Robot Worms Offer Cancer Hope

High-pressure jet designed for those who hate needles

(NEWSER) - It's like something out of Star Trek: a needleless injection that can deliver medicine painlessly (well, nearly painlessly). Researchers at MIT have unveiled a high-pressure jet for delivering medicines to a range of depths beneath the skin, reports the Daily Mail . "We think this kind of technology ... gets around some of the phobias that people may have about needles," said a member of the team that developed the jet-injection system. 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.

Kicking the habit can double chances of surviving 5 years

(USER SUBMITTED) - Smokers diagnosed with lung cancer could double their chances of surviving for 5 years—if they quit smoking. The "dramatic" finding, based on analysis of 10 previous studies, applies only to early-stage cancer. "If you give up smoking, your body can still partially recover and your risk is reduced," the lead researcher tells the AP . More»

Mutation makes cancer cells 'invisible' to fetus' immune system

(NEWSER) - Mothers pass myriad things to their unborn babies via the placenta, and scientists have found that cancer is among them. Researchers studied the case of a mother who died of leukemia soon after she gave birth, and whose child was diagnosed with cancer months later. Though the baby’s cancer type was different, the Guardian reports, both mother and child contained an identical mutated gene that could not have been inherited. More»

Drug firms may play bigger role than thought in medical lit

(NEWSER) - Ghostwriters funded by a drug firm were deeply involved in writing papers supporting therapies that helped the firm’s sales boom, court papers show. The 26 scientific papers, published in medical journals from 1998 to 2005, highlighted the benefits of hormone replacement therapy over the risks, a boon to Wyeth, which paid the writers. The news hints at the extent to which drug firms may pull strings in medical literature, the New York Times reports. More»