Cancer Research

(Newser) - Researchers have singled out a gene that spreads breast cancer and makes it chemo-resistant, raising the prospect of drug therapy that localizes the disease and improves survival rates, the Baltimore Sun reports. Scientists believe that metadherin, or MTDH—found in 40% of the breast cancer patients studied—makes tumor cells sticky so they latch onto blood vessels in distant organs. More »

(Newser) - Using radiation therapy in combination with hormone treatment can double the survival rate of patients with advanced prostate cancer, a new European study finds. Of those men given only standard drugs, 24% died after 10 years, compared to less than 12% of those given both treatments. Combined treatment is already standard in the US and the researchers say it should become standard worldwide, WebMD reports. More »

(Newser) - Even as instances of colorectal cancer in the US decrease, the gap between whites and blacks is growing, new research shows. Black men and women are 45% more likely to die from the disease than whites, HealthDay reports. While rates are lower for both white and black men, the difference between them has increased more than 2 percentage points since 2005, a study tracking incidence over time shows. More »

(Newser) - Two new studies debunk the perception that vitamin supplements help ward off prostate and other cancers, the BBC reports. The trials involving 50,000 men provided the most definitive results yet on the effects of vitamins C and E—or, rather lack thereof—on cancer. One study had planned to trace the effects over 7 years but was curtailed because results were so disappointing. More »

(Newser) - Cancer will surpass heart disease as the world’s preeminent killer by 2010, Reuters reports. A WHO study concluded that cancer cases will double between 2000 and 2020, and almost triple by 2030, largely because of increased tobacco use in developing countries. In men, who are more likely to contract the disease, lung cancer is most prevalent; in women, breast cancer is the most common form. More »

(Newser) - It’s official: Jack in the Box’s Junior Bacon Cheeseburger is the least healthy value offering by a chain restaurant, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Cancer Project, which monitors links between nutrition and the disease, singled out the grilled meat and bacon in the sandwich as carcinogenic and otherwise unhealthy. Cheap eats from Burger King, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s also received poor marks. More »