genes can cause physical changes in the breast to cause cancer.

A flat atypical epithelial (FEA) cell is one of the earliest physical signs that a normal breast cell has turned cancerous, reports ScienceDaily. Professor Ellis will study the genes in the FEA cells to target cells involved in those earliest stages of breast cancer.

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have successfully created a molecule that simultaneously attacks two separate molecules appearing on a cancer cell's surface, reports ScienceDaily.

The antibody-like molecule, nicknamed "ALM" by Fox Chase researchers, may slow cancer progression, or become a guidance system for delivering more aggressive drug therapies directly to cancerous cells, researchers told ScienceDaily. Their research findings appear in this month's British Journal of Cancer.

Most naturally occurring antibodies bind only to one specific target at a time, but researchers say ALM attaches simultaneously to two separate targets. ALM's specific targets are signaling proteins, ErbB2 and ErbB3, which researchers say connect to form a growth-promoting complex on the surface of many different cancer cells.  This growth-promoting complex is often found in head and neck cancer along with drug-resistant breast cancer.

ALM was created by taking the "active anti-ErbB2 portion from one antibody and linking it with the anti-ErbB3 portion from another," reports ScienceDaily.  Researchers, who like to refer to ALM as a delivery system and not a "warrior," say the molecule preferentially targets tumors cells with excess receptor complex over normal cells.

Rather than kill cancer cells, ALM is better suited to deliver cancer-killing drugs, researchers told ScienceDaily.

3D Doppler technology contributes significantly to evaluating suspicious breast lesions, researchers report in this month's issue of Radiology.

Researchers from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor studied 78 women with palpable or mammographic abnormalities that were already confirmed by biopsies. Of the 78 lesions, 46 were benign and 32 were malignant.

A series of color Doppler images were acquired for each patient to reconstruct the volume of a suspicious mass. There were six Doppler vascularity measurements calculated. Radiologist grayscale ratings and patient's age were all taken into account.

The researchers concluded that the images produced by 3D Doppler technology helped "considerably" to identify malignant breast tissue.

People receiving liver transplants are at higher risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and colorectal cancer, according to a recent Canadian study published in Liver Transplantation.

Past studies have shown that the drugs used to help bodies accept new liver transplants, in addition to the transplantation process itself, lead to an increased cancer risk in recipients.

In an effort to advance previous research, officials at the Public Health Agency of Canada used the Canadian Organ Replacement Registry to cross-reference liver transplant recipients with national mortality and cancer incidence databases.

The researchers focused on more than 2,000 patients who received a transplant between June 1983 and October 1998. The health history of these patients was followed for up to 15 years.

The study excluded patients who already had liver cancer or who had been diagnosed with any other type of cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, before transplantation, or in the following 30 days.

According to the report, researchers were astounded by the higher incidents of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, with an approximate 20-fold increase compared to the general population.

The second highest disease reported was colorectal cancer, which researchers thought could be attributed to the higher instances of inflammatory bowel disease in liver transplant recipients. Cancer risk in general was more likely during the first year of follow up.

Authors of the study recommend more surveillance and screenings for liver recipients.

Genentech is looking to accelerate the federal approval process of its drug Avastin for use in treating aggressive brain cancer, according to a news article published in Mercury News.

Avastin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration when used in combination with chemotherapy to treat colon and breast cancers. The San Francisco-based biotechnology company announced earlier this month that it wants the drug approved to treat glioblastoma, a common type of brain tumor.

The federal government requires three separate stages of studies prior to approving a drug. Genentech is seeking approval of Avastin with having only performed two of the three studies. The FDA does approve some drugs when early studies show effectiveness in treating life threatening diseases, such as cancer.

Genentech made its request based on a study of 167 glioblastoma patients, of which 43% taking Avastin showed no sign of their cancer worsening. The company also noted tumors shrunk by half for about 28% of those taking the drug. Avastin blocks blood supply to the tumor, inhibiting growth.

A creation of virus-specific T cells targeting neuroblastoma cells has produced significant tumor regression and tissue death, according to a recent report published in Nature Medicine.

Cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) usually don't survive long when targeting tumor-related antigens. This is largely because tumor cells lack suitable co-stimulatory molecules, explains Dr. Malcolm K. Brenner, from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, in the November online issue of Nature Medicine.

Researchers have overcome that problem by creating Epstein-Barr virus-specific CTLs that express an imaginary antigen receptor targeting a non-viral tumor-associated antigen. This study used the antigen diasialoganglioside GD2, which is expressed by neuroblastoma cells.

The results indicated the virus-specific CTLs did survive longer than other CTLs expressing the same chimeric antigen.  Researchers concluded that "virus-specific CTLs seem to offer distinct advantages as tumor-directed effector cells."

Risks of malignancy for children undergoing radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are low, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

Authors of the study, Dr. William T. Mahle and colleagues from Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, were working under an assumption that children undergoing RFA faced increased risk of developing malignancy caused by the radiation.

Dr. Mahle and colleagues had previously reported a strategy to reduce radiation exposure during pediatric RFA.

During the recent study, the researchers reported radiation exposures and calculated malignancy risks in 18 children between the ages of 9 to 17. All of the children underwent RFA during a 3-year period. Researchers calculated that the overall lifetime risk of fatal malignancy was 0.02% per single RFA procedure.

The study suggests a single radiofrequency ablation (RFA) procedure in children results in a minimal malignancy risk when appropriate measures are taken to reduce radiation exposure.

An individualized treatment approach to kidney cancer can benefit patient survival rates, according to a recent study by UCLA researchers.

The study involved nearly 1,500 patients treated for kidney cancer over a 15 year period.  According to researchers, not all kidney cancer patients, localized kidney cancers or metastatic kidney cancers are the same.  The study helps outline a foundation for individualized kidney cancer therapies.

A prime example from the study showed that a low-risk patient with localized kidney cancer could have a very good outcome from surgery alone.  A low-risk patient with metastatic cancer, however, should get an aggressive treatment. In contrast, metastatic kidney disease patients that fall into a high-risk group are unlikely to benefit from treatment, and may want to consider not having surgery or other toxic therapies.

The study was published in the November 1st issue of Cancer.

Those fighting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma will have another possible treatment. The U.S. government has approved the sale of chemotherapy drug Treanda.

Reuters Health reported that drug company Cephalon Inc. announced last week the approval to sell the drug, which was previously approved in March by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  

Cephalon reported one trial of Treanda showed that the drug delayed progression of the disease for more than 9 months. Treanda is used in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a prevalent form of leukemia in the United States.

An estimated 30,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with the disease this year, according to Reuters.

Australian researchers have developed a decision aid that helps men reduce uncertainty about genetic testing for colorectal cancer.

The decision aid, or pamphlet, which was originally designed to help men and women make decisions about genetic testing, has proven more effective for men.

The decision aid was developed by Dr. Claire E. Wakefield of Macquarie University in New South Wales, Australia, and was published in a recent issue of Cancer.

Dr. Wakefield's team tested the aid's effectiveness on 153 people, some of which used a control pamphlet, while others used the actual decision aid. In all, 109 patients (71.2%) completed the first questionnaire within one week and 95 patients (62.5%) completed a 6-month follow-up questionnaire.

According to Wakefield's research, while the aid did not have an impact on the actual genetic testing decision or feelings of regret for having made the decision, it did reduce feelings of uncertainty and conflict regarding genetic testing. Those who used the decision aid felt they made a more informed decision than those who used the control pamphlet.

Researchers also found the decision aid was more helpful for men, who were found to have significantly higher knowledge levels for having used the decision aid than men who didn't. There was no such difference found in women. According to the researchers, differences between what men and women need to make decisions may play a role, but women may also need a decision aid with more extensive information since women have an increased risk of multiple cancers.