News from the cancer side, 14 November

News from the lab side

Grow your own prostate
American researchers were able to create a whole prostate organ from stem cells. This has been demonstrated in the lab using mouse stem cells. “The ability to recreate this organ should help researchers better understand how prostate cancer starts and possibly even help them to grow replacement prostate tissue in the laboratory.” The prostate is not the first to be generated this way. Scientists have already successfully created blood, skin, as well as the mammary gland from single mouse stem cells.

News from the therapy side

Antiestrogen treatment does not affect cognitive function
Good news for those undergoing antiestrogen therapy that results in treatment-induced menopause – the treatment strategy does not seem to affect patients’ cognitive function, according to German researchers. “Hormonal changes did not appear to contribute to cognitive compromise in patients with breast cancer during the first year after diagnosis. Antiestrogen treatment with tamoxifen or AIs did not affect cognition, and the effects of induced menopause were more likely to be favorable. However, the possibility that some cognitive decline occurs in individual patients could not be excluded.”

News from the techno side

ACS Teams Up with Microsoft on Lung Cancer Guide
Microsoft and the American Cancer Society (ACS) have joined forces to provide patients and their families a tool that can help them find comprehensive information about lung cancer. With Microsoft’s Live Search Health tool, you now can quickly get access to ACS’ Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Guide.

News from the academic side

Dana-Farber picked as a top place to work in Massachusetts and academia
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute was recently voted by two prestigious newspapers as one of best 100 places to work. The institute was ranked number 73 in a Massachusetts-wide survey by the Boston Globe. It ranked even higher – 22^nd place in the International Best Places to Work in Academia survey conducted by the Scientist.

News from clinical trials side

HPV vaccine prevents genital warts in men: study
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for men has been approved in about 40 countries worldwide but not in the US and Canada because the regulators in these countries are not convinced that “it prevented penile cancer or other cancers associated with the human papillomavirus or HPV in men.” However, results of a recent placebo-controlled clinical trial in France show promise. The study involved 4000 men who were followed up for 36 months. So far, the vaccine proved to be well tolerated and was effective in preventing the development of genital lesions. However, even if proved effective, the cost effectiveness of the vaccine still needs to be checked.