New Way To Predict The Spread Of Skin CancerFebruary 10, 2004A new way of predicting whether skin cancers will spread to other organs is published this week in the British Journal of Cancer. This means that resources can be concentrated on those patients most in need of close follow up, and lead to earlier detection of the cancer spreading. Malignant melanomas result in 1,600 deaths a year in the UK due to the spread of the disease to other parts of the body. By measuring the density of lymph vessels surrounding a melanoma, scientists at Bristol University working with doctors at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, have been able to predict which tumours will spread. Previously, the best way of predicting whether a melanoma was likely to spread was by measuring its thickness, since it was believed that the thicker a tumour was, the more likely it was to spread. But many thin melanomas spread and only 40% of thick ones do. The team looked for, and found, a far more reliable method of prediction than thickness. They looked at the density of lymph vessels around melanomas stored at Frenchay Hospital and saw which patients actually went on to develop secondary cancers within 8 years. They used this information to develop a better prediction for the spread of the cancers. Dr David Bates, scientific director of the Microvascular Research Laboratories at Bristol University said: 'We shall now be looking at a larger study of many hundreds of patients. If our findings are confirmed it will mean that the likelihood of a patient developing cancer in other organs could be predicted ahead of time with reasonable certainty. Resources can then be concentrated on those patients most in need of close follow up, and hopefully lead to earlier detection of the spread of cancer.' | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Related Melanoma Current Events and Melanoma News Articles Benign or cancerous? Research into a cancer that is on the rise in the UK is to be presented at the University of Leicester. Moores UCSD Cancer Center studying novel leukemia vaccine for high-risk patients Researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) are conducting clinical trials of a novel therapy aimed at revving up the immune system to combat a particularly difficult-to-treat form of leukemia. Substance tackles skin cancer from 2 sides By playing it safe and using a two-pronged attack, a novel designer molecule fights malignant melanoma. It was created and tested by an international team of researchers led by the University of Bonn. Jefferson Department of Surgery announces new pancreas tumor registry Charles J. Yeo, M.D., Samuel D. Gross Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, announces the establishment of the new Jefferson Pancreas Tumor Registry (JPTR). Supercomputer provides massive computational boost to biomedical research at TGen In less time than the blink of an eye, the Translational Genomics Research Institute's new supercomputer at Arizona State University can do operations equal to every dollar in the recent Wall Street bailout. MicroRNAs make for safer cancer treatments Viruses -- long regarded solely as disease agents -- now are being used in therapies for cancer. Concerns over the safety of these so-called oncolytic viruses stem from their potential to damage healthy tissues. Chronic inflammation can help nurture skin cancer, study shows Inflammation, a frontline defense against infection or disease, can help nurture skin cancer, researchers have found. Researchers Examine Evolution of Genes that Trigger the Body's Immune Response to Viral Infection Virginia Commonwealth University Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers have traced the evolutionary origin of two genes that serve as primary cellular sensors of infection with RNA viruses, such as influenza, poliovirus, West Nile virus, and HIV, which may ultimately provide researchers with insight into a possible new pathway for the development of innate immunity. Scripps research scientists enhance immune system attacks on cancer In an Early Edition issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published online on October 20, 2008, the scientists describe how they used multiple tactics to rev up both innate and adaptive immunity to enhance the body's ability to fight cancer. Children's National researchers develop novel anti-tumor vaccine A novel anti-tumor vaccine for neuroblastoma and melanoma developed by scientists and clinicians at Children's National Medical Center in collaboration with investigators from the University of Iowa is showing significant impact on tumor growth in mice. More Melanoma Current Events and Melanoma News Articles |
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