| Hyperthermia Combined with Radiation and Androgen Therapy Provides ...
BSD Medical Corp. (AMEX:BSM) today announced that the International Journal of Hyperthermia has published the preliminary results of a phase II clinical study involving 144 patients with locally advanced prostate cancer. In this study BSD Medical's BSD-2000 hyperthermia system was used to deliver local hyperthermia combined with conformal radiation therapy and androgen suppression therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer. Hyperthermia combined with radiation and androgen therapy demonstrated results in survival similar to treatments using higher radiation doses, with no significant side effects associated with either hyperthermia or radiation therapy. The report is entitled "Conformal radiotherapy plus local hyperthermia in patients affected by locally advanced high risk prostate cancer: Preliminary results of a prospective phase II study" (see Int.
Nexavar First FDA-Approved Drug Therapy For Liver Cancer
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONXX) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental New Drug Application for Nexavar� (sorafenib) tablets for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver cancer. Nexavar, an oral anticancer drug, is the first approved systemic therapy for liver cancer and the only one shown to significantly improve overall survival in patients with the disease. In 2005 Nexavar became the first new treatment in more than a decade for advanced kidney cancer, and is currently approved in more than 60 countries for this indication. "The approval of Nexavar in liver cancer marks the second time in two years that this novel kinase inhibitor has been granted FDA approval on a Priority Review basis, making it rapidly available to patients who previously had limited treatment options" said Arthur Higgins, chairman of the Executive Committee of Bayer HealthCare.
Positioning pelvic cancer patients on stomachs for radiation yields ...
Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers have found that positioning pelvic cancer patients on their stomachs rather than their backs is a better method for delivering radiation therapy. Because patients return for multiple therapies, being able to reproduce the positioning of the patient allowed more precision, which reduces toxicity. .
Inovio Biomedical To Present DNA Vaccine Overview At Scientific ...
Inovio Biomedical Corporation (AMEX:INO), a leader in enabling the development of DNA vaccines using electroporation-based DNA delivery, announced that Dr. Michael Fons, Vice President, Corporate Development, has been invited to present an overview of the company's technology and products at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists being held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. The presentation, scheduled for 2 p.m. PST on Wednesday, November 14th, is entitled "Devices Used for Nucleic Acid Delivery."
"Delivery of DNA vaccines and plasmid-based immunotherapy products has been one of the biggest challenges in the race to create new vaccines for cancers and chronic infectious diseases," stated Avtar Dhillon, MD, Inovio's CEO.
Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy Won't Affect Sexual Function
MONDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) High-dose precision radiation therapy doesn't harm the sexual function of prostate cancer patients, U.S. researchers say. A team at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia tracked 155 men with intermediate- to high-risk prostate cancer who underwent intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), a technique that more precisely targets the tumor. "IMRT is revolutionizing how we treat men with prostate cancer, because it improves our ability to avoid normal tissue. As a result, more radiation dose can be delivered to the prostate by increasing the amount of radiation each day. Increasing the radiation used each day is particularly attractive, because it also shortens the treatment time by several days," study lead author Dr. Mark Buyyounouski, attending physician in the radiology department at Fox Chase, said in a prepared statement.
Resonant Hosts First Breast IGRT Symposium At The American Society For ...
Resonant Medical hosted the first Breast Image-Guided Radiotherapy Symposium at the 49th annual ASTRO meeting held in Los-Angeles. At this Symposium American and International Radiation Oncologists discussed and explored the need and future opportunities for image guidance in the planning and delivery of radiotherapy to breast cancer patients.
"Our research is demonstrating that ultrasound IGRT offers an excellent non-ionizing solution for localizing the lumpectomy cavity on a daily basis. The Symposium was a great opportunity to share our perspectives on ground-breaking approaches and discuss their positive impact with so many colleagues from across the nation", expressed Dr R Heimann, radiation oncologist at the Fletcher Allen Health Center in Burlington, Vermont, one of the panellists of the conference.
A dark diagnosis reaffirmed a commitment
The fifth in a series of occasional articles examining the 2008 candidates for president. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - On the cold Boston afternoon following the 2004 election, vice presidential candidate John Edwards took center stage at Faneuil Hall. With his wife, Elizabeth, by his side, the man who had become the flag-bearer of Democratic optimism spoke of the heartache and disappointment over losing the electoral battle. Moments later Edwards and his wife rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital, where a new struggle awaited them. They slipped through a back door with a small Secret Service detail and navigated empty hallways to an examining room, where a biopsy confirmed that the lump Elizabeth had felt in her right breast a week earlier was cancerous. Edwards's life as the fresh face of the Democratic Party, whose relentlessly upbeat campaign had earned him the nickname "Mr.
Rigel R788 Raises Platelet Counts In Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura ...
Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) announced results of its Phase 2 clinical study of R788, a novel, oral Syk kinase inhibitor, in patients with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). The single-center, open-label, dose-escalating study showed that R788 (tamatinib fosdium) can improve platelet counts in this autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks and destroys its own blood platelets.
Initiated in January 2007, the study evaluated the safety and efficacy of R788 in adult ITP patients who had previously undergone and failed to respond to available treatments. Despite the severity of their disease, a majority of the patients responded favorably to the study drug. The primary side effects were gastrointestinal related events in certain patients.
"The effects of R788 treatment in this very refractory group of ITP patients are impressive.
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