Articles
Simulation-based training is an effective technique for teaching physicians, nurses, dentists, emergency medical technicians, and other health professionals, according to a research review led by Mayo Clinic researchers. More than 600 studies assessing the use of virtual reality computers, mannequins, and training models used for teaching skills related to surgery, trauma management, obstetrics, and team communication were analyzed. Conclusions from the review were published September 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dual backup circuits in cancer cells that allow the cells to evade the effects of a common cancer drug have been discovered by scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and colleagues in Japan. Using targeted therapies to disconnect those circuits may improve or re-establish the cancer drug’s effectiveness, according to a study published in the September 7 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
High doses of chemotherapy may cause expressive speech difficulties in cancer patients, according to new research from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
After standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy, nearly half of breast cancer patients carrying the BRCA1 gene mutation achieve a complete pathological response (pCR) despite the stage of their disease, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center recently published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
A recent study found higher androgen and estrogen levels in postmenopausal women who smoke than in nonsmoking postmenopausal women.
Studies in the past have shown potential risk factors for breast and endometrial cancer as well as type 2 diabetes include high levels of estrogens and androgens, yet investigating the correlation between smoking and sex hormone levels has produced inconsistent results. Now, this new cross-sectional study suggests that, in postmenopausal women, sex hormones may be one such channel through which cigarette smoking influences chronic disease risk.
A three-dimensional model that allows insight into how breast tissue grows in its earliest stages has been developed at the University of Virginia, allowing scientists the ability to duplicate the early growth of human breast tissue outside the body.
A new lifesaving genetic screening program has been developed by UT Southwestern Medical Center for families at high risk of contracting colorectal cancer, the second-leading cancer killer after lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
The amount of potential carcinogens attached to an individual’s DNA can be measured by a new saliva test. This could lead to a commercial test to help determine risks for cancer and other diseases, scientists reported during the 242nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
Today’s pharmacists are challenged with adhering to budgetary limitations and keeping down drug-based therapy costs due to healthcare reform and heightened cost consciousness.
On August 26, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved crizotinib (Xalkori) for the treatment of certain patients with late-stage, non–small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) who express the abnormal anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene.
Between 1% and 7% of patients with NSCLC have the ALK gene abnormality, which causes cancer development and growth. This form of lung cancer is usually found in nonsmokers. Crizotinib works by blocking particular proteins, including the protein produced by the abnormal ALK gene.