News by Subject Medicine & Health

Acid reflux drugs that are sometimes recommended to ease stomach problems during cancer treatment may have an unintended side effect: impairment of breast cancer survivors' memory and concentration.

Garvan researchers have revealed changes to the 3D arrangement of DNA linked to treatment resistance in ER+ breast cancer.

A byproduct of glucose called lactate, used by every cell in the body, may also prompt a mutated cell to become cancerous, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

A new approach to studying the effects of two common chemicals used in cosmetics and sunscreens found they can cause DNA damage in breast cells at surprisingly low concentrations, while the same dose did not harm cells without estrogen receptors.

Researchers developed a new nanoparticle drug formulation that targets a specific receptor on cancer cells, and appears to be more effective than a standard nanoparticle therapy currently on the market to treat metastatic breast cancer. The study, published today in the journal Science Advances, found that the new 'DART' nanoparticles bypass healthy cells and tissues and bind to tumor cells, dispersing evenly throughout the tumor while releasing the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel.

A new study suggests that the biological clock is involved in heart toxicity from radiation therapy and could be harnessed as part of a preventive strategy. Findings show that after receiving radiation to the heart, mice with disrupted biological clocks had significantly worse heart function than controls. They also demonstrated that Bmal1--a protein that drives 24-hour rhythms in the expression of many genes--plays an important role in protecting the heart from radiation-related damage.

Researchers at Dartmouth's and Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center have discovered that a receptor found in almost all cells plays a big role in the body's metabolism. By blocking the receptor with use of a drug, mice on a high-fat diet did not become any fatter than mice on a low-fat control diet, and obese mice dropped in weight with use of the same drug. No ill side effects were observed in either study.

Half of women undergoing mammography have dense breasts. Mandatory dense breast notification and educational materials have been shown to confuse women rather than empower them. Now, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) are developing a smartphone App that acts as an interactive health counselor to improve a womans' knowledge about breast density.

A new study shows that a test physicians commonly used to guide chemotherapy treatment for post-breast cancer surgery patients may also help them decide whether radiation therapy may be of benefit.