http://www.medindia.net/healthnews/Leukemia-news.asp Medindia largest health website in india. en-us Copyright 2013. All Rights Reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 23:22:14 GMT http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-report-leap-in-leukemia-treatment-118975-1.htm At Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC), doctors have found a combination of drugs to potentially treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) more effectively. The research was published online on May 3, 2013, and it will appear as a letter in the journal iLeukemia/i, a publication of the prestigious Nature Publishing Group. The study helps address a basic problem of treating CLL. CLL lives both in the blood in circulation, and in lymph nodes and bone marrow. The former ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-report-leap-in-leukemia-treatment-118975-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-identify-root-cause-of-2-types-of-leukemia-118709-1.htm The molecular mutation that causes chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) and atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML) in some patients has been discovered by scientists. That mutation, occurring in a gene called colony stimulating factor 3 receptor (CSF3R), initiates a chain reaction involving other gene families known as SRC, JAK, and TNK2, which subsequently drives these diseases. This discovery is promising for patients as it will aid in diagnosing these cancers, which are currently ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-identify-root-cause-of-2-types-of-leukemia-118709-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-assemble-genetic-playbook-for-acute-myeloid-leukemia-118472-1.htm A team of researchers has identified virtually all of the major mutations that drive acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-growing blood cancer in adults that often is difficult to treat. The team of researchers was led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings, published online May 1 in the iNew England Journal of Medicine/i, pave the way for developing better treatments for AML based on the genetic profile of a patient's cancer. They also could lead to ways ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-assemble-genetic-playbook-for-acute-myeloid-leukemia-118472-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-suggest-new-drug-combination-therapy-to-treat-leukemia-117734-1.htm A new, pre-clinical study by researchers suggests that a novel drug combination could lead to profound leukemia cell death by disrupting the function of two major pro-survival proteins. The study took place at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. The effectiveness of the therapy lies in its ability to target a pro-survival cell signaling pathway known as PI3K/AKT/mTOR, upon which the leukemia cells have become dependent. In the study, published in the journal iCancer ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-suggest-new-drug-combination-therapy-to-treat-leukemia-117734-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/genetic-mutations-responsible-for-causing-leukemia-identified-117177-1.htm Researchers have identified the genetic mutations causing leukemia, a common type of cancer affecting children. Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research sequenced the entire set genomes of two sets of identical twins diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It was found that the gene linked with leukemia ETV6-RUNX1 that was generated in the womb was similar in both the pairs of twins. There were 22 similar gene mutations in both pairs, which were not significant in development of leukemia....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/genetic-mutations-responsible-for-causing-leukemia-identified-117177-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-trick-t-cells-to-wipe-out-leukemia-in-a-girl-116381-1.htm A team of researchers in the United States revealed that they were able to wipe out leukemia in a young girl with her own modified T-cells with the help of a new type of immune cell therapy. The case study of Emily "Emma" Whitehead, age 7, offers hope for a new path against a stubborn form of leukemia, known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), maybe even replacing the need for chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants someday. But the research in the New England Journal of Medicine also ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-trick-t-cells-to-wipe-out-leukemia-in-a-girl-116381-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/inherited-genetic-variations-in-childhood-leukemia-have-a-major-impact-116225-1.htm There are nearly 20,000 to 25,000 genes in humans that carry instructions for assembling the proteins that do the work of cells. Work led by St. Jude Children''s Research Hospital found that children who inherit certain variations in four particular genes are at much higher risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The study also showed that Hispanic patients were more likely than patients of European or African ancestry to inherit high-risk versions of two of these genes. ALL ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/inherited-genetic-variations-in-childhood-leukemia-have-a-major-impact-116225-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/adult-survivors-of-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-at-greater-risk-of-chronic-fatigue-116160-1.htm Chronic fatigue, a persistent lack of energy that does not improve with rest can negatively affect a person's health-related quality of life and ability to work and carry out normal daily functions. It is at least three times more prevalent among adult survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma experienced during childhood or adolescence than in the general adult population. This is according to an article in iJournal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology/i (JAYAO), a multidisciplinary ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/adult-survivors-of-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-at-greater-risk-of-chronic-fatigue-116160-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/gene-therapy-could-be-the-silver-lining-for-patients-suffering-from-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-116136-1.htm In a recent advancement in cancer research, scientists used gene therapy to cure an aggressive form of leukemia. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia progresses very rapidly and results in death within weeks when left untreated. When the cancer is relapsed, bone marrow transplant is the only choice of treatment in case the patient survives long enough to receive the treatment. Renier J. Brentjens, cancer specialist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and his team treated five patients with relapsed lethal leukemia with gene therapy....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/gene-therapy-could-be-the-silver-lining-for-patients-suffering-from-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-116136-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-discover-new-breakthrough-in-battle-against-leukemia-115764-1.htm Scientists have discovered a critical weakness in leukaemic cells, which may pave the way to new treatments. The scientists are from Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics and The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The research team has demonstrated that leukaemic cells can be eradicated by removing a carbohydrate modification displayed on the cell's surface. Director of Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics, Professor Mark von Itzstein is the Australian team leader....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-discover-new-breakthrough-in-battle-against-leukemia-115764-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/study-therapies-for-all-and-aml-targeting-mer-receptor-hold-promise-of-more-effect-with-less-side-effect-115657-1.htm The protein receptor Mer is overexpressed in many leukemias, and that inhibition of this Mer receptor results in the death of leukemia cells - without affecting surrounding, healthy cells shows two studies by University of Colorado Cancer Center. The first study, published today in the journal iOncogene/i, worked with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), for which current chemotherapies offer a cure rate of only about 55 percent. "In about 2/3 of all AML patients and about 90 percent of adult ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/study-therapies-for-all-and-aml-targeting-mer-receptor-hold-promise-of-more-effect-with-less-side-effect-115657-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/infusion-of-donor-t-cells-boost-survival-chances-in-leukemia-115024-1.htm Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center researchers have managed to infuse large numbers of donor T-cells specific for a key anti-leukemic antigen to prolong survival in high-risk and relapsed leukemia patients after stem cell transplantation. Both the stem cells for transplant and the T-cells came from the same matched donors.Reporting results of a pilot clinical trial in the Feb. 27 issue of the journal iScience Translational Medicine/i, researchers describe the use of T-cells that were ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/infusion-of-donor-t-cells-boost-survival-chances-in-leukemia-115024-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-identify-genetic-variation-behind-acute-myeloid-leukemia-treatment-success-115007-1.htm Researchers have identified genetic variations that may help signal which acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients will benefit or not benefit from one of the newest antileukemic agents. Researchers from the College of Pharmacy and Medical School working within the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, have partnered for this study. Their study is published today in iClinical Cancer Research/i. In the latest study, U of M researchers evaluated how inherited genetic polymorphisms ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-identify-genetic-variation-behind-acute-myeloid-leukemia-treatment-success-115007-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/chemotherapy-may-raise-leukemia-risk-in-cancer-patients-114448-1.htm Despite the fact that advancements in cancer treatment have improved survival rates among patients for certain cancers, the risk of developing treatment-related leukemia still persists, finds a study. Chemotherapy is often a highly effective treatment for cancer, but certain drugs have also been shown in a range of studies to increase a patient's risk of developing therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (tAML), a rare but frequently fatal condition. Thanks to significant advancements in therapy ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/chemotherapy-may-raise-leukemia-risk-in-cancer-patients-114448-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/achilles-heel-molecule-of-lymphoid-leukemia-discovered-114341-1.htm An international study conducted at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM) could pave way for the development of an alternative treatment for lymphoid leukemia. Led by Dr. Tarik Moroy, the IRCM's President and Scientific Director, the team discovered a molecule that represents the disease's "Achilles' heel" and could be targeted to develop a new approach that would reduce the adverse effects of current treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The researchers' ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/achilles-heel-molecule-of-lymphoid-leukemia-discovered-114341-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/mutations-linked-to-relapse-of-childhood-leukemia-discovered-113818-1.htm For the first time, researchers have linked reemergence of the most common type of childhood cancer to specific gene mutations. The discovery, co-lead by William L. Carroll, MD, director of NYU Langone Medical Center's Cancer Institute, is reported in a study published online February 3, 2013, in iNature Genetics/i. "There has been no progress in curing children who relapse, in spite of giving them very high doses of chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants," said Dr. Carroll....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/mutations-linked-to-relapse-of-childhood-leukemia-discovered-113818-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-insights-on-leukemia-yielded-by-study-of-cancer-cell-metabolism-113257-1.htm A new reason for why acute myeloid leukemia, one of the most aggressive cancers, is so difficult to cure: a subset of cells that drive the disease appear to have a much slower metabolism than most other tumors cells was proposed by University of Rochester Medical Center scientists. The slower metabolism protects leukemia cells in many important ways and allows them to survive better - but the team also found an experimental drug tailored to this unique metabolic status and has begun testing ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-insights-on-leukemia-yielded-by-study-of-cancer-cell-metabolism-113257-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drug-can-target-hard-to-reach-leukemia-stem-cells-113088-1.htm A novel stem cell targeting drug that is currently under development may be able to affect hard-to-reach drug resistant leukemia stem cells, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine revealed. The findings, published in the January 17 online issue of iCell Stem Cell/i, open the possibility that diseases like chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and some solid tumor cancers might - in combination with other therapies - be more effectively treated with this drug, and with a lower chance of relapse....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drug-can-target-hard-to-reach-leukemia-stem-cells-113088-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/in-chronic-myeloid-leukemia-enzyme-accelerates-malignant-stem-cell-cloning-112083-1.htm An international team has identified a key enzyme in the reprogramming process that promotes malignant stem cell cloning and the growth of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a cancer of the blood and marrow that experts say is increasing in prevalence. The team was headed by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. The findings are published in the Dec. 24 online early edition of the iProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences/i (iPNAS/i). Despite ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/in-chronic-myeloid-leukemia-enzyme-accelerates-malignant-stem-cell-cloning-112083-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/broccoli-compound-may-help-fight-leukemia-111923-1.htm It is a well known fact that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but did you know that a serving of broccoli a day could keep leukemia at bay? Like brussels sprout, cabbage and cauliflower, broccoli is one of the best known cruciferous vegetable and if you are wondering why the name 'cruciferous', that's because the four-petal flowers from these veggies resemble a cross or 'crucifer'. Because of its high levels of vitamin C, beta carotene, and fiber, broccoli is a powerful antioxidant that helps ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/broccoli-compound-may-help-fight-leukemia-111923-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-find-that-predispostion-to-childhood-leukemia-is-due-to-a-genetic-defect-in-sex-cells-111720-1.htm Researchers ave found a possible heredity mechanism that predisposes children to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common type of blood cancer in children. The researchers are from the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and the University of Montreal. According to their findings, presence of a genetic defect in the egg or sperm from which children having ALL arise may be a prerequisite for the disease to develop. Their findings are published in iGenome Research/i. A significant ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-find-that-predispostion-to-childhood-leukemia-is-due-to-a-genetic-defect-in-sex-cells-111720-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/temple-scientists-find-that-drug-resistant-leukemia-stem-cells-may-be-source-of-genetic-chaos-111447-1.htm An international team of scientists has found that a source of mounting genomic chaos, or instability, common to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) may lie in a pool of leukemia stem cells that are immune to treatment with potent targeted anticancer drugs. The team was led by researchers from Temple University School of Medicine. They have shown in mice with cancer that even after treatment with the highly effective imatinib (Gleevec), stem cells that become resistant to these drugs - tyrosine ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/temple-scientists-find-that-drug-resistant-leukemia-stem-cells-may-be-source-of-genetic-chaos-111447-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/combination-of-drugs-can-help-in-treating-aggressive-chronic-lymphocytic-leukemia-111430-1.htm A phase II trial conducted at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center revealed that aggressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can be treated by combining ibrutinib and rituximab. Researchers presented the results today at the 54th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). "This is a patient population with a great need for more targeted therapies," said Jan Burger, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in MD Anderson's Department of Leukemia. Burger was lead author of the study....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/combination-of-drugs-can-help-in-treating-aggressive-chronic-lymphocytic-leukemia-111430-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/vegetable-compound-reduces-the-number-of-leukemia-cells-111396-1.htm Sulforaphane - a compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables was found to reduce the number of acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells in the lab setting, say researchers. The findings appear in the current edition of iPLOS ONE/i. "Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a type of cancer of the white blood cells common in children," said Dr. Daniel Lacorazza, assistant professor of pathology (and) immunology. "There is about an 80 percent cure rate, but some children don't respond to treatment....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/vegetable-compound-reduces-the-number-of-leukemia-cells-111396-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/for-children-with-very-high-risk-form-of-leukemia-intensified-chemotherapy-shows-promise-111392-1.htm The findings of a clinical trial led by investigators at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center in Boston suggest that young patients with an aggressive form of leukemia who are likely to relapse after chemotherapy treatment can significantly reduce those odds by receiving additional courses of chemotherapy. The trial leaders will present the results of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ALL Consortium study, which involved nearly 500 patients under age 18 with B-precursor acute lymphoblastic ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/for-children-with-very-high-risk-form-of-leukemia-intensified-chemotherapy-shows-promise-111392-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/high-risk-leukemia-patients-responded-well-to-a-new-experimental-drug-111363-1.htm In a Phase II clinical trial, a new drug for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) marked by a specific type of genetic mutation has shown surprising promise. In more than a third of participants, the leukemia was completely cleared from the bone marrow, and as a result, many of these patients were able to undergo potentially curative bone marrow transplants, according to investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and nine other academic medical centers around the world. ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/high-risk-leukemia-patients-responded-well-to-a-new-experimental-drug-111363-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/angiocidin-effective-against-leukemia-111362-1.htm In pre-clinical experiments, angiocidin, a novel tumor-inhibiting protein, has been shown to reduce acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells in vivo by almost two-thirds. George P. Tuszynski, a professor of neuroscience in Temple University's School of Medicine who discovered Angiocidin, will present the findings during the American Society of Hematology's national meeting in Atlanta on Dec. 9. AML causes certain white blood cells to stop maturing, resulting in their uncontrolled proliferation, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/angiocidin-effective-against-leukemia-111362-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/us-doctors-use-modified-hiv-to-defeat-leukemia-111347-1.htm US doctors say they have used for the first time a modified form of the HIV virus to save a seven-year-old girl who was close to dying from leukemia. After fighting her disease with chemotherapy for almost two years and suffering two relapses, the young girl "faced grim prospects," doctors at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said. So in February this year they agreed to take her on in an experimental program that fought fire with fire. Helped by a genetically altered HIV virus -- ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/us-doctors-use-modified-hiv-to-defeat-leukemia-111347-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/after-engineered-t-cell-therapy-leukemia-patients-may-remain-in-remission-111312-1.htm Out of twelve, nine leukemia patients who received infusions of their own T cells after the cells had been genetically engineered to attack the patients' tumors responded to the therapy. The therapy was pioneered by scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Penn researchers will present the latest results of the trial today at the American Society of Hematology's Annual Meeting and Exposition. The clinical trial participants, all of whom had advanced ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/after-engineered-t-cell-therapy-leukemia-patients-may-remain-in-remission-111312-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-target-dna-repair-to-eradicate-leukemia-stem-cells-111311-1.htm Now, scientists at Temple University School of Medicine may have figured out a way to corral this stem cell activity and stunt further cancer development. Despite treatment with imatinib, a successful drug that targets chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a deadly type of cancer, some patients may continue to be at risk for relapse because a tiny pool of stem cells is resistant to treatment and may even accumulate additional genetic aberrations, eventually leading to disease progression and relapse....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-target-dna-repair-to-eradicate-leukemia-stem-cells-111311-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/reduced-intensity-regimen-prior-to-marrow-transplant-better-for-older-leukemia-patients-study-111285-1.htm A new study shows that preparing older acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients for bone marrow transplants with a reduced intensity conditioning regimen appears to be associated with higher rates of disease-free survival relative to the more typical treatments usually given to such patients. The study was led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James). The study was presented ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/reduced-intensity-regimen-prior-to-marrow-transplant-better-for-older-leukemia-patients-study-111285-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/experimental-agent-ibrutinib-is-highly-active-in-cll-patients-111251-1.htm The agent, ibrutinib (PCI-32765), is the first drug designed to target Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), a protein essential for chronic lymphocytic leukemia-cell survival and proliferation. Updated results from a Phase Ib/II clinical trial indicates that a novel therapeutic agent for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is highly active and well tolerated in patients who have relapsed and are resistant to other therapy. CLL is the most common form of leukemia, with about 15,000 new cases annually in the U....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/experimental-agent-ibrutinib-is-highly-active-in-cll-patients-111251-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/novel-drug-proves-effective-against-most-resistant-types-of-chronic-myeloid-leukemia-110744-1.htm Ponatinib - an investigational drug in a phase I clinical trial acts against the most resistant types of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), say researchers. All 12 patients in the trial with chronic phase CML and the T315I mutation had a complete hematologic response (absence of CML cells in the blood) after treatment with ponatinib. Eleven had a major reduction in CML cells in the bone marrow and nine achieved a complete cytogenetic response - no cells in the marrow. T315I is present in ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/novel-drug-proves-effective-against-most-resistant-types-of-chronic-myeloid-leukemia-110744-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/abnormal-gene-that-launches-rare-childhood-leukemia-identified-by-gene-sequencing-project-110039-1.htm Research has identified a fusion gene responsible for almost 30 percent of of a rare subtype of childhood leukemia with an extremely poor prognosis. The research was led by the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project. The finding offers the first evidence of a mistake that gives rise to a significant percentage of acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) cases in children. AMKL accounts for about 10 percent of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML)....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/abnormal-gene-that-launches-rare-childhood-leukemia-identified-by-gene-sequencing-project-110039-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/smart-drug-boosts-survival-in-leukemia-patients-109937-1.htm Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin - a new type of smart drug was found to improve survival in older patients with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), states study. Of the 1,115 patients who took part in the trial, 68 per cent relapsed on the new treatment within three years, compared with 76 per cent of those who had the standard treatment. And 25 per cent were still alive after three years, compared with 20 per cent of those who had the standard treatment. The drug - called Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin (GO) ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/smart-drug-boosts-survival-in-leukemia-patients-109937-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/study-finds-increased-risks-of-leukemia-among-chernobyl-cleanup-workers-109752-1.htm Workers who helped clean up after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in Ukraine share a significant increased risk of developing leukemia, a study has claimed. In a Journal, Environmental Health Perspectives, an international team led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the Chernobyl Research Unit at the Radiation Epidemiology Branch of the National Cancer Institute describes the increased risks of leukemia among these workers between 1986 and 2006....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/study-finds-increased-risks-of-leukemia-among-chernobyl-cleanup-workers-109752-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/identification-of-biomarkers-of-behavior-therapeutic-targets-for-adult-b-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-by-researchers-109430-1.htm Researchers provided with a potential new prognostic biomarker and a promising new therapeutic target thanks to new insight into the aggressive behavior of certain adult B-acute lymphoblastic leukemias. The research, conducted by Ari Melnick, M.D., associate professor of medicine and director of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical and Physical Sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College and a hematologist-oncologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/identification-of-biomarkers-of-behavior-therapeutic-targets-for-adult-b-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-by-researchers-109430-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/software-instructions-of-aggressive-leukemia-cells-decoded-109240-1.htm Researchers have decoded the key software instructions that drive three of the most virulent forms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The research, published in iCancer Discovery/i, is the first study to show how these three different forms of white blood cell cancer are epigenetically programmed by several different molecules controlling cascading biological networks that manipulate normal gene function, directing cancer development and growth. "Epigenetic programming is ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/software-instructions-of-aggressive-leukemia-cells-decoded-109240-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/prolonged-feeding-of-infant-formula-raises-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-risk-108726-1.htm Prolonging the formula feeding and delaying the introduction to solid foods may put the child at risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia, finds a study. "For every month that a child was fed formula, taking into account other feeding practices, we found that the risk for this type of cancer was higher," said Jeremy Schraw, a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin, who presented the findings of an epidemiological study at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/prolonged-feeding-of-infant-formula-raises-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-risk-108726-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-tool-determines-how-aml-cells-are-to-die-108595-1.htm Researchers have developed a novel method for determining how ready acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells are to die, at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. A discovery that may help cancer specialists to choose treatments option more effectively for their patients who have AML. In a study published in the Oct. 12 issue of the journal iCell/i, the researchers report that their findings may lead to improved tests to predict which patients successfully treated for AML can continue in ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-tool-determines-how-aml-cells-are-to-die-108595-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/treating-nsclc-patients-with-sorafenib-as-a-third-or-fourth-line-treatment-therapy-does-not-improve-survival-chances-107866-1.htm A new study presented at ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna reveals that the survival chances in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) does not improve by using drug sorafenib as a third or fourth line treatment though it could help patients with EGFR mutant tumors. Sorafenib is an oral inhibitor of several tyrosine protein kinases, which can be active in cancers. At the meeting, Dr Luis Paz-Ares from from Virgen del Rocio University Hospital in ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/treating-nsclc-patients-with-sorafenib-as-a-third-or-fourth-line-treatment-therapy-does-not-improve-survival-chances-107866-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/improvement-in-treatment-for-acute-myeloid-leukemia-possible-due-to-gene-discovery-105619-1.htm Scientists have made a discovery involving mice and humans that could mean that people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a usually fatal cancer, are a step closer to new treatment options. The scientists are from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/a of Yeshiva University. Their study results were published online today in Cancer Cell. "We have discovered that a gene called HLX is expressed at abnormally high levels in leukemia stem cells in a mouse model of AML," said Ulrich Steidl, M....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/improvement-in-treatment-for-acute-myeloid-leukemia-possible-due-to-gene-discovery-105619-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-treatment-options-for-high-risk-childhood-leukemia-subtype-via-existing-drugs-105527-1.htm New genetic alterations underlying a high-risk subtype of the most common childhood cancer have been identified by scientists. These alterations could be effectively targeted with existing leukemia therapies. The study focused on a subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) known as Philadelphia chromosome-like ALL (Ph-like ALL). This subgroup accounts for as much as 15 percent of childhood ALL that is associated with a high risk of relapse and a poor outcome. The genetic changes driving ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-treatment-options-for-high-risk-childhood-leukemia-subtype-via-existing-drugs-105527-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/random-mutations-in-leukemia-connected-to-aging-104433-1.htm Hundreds of mutations exist in leukemia cells at the time of diagnosis, but nearly all occur randomly as a part of normal aging and are not related to cancer, new research shows. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that even in healthy people, stem cells in the blood routinely accumulate new mutations over the course of a person''s lifetime. And their research shows that in many cases only two or three additional genetic changes are required to transform ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/random-mutations-in-leukemia-connected-to-aging-104433-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-discover-new-target-in-acute-myeloid-leukemia-104218-1.htm A new pathway activated by FLT3 mutation has been identified by scientists. Acute myeloid leukemia, a common leukemia in adults, is characterized by aberrant proliferation of cancerous bone marrow cells. Activating mutations in a protein receptor known as FLT3 receptor are among the most prevalent mutations observed in acute myeloid leukemias. Their results show that cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), a critical regulator of cell division is activated in FLT3 mutated leukemias, leading ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-discover-new-target-in-acute-myeloid-leukemia-104218-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/oncometabolite-linked-to-onset-of-acute-myeloid-leukemia-103710-1.htm Scientists have identified a causative link between the product of a mutated metabolic enzyme and the onset of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Called an "oncometabolite" for its role in cancer metabolism, the metabolite2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) is a by-product of a gene mutation of an enzyme known as isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH). Says Dr. Tak Mak of the findings published today in Nature: "For the first time, we have demonstrated how a metabolite can cause cancer. This sets the stage for developing ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/oncometabolite-linked-to-onset-of-acute-myeloid-leukemia-103710-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/assam-to-offer-free-treatment-for-children-with-leukemia-102121-1.htm Children below the age of 12 years who suffer from leukemia are to get free treatment under the new scheme soon to be launched by the Assam government. Assam Health Minister Himata Biswa Sarma announced this Saturday while interacting with media persons after attending a function at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Guwahati. "We are working on a scheme under which free treatment will be provided to children below 12 years who suffer from leukemia. You all know that this ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/assam-to-offer-free-treatment-for-children-with-leukemia-102121-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/cheap-portable-device-to-screen-cells-for-leukemia-and-hiv-developed-102106-1.htm Researchers have developed a new portable device that can speed up screening of cells for leukemia or HIV using a biochip which can produce 3D focusing of a stream of cells. "HIV is diagnosed based on counting CD4 cells," said Tony Jun Huang, associate professor of engineering science and mechanics, Penn State. "Ninety percent of the diagnoses are done using flow cytometry." Huang and his colleagues designed a mass-producible device that can focus particles or cells in a single stream and ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/cheap-portable-device-to-screen-cells-for-leukemia-and-hiv-developed-102106-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/novel-drug-can-help-overcome-resistant-leukemia-and-lymphoma-102033-1.htm An anti-cancer peptide is capable of overcoming stubborn resistance to chemotherapy and radiation. The strategy could pave the way for much needed new therapies to treat relapsed and refractory blood cancers, which are difficult to cure because their cells deploy strong protein "deflector shields" to neutralize the cell death signals that chemotherapy agents used against them initially, say the researchers. The prototype compound, called a "stapled BIM BH3 peptide," is designed to disable ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/novel-drug-can-help-overcome-resistant-leukemia-and-lymphoma-102033-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-see-potential-in-new-leukemia-treatment-101834-1.htm Scientists are one step closer to developing novel treatment for acute myeloid leukemia after identifying the two targeted agents obatoclax and sorafenib that kill leukemia cells. Recently published in the journal Blood, the results of a study led by Steven Grant, M.D., Shirley Carter Olsson and Sture Gordon Olsson Chair in Oncology Research, associate director for translational research and program co-leader of Developmental Therapeutics at VCU Massey Cancer Center, and Mohamed Rahmani, Ph....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-see-potential-in-new-leukemia-treatment-101834-1.htm