Cancer Research Lab

The death rate from genital non-melanoma skin cancer is three times higher for women than for men. Investigators who conducted a large, population-based study attribute the higher death rate largely to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Co-investigator Dr. Martin A. Weinstock of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, presented the study findings here Sunday at the 65th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

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US researchers have identified a highly tumorigenic subpopulation of pancreatic cancer cells that display the established features of stem cell. A further understanding of these cells could lead to novel treatments for this usually fatal malignancy.

Previous studies have uncovered stem cells for blood, brain, and breast cancers. Until now, however, a stem cell for pancreatic cancer had not been identified.

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In a retrospective case-control study, researchers observed a non-significant trend for better survival in head and neck cancer patients who used nonselective COX inhibitors (aspirin and/or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications) on a regular basis.

“Although these results are intriguing, there is not sufficient evidence to recommend their use in patients with head and neck cancer unlike patients with colon polyps or colon cancer,” Dr. M. Boyd Gillespie from the Medical University of South Carolina warned in comments.

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Incidentally detected lung cancers tend to be smaller and less likely to require removal of a lung, according to a research team at the University of California-San Francisco.

Incidental identification of lung tumors will be more common as imaging for coronary screening, pulmonary embolism, aortic disease, and abdominal pain increases, the investigators note.

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High serum selenium levels before diagnosis are not associated with prostate cancer risk, according to findings published in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. However, high selenium levels may be protective in certain subgroups.

“Selenium is a potential chemopreventive agent against prostate cancer, whose chemoprotective effects are possibly mediated through the antioxidative properties of selenoenzymes,” Dr. Ulrike Peters, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, and colleagues write.

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Overdiagnosis is common in computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening, according to a report in the February issue of Radiology.

“Screening high-risk patients with chest CT may result in lung cancer overdiagnosis, especially in women,” Dr. Rebecca M. Lindell from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota said.

Dr. Lindell and associates evaluated the size, morphology, location, morphologic change, and growth rate of new and existing lung cancers detected in high-risk individuals who underwent annual screening chest CT for 5 years.

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Once-weekly treatment with risedronate prevents bone loss in breast cancer survivors who underwent chemotherapy, according to the results of a new study, suggesting that early bisphosphonate treatment be considered for these patients.

Previous research has shown bone loss and fractures in women with chemotherapy-induced early menopause, the authors explain, but few studies have examined prevention of chemotherapy-induced bone loss.

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Europe’s ageing population is leading to an increase in cancer with 300,000 new cases diagnosed each year, researchers said on Wednesday.

An estimated 3.2 million people in Europe were diagnosed with the disease in 2006, compared to 2.9 million two years earlier, and 1.7 million died from the illness.

Lung cancer, most of which is caused by smoking, is the biggest killer with about 334,800 deaths, followed by colorectal, breast and stomach cancer.

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Survivors of hairy cell leukemia have a 6.6-fold increased risk of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a 5-fold increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and a 3.6-fold increased risk of thyroid cancer, relative to the general population.

“However, the absolute risk of those second cancers is small,” Dr. Michie Hisada from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, said.

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Intake of 1000 to 2000 IU of vitamin D each day may safely reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to the results of a meta-analysis of published data.

The current findings contradict what was seen in previous studies, such as the Women’s Health Initiative. In those trials, vitamin D intake did not seem to protect against colorectal cancer. However, it is possible that the dose may simply have been too low to provide a benefit.

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