LungBlog

Government scientists have shown in intimate detail which genes play a role in lung cancer development and survival, and more precisely how smoking can have an impact decades after the habit is kicked.

Dr. Maria Teresa Landi, a scientist in the National Cancer Institute’s division of epidemiology and genetics, examined the spiraling lengths of DNA in lung cells to determine exactly how smoking causes genes to go awry.

Putting their rhetoric aside, let’s look at their records when it comes to leadership in cancer treatment and prevention. A search of cancer related bills sponsored in the Senate by each candidate revealed one for McCain, and several proposals from both Obama and Clinton.

Obama has sponsored or cosponsored bills to accelerate genomics research (S 976), enable states to develop or expand activities to monitor exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants (S 1068), and improve biomarkers for the early detection and screening of ovarian cancer (S 2569).

Senator Clinton has sponsored or cosponsored bills to provide education on the health consequences of exposure to secondhand smoke (S 2005), support Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month (S Res 222), ask the President to declare lung cancer a public health priority (S Res 87), require health plans to provide coverage for a minimum hospital stay for mastectomies, lumpectomies, and lymph node dissection for the treatment of breast cancer (S 459), and amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to protect the health of susceptible populations from trichloroethylene a probable carcinogen (S.1911).

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“Nancy Grace” is television’s only justice themed/interview/debate show, designed for those interested in the justice story of the day. Bonnie J. Addario and Boardmember Deborah Morosini, MD will discuss Lung Cancer.

Genzyme Genetics has signed an agreement with an English company that will bring a series of lung cancer tests to the global marketplace

Smoking plays a role in lung cancer development, and now scientists have shown that smoking also affects the way genes are expressed, leading to alterations in cell division and regulation of immune response. Notably, some of the changes in gene expression persisted in people who had quit smoking many years earlier. These findings by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, appeared in the Feb. 20, 2008, issue of PLoS ONE.

A new report from the American Cancer Society finds that although cancer deaths from breast, prostate and colon cancer are declining in Minnesota, the state still has a ways to go in reducing deaths from lung cancer.

The study estimated that there will be 23,160 new cases of cancer in Minnesota in 2008, and 1.4 million across the U.S.

According to the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts and Figures 2008, released this week, cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., following heart disease. But in Minnesota, it’s the leading cause of death.

U.S. scientists have discovered biomarkers that predict which patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer will better respond to specific treatments.

The researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center said the biomarkers predict which such patients will respond to a combination treatment of the anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex and the growth factor receptor blocker Tarceva.

MedPredict has published a new report in its oncology series entitled “Thought Leader Insight & Analysis: Lung Cancer,” designed to provide critical strategic insight for pharma and biotech companies with a stake in the market for diagnostics and treatments in non-small cell and small cell lung cancer.Lung cancer continues to be the leading worldwide cause of cancer death. Researchers are pursuing a broad array of mechanistic approaches to treatment, including angiogenics/VEGF, EGFR resistance (T790M, MET), HER2 (ErbB2), antifolate, anti-microtubule, apoptosis, Bcl-2/Bcl-xL, TRAIL, vascular disrupting agents, Ras, Raf, MEK, mTOR, PI3, AKT, IGF-1, HSP90, HDAC, JAK/STAT, MAGE-A3, CDK, Aurora Kinase, and anticoagulation.

A new study of the American Cancer Society has found that American patients on Medicaid or uninsured are far more likely to be diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer compared to someone who has their own personal private insurance.