By injecting man-made, microscopic tubes into tumors and heating them with a quick, 30-second zap of a laser, scientists have discovered a way to effectively kill kidney tumors in nearly 80 percent of mice. Researchers say that the finding suggests a potential future cancer treatment for humans.

The first, formal revision of specific guidelines, known as RECIST, used by clinicians to measure tumour size and response to treatment, has been published in a special issue of the European Journal of Cancer. The authors say that the revisions will ease the workload involved in running clinical trials, without compromising study outcomes.

Researcher Kristina Djanashvili has developed a substance that enables doctors to get better MRI scans of tumours. On Tuesday 13 January, Djanashvili will be awarded a doctorate by TU Delft for her work in this field.

Researchers have discovered two enzymes that, when combined, could be involved in the earliest stages of cancer. Manipulating these enzymes genetically might lead to targeted therapies aimed at slowing or preventing the onset of tumors.

Fluorescent molecules – i.e. substances which can be stimulated to emit light – are extremely valuable tools in biological research and medical diagnosis. Fluorescence can be used for instance to analyze the regulation and expression of genes, to locate proteins in cells and tissues, to follow metabolic pathways and to study the location and migration of cells.

Melbourne, Australia – 3 October, 2008 – A novel endoscopic-assisted technique for skin-sparing mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction can successfully treat early breast cancer patients while offering favourable aesthetic results.

Tumors have a unique vulnerability that can be exploited to make them more sensitive to heat and radiation, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.

A multi-institutional study led by researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center has led to new insights and a model to help unravel the cause of fibrous, non-cancerous nerve tumors called neurofibromas, which can lead to disfigurement and in rare cases death by compressing vital organs.

The odds of surviving cancer of the pancreas increase dramatically for patients whose tumors are smallest, according to a new study by researchers at Saint Louis University and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston – the first study to specifically evaluate the link between tumor size and survival rates for one of the most common and deadly cancers.

Detection and treatment of tumours, diseased blood vessels and other soft-tissue conditions could be significantly improved, thanks to an innovative imaging system being developed that uses both light and sound.

Researchers from University Hospitals (UH) Ireland Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine are part of a new national study that has analyzed more than 18,000 genes, including 5,000 previously unmapped genes, from breast and colorectal tumors.

A test to detect the very early stages of cancer could one day result from new research by Cardiff University scientists.