Ameritas Group Offers Oral Cancer Screening

“Ameritas believes strongly in the importance of preventive care and oral wellness education,” said Roxann Brennfoerder, vice president – group customer relations and operations. Using new technology along with conventional visual exams, this simple screening makes it easier for dentists to detect oral cancer sooner, allowing patients to seek treatment sooner.

Early detection is one of the keys to successful treatment for patients with oral cancer. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society (oral cancer in the United States, 2008 estimates), when oral cancer is found in its earliest stages, the five-year survival rate exceeds 80 percent.

Cancer Risk In Delaying Sex Assignment Surgery

An editorial and a case report on Disorders of Sexual Development (DSD) in the Medical Journal of Australia highlight the need for early diagnosis and effective risk management in these rare but potentially life threatening cases.

DSD describes conditions in which patients are born with ambiguous genitalia; DSD were previously described by terms such as ‘intersex’, ‘hermaphroditism’ and ‘testicular feminisation’.

In the editorial, endocrinologists from Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, Dr Garry Warne and Dr Jacqueline Hewitt, discuss the sometimes contentious management of the disorder, and call for the preparation of separate risk management strategies for individual patients.

Herceptin Improves Survival In Stomach Cancer Patients

A new study showed that the breast cancer drug Herceptin improved survival in patients with HER2-positive stomach cancer, an aggressive form of the disease.

The study (called the ToGA study) was led by Eric Van Cutsem, a professor at the University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium and was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology which is being held in Orlando Floriday from 29 May to 2 June.

Gene Network Sciences Announces Broad Cancer Collaboration With UCSF And Initial Results

Gene Network Sciences, Inc. (GNS) announced that it has entered into a research collaboration with the University of California San Francisco Cancer Center (UCSF) aimed at accelerating cancer research and drug development across several therapeutic areas. This collaboration will combine the clinical and research oncology expertise of UCSF with the computational expertise and supercomputer-driven REFS(TM) platform of GNS. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Gene Network Sciences Announces Broad Cancer Collaboration With UCSF And Initial Results

Gene Network Sciences, Inc. (GNS) announced that it has entered into a research collaboration with the University of California San Francisco Cancer Center (UCSF) aimed at accelerating cancer research and drug development across several therapeutic areas. This collaboration will combine the clinical and research oncology expertise of UCSF with the computational expertise and supercomputer-driven REFS(TM) platform of GNS. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Rite Aid And The Skin Cancer Foundation Help Customers Have Safe Fun In The Sun With Free Skin Care Guide, Online Info And Free Skin Cancer Screenings

To help customers have a safe and fun summer in the sun, Rite Aid and The Skin Cancer Foundation are partnering to raise awareness and offer free information on the importance of smart skin care practices. A free skin care guide aimed to encourage customers to protect their skin this summer will be available at nearly 4,900 Rite Aid stores nationwide and online at http://www.riteaid.com starting May 31.

The 12-page skin care guide contains information from The Skin Cancer Foundation on being proactive in preventing skin cancer, guidelines on how to use and choose sunscreen, and tips to avoid burning. There’s a section on how to protect the eyes with the proper sunglasses, as well as information on how different kinds of recreation call for different kinds of sun protection, such as sweat-resistant or water-resistant sunscreens and a lip balm of at least SPF 15.

Rite Aid And The Skin Cancer Foundation Help Customers Have Safe Fun In The Sun With Free Skin Care Guide, Online Info And Free Skin Cancer Screenings

To help customers have a safe and fun summer in the sun, Rite Aid and The Skin Cancer Foundation are partnering to raise awareness and offer free information on the importance of smart skin care practices. A free skin care guide aimed to encourage customers to protect their skin this summer will be available at nearly 4,900 Rite Aid stores nationwide and online at http://www.riteaid.com starting May 31.

The 12-page skin care guide contains information from The Skin Cancer Foundation on being proactive in preventing skin cancer, guidelines on how to use and choose sunscreen, and tips to avoid burning. There’s a section on how to protect the eyes with the proper sunglasses, as well as information on how different kinds of recreation call for different kinds of sun protection, such as sweat-resistant or water-resistant sunscreens and a lip balm of at least SPF 15.

Low Vitamin D Levels In Blacks Could Contribute To Higher Rates Of Cancer, Other Diseases, Researcher Says

Low vitamin D levels in blacks could contribute to health gaps between white and black U.S. residents, Michael Holick, a professor at Boston University and a vitamin D researcher, said recently, the GNS/Chicago Sun-Timesreports. According to Holick, blacks have lower levels of vitamin D than whites in part because the higher amount of pigment in their skin makes it harder for their body to absorb the nutrient, which is produced in response to sun exposure.

In Trastuzumab-Resistant Metastatic Breast Cancer, Small Molecule Inhibitor Shows Promise

Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers report that a combination of trastuzumab and neratinib (HKI-272) a novel small molecule inhibitor of the HER2 receptor (ErbB2) appears active in women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have progressed on previous trastuzumab based therapies. More than one-quarter of the women in a phase I/II trial had their tumors shrink on the combination therapy.

“I think this is very promising. Neratinib induces clinically meaningful responses,” says Ramona Swaby, M.D., a medical oncologist and attending physician at Fox Chase. Swaby will present the study results on Monday, June 1, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

DxS And Exiqon Diagnostics To Host A Joint Personalized Cancer Therapy Workshop During The ASCO Annual Meeting

DxS Ltd, a personalized medicine company and leader in the field of companion diagnostics is working in partnership with Exiqon Diagnostics, a company on the forefront of individualizing cancer care through its novel molecular and cell-based oncology clinical laboratory services, to present a timely and relevant workshop on personalized cancer therapy.

The workshop, which will take place on Friday, May 29, 2009 will coincide with the start of the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Orlando Florida, and is entitled ‘Personalizing Cancer Therapy: KRAS and other Predictive Assays’.