Very Low LDL May Mean More Cancer Risk, But Study Is Not Conclusive And Does Not Mean Those Taking Statins Should Stop - CBS News

"New research suggests a link between very low cholesterol levels and an increased risk of cancer, but the findings are far from conclusive, researchers say.

The analysis of studies examining outcomes in patients taking cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins to lower their low density lipoprotein (LDL) 'bad' cholesterol found an elevated risk of cancer among those who achieved the very lowest LDL cholesterol levels while taking the drugs. "

Forbes: Chemical 'Paint' Helps Surgeons See Cancer's Borders

"Researchers say they've developed a tumor "paint" that illuminates cancerous cells and help surgeons spot the borders of tumors.
A team at Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that the paint -- a protein derived from scorpions called chlorotoxin -- helped surgeons distinguish between brain tumor cells and normal brain tissue during surgery.

"My greatest hope is that tumor paint will fundamentally improve cancer therapy. By allowing surgeons to see cancer that would be undetectable by other means, we can give our patients better outcomes," study senior author Dr. James M. Olson said in a prepared statement."

Brain Cancer Vaccine

"Northwest Biotherapeutics Inc., a Bothell-based biotechnology company, won Swiss approval for its brain-cancer treatment, the first vaccine to harness a patient's immune system to fight the disease.
The product will be produced in the U.S., and made available to patients at treatment centers in Switzerland, Northwest Biotherapeutics said Monday in a prepared statement.
The company is working to win approval in the U.S. and Europe to gain access to the $35 billion market for cancer treatments. In clinical trials, patients treated with DCVax-Brain survived twice as long as those who didn't receive the vaccine, without major side effects, the company said.
"This is an unprecedented product," said Navid Malik, an analyst at Collins Stewart. "The whole field has opened up with this vaccine."
Though the vaccine has only been approved in Switzerland, patients from all over Europe are likely to travel for treatment, Malik said."

This may save your life cancer?

"Interim study results show prolonged survival for Pfizer's axitinib in advanced pancreatic cancer.

While final results need to be corroborated in an upcoming Phase III study, Pfizer's axitinib shows early potential to fulfill the great unmet need associated with pancreatic cancer. Given that OSI Pharmaceuticals/Genentech/Roche's Tarceva was granted FDA approval in this indication based on a two-week survival benefit, it is likely positive results would be met with great enthusiasm."