New test for prostate cancer

"A new genetic test for prostate cancer with the potential to transform the way the disease is detected and monitored was launched in the UK.
The test, the first of its kind, measures the activity of a gene closely linked to prostate cancer.
Doctors hope it will make diagnosis of the disease more accurate and reduce the unnecessary removal of tissue samples.
About 35,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the UK and 10,000 die from the disease.
Currently the standard diagnostic tool is the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, which looks for raised levels of a protein in the blood that leaks out of the prostate gland.
But the PSA test is notorious for providing misleading results. Men with cancer might have low PSA scores, while others with benign conditions have high readings.
The uncertainty of the PSA test has led doctors to nickname it the "Producer of Stress and Anxiety" test.
The new test measures a genetic chemical, messenger RNA, which transfers DNA "instructions" from the PCA3 gene.
Elevated scores are only produced when prostate cancer is present, making the test highly specific."

Cervical Cancer Vaccine Beats Expectations

"The Gardasil vaccine offers protection against viruses that cause 90 percent of cervical cancers, researchers report. Gardasil came on the market last year for preventing infection with two strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), 16 and 18, that are responsible for up to 70 percent of all cervical cancers, and HPV 6 and 11, which account for 90 percent of genital warts. The new study, which involved about 11,000 young women aged 15 to 26, shows that the vaccine is also 38 percent effective against 10 additional HPV types, which are responsible for an additional 20 percent of cervical cancers. "The new study shows that Gardasil affords an extra degree of protection for young women," says researcher Darren R. Brown, MD, professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. "

Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer Using Light

"Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the US. Out of almost 38,000 people diagnosed with the disease every year there are an estimated 34,000 deaths. Pancreatic cancer is hard to detect and requires invasive procedures, which are not always accurate and are usually performed too late. A group of researchers from Evanston, Illinois developed a way of detecting the deadly cancer in its early stages using a simple endoscopy. "

AP: ABC's Robin Roberts Has Breast Cancer

"ABC "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts discovered she had breast cancer after following her own advice about early detection in a story about former colleague Joel Siegel's cancer death. Roberts, who announced her diagnosis on Tuesday's show, will undergo surgery on Friday.

"Hearing the words and saying it and seeing - it's surreal," Roberts, 46, told viewers in an on-air conversation with co-anchor Diane Sawyer.

Siegel, the ABC morning show's longtime film critic, died of colon cancer last month. During an ABC tribute to him, Roberts did a story about how early detection is key to surviving cancer. She went home that night and examined her breasts."

Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine Halts Progression Of Disease In Some Patients

"A dendritic cell-based therapeutic vaccine for pancreatic cancer developed by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has successfully stalled the disease from progressing in a handful of patients three years post-vaccination. The results, part of a press briefing on cancer vaccines held at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in LA, provide promising evidence that the vaccine can trigger a patient’s own immune system to rally against pancreatic cancer and offer new insights into how the vaccine could be made even more effective. The study is abstract number 4896 in the meeting proceedings. "

http://www.playfuls.com/news_006683_Pancreatic_Cancer_Vaccine_Halts_Progression_Of_Disease_In_Some_Patients.html

Flavonols lower pancreatic-cancer risk

A study of California and Hawaii residents found that a diet high in fruits and vegetables might help reduce pancreatic-cancer risk.Flavonols are found in plants, but the highest concentrations are found in onions, apples, berries, kale and broccoli.People who ate the largest amounts of flavonols had a 23-percent reduced risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared with those who ate the least, according to research team leader Dr. Laurence Kolonel of the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/53056.html