The investigation was released in the Cancer Research journal in its October edition. The investigators from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center discovered that if they gave the mice the BEZ235 medication prior to undergoing harmless radiation in order to counteract the cancerous cell development of DNA, the BEZ235 would counteract the activity of the PI3K protein which typically acts as a guardian of the tumor cells. This protein maintains the cancerous cells in life in the moment they are attacked and try to heal their broken DNA.

Besides the leading author, the team of investigators from the University of Texas comprised: doctor Erik Bey from the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, doctor Andrea Rabellino, doctor Katja Schuster, doctor Adi Gazdar, professor within the University of Texas Southwestern, Jake Hamon from the Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, doctor David Boothman from the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer, researchers coming from the University of Camerino in Italy and Novartis Pharma in Switzerland. Their investigation was financed by funds coming from National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, Concern Foundation, Gibson Foundation, Leukemia of Texas, United States Department of Energy and the American Italian Cancer Foundation.

The scientists observed this treatment opportunity in mice that underwent a transplant process with non-small cell lung cancer tumors from human beings.

During their observation process, the researchers discovered that the malignant tumors developing in the mice which were treated with just the BEZ235 has a decrease in size compared to those affecting mice which were not undergoing any type of treatments. Even though the malignant tumors did not grow in size, their life was not ended by administering the specific medication.

On the other hand, mice undergoing the BEZ235 treatment combined with low-dose radiation recorded many cases of total elimination of the malignant tumors.

The leading investigator was doctor Pier Paolo Scaglioni who is assistant professor of the internal medicine department within the University of Texas Southwestern. He stated that the findings of his research team regarding the combination of medication and low-dose radiation may prove to become an efficient treatment for counteracting non-small cell lung cancer in human beings.

The non-small cell lung cancer represents one of the main causes of cancer connected mortality on the whole Globe. The malignant cells usually favor transformations in the K-RAS which is a gene. People suffering from mutations of the K-RAS usually present an increased resistance to therapies comprising irradiation. This is the cause for which their life perspectives are unfavorable.

The K-RAS transformations trigger the networks or different pathways of various proteins that act as signals to activate. This signaling represents a key element in the development and growth of a malignant tumor. The PI3K represents just one of these proteins. At the moment of activation, it acts as a guardian which aids the cells in maintaining living functions even after their DNA was damaged and they try to heal it.

Some of the elements forming the signal networks comprising also the PI3K protein have been explored as various medication targets for counteracting malignant tumors. The clinical tested medication BEZ235 has been recently in experiments comprising clinical tests for counteracting the activity of the PI3K and the mTOR which represents a signaling protein, also.

As the leading investigator states there is no efficient treatment counteracting the non-small cell lung cancer which hosts transformations of the K-RAS.

Medical doctor Pier Paolo Scaglioni conducted the first tests in order to identify the efficacy of the BEZ235 drug and thus, they tested it alone. The team of investigators discovered that the BEZ235 stops the evolution and growth of the lung cancer malignant cells that were developed in the laboratory and the malignant lung cells that affect the mice.

As the leading author of this first research, doctor Georgia Konstantinidou states the findings of the investigators were shocking. However, they strived to discover a way for a faster malignant cell deterioration. They found put that by combining the tested medication with low-dose radiation, the success of their mission was assured. Doctor Georgia Konstantinidou is a post-doctoral scientist within the University of Texas Southwestern.

Doctor Pier Paolo Scaglioni`s research group observed that the malignant cells which were treated with the BEZ235 medication and low-dosed irradiation. The latter triggered slight breaks in the cellular genetic material but did not managed to affect them in a more effective way in order to destroy them. At the moment the DNA of the cell is broken, the malignant cells are aided by the PI3K signaling network in order to assure the cancer cell`s survival while it is healing its genetic material.

The team of investigators explained that the malignant cells needed the PI3K signaling pathway to assure they remain alive and without the protein`s response they were prone to die. This is why in the moment the scientists administered the BEZ235 medication it stopped the action of the PI3K protein and this means that the non-small cell lung cancer cells were starting to die.

As the leading author of the research explains the future stage of the study is that of administering the BEZ235 medication or similar drugs in clinical tests against the non-small cell lung suffering human beings. This could also be applied in clinical trials comprising people suffering from other types of malignant cells such as pancreatic, colon and thyroid cancers. There are the same with the non-small cell lung due to the fact that the PI3K signaling network also acts as an important agent in the malignant cells` evolution.

Richard Barth Jr. is an associate professor in the surgery department of the DHMS (Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center). His team of investigators comprised medical doctor Wendy Wells who is also a professor within the Dartmouth Medical School, in the pathology department. These two investigators also work in the Comprehensive Breast Care Program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center. In the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center thirteen females took part in the research.

The group of researchers suggests the use of helpful radiotherapy in the cases of women who opt for the surgery that keeps the breasts intact in order to gain control over the borderline malignant tumor and over the phyllodes tumors.

The team`s recommendations were presented in the Annals of Surgical Oncology in the August edition.

The investigators observed a sample of 46 women who were treated with radiotherapy within 30 various medical clinics ranging over eighteen states. The group of scientists discovered that no woman presented new malign tumors in the states in which the doctors resected the tissue that tested malign negative and was nearby the cancer tumors.

Between approximately 500 females that are found suffering from these rare breast cancers on a Global basis per year and are treated only by undergoing surgery, the investigators state that the recurrence rate sums up 24% in the cases of women suffering from borderline malignant tumors and 20% in the cases of patients suffering from malignant tumors.

Leading the research team are: doctor Håkan Andersson, an oncologist from Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Ragnar Hultborn, professor at Sahlgrenska Academy and Lars Jacobsson, radiation physicist. The three hope to revolutionize the treatment against ovarian cancer. As they say: “There is a good chance of this treatment working, as the study indicates that a sufficient amount of the active substance reaches the tumor cells in the abdominal cavity without any measurable side-effects.”

The study was published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Its primary purpose was to observe how the radioactive substance entered in contact with the human body and its distribution and side-effects. The research was carried out on nine women, all suffering from ovarian cancer.
The partnership of the two entities resulted in an innovative treatment for metastatic ovarian cancer. It consists of an injection with a radioactive isotope in the abdominal cavity. The substance attacks cancer cells. The isotope connects to the surface of the malign tissue and starts emitting alpha particles at a short range in order to counteract the DNA of the tumor cells and destroy them.

If in the past, treating ovarian cancer was done in such a way that left severe side-effects, the researchers hope that this innovative treatment will become in a few years available for patients suffering from ovarian cancer.

Oncologist Håkan Andersson wants to treat 80 women suffering from this type of cancer in their future research to further develop the cure. The injections with the radioactive isotope will be done as a complementary part of the traditional cancer treatment. In this way researchers hope to verify if this treatment has the same beneficial effects on human beings as it did in the animal experiments.

Coming to aid their research, the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Cancer Society will give the research team a part of the fund they need in order to continue with their tests to treat ovarian cancer.

British Journal of Cancer published the study made by the research team from the Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences department at the University of New South Wales. The team supervised by Professor James Lawson put to test various malignant breast tissues and discovered some key HPV roots. These strains are the main cause of cervical cancer in more than 90 percents of the cases.

The researchers found that the human papilloma virus was present in most of the various nuclei of the breast cancer cells. Thus, the team discovered that HPV was present in 39% of the ductal carcinoma in vitro and almost 21% of ductal carcinoma samples coming from real cancer infected breast tissues. Even though benign or in vitro types of cancer are found only the mammary glands and do not affect other organs, the invading type of cancer is harmful and causes approximately 70% up to 80% of breast cancers.

Having discovered that the human pailloma virus is present in a large number of breast cancers, researchers determined that HPV is the main cause of this disease. As Dr Noel Whitaker, one of the researchers on the team, states: “Confirming a cancer-causing role for HPV in some breast cancers establishes the possibility of preventing some breast cancers by vaccination against HPV”.

Even though these results may seem clear and logical, scientific studies conducted in more than 15 countries came up with varying outcomes. The presence of the harmful human papilloma virus in the samples of breast cancer cells ranged from 4% up to 86%. Moreover, many discussions arose regarding the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test used for its predilection to getting biased. This high discrepancy between research results and the controversial genetic test used (PCR) made it even harder for the researchers to conclude a study about HPV.

In order to get an unbiased result, the research team from the University of New South Wales used in vitro PCR to counteract the contamination of the samples. They state that the outcome of the experiment is valid because they observed the transformations in the nuclei of the breast cancer tissue caused by the presence of HPV. Even though these results were somehow conclusive, researchers strive to develop new testing methods in order to make the studies faster, cost-effective and easier.

Colon cancer usually takes birth from benign but abnormal growths in the intestinal lining called polyps, which are called adenomas when they become cancerous. When developing advanced adenomas, people undergo repeated invasive surveillance tests, such as colonoscopy, in order to remove recurrent polyps which can aggravate the patients’ situation.

Advanced adenomas and cancers produce in excess an altered version of the MUC1 cell protein. While known vaccines work by blocking infection with viruses that are linked with cancer- for example, Gardasil protects against human papilloma virus associated with cervical cancer and hepatitis B vaccine protects against liver cancer, the research team used MUC1 as a target, as lead investigator Robert E. Schoen, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh explains:
“By stimulating an immune response against the MUC1 protein in these precancerous growths, we may be able to draw the immune system’s fire to attack and destroy the abnormal cells. That might not only prevent progression to cancer, but even polyp recurrence.”

In order to establish the vaccine’s safety and immunogenicity, first tests were conducted on patients suffering of late-stage colon cancer and pancreatic cancer. Despite their cancer-weakened immune systems, they were able to generate an immune response. This led to the conclusion that patients with advanced adenomas who are otherwise healthy could produce a stronger response which could stop precancerous lesions from transforming into malignant tumors.

Researchers are currently looking to expand the study group and are looking for about 50 new participants in addition to dozen that already received this treatment. The participants must be between 40 and 70 years old, with a history of developing adenomas that are greater than or equal to 1 centimeter in size, typed as villous or tubulovillous, or contain severely dysplastic or abnormal cells. They’ll receive three inoculations with the vaccine, an initial one and another shot after two and 10 weeks followed by blood tests at those time points as well as 12 weeks, 28 weeks and one year later, in order to measure the immune response.

“Immunotherapy might be a good alternative to colonoscopy because it is noninvasive and nontoxic and it could provide long-term protection” said Dr. Schoen.