http://www.cancercompass.comCancerCompass is an online community committed to offering people living with cancer a place to receive cancer information and news, share knowledge, and share cancer treatment experiences. To learn more, visit our site today.en-us@copy; Copyright 2008, International Capital & Management Company, LLLP. All Rights Reserved.Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:19:13 CDTSun, 06 Jul 2008 21:19:13 CDTCancercompass.com: lung cancer60http://www.cancercompass.com/graphics/mini-logo.gifhttp://www.cancercompass.comhttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14414,00.htm?rss=yhttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14414,00.htm?rss=y WASHINGTON -- Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) hailed the introduction of legislation that creates the first ever multi-agency, comprehensive program targeted at lung cancer and authorizes $75 million to start the first phase of the five year program to reduce lung cancer mortality. "This is the turning point," said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, LCA President & CEO in thanking Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) for co-sponsoring the historic legislation, the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2008. Last year both senators authored a policy resolution stating that lung cancer must be treated as a public health priority and addressed with a comprehensive program of research, better treatments an...Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDThttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14382,00.htm?rss=yhttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14382,00.htm?rss=y OAK BROOK, Ill. -- Screening for lung cancer with computed tomography (CT) may help reduce lung cancer deaths in current and former smokers, but it won't protect them from other causes of death associated with smoking, according to a new study published in the July issue of the journal Radiology. "Our study suggests that screening may be one way to reduce risk of death from lung cancer," said the study's lead author, Pamela McMahon, Ph.D., senior scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and instructor in radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "However, the number-one goal should still be to quit smoking, because it will reduce risk of death from many causes, including lung cancer." According to the Centers for Disease Contr...Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDThttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14359,00.htm?rss=yhttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14359,00.htm?rss=y Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) hailed the release of promising data from the pivotal Phase III First Line in Lung Cancer with Erbitux(R) (FLEX) Study. The data, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), showed a significant increase in overall survival in the first line treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). "This is very exciting news," said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, LCA President & CEO. "The FLEX data shows significant improvements in overall survival for a broad base of patients with no new safety concerns. This is so important to the lung cancer community because it will provide patients and doctors with another treatment option to consider when managing their diagnosis." The FLEX study...Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDThttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14360,00.htm?rss=yhttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14360,00.htm?rss=y Pfizer announced results from several clinical trials further describing the activity of its investigational compound CP-751,871 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and Ewing's Sarcoma, both diseases with high unmet medical need. The three oral presentations and one poster discussion underscore that the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) is increasingly recognized by the medical community as a relevant target for investigation in cancer research. The results were presented at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, IL. Updated Response Data from the 1002 NSCLC Trial Updated study results from a Phase II, randomized, non-comparative study showed 54 percent of patients with Sta...Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDThttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14333,00.htm?rss=yhttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14333,00.htm?rss=y BERLIN and SEATTLE -- Epigenomics AG, a molecular diagnostics company focusing on the development and commercialization of products for cancer based on DNA methylation, today announced that it successfully completed a clinical study in its lung cancer program. The study was run in close collaboration with Prof. Dr. Christian Witt and Dr. Bernd Schmidt at the Charite -- Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany. The clinical study of 84 patient samples demonstrated that a panel of two proprietary biomarkers detected 79% of lung cancers in bronchial lavage specimens at specificity of 95%, i.e. only two false positives results were obtained in 45 patients with benign lung diseases. Bronchial lavage specimens are routinely taken d...Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDThttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14332,00.htm?rss=yhttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14332,00.htm?rss=y Carriers of a common genetic disorder previously linked to lung disease may have a 70-percent to 100-percent increased risk of lung cancer, according to a report in the May 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The disorder, alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (a1ATD), is one of the most common genetic conditions affecting the U.S. population and especially those of European descent, according to background information in the article. Individuals with two copies of the associated genetic mutation often develop emphysema at an early age. However, a1ATD carriers those with only one copy of the mutated gene do not normally have severe diseases related to a1ATD and may not be aware of their status. However,...Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDThttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14323,00.htm?rss=yhttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14323,00.htm?rss=y Carriers of a common genetic disorder previously linked to lung disease may have a 70-percent to 100-percent increased risk of lung cancer, according to a report in the May 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The disorder, alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (a1ATD), is one of the most common genetic conditions affecting the U.S. population and especially those of European descent, according to background information in the article. Individuals with two copies of the associated genetic mutation often develop emphysema at an early age. However, a1ATD carriers those with only one copy of the mutated gene do not normally have severe diseases related to a1ATD and may not be aware of their status. However,...Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDThttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14324,00.htm?rss=yhttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14324,00.htm?rss=y New data presented by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today highlighted the potential of its investigational MAGE-A3 Antigen-Specific Cancer Immunotherapeutic (ASCI) through results of three studies evaluating highly targeted immunotherapy as a treatment for metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These data were presented at the 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago (Abstract Nos: 9065(1), 9045(2) and 7501(3)). A randomized, open label Phase II study designed to evaluate two different formulations of the MAGE-A3 ASCI in patients with metastatic melanoma has been conducted. In this study, the ASCI, which is a combination of MAGE-A3 recombinant protein and a GSK proprietary Adjuvant System,...Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDThttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14325,00.htm?rss=yhttp://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,14325,00.htm?rss=y Mayo Clinic researchers have found that carrying a common genetic disorder doubles the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers. The study is published in the May 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association. Researchers found that the genetic disorder, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (N1ATD), could explain up to about 12 percent of lung cancer patients in this study and likely represents the same widespread risk in the general population. "This is a seriously underdiagnosed disorder and suggests that people who have lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) in their families should be screened for these gene carriers," says Ping Yang, M.D., P...Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CDT