Cancer - September 2015 Archives

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBy3fyDPBx8 Are you confused about the new guidelines for taking aspirin? A Mayo Clinic expert offers information to help explain them. In mid-September, the U.S. ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7IQPO3wqs0&feature=youtu.be Journalists: Broadcast quality sound bites with Dr. Stewart are available in the downloads. Click here for the transcript. The National Institutes of Health ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. – Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a protein marker whose frequency may predict patient response to PD-1 blockade immunotherapy for melanoma. An abstract of their findings was presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference in New York City. “The discovery of biomarkers of sensitivity are vital not only for informing clinical decisions, but also to help identify which patients with melanoma, and possibly other malignancies, who are most likely to benefit from PD-1 blockade," says Roxana Dronca, M.D., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the abstract. “This will allow us to expose fewer patients to inadequate treatments, and their associated toxicities and costs.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ava8Q6n_Y8o Journalists:  Sound bites with Dr. Dronca are available in the downloads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFc1B91j9WY   JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Researchers on Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus have been awarded a $13.3 million, five-year federal grant to test a vaccine designed to prevent the recurrence of triple-negative breast cancer, a subset of breast cancer for which there are no targeted therapies. The clinical trial, which will enroll 280 patients at multiple clinical sites, is expected to begin early in 2016. The grant, the Breakthrough Award from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Breast Cancer Research Program, will fund a national, phase II clinical trial testing the ability of a folate receptor alpha vaccine to prevent recurrence of this aggressive cancer following initial treatment. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Knutson are available in the downloads. MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Cholesterol: Top foods to improve your numbers Can olive oil or a handful of walnuts improve your cholesterol? See which tweaks ...

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: When I was in my teens and 20s, I regularly used a tanning bed. I am now 43 and very worried about melanoma, so I go to a dermatologist every year for a skin check. I have numerous moles, but the skin check only takes about five minutes. Is this enough time for a thorough evaluation? What are they looking for? What should I be looking for on my own? ANSWER: You’re wise to keep an eye on your skin. Being evaluated by a dermatologist once a year and checking your skin regularly are two excellent steps you can take to catch melanoma and other types of skin cancer early. The sooner skin cancer is found, the better the chances are of curing it. Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. It develops in cells called melanocytes that produce melanin — the pigment that gives your skin its color. The exact cause of all melanomas isn’t clear, but exposure to ultraviolet, or UV, radiation from sunlight or tanning lamps and beds increases your risk of developing the disease.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Low-risk cancers that do not have any symptoms and presumably will not cause problems in the future are responsible for the rapid increase in the number of new cases of thyroid cancer diagnosed over the past decade, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the journal Thyroid. According to the study authors, nearly one-third of these recent cases were diagnosed when clinicians used high-tech imaging even when no symptoms of thyroid disease were present. “We are spotting more cancers, but they are cancers that are not likely to cause harm,” says the study's lead author, Juan Brito Campana, M.B.B.S., an assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic. “Their treatment, however, is likely to cause harm, as most thyroid cancers are treated by surgically removing all or part of the thyroid gland. This is a risky procedure that can damage a patient’s vocal cords or leave them with lifelong calcium deficiencies.” MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Ovarian cancer September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, which makes it a good time to brush up on the facts ...

Understanding prostate cancer, one man at a time By looking at the genetic makeup of individual men with prostate cancer, Mayo Clinic is helping doctors ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Imetelstat, a novel drug that targets telomerase, has demonstrated potential value in treating patients with myelofibrosis, according to the results of a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. "We observed that Imetelstat was active and induced morphologic and molecular remissions in some patients with myelofibrosis," says Ayalew Tefferi, M.D., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study. "We also observed that Imtelstat demonstrated selective anti-clonal activity, inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, which we had not previously documented with other drugs." MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu Journalists: Sounds bites with Dr. Tefferi are available in the downloads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaIviVtiaAA

Integrated care. A multidisciplinary approach. These are words often heard when talking about the way Mayo Clinic seamlessly incorporates many medical specialties to diagnose and ...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mayo Clinic and the University of North Florida (UNF) are honoring National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October by hosting the 11th annual “Upbeat Pink: A Musical Tribute to Breast Cancer Survivorship” concert on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Lazzara Performance Hall, UNF Fine Arts Building on the university’s campus in Jacksonville. The Upbeat Pink concert is free and open to the public. The theme for this year’s program, “The Wild West Through TV and Movies”, showcases the UNF Wind Symphony, which will be conducted by Gordon Brock, D.M.A. Guest speakers will include Stephanie Hines, M.D. from Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus and Patricia Dunbar-Norris, a breast cancer survivor. MEDIA CONTACT: Paul Scotti, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu