After lung and stomach cancer, liver cancer is the third largest cause of cancer deaths in the world. A new study on the relationship between coffee drinking and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) confirmed that there is an inverse association between coffee consumption and HCC, although the reasons for this relationship are still unresolved.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine report a significant new advance in the search for an effective treatment for human liver cancer in the July issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. Using a newly available monoclonal antibody, they demonstrated significant reductions in tumor cell proliferation and survival in human and mouse hepatocellular cancer (HCC) cell lines.

Production of a protein that promotes inflammation appears to be linked to the higher incidence of liver cancer in men than in women, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have determined in mouse studies.

Multiple-electrode radiofrequency ablation is a safe and effective way of treating patients with liver cancer that can be completed in less time than current ablation techniques, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Adding more good news to last week's announcement that Nexavar® (sorafenib) may be the first effective treatment for advanced liver cancer, researchers at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University have uncovered a new molecular mechanism that may "spontaneously" cause liver cancer.

A trial designed and co-led by Dr. Jordi Bruix, head of the Hepatology Service of Hospital Clнnic- IDIBAPS (Barcelona) and Dr. Josep Maria Llovet, ICREA researcher of the Hepatic Oncology Group, are planning a new treatment which increases the overall survival of patients suffering from advanced liver cancer.

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.announced that Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets significantly extended overall survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or primary liver cancer versus those taking placebo by 44% (HR=0.69; p-value=0.0006). Results were presented at the 43rd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NYSE: BAY) and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONXX) today announced that Nexavar(R) (sorafenib) tablets significantly extended overall survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or primary liver cancer versus those taking placebo by 44% (HR=0.69; p-value=0.0006). Results were presented at the 43rd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

In the June issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), researchers report their findings from the first-ever study examining the prognostic value of serum hepatitis B virus DNA levels for patients with liver cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health have discovered a means for early detection of liver cancer. Using DNA isolated from serum samples as a baseline biomarker, the scientists examined changes in certain tumor suppressor genes that have been associated with the development of liver carcinomas.