NCI Cancer Bulletin for March 24, 2009 - National Cancer Institute

Prostate-specific antigen is a substance produced by the prostate. It can be detected in the blood of adult men and may be found in higher levels in men who have prostate cancer and other prostate conditions.

No Definitive Answers from Initial Results of Prostate Screening Trials

Regular screening for prostate cancer with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test did not reduce deaths from the disease after 7 years of follow up, according to the long-awaited results from two large randomized trials, one conducted in the United States and the other in Europe. Read more > >

Three-Drug Regimen May Preserve the Voice Box in Larynx Cancer
Combination improves chances of avoiding surgery and preserving the larynx
Obesity Worsens Survival after Pancreatic Cancer Surgery
Patients with a BMI of 35 or greater had worse overall survival and higher rates of disease recurrence
In Talking about Prostate Cancer, Medical Language May Confuse Some Patients
Physicians and education efforts need to consider literacy and use nonmedical language
Rare Genetic Disorder Reveals How UV Exposure May Cause Melanoma
PTEN gene mutations support the rationale for using sunscreen to prevent the disease

Director's Update: Making Connections between Stem Cells and Cancer

The striking similarities between stem cells in normal tissue that are responsible for continuously replacing adult tissues and a very small subset of cells found in growing tumors have sparked considerable interest in the research community. As a result, there is perhaps no better time for cancer biologists to draw on the considerable knowledge of our colleagues in embryology and developmental biology to explore questions about the initiation and progression of cancer—and potentially to understand how it develops resistance to therapies and how it metastasizes. Read more > >

A Conversation With...Dr. Jorge Gomez

The director of NCI's Office of Latin American Cancer Program Development discusses the office's plans and goals Read more > >

Special Report: Discovering the Secrets of Brain Tumors
Genetic studies of gliomas are starting to reveal the biology underlying the disease
Spotlight: Treatment Approach Using Radiofrequency Waves Heats Up
A retired radio engineer's cancer treatment could reach human trials in a few years
A Closer Look: Delving Into Possible Mechanisms for Chemobrain
Factors other than chemotherapy may be important to understanding cancer-related cognitive changes
Featured Clinical Trial: Helping Survivors of Childhood Cancer Quit Smoking
Can tobacco quitlines designed for adult survivors of childhood cancer help them stop smoking?

Notes
- In Memoriam: Former NCI Director Dr. Carl Baker
- CTCAE 4.0 Posted for Public Review
- Free Telephone Workshop Series for Cancer Survivors
- Registration Open for Neuropathic Cancer Pain Symposium
- NCI Hosts International Art Exchange Exhibit
- Robotic Surgery Featured in BenchMarks

The NCI Cancer Bulletin is produced by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which was established in 1937. Through basic, clinical, and population-based biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports research that will lead to a future in which we can identify the environmental and genetic causes of cancer, prevent cancer before it starts, identify cancers that do develop at the earliest stage, eliminate cancers through innovative treatment interventions, and biologically control those cancers that we cannot eliminate so they become manageable, chronic diseases.

For more information about cancer, call 1-800-4-CANCER or visit http://www.cancer.gov.

NCI Cancer Bulletin staff can be reached at ncicancerbulletin@mail.nih.gov.

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