RANKL, A Key Factor In Breast Cancer Metastasis.

When doctors discover high concentrations of regulatory T cells in the tumors of breast cancer patients, the prognosis is often grim, though why exactly has long been unclear.
Now new research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests these regulatory T cells, whose job is to help mediate the body’s immune response, produce a protein that appears to hasten and intensify the spread of breast cancer to distant organs and, in doing so, dramatically increase the risk of death.
The findings are reported in the Feb. 16 advance online edition of the journal Nature.
The researchers found that mice with breast cancer were more likely to develop metastatic lung cancer due to elevated levels of RANKL, an inflammatory protein normally involved in bone remodeling. Regulatory T cells were found to be the primary source of RANKL in these tumors. However, the same increase in metastasis was seen when synthetic RANKL was injected directly into tumors, suggesting that RANKL was the key to the ability of regulatory T cells to promote the spread of breast cancer. The scientists also determined that interfering with the ability of RANKL to interact with cancer cells seemed to block tumor progression, and may represent a potential target for drug therapy.

“What is exciting about this study is that now that we understand an increase in RANKL translates to an increase in metastasis, we can get to work on figuring out ways to stop or slow the production of RANKL in breast cancer patients,” said Michael Karin, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology and Pathology at UCSD's Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction and Moores Cancer Center.

RANKL is a well-known factor in a variety of degenerative bone diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and bone metastasis. In June 2010, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first RANKL-inhibiting drug for use in postmenopausal women at risk for osteoporosis.

“When we were able to control the RANKL production in the mice, we were able to slow or stop the spread of the cancer,” Karin said. “The next logical step is to turn to drugs that block RANKL production to see how they might affect the spread of breast cancer.”

Other breast cancer studies have linked RANKL to early stages in the development of synthetic progestin-driven breast tumors. According to the Women’s Health Initiative and the Million Women Study, hormone replacement therapy and contraceptives with progestin significantly increase the risk of developing breast cancer. The findings from these studies and the new UCSD research suggest that drugs that block RANKL may be effective in preventing both the early stages of breast cancer and the advanced progression of the disease.
Collaborators on the study are first authors Wei Tan and Weizhou Zhang, Amy Strasner and Sergei Grivennikov, UCSD Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction; Jin Q. Cheng, Department of Molecular Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Fla.; and Robert M. Hoffman, AntiCancer Inc, San Diego.
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.
The journal Nature.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Global Clinical Trials Review, Q1, 2011

This report provides in-depth information and data relating to the clinical trials on Coronary Artery Disease. It includes an overview of the trial numbers and their recruitment status as per the site of trial development throughout the world, focusing on the status of participation by the developing nations. It offers coverage of disease clinical trials by their phase, trial status, prominence of the sponsors and also provides information pertaining to the number of trials for the key drugs for treating Coronary Artery Disease).

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/b90ca9/coronary_artery_di) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Global Clinical Trials Review, Q1, 2011" to their offering. 

The clinical trial report, "Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Global Clinical Trials Review, Q1, 2011" provides data on the Coronary Artery Disease clinical trial scenario. This report provides in-depth information and data relating to the clinical trials on Coronary Artery Disease. It includes an overview of the trial numbers and their recruitment status as per the site of trial development throughout the world, focusing on the status of participation by the developing nations.

It offers coverage of disease clinical trials by their phase, trial status, prominence of the sponsors and also provides information pertaining to the number of trials for the key drugs for treating Coronary Artery Disease).

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by Our team of industry experts.

Scope

* Data on the number of clinical trials conducted in North America, South And Central America, Europe, Middle-East and Africa and Asia-pacific and top five national contributions in each, along with the clinical trial scenario in BRIC nations

* Clinical trial (complete and in progress) data by phase, trial status and trial success rate
* Review of key discontinued trials (suspended, withdrawn and terminated)
* Overview of the enrollment pattern by phase for the past decade
* Number of clinical trials segmented by key drugs
* Clinical trial overview of top 20 companies, which include Pfizer Inc., AstraZeneca PLC, Eli Lilly and Company, and so on.
* Clinical trial overview of top 20 Universities / Institutes / Hospitals including National Cancer Institute, Cancer Research UK, Cancer Research Institute , and others

Reasons to buy:

* Understand the dynamics of a particular indication as a whole
* Examine the performance of the trials in terms of their status, recruitment, success rates and others
* Obtain discontinued trial information for trials across the globe
* Understand the commercial landscape of the major Universities / Institutes / Hospitals or Companies

To view the reports full table of contents and for more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/b90ca9/coronary_artery_di

In Their Own Words, Translating Clinical Care For Callers To Cancer Information Service :NCI

NCI’s Cancer Information Service (CIS), a resource which handles approximately 100,000 calls, e-mails, and live chat sessions annually, where more than 70 information specialists, who are trained and monitored by experienced oncology nurses, tackle these requests for help and information, often engaging in lengthy discussions about treatment options with someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer, or with the spouse of a cancer patient who’s having a hard time taking care of their loved one and needs some help or guidance on what to do or where to turn.
“My background in oncology and as a bedside nurse really helps to bring some of the clinical aspects of cancer care to the information specialists, who often don’t have that intimate level of knowledge,” said Randy Jacobs, an oncology nurse educator with the CIS.

Read more at  NCI’s Cancer Information Service: Providing Information and Assistance Nationwide

February Fourth Is World Cancer Day!

On February 4, 2011, we are joining many many people and  organizations from around the world in supporting World Cancer Day to promote ways to reduce the burden of cancer. The World Health Organization estimates that 84 million people will die of cancer between 2005 and 2015 without intervention. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, exceeded only by heart disease; it kills more than half a million Americans every year.
Please To help fight the global cancer epidemic, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is urging individuals to take action and support the World Cancer Declaration - at www.worldcancerday.org/signdeclaration

 Millions of cancer cases are preventable - lifestyle factors key to saving lives

Latest cancer preventability data released to mark World Cancer Day


GENEVA, Switzerland, 04 February 2011 – On World Cancer Day, new independent evidence confirms that the increasing global trend of unhealthy and sedentary lifestyles is responsible for putting millions at an unnecessarily high risk of cancer.

New estimates released today by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) global network suggest that across a range of countries, making lifestyle changes including maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and taking regular physical activity can reduce the risk of common cancers by up to a third.i

These findings are further supported by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) new Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health.ii This landmark report reinforces that regular physical activity has the potential to prevent many diseases such as breast and colon cancers, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The report addresses three age groups (5-17 years old, 18-64 years old, and 65 years old and above) and provides concrete recommendations for levels of physical activity needed for health;Error: Reference source not found these recommendations are especially helpful for low- and middle-income countries, where few national guidelines for physical activity exist.
"Physical activity is recommended for people of all ages as a means to reduce risks for certain types of cancers and other non-communicable diseases," says Dr Tim Armstrong, from WHO's Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion. "In order to improve their health and prevent several diseases, adults should do at least 150 minutes moderate physical activity throughout the week. This can be achieved by simply walking 30 minutes five times per week or by cycling to work daily".
There is also consistent evidence that other healthy living initiatives are vital in reducing the risk of cancer including stopping tobacco use, avoiding exposure to passive smoke, avoiding excessive sun exposure and protecting against cancer-causing infections.  And to help fight the global cancer epidemic, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is urging individuals to take action and support the World Cancer Declaration - at www.worldcancerday.org/signdeclaration
Signing the Declaration will help UICC in its effort to motivate global leaders to set realistic and achievable directives for preventing cancer during the United Nations Summit for Non-Communicable Diseases in September 2011. There has only been one UN General Assembly special session focused on health since 1947; the announcement of the 2011 summit is an unprecedented step in the battle against cancer.

Dr Eduardo Cazap, President of UICC summarised, “Support World Cancer Day by signing the World Cancer Declaration and help us achieve the goal of one million supporters for a Cancer Free World.  With individuals, governments and policy makers of the world working together, we have the ability to ease the global burden of cancer now and for future generations.”
Background information

About cancer
Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world and its incidence continues to rise.  Each year 12.7 million people discover they have cancer and 7.6 million people die from the disease.
Evidence shows that 30-40% all cancers deaths can be prevented,i and one-third can be cured through early diagnosis and treatment.

There are about 200 known types of cancer.ii  As with most illnesses cancer is multifactorial which means that there is no single cause for any one type of cancer. However, certain largely controllable or avoidable lifestyle and environmental factors are also known to be causes of cancer. For more information on health living initiatives please visit: www.worldcancerday.org/prevention

About UICC
The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is the leading international non-governmental organisation dedicated to the global prevention and control of cancer. UICC’s mission is to eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease for future generations. Founded in 1933, UICC unites 400 member organisations, specialised and engaged in cancer control, in more than 120 countries across the world. UICC is non-profit, non-political and non-sectarian. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information please visit www.uicc.org or join our join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Cancer-Free-World/134386073255136 

About the World Cancer Declaration
The World Cancer Declaration is a tool to help bring the growing cancer crisis to the attention of government leaders and health policymakers in order to significantly reduce the global cancer burden by 2020. It represents a consensus between government officials, public health experts and cancer advocates from around the world who are committed to eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease
for future generations.

The Declaration outlines 11 targets to be achieved by 2020 including: significant drops in global tobacco consumption, obesity and alcohol intake, universal vaccination programmes for hepatitis B and human papilloma virus (HPV) to prevent liver and cervical cancer, universal availability of effective pain medication and dispelling myths and misconceptions about cancer. As the custodian of the Declaration, UICC encourages priority actions to achieve the Declaration’s targets locally and nationally and promotes a comprehensive response across the globe. For more information please visit – www.uicc.org/declaration

About the UN high level meeting on non-communicable diseases
In May 2010, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), calling for a UN Summit on NCDs to be held on the 19-20 September 2011 in New York.  The Summit will address the prevention and control of cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes, which together account for 60% (35 million) of global deaths. The largest burden - 80% (28 million) - occurs in low- and middle- income countries, making NCDs a major risk to global development and economic growth. For more information on the NCD summit visit: www.ncdalliance.org

For more information, please contact:
UICC Press Relations
Leah Peyton
Email: leah.peyton@toniclc.com
Tel: 0044 207 798 9923 / 0044 7788 191 434