World-famous cancer specialist links hormones to organ growthMarch 07, 2000New work from internationally renowned cancer specialist Dr Judah Folkman indicates that organ size can be controlled by hormones. This important new finding may have implications for the treatment of a variety of conditions, including endometriosis, abnormal menstrual bleeding, and prostate conditions. Dr Folkman, from the Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in Boston, USA, rose to worldwide fame two years ago, with his work on control of cancer. He showed that by controlling the development of blood vessels in tumours (a process known as angiogenesis), you can stop tumour growth. Dr Folkman showed that proteins which inhibit angiogenesis are ultimately controlled by hormones. His original work on mice is now being replicated in patients. Dr Folkman's new work shows that this method of controlling tumour size, by controlling the growth of nutrient-bringing blood vessels, may also may be a general way of regulating the size of all body tissues. Hormones stimulate cells in e.g. the prostate, to produce an angiogenic protein, which in turn causes growth of new blood vessels. These blood vessels set the conditions for organ growth. Understanding this process may help treatment of a range of conditions where organs suddenly increase in size, e.g. prostate conditions.
Because of this work, and because of his demonstration of the link between hormones and cancer, Dr Folkman will be receiving the prestigious Dale Medal at the British Endocrine Societies meeting in Birmingham. Society for Endocrinology | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Related Cancer News Articles Bisphenol A linked to metabolic syndrome in human tissue New research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) implicates the primary chemical used to produce hard plastics-bisphenol A (BPA)-as a risk factor for metabolic syndrome and its consequences. African-Americans have unique lung cancer risks from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Scientists at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have developed a risk prediction assessment for lung cancer specifically for African Americans that suggests a greater risk from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Atomic structure of the mammalian 'fatty acid factory' determined Mammalian fatty acid synthase is one of the most complex molecular synthetic machines in human cells. It is also a promising target for the development of anti-cancer and anti-obesity drugs and the treatment of metabolic disorders. International team reveals first prognosticator of survival in aggressive cancer The tumor suppressor gene pRb2/p130 may provide the first independent prognostic biomarker in cases of soft tissue sarcoma (STS). M. D. Anderson study finds change in HER2 status after treatment with Herceptin Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that when treated with Herceptin prior to surgery, 50 percent of HER2 positive, breast cancer patients showed no signs of disease at the time of surgery. M. D. Anderson study finds racial disparities in radiation therapy rates for breast cancer Black women are less likely than white women to receive radiation therapy after a lumpectomy, the standard of care for early stage breast cancer, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. NC State Is First University in Nation to Offer Canine Bone Marrow Transplants Dogs suffering from lymphoma will be able to receive the same type of medical treatment as their human counterparts, as North Carolina State University becomes the first university in the nation to offer canine bone marrow transplants in a clinical setting. DNA editing tool flips its target Imagine having to copy an entire book by hand without missing a comma. Our cells face a similar task every time they divide. They must duplicate both their DNA and a subtle pattern of punctuation-like modifications on the DNA known as methylation. What a Sleep Study Can Reveal About Fibromyalgia Research engineers and sleep medicine specialists from two Michigan universities have joined technical and clinical hands to put innovative quantitative analysis, signal-processing technology and computer algorithms to work in the sleep lab. Stem cell research puts interstate rivalry on hold Victoria and New South Wales have put aside their competitive interstate rivalry to collaborate on a stem cell research project, as announced by Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings and NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research, Verity Firth, today. More Cancer News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||