clinical trials |
NEWS, PUBLICATIONS, AND RELATED STORIES Increased expression of SULF2 enhances cancer cell growth and migration, whereas decreased expression reduces both. Deadly and difficult to treat, liver cancer has long resisted attempts by researchers to develop ways to prolong life and prevent recurrence. But Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, reports in the April issue of Hepatology that the protein sulfatase 2 (SULF2) may provide one of the keys needed to begin the design of new therapies. View Abstract     Mouse study shows dopamine blocks tumor-feeding blood vessels "Sometimes new drugs may not be the answer. We looked instead at a novel use for an established product and have found very promising results," says Mayo Clinic oncology researcher Sujit Basu, M.D., Ph.D.  CT colonography, also known as virtual colonoscopy, underwent rigorous studies at Mayo Clinic for more than 10 years, while the stool DNA test was conceived and developed by Mayo Clinic researchers. View Related  The research team discovered that women whose atypia tissue expressed COX-2 enzymes were more likely to develop breast cancer subsequently, and that the more the enzyme expressed, the higher the risk. View Abstract  News in Minnesota Yuichi Machida, Ph.D., of the University of Virginia, will join Mayo Clinic's Division of Oncology Research in May.  ALTTO (Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization study) "There have been major improvements in the management of patients with early breast cancer in the last few years, so this new study builds on this knowledge and sets an example of the new era: good science, good worldwide collaboration," said Edith Perez, M.D., an oncologist in the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., who will lead the study for TBCI. View Related Agreement strengthens relationship and spawns new scientific collaborations "TGen takes seriously our commitment to work toward helping patients with cancer and other disorders. This announcement is another mechanism allowing TGen and Mayo faculty to work bi-directionally in a more seamless fashion," said Jeffrey Trent, Ph.D., TGen's president and scientific director. View Related  Study lays foundation for future development of effective treatments "This model helps us understand the genetic properties that lead to multiple myeloma and provides a framework for developing better therapies," said Leif Bergsagel, M.D., a Mayo Clinic physician and lead investigator for the study. "We will now be able to test new treatments on models." View Abstract Mayo Clinic Cancer Center IDs two signatures predicting survival The team found two survival-related 50-gene signatures, one for each of the two cancer types. These were nonoverlapping and largely unique in gene content compared to previously identified predictive gene expression signatures for lung cancer developed by other researchers. View Related   Named professorships at Mayo Clinic represent the highest academic distinction for a faculty member. Sandra Gendler, Ph.D., was named the David F. and Margaret T. Grohne Research Professor in Therapeutics for Cancer Research. Richard Vile, Ph.D., a consultant in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Department of Immunology at Mayo Clinic Rochester, was honored with The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Professorship.  Research into the B7 molecules has been a "family affair" at Mayo. Many Mayo immunologists have joined together to tackle various aspects of their function and behavior and have discovered how they function. View Related    Using two different endoscopes together is better than using one to stage lung cancer, and is also much more precise and less invasive than the surgical method now most commonly used. "Both scopes together found more malignant lymph nodes than did the use of a single endoscope," says the study's lead investigator, Michael Wallace, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. "Doing both procedures at once takes little time, requires only a mild sedative, and patients go home the same day." View Abstract Sound waves may help early detection of heart failure caused by Trastuzumab "Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women, and the leading cause of death," says Bijoy K. Khandheria, M.D., chair, Mayo Clinic Cardiovascular Services, researcher and co-investigator of the study. "Anticancer drugs like Trastuzumab have substantial benefits, but in some patients the anticancer drug cross-reacts with the heart muscle. Therefore, methods to detect and halt heart muscle damage is therefore urgently required." View Abstract    Discovery's Edge "When we examined human breast tissue we were blown away by how dramatic and obvious the centrosome abnormalities were in the tumors," says Jeffrey Salisbury, Ph.D. "And that was literally on day one." View Related  News from Rochester, Minn. Stereotactic radiosurgery uses precisely focused radiation to treat tumors and other abnormal growths in the brain. View Related  Study's authors recruit patients for a clinical trail, another step in this ongoing research "We are now quite convinced that in most patients with pancreatic cancer the diabetes is caused by the cancer and not the other way around," says Suresh Chari, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist and the study's lead author. "Our next step is to identify a biomarker for pancreatic cancer-induced diabetes in order to screen patients with new-onset diabetes for early pancreatic cancer and provide surgical treatment as quickly as possible." View Abstract  Medical Edge Radio For more information on lung cancer treatment at Mayo Clinic, visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/lung-cancer. Read Script  Removing the entire kidney from younger patients with small kidney tumors may lead to decreased overall survival. "For patients with small kidney tumors, removal of the entire kidney may be associated with long-term consequences that we did not previously recognize when compared to removal of just the tumor," says the study's lead author, R. Houston Thompson, M.D., a Mayo Clinic urologist currently serving a fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. View Related Collaboration aims to find high-tech solutions for quicker diagnosis, better treatments "This facility will allow us to explore projects in medical imaging and radiology that can provide faster and better information for our physicians, and in turn, improved treatments for our patients," said Bradley Erickson, M.D., Ph.D., head of Mayo's Radiology Informatics Lab. View Related   Mayo Clinic Rochester "For many people, the beginning of a new year represents a good time to take steps toward quitting smoking," says Christi Patten, Ph.D., the Mayo Clinic clinical psychologist leading this study. "Research has shown that positive support and encouragement from someone who cares about a smoker can be effective in helping that person to quit. This study is designed to identify the best ways to teach support people how to help." View Related Procedure also could prevent recurrence "We show that if you kill tumor cells directly in the tumor itself, you can get a weak immunity against the tumor, but if you use this virus to kill tumor cells in the lymph nodes, you get a higher immunity against the tumor," says Richard Vile, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic specialist in molecular medicine and immunology and the study's principal investigator. View Abstract  Presented at the 2007 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium "We need to be aware that this kind of cancer is high risk and we should do all that we can to prevent brain metastasis," says Stephanie Hines, M.D. "For women with triple negative breast cancer, improvements in outcome will likely come when new treatments for this type of cancer are successfully developed." View Related  Presented at the 2007 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium "It appears that biology and not only size matters when it comes to selecting therapy for small, invasive tumors," says the study's lead researcher, Surabhi Amar, M.D., a fellow in Hematology/Oncology at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. View Related   News from Jacksonville, Fla. "Maintaining our FACT accreditation continues to be an important achievement for the transplant program," says program director, pediatric hematologist/oncologist Michael Joyce, M.D., Ph.D., with Nemours Children's Clinic. "The physicians, hematology/oncology nursing, allied health and laboratory staff at Mayo, Nemours and Wolfson all worked extremely hard to achieve this goal." View Related  New treatment provides a 'more frequent, rapid and deep response' "For newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma patients, this new drug treatment provides a more frequent, rapid and deep response, compared with earlier treatment options," said Craig B. Reeder, M.D., a Mayo Clinic hematologist/oncologist and lead investigator of the study. View Related Presented - American Society of Hematology's 2007 meeting "We believe this to be the first large systematic evaluation of the risk factors leading to leukemic transformation in primary myelofibrosis," says Jocelyn Huang, M.D., lead author and hematology researcher at Mayo Clinic. "And in the process, we discovered some unexpected results." View Related  Presented at the American Society of Hematology's 2007 meeting "In this study we were hoping to find that a lower dose of steroids would be just as effective," says Vincent Rajkumar, M.D., Mayo Clinic Cancer Center hematologist and lead investigator of the study. "We were surprised to find that the regimen with high-dose steroids actually was decreasing survival, besides contributing to increased side effects." View Related     Presented at the 2007 meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago Also called cryotherapy or cryosurgery, cryoablation is a procedure in which extreme cold is applied to the tumor using a cryoprobe, a hollow needle-like device filled with argon gas. The gas rapidly freezes the targeted tumor. View Related  Presented at the 2007 meeting of the Radiological Society of North America "Cancer patients are living longer and we need to be able to manage their pain over a long period of time," says Matthew Callstrom, M.D., Ph.D., a radiologist at Mayo Clinic View Related      Mayo Clinic Rochester Other patient education resources are available at the all three Mayo Clinic campuses in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Rochester, Minn. View Related      The study, which was done in mouse models, is featured on the cover of the November issue of Cancer Research. There are few effective treatments for advanced breast cancer, but in this case, the study authors feel that 2ME2 has the potential to improve the prognosis of patients with advanced breast cancer. View Related  Presented at the 2007 meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO) View Related  Presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO) "This tells us that the standard course of therapy isn't that bad in terms of its exposure to normal tissue, but also that, sometimes, partial breast irradiation may not spare as much normal tissue as we hope," says the study's lead investigator, Laura Vallow, M.D. View Related Presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO) "Most of these patients don't have other effective treatment options, because surgery is not possible if there are multiple tumors in their liver," says the study's lead investigator, Laura Vallow, M.D. "But with this radiotherapy, no new tumors developed in patients who responded and we find this to be very encouraging." View Related  Study presented at the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting http://genetics.faseb.org/genetics/ashg/menu-annmeet.shtml View Related  Study presented at the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting http://genetics.faseb.org/genetics/ashg/ashgmenu.htm View Related  Phase 2 Consortium clinical trial shows promising results Presented by the study's primary investigator, Keith Bible, M.D., Ph.D., at the Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics International Conference, a jointly-sponsored symposium of the American Association for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer. "We are encouraged by the interim results of this trial," says Dr. Bible, a medical oncologist and researcher at Mayo Clinic. "Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer responds poorly to traditional therapies, and we've been working toward developing more effective treatments for this disease. This combination looks very promising." View Abstract  New vaccine for glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain cancer, is now being offered through a clinical trial at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. The vaccine represents a fresh and fairly simple approach to treating this cancer, says neurosurgeon Kent New, M.D., Ph.D., who will be leading the study at Mayo. About 40 percent of these tumors display a particular protein on their surface and the vaccine is designed to trick the patient's immune system into thinking the protein is "foreign" in order to mount a killing response. View Related  According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 20,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2007 and almost 13,000 will die from the cancer. "We are pleased to have a new and promising therapy to offer patients who want to participate in this clinical trial," says Kent New, M.D., Ph.D., neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. "The results, so far, have exceeded expectations." View Related  Up to 30 percent of patients with colon and rectal cancer may develop a bowel obstruction View Related           "We hope to find more effective nonhormonal options to assist women, and flaxseed looks promising," says Sandhya Pruthi, M.D., Mayo Clinic breast health specialist and the study's primary investigator. Dr. Pruthi's team chose to research flaxseed because it is a phytoestrogen (plant-based estrogen source). Flaxseed contains lignans and omega-3 fatty acids. Lignans are antioxidants with weak estrogen-emulating characteristics, and have some anti-cancer effects. Flaxseed also appears to have anti-estrogen properties and has been shown in some recent research trials to decrease breast cancer risk. View Related  Enhanced online offerings provide users with tools and information related to cancer survival View Related     The findings may also be relevant to other cancers, such as breast, ovarian, prostate, bladder, lung and colon cancers, in which loss of sFRP-1 function is common. "Through understanding the important role sFRP-1 plays, we may be able to eventually tailor human therapies to restore its function in this type of kidney cancer and in other cancers," explains the study's senior investigator, John A. Copland, Ph.D., a molecular biologist at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. View Abstract  Until now there were no strongly-predictive molecules for prostate cancer. "This discovery will allow physicians to individualize treatment and observation plans for prostate cancer patients," says Timothy Roth, M.D., a Mayo Clinic urology resident and lead author of the study. "Being able to tell a patient his specific risk after surgery, and perhaps even prior to surgery, will be a huge step forward." View Abstract Two Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Researchers Receive Honor Named professorships at Mayo Clinic represent the highest academic distinction for a faculty member. Faculty is appointed to a professorship through nomination and endorsement of their peers and then confirmed by Mayo Clinic senior leadership. Appointed individuals are recognized for distinguished achievement in their specialty areas and for service to the institution. View Related   Highly effective translational research collaboration continues Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is a national recognition of excellence in education, research and treatment of cancer. The lymphoma SPORE is one of six SPORE cancer research programs at Mayo's locations in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Mayo Clinic also has been awarded SPORE grants in brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancer, and shares a SPORE for myeloma. View Related  $7.5 million Department of Defense award ramps up ASU, Mayo Clinic collaboration to develop cancer vaccine "I am thrilled that this is going forward, and am also pleased to see this important project launching our joint efforts in the Mayo Clinic/ASU Center for Cancer-related Convergence, Cooperation and Collaboration (MAC5)," says Laurence Miller, M.D., director of research at Mayo Clinic Arizona. View Related     Women with at least three sites of cellular atypia in breast tissue are nearly eight times more likely than average women to develop breast cancer, according to findings of a Mayo Clinic Cancer Center led study of women with atypical hyperplasia. "With the ability to stratify the risk of breast cancer in women with atypia, we can have more informed discussions with our patients regarding their personal risk," says Amy Degnim, M.D., a Mayo Clinic surgeon and study author. "This will help us to have individualized discussions regarding how aggressively to pursue risk-reduction treatments." View Abstract  Jacksonville, Fla. This technology, an intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system known as the IMRIS Neuro system, allows surgeons to use real-time imaging as they operate and uses a unique ceiling-mounted track that moves the MRI system to the patient rather than the patient having to be moved to the magnet. View Related   Radiology researchers at Mayo Clinic have invented a diagnostic imaging tool with remarkable capabilities. It's called Magnetic Resonance Elastography or MRE. MRE can measure elasticity - detecting abnormal hardening of liver tissue - sparing some patients the need for a biopsy and allowing physicians to begin intervention aimed at treating their disease before it progresses to cause irreversible damage. View Related      Special Event: June 26, 2007 Activities will include informative discussions with local myeloma experts on treatment options and experiences, including a Q&A session. Educational materials and refreshments will be available. Please join us. View Related   Publication: Journal of Clinical Oncology -- June 4, 2007 A Final Report of the AIO Colorectal Study Group (Association of Medical Oncology within the German Cancer Society) View Related  Mayo Clinic Cancer Center had researchers from many disciplines presenting more than 60 oral abstracts and dozens of posters, also educational sessions and other special events throughout the 2007 ASCO program, June 1-5. View Related   Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the United States after lymphoma, yet no new treatments have been developed in a generation. "Our goal is to deliver individualized care based on the latest genomic information and drugs available," Dr. Lief Bergsagel says. "We intend to find ways to offer the right drug to the right patient each time. And we're set to be among the first to make it happen for patients with multiple myeloma." View Related  Special Event: June 3, 2007 -- Rochester, Minn. "This celebration of life is for everyone," says Janine Kokal, local planning committee chair and a Mayo Clinic nurse educator. This is a free event, but reservations are required by May 28, 2007. To register, call the American Cancer Society at 507-424-4602 or 1-888-535-4227 (toll free). View Related  Osteoporosis was not even considered a disease before Mayo Clinic's 1980s groundbreaking epidemiology studies. Funded by a $1.2 million per year NIH Program Project grant, the osteoporosis research team is also taking their research to the genetic and molecular levels to study the physiology of bone metabolism in an aging population. Their studies investigate the TGF-beta-Inducible Early Gene (TIEG) gene's role in bone and skeletal disorders such as osteoporosis and breast cancer metastasis to the bone. View Related     Mayo Clinic leads multi-center study of 100 patients First author of the study, Virender K. Sharma, M.D., gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, is encouraged by the results, calling the study "a very important milestone in the advancement of this ablative technology for our patients with Barrett's esophagus." View Related   Special Event: May 14-17, 2007 -- Phoenix, Ariz. "Every day, thousands of children and adults with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases are looking for a donor for a marrow or cord blood transplant," says Jay Maningo-Salinas, R.N., manager of the Apheresis Program at Mayo Clinic. "For a chance to survive, these patients need healthy marrow or blood cells to help their bodies make new, healthy blood cells either from a donor within their family or an unrelated donor from the National Marrow Donor Program Registry." View Related  Special Event: April 28, 2007, Rochester, Minn. Understanding the health risks and becoming educated about the issues surrounding prostate cancer can empower individuals to make decisions that may affect their quality of life and the potential outcome of the disease. View Related Prognostic enzyme for nasopharyngeal cancer identified "We continue to look for ways to combat health disparities in the United States and throughout the world," said Lewis Roberts, M.B.Ch.B., Ph.D., the study's principal investigator and a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic. "Our research into SULF2 suggests a number of promising possibilities for the development of more effective treatments for cancer." View Abstract  Research Lost in Hurricane Katrina. Researchers Return to Mayo to Start Again Cancer vaccines are still considered experimental and so far, research results have been mixed. New studies, such as this, demonstrate that researchers are closing in on designing viable cancer vaccines, the investigators say. View Abstract    Mayo Clinic Cancer Center researchers have found that chaetocin, a by-product of a common wood mold, has promise as a new anti-myeloma agent. Results of their study are available online in the March 15, 2007, issue of Blood. Mayo Clinic has a long tradition of leadership in myeloma research and novel therapeutic development, with the oldest and largest myeloma program in the country. Dr. Bible’s research is part of an ongoing initiative within Mayo’s Dysproteinemia and Myeloma Groups to find promising natural or man-made agents for the treatment of myeloma and other blood diseases; and to investigate at a basic science level and subsequently translate that research into clinical practice. View Abstract   From studies reviewing basic laboratory science, to clinical trials and the final translation of that research to individualized patient care, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center has a broad portfolio of presentations at the 2007 AACR meeting. View Related Clinical Trial Stopped Early Because of Very Positive Results in Treatment Arm A large clinical trial has been halted early because gastrointestinal stromal tumor patients taking Gleevec after surgery did so much better than patients who did not take the drug. The Phase III trial was conducted by the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG), an NCI Cooperative Group, in collaboration with Cancer and Leukemia Group B, South West Oncology Group, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, and National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group. ACOSOG is led by Group Co-chairs Dr David Ota of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, the site of the operations office, and Dr Heidi Nelson of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, the site of the Biostatistics. View Related  Publication: Mayo Clinic Proceedings -- April 2007 Critical to the clinical management of a patient with malignant melanoma is an understanding of its natural history. As with most malignant disorders, prognosis is highly dependent on the clinical stage (extent of tumor burden) at the time of diagnosis. The patient’s clinical stage at diagnosis dictates selection of therapy. We review the state of the art in melanoma staging, prognosis, and therapy. View Related |