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Friday, 13 July 2007

  • Genentech's Avastin cancer drug selling like crazy

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    Genentech posted a 41 percent increase in its profits for the company's recently completed second quarter on Wednesday in part on the strength of its cancer drugs.

    Genentech's Avastin drug, which treats lung, breast and colon cancer, saw sales for the April-June period of this year rise 33 percent to $564 million.

    If you're an Avastin customer, has the drug helped with your specific cancer and have you been pleased with the results? I've never met anyone using this drug and have been curious to see what effects it does have on the cancer types it is marketed to fight against.
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  • More on Joel Siegel and the causes he believed in

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    Patricia reported earlier this week that movie critic Joel Siegel had died of colon cancer at the age of 63. Unlike almost everyone in North America, I'm not that into movies and though I had heard Siegel's name, I didn't really know much about him. But I wish I did, after watching this video on Siegel's life, his fight with cancer and his undying support for a cause he so firmly believed in; Cancer awareness.

    After Siegel's first wife died of brain cancer at a young age, the critic began to talk publicly about cancer, and it's with tragic irony that he passed away from the disease that worked so hard to fight. Siegel's final days were marked with deep regret that he didn't get screened for cancer sooner, as his doctors told him that if he had been tested a mere 3 years earlier, he would have had a much better chance at seeing his young son grow up.

    Cancer's lost a brave and powerful spokesperson, and I hope his message and memory lives on for a long time.
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Thursday, 12 July 2007

  • Herpes virus to kill cancer cells?

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    A German biotech company has announced positive results from a genetically engineered herpes virus that is designed to kill cancer cells. It not only kills the cancer cells but leaves healthy tissue unharmed. Results from clinical trials has showed promise.

    Being injected with a virus might seem strange but researchers believe that viruses could one day become a valuable addition to conventional cancer treatments.

    The results have shown in animal testing and limited human testing the ability to kill colorectal and liver cancer cells.

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Wednesday, 11 July 2007

  • Sex, age and location affect likelihood of incomplete colonoscopies

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    A report in Gastroenterology advises that if you need a repeat colonoscopy due to an incomplete colonoscopy, you should find a specialized medical center for the procedure.

    An incomplete colonoscopy occurs when the full length of the colon, up to the point where it joins the small intestine, cannot be examined. Being a woman and being elderly increases the chance of having an incomplete colonoscopy. Having the procedure done in a private office also increases this likelihood.

    Dr. Hemant A. Shah and a research team from the University of Toronto found that out of more than 331,000 colonoscopies, 13.1 percent were incomplete.

    Individuals who underwent colonoscopy in a private office were more than 3 times as likely to have an incomplete procedure as those having their procedure in an academic hospital.
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Monday, 09 July 2007

  • Prostate and colon cancer causes linked

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    Newly concluded scientific research has uncovered that a DNA change recently connected to prostate cancer also can signify an increased in the risk for colon cancer.

    The variant gene (rs6983267) increases the chance of a colorectal malignancy by about 20 percent, according to scientists. Oddly though, about half of all the global populations studied carry the gene variancy. That is one prevalent genetic mutation, yes?

    About 7,500 colon cancer patients were studied against 7,800 control subjects, and researchers again honed in on a specific gene that had already been identified as causing an increased risk of prostate cancer. Preliminary thinking concludes that one genetic variance may be responsible for increasing specific cancer risks -- but who's to say there are not more specific cancers whose likelihood id not controlled by this gene as well?
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