Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that a specific protein pair may be a successful prognostic biomarker for identifying smoking-related lung cancers. The protein — ASCL1 — is associated with increased expression of the RET oncogene, a particular cancer-causing gene called RET. The findings appear in the online issue of the journal Oncogene.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval of a Perjeta (pertuzumab) regimen for neoadjuvant treatment (use before surgery) in people with high-risk, HER2-positive early stage breast cancer. This approval is based primarily on data from a Phase II study showing that nearly 40 percent of people receiving the combination of Perjeta, Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel chemotherapy had no evidence of tumour tissue detectable at the time of surgery (known as a pathological complete response, or pCR). The Perjeta regimen is the first neoadjuvant breast cancer treatment approved by the FDA and also the first to be approved based on pCR data.

The American Board of Radiology Foundation (ABRF) and Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) today announce that Varian is awarding a $100,000 second year renewal grant to the ABRF, to continue its work establishing a national brachytherapy registry. The registry, which is the first such nationwide modality-based project in radiation oncology, is linked to the American Board of Radiology's (ABR's) Innovation Pathway in Maintenance of Certification (MOC) for Focused Practice Recognition of Brachytherapy.

It is not uncommon for patients who’ve been diagnosed with cancer to feel stigmatized for behaviors that could have led to their disease, such as smoking or tanning.

Buckyballs, the soccer ball-shaped carbon nanoparticles, have shown promise for applications in medicine, but how they are created is a mystery.

As a new medical center, Hopital Riviera's daily radiotherapy patient volume started out small, but now – averaging 40 patients per day – patient volume has significantly increased. The introduction of VMAT in many more cases has resulted in a substantial reduction in the time slot – from 15 to 20 minutes down to 10-15 minutes – which has enabled a 50 percent increase in patients treated per day.

Research published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) looked at a predictive tool that estimates the probability that lung nodules detected through low-dose CT screening are malignant. For colorful take on the findings, check out the accompanying NEJM Quick Take animation.

A report released today by The US Oncology Network, the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) and ION Solutions and prepared by The Moran Company found significantly higher costs to the Medicare program for patients receiving chemotherapy treatment in hospital outpatient departments versus physician community cancer clinics.