Three areas of DNA were found to be linked with lung cancer risk in smokers, two of them influencing the type of cancer which develops.

It supports previous studies which have suggested a family link, even after taking smoking into account, a report in the Cancer Research journal says.

Emily Scott, a Kansas University assistant professor of medicinal chemistry, has received more than $300,000 in federal stimulus dollars to pursue her lung cancer research.

Scott’s research is directed at a particular lung enzyme, and she hopes to be able to find a way to prevent the enzyme from producing a carcinogen during nicotine processing.

A drug, called tarceva, works better in patients who were screened for a particular gene mutation. Patients with this mutation live longer than those without the mutation.

The drugs, Tarceva and Iressa, seemingly show betterresults in people who have advanced non-small-cell lung cancer who also have certain mutations in the EGRF. They work by inhibiting the cancer cells’ ability to multiply.

South Carolina State University experts analysed the fumes released by burning candles in lab tests.

They found paraffin wax candles gave off harmful fumes linked to lung cancer and asthma – but admitted it would take many years’ use to risk health.

Four years after the government severely restricted its use, the lung cancer drug Iressa may be poised to make a comeback: A study concludes it can slow the deadly disease better than standard chemotherapy in certain patients.

Just like my kids, I need reminders, and I had a good one as I sipped my morning coffee. Browsing this weeks Physician’s Weekly, Dr. Elliot Coups pinned that proverbial note on my shirt, as he shared how health care professionals need to address exercise with lung cancer survivors.

Roche’s flagship cancer drug Avastin won yet another gold star yesterday after performing well in a late stage trial assessing its potential in extending progression free survival in women with breast cancer.

Currently, the drug is approved on both sides of the Atlantic as a treatment for colorectal cancer, non-small lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma and as a first-line therapy for breast cancer, while in the US it has also been cleared for glioblastoma.

New Delhi-based Super Religare Laboratories will distribute Rosetta Genomics’ three microRNA-based cancer tests in India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates.

The agreement covers Rosetta Genomics’ miRview test line, including the miRview mets test to identify the primary tumor site in patients with cancer of unknown primary origin, the miRview squamous test for differentiating squamous from non-squamous small cell lung cancer, and the miRview meso test for differentiating mesothelioma from other carcinomas in the lung.

Lung cancer was found to be the top cancer killer for both men and women in Macau, according to the Health Bureau’s (SS) 2007 Cancer Registry Report.
2007 registered the highest numbers of cancer cases and cancer-related deaths since the registration was launched, and was also the first year to adopt the tenth edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) to conduct classification and coding, the SS said.

Researchers found that whole-body PET/CT combined with cranial imaging helps pinpoint advanced nonsmall-cell lung cancer and prevent unnecessary thoracotomy in patients. However, the study also found that the strategy yielded false-positive outcomes that incorrectly upstaged the disease in some patients.