African American and white women with breast cancer have the same risks of getting cancer in the other breast while on the drug tamoxifen, according to a study in the December 1, 2004, Journal of the National Cancer Institute* by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The […]

Preliminary results from a large, randomized clinical trial for patients with advanced colorectal cancer who had previously received treatment show that those who received bevacizumab (Avastinâ„¢) in combination with an oxaliplatin (Eloxatinâ„¢) regimen known as FOLFOX4 lived longer than patients who received FOLFOX4 alone.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have found that inhibition of the same protein produces different effects in mouse cell lines depending on whether those cell lines express normal or cancerous forms of Kit, a cell surface receptor critical for the development of some kinds of […]

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded $9.8 million in first year funding for 17 Biomarkers Developmental Laboratories within the Early Detection Research Network (EDRN). Biomarkers are substances found in the blood, other body fluids, or tissues that alone or in combination may signal the presence of cancer or the risk for cancer. The newly […]

The most comprehensive federal report available on state-specific cancer rates for the first time includes information on incidence and death rates, as well as data for Hispanics and a new section on mesothelioma and Kaposi’s sarcoma. U.S. Cancer Statistics: 2001 Incidence and Mortality includes quality-assured incidence data from 43 states, six metropolitan areas, and the […]

Scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have created a model that predicts the survival of follicular lymphoma patients based on the molecular characteristics of their tumors at diagnosis. The model is based on two sets of genes–called survival-associated signatures–whose activity was found to be associated with good […]

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today a series of initiatives designed to help Americans quit smoking. The initiatives include the opening of a national quitline number (1-800-QUITNOW) that puts users in touch with programs that can help them give up tobacco. In addition, a new HHS Web site (www.smokefree.gov) offers online advice and downloadable […]

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) today announced the appointment of Ernest T. Hawk, M.D., M.P.H., as director of NCI’s Office of Centers, Training and Resources, effective Nov. 14, 2004. Hawk has served as chief of NCI’s Gastrointestinal and Other Cancers Research Group, part of the Division of Cancer Prevention, since 1999.