(Posted: 09/14/2012) - A mysterious form of cell death, coded in proteins and enzymes, led to a discovery by UNC researchers uncovering a prime suspect for new cancer drug development.

(Posted: 09/14/2012) - Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital ... have discovered a new biomarker for melanoma. The findings offer novel opportunities for skin cancer diagnostics, treatment and prevention.

(Posted: 09/14/2012) - Lung cancer patients with a history of smoking have 10 times more genetic mutations in their tumors than those with the disease who have never smoked, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

(Posted: 09/12/2012) - A new study from USC researchers is the first to show that controlled fasting improves the effectiveness of radiation therapy in cancer treatments, extending life expectancy in mice with aggressive brain tumors. The latest study, published in PLOS One, is the first to show that periods of fasting appear to have an augmenting effect on radiation therapy in treating gliomas, the most commonly diagnosed brain tumor.

(Posted: 09/12/2012) - Researchers from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center demonstrate, in animals, that maternal exposure to a high-fat diet or excess estrogen during pregnancy can increase breast cancer risk in multiple generations of female offspring — daughters, granddaughters and even great-granddaughters.

(Posted: 09/11/2012) - In a study reported Sept. 10 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition, researchers at Johns Hopkins describe their discovery of how a protein responsible for cell survival in low oxygen can trigger the spread of cancer cells into the lymphatic system in a mouse model of breast cancer. Johns Hopkins is home to the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.

(Posted: 09/11/2012) - More than a cancer-causing gene is needed to trigger pancreatic cancer, a study led by Mayo Clinic has found. A second factor creates a "perfect storm" that allows tumors to form, the researchers say. The study, published in the Sept. 10 issue of Cancer Cell, overturns the current belief that a mutation in the KRAS oncogene is enough to initiate pancreatic cancer and unrestrained cell growth.

(Posted: 09/11/2012) - Early treatment response is a powerful predictor of long-term outcome for young patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The information can help physicians decide whether a more intensive approach is needed. Research led by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital investigators has identified the best test for measuring that response and guiding therapy. The method uses a laboratory technique called flow cytometry, which makes it possible to identify a single cancer cell in 1,000 normal cells that remain in patient bone marrow after the initial intensive weeks of chemotherapy.

(Posted: 09/10/2012) - A new study from the University of Southern California (USC) has found a link between recreational marijuana use and an increased risk of developing subtypes of testicular cancer that tend to carry a somewhat worse prognosis. The researchers looked at the self-reported history of recreational drug use in 163 young men diagnosed with testicular cancer and compared it with that of 292 healthy men of the same age and race/ethnicity. The investigators found that men with a history of using marijuana were twice as likely to have subtypes of testicular cancer called non-seminoma and mixed germ cell tumors. USC is home to the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

(Posted: 09/07/2012) - Adding the monoclonal antibody bavituximab to docetaxel chemotherapy doubles overall response rate and improves progression-free survival and overall survival in late-stage non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer (NS-NSCLC) patients who have already received one prior chemotherapy regimen, according to University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center research presented at the 2012 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. UT Southwestern is home to the Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center.