Cancer
cure headlines - summary of recent news
Stories of so-called cancer cures
almost daily - what is the truth?
Expect most future headlines to be about cancer and
genes or genetics
Latest cancer
cure headlines - the truth (Video)
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STI571 promises
dramatic remissions in people with chronic myeloid leukemia
- see feature.
July 2000 |
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22 cancer
proteins identified. Queensland Institute of Medical Research's
leukemia laboratory head Professor Andrew Boyd has discovered
22 proteins which are hijacked by cancers. Normally the proteins
are only seen in the human fetus during the first 12 weeks
of pregnancy, before they are "switched off". Courier
Tasmania 12 July 2000 |
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UK lung cancer
cure rates only 50% of those in France. Daily Telegraph
1 July 2000 |
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Low fat diet
"cure" for breast cancer (excluding all dairy products)
condemned by experts. Independent 28 June 2000 |
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Suppressor
gene identified which could stop breast cancer spreading.
A team from Penn State University have called the gene BRMS1,
which could lead to tests to detect risk of early breast cancer,
and eventual stop the disease altogether. Australian
Business Intelligence 2 June 2000 |
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Endostatin
frenzy continues from cancer patients wanting the treatment.
First human studies on safety have shown very few side effects
but data on tumour response not released. These are still
early days for clinical trials. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
15 May 2000 |
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PI-88 begins
early cancer cure trials. PI-88 was produced at the John
Curtin School of Medical Research under Professor Chris Parish.
It helps block blood supply to the cancerous cells instead
of trying to kill them. Human trials of the drug started
in late 1998 on healthy volunteers to test safety and side
effects with few negative results. Canberra Times 7 May 2000
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Shark cartilege
does not cure cancer - No evidence of effect in studies
of 60 patients with cancer. Has been promoted as an alternative
remedy. Oct 1998 and May 2000 |
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Dr Luigi Di
Bella's claims of cancer cure dismissed - scientists
say hundreds of patients lured to his clinic in Italy are
being deceived. Cocktails of hormones and vitamins.
Nov 1998 |
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Frostbite
as treatment for prostate cancer - Australian doctors
experimenting with freezing prostate tissue. Bursts of liquid
nitrogen delivered through hollow needles. Nov 1998 |
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Endostatin
and angiostatin - impressive cure rates in mice with wide
variety of cancer growths. Effects in humans unknown but trials
to start end 1998 - by Dr Judah Folkman using drugs made at
the National Cancer Institute facility. Only for those who
are desperately ill. Not enough drug supply to treat more
than a handful. It will take till mid 1999 before production
is enough for large scale trials. shortly. Lots of hype. -
May 1998. However, results not reproduced in other labs
by Nov 1998. Wait and see... Latest
on angiostatin and endostatin - press here |
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Antisense
- DNA fragments designed to wreck the workings of cancer cells
- very early stages with cancer patients at the Royal Marsden
Hospital in London. Paul Zamecnik at Harvard helped pioneer
this cancer cure hope. - May 1998 |
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Tamoxifen
- well tried treatment for breast cancer in women. What about
Tamoxifen use before cancer develops? American scientists
believe it does prevent cancer in high risk women (with near
relative who has developed breast cancer). Tamoxifen results
so good that pre-cancer trial cut short. Unfortunate since
longer term toxicity still unknown. Lancet journal
in July 1998 says British study does not confirm Tamoxifen
findings. Jury still out. Video
on why so confusing - 10 July 1998 |
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p-53 -
gene said to protect against cancer agents in tobacco smoke.
Scottish cancer research by Professor Roland Wolf, Ninewell's
hospital Dundee. No practical treatment yet using p-53. Cancer
genes help target those at risk before cancer but not (yet)
in therapy. But what is the point of telling someone he or
she has an 80% chance of developing cancer if you can't offer
extra help? However, scientists may have found a way to repair
damage in p53 genes, with an antibody. - April 1998 |
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Interferon
- only effective in rare form of leukaemia. - April 1998 |
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TNF -
tumour necrosis factor. Naturally occurring, lethal to tumour
cells but many side effects in humans. Back in news again
1985 - 1998 |
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Chemotherapy
- high success rates in certain rare cancers (e.g. testicular
cancer). Back in news again -1982 - 1998 |
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Vaccines
- still very experimental. Antibodies formed after vaccination
against breast cancer resulted in breast cancer growths shrinking
in 27 out of 30 cases. Work by Professor Ian McKenzie, Dr
Vassos Apostolopoulos and Dr Geoff Pietersz. - May 1998 |
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Stem cell
transplants - treatment for neuroblastoma, a rare cancer
which strikes just six out of a million children. stem cells
siphoned out of blood before the child has massive radiation
to kill all cancerous bone marrow cells. Then healthy stem
are returned to regenerate bone marrow. Sometimes works. -
April 1998 |
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MDB -
multiterapia di Bella - contains somatostatin and retinoid
- alternative cancer therapy developed in Italy by 86 year
old Dr Luigi di Bella. Being investigated by authorities with
some scepticism expressed for spectacular reports of success.
- May 1998 |
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NS-398
- "super aspirin" is being tested at Bristol University
after discovery that aspirin can help kill cancer cells. NS-398
is 50 times stronger than normal aspirin. - May 1998 |
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Prostate cancer
gene - discovered by Professor Norman Maitland at York
University. Prostate cancer kills 15,000 men in Britain each
year. Could the cancer gene be targeted in some way? - May
1998 |
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