New 'Spider Pill' Roams Body Hunting Cancer

New drug combos delay tumor growth in advanced cases

(NEWSER) - Two new studies mark what could be the biggest breakthrough in treating breast cancer in more than a decade, researchers say. Both involve combining drug therapies that attack tumors in different ways, significantly delaying the time until women with advanced breast cancer became sicker, the AP reports. One treatment held tumor growth at bay for around six months longer than conventional treatments; the other delayed it for four months longer. More»

New research shows the particles make drugs more effective

(NEWSER) - Cancer treatment could get a boost thanks to nanodiamonds, small carbon-based particles whose shape is similar to diamonds. Chemotherapy drugs often become ineffective, because cancer cells spit them out of cells too quickly. But by attaching anticancer drugs to nanodiamonds, the cancer cells are thwarted because they're unable to pump out the nanodiamonds. Extra bonus: Nanodiamonds are non-toxic, cheap, and don’t cause inflammation, Nature reports. More»

Doctors say technique will help diagnose hard-to-spot cancers

(NEWSER) - A team of British scientists has dreamed up a way to track down cancerous tumors deep inside the body—by making them light up like a jellyfish. The scientists created viruses that contain light-generating green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) derived from jellyfish cells, the BBC explains. When injected into a patient, the viruses are designed to seek out cancer cells; as they grow, they generate more light. The result: a bunch of glowing tumors that can easily be spotted by a specialized camera. More»

'Electronic nose' can sniff out cancerous molecules

(USER SUBMITTED) - Scientists have discovered that through a breath test they can detect cancer. As cancer grows, it emits certain chemicals from the surface of the affected cells that can be recognized by an "electronic nose" that uses gold nanoparticles. Early results were published in the British Journal of Cancer and showed that sensors could tell whether a subject had a specific cancer, such as lung, breast, bowel. or prostate cancer. More»

Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, melanoma yield to new approaches

(NEWSER) - New treatments for cancer—breast, ovarian, and skin—raised hopes at this weekend's meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago. The findings aren't enough for Robert Langreth of Forbes , who sees "serious questions about whether big drug companies may be rushing too fast." Judge for yourself.

• A single dose of radiation administered at the site of tumor removal deterred recurrence of breast cancer as well as the standard grueling course of radiation on the entire breast, the Chicago Tribune reports.