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Medical Articles

MARCH 2017-POTENTIALLY PREVENTABLE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS ARE COMMON

Detailed Description: A significant portion of emergency department (ED) visits by patients undergoing cancer treatment can be preventable, and those possibly preventable visits account for a high percentage of the ED visit costs, according to a new analysis.

http://www.cancernetwork.com/cancer-complications/potentially-preventable-emergency-department-visits-are-common

FEBRUARY 2017-TELOMERS AND CANCER

Detailed Description: Telomeres are found at the ends of human chromosomes and contain thousands of repeats of repetitive TTAGGG DNA sequences. Telomerase is an enzyme that maintains telomere length in cancer cells by adding TTAGGG repeats onto the telomeric ends to compensate for the normal shortening of telomeres in all dividing cells. A majority of human cancers have very short telomeres, indicating that tumors can arise from genetically abnormal cells with dysfunctional telomeres.

http://www.news-medical.net/life-sciences/Telomeres-and-Cancer.aspx

JANUARY 2017-NEW STUDY REVEALS A NEW WAY TO STARVE TUMORS TO DEATH

Detailed Description: For a long time, scientists have tried to stop cancer growth by preventing nutrients from reaching tumor cells in order to starve them. Such attempts have not been as successful because cancer cells are perceptive and rely on other backup routes to continue growth. Scientists are now mapping the secondary routes cancer cells use when nutrients are depleted and identifying drugs that block them.

DECEMBER 2016-RADIATION THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SOFT TISSUE SARCOMA: A CLINICIAN’S GUIDE TO TIMING, TECHNIQUES, AND TARGETS

Detailed Description: Radiation therapy is a significant component in the multidisciplinary treatment of soft tissue sarcomas. Click here for more information.

OCTOBER 2016-COMPARISON OF MRI AND PET-CT IN DETECTING THE LOCO-REGIONAL RECURRENCE of SOFT TISSUE SARCOMAS DURING SURVEILLANCE

Detailed Description: A research study featured in the journal of Skeletal Radiology found that magnetic resource imaging (MRI) and PET- CT of areas of interest are both recommended methods to evaluate tumor recurrences after surgical excision of soft tissue sarcomas. Click here for more information.

OCTOBER 2016-BIDEN CHECKS IN ON LIQUID BIOPSIES

Detailed Description: Vice President Joe Biden is receiving people working on the Blood Profiling Atlas Project, one of the cancer moonshot’s major projects. It’s aimed at creating a database of liquid biopsies that could help accelerate research. Click here for more information. Click here for more information.

OCTOBER 2016-LARTRUVO (OLARATUMAB) OFFERS NEW PROMISE FOR PATIENTS WITH SOFT TISSUE SARCOMA

Detailed Description: On October 19, 2016, FDA approved Lartruvo (olaratumab) with doxorubicin treatment for patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) who cannot be treated with radiation or surgery and for whom chemotherapy is the appropriate treatment. Click here for more information.

OCTOBER 2016-A PHASE II STUDY of TIVOZANIB IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC AND NONRESECTABLE SOFT TISSUE SARCOMAS

Detailed Description: Tivozanib is well tolerated and exhibits anti-tumor activity against metastatic soft tissue sarcomas. Click here for more information.

SEPTEMBER 2016-MANAGING ADULT SOFT TISSUE SARCOMAS AND GASTROINTESTINAL STROMAL TUMOURS

Detailed Description: Sarcomas encompass rare, biologically diverse cancers. Paolo Casali, a leading expert, presents an overview of the latest research on the best way to treat them. Click here for more information.

SEPTEMBER 2016-PROS AND CONS GENETIC TESTING AND CANCER

Detailed Description: Genetic testing allows doctors to use preventive actions to screen and reduce the risk of hereditary cancer. Click here for more information.

JULY 2016-ROUTES TO DIAGNOSIS FOR SUSPECTED SARCOMA: THE IMPACT OF SYMPTOMS AND CLINICAL FINDINGS ON THE DIAGNOSTIC PROCESS

Detailed Description: Sarcoma patients often experience a lag in time before being diagnosed. The primary part of this delay can be attributed to the patient and nearby hospitals. Click here for more information.

JUNE 2016-IMMUNOTHERAPY EFFECTIVE AGAINST SOME TYPES OF SARCOMA

Detailed Description: Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Caner Institute found that an existing cancer immunotherapy drug is effective in reducing tumor size in some types of sarcomas. Click here for more information.

From ASCO . . .

What do all cancer types have in common?

Cells in cancer have become genetically unstable
Cancerous cells are frequently found in an inflammatory environment
Cancerous cells grow uncontrollably
Cancerous cells can avoid/ignore antigrowth signaling
A self-destruct mechanism in cancerous cells is not functioning properly
Cancerous cells have bypassed a replication limit that is not functioning properly
The metabolic machinery within cancerous cells is not functioning normally
Cancerous cells can evade immune-system surveillance
Cells that are oxygen-deprived within a tumor will signal for a new blood flow
Cancerous cells invade nearby tissues and ultimately enter the bloodstream or lymph system, which allows them to spread and colonize in other parts of the body

NOTE from the Foundation: The above-listed commonalities, plus the difficulty of gene mutations, has made Leiomyosarcoma most difficult to treat using immunotherapy breakthroughs. Oncology researchers, however, are working hard to progress toward this goal.

Below is a link to the article in Cancer World:

http://cancerworld.net/e-grandround/managing-adult-soft-tissue-sarcomas-and-gastrointestinal-stromal-tumours/

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