Growth Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Halted By Combining Two MTOR Inhibitors
The combination of two inhibitors of protein mTOR stops the growth of primary liver cancer and destroys tumour cells, according to a study by researchers of the Group of Metabolism and Cancer at Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL). The study results are been published on the online edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine. Primary liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma is the fifth most common cancer and, due to its aggressiveness, is the third most deadly. It affects half a million people worldwide.
Researchers Urge More Patient-Centered Care For African-American Breast Cancer Survivors
African-American breast cancer survivors were satisfied with their cancer treatment, but most were never offered clinical trials opportunities or support services during or after their treatment, according to a study by a UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher and her community partner, Rev. Tammie Dynse. The study, "The Unmet Needs of African-American Women with Breast Cancer, " involved interviews with 137 African-American women who survived breast cancer. Researchers sought to assess patients' clinical experiences, concerns and needs, asking participants questions about their treatment, access to information, support services and clinical trials, insurance and employment status, general health and lingering effects of cancer treatment.
Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Has Potential To Revive Abandoned Cancer Drug Wortmannin
Current nanomedicine research has focused on the delivery of established and novel therapeutics. But a UNC team is taking a different approach. They developed nanoparticle carriers to successfully deliver therapeutic doses of a cancer drug that had previously failed clinical development due to pharmacologic challenges. They reported their proof of principle findings in the early online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Wortmannin is a drug that was highly promising as a cancer drug, but its successful preclinical studies did not translate into clinical efficacy because of challenges such as high toxicity, low stability and low solubility (unable to be dissolved in blood).