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Nexavar, a pharmaceutical drug designed to treat liver cancer, had a late-stage trial recently cut off and disbanded.
But, the reason is not what you think: the trial was ended because the results of patients using the drug were all so positive that a further continuation of the trial was not needed.
The trial (which was classified "Phase III" -- the 'final' stage) was conducted on over 200 patients in China, Korea and Taiwan. All patients took Nexavar and all were suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma -- the most common liver cancer.
Still, it's odd that any trials were ended due to excellent results. Even if that is so, shouldn't all drugs complete a start-to-finish trial period, regardless of success rate?
Liver cancer -- the fifth most common cancer type worldwide -- may have do do more with a patient's DNA rather than any specific environmental variable, according to new research.
Liver cancer was found to be affected by the genome of a particular patient after the process of methylation (the extent can vary widely), which then could be tied to a particular liver cancer patient's outcome.
This really does not suggest anything surprising, since most cancers tend to be sunk deeply into a person's DNA, then expressed in various ways based on the witch's brew of lifestyle variables unique to every patient.
I honestly think we're just now starting to scratch the surface on the understanding of how cancer develops, even after decades of specific, billion-dollar research.
Liver cancer is a major killer in Asia and Africa due to the high prevalence of hepatitis infections that can cause the disease.
Current tests include biopsies, imaging and the AFP test, but these methods are not as sensitive as the new test. This new test detects changes in the sugars attached to the proteins that occur in liver cancer. According to the researchers, the test is more effective when used with the AFP test, which measures various markers in the blood, indicating tumor presence.
A German biotech company has announced positive results from a genetically engineered herpes virus that is designed to kill cancer cells. It not only kills the cancer cells but leaves healthy tissue unharmed. Results from clinical trials has showed promise.
Being injected with a virus might seem strange but researchers believe that viruses could one day become a valuable addition to conventional cancer treatments.
The results have shown in animal testing and limited human testing the ability to kill colorectal and liver cancer cells.
Recent reports have come out regarding the protective effect of coffee against liver cancer. Specifically, Drs. Larsson and Wolk of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm concluded that for every 2 cups of coffee consumed per day, there was a 43 percent reduction in an individual's risk of liver cancer. They analysed 11studies involving 2,260 liver cancer patients and 239,146 individuals without liver cancer.
Dr Ang questions, "Why in the liver? Why not in the pancreas or in the stomach? It is for these reasons that sometimes further research needs to be done."
Ang continues, "It will take more than this article to convince me to become a teetotaller or coffee drinker! In a prospective trial, you actually intervene, and you watch for a result. In contrast, in this meta analysis, it is a retrospective study. You are finding people who already have developed cancer, you select a control group who at the present time does not have cancer and then you ask them... from what they can remember, what is their diet like." Dr. Ang feels the best prevention against cancer is to exercise regularly and eat and drink in moderation.
A reason more men end up developing liver cancer than women may have been discovered, as new findings have pointed to a protein that's produced more by males than females.
With men three to five times as likely to develop liver cancer than women, avoiding large amounts of alcohol and -- if possible -- avoiding hepatitis infections (B and C types) are key for men in not developing conditions that could lead to liver cancer.
Liver cancer experts attribute the rise in HCC, a highly aggressive cancer sometimes called hepatoma, to an increase decades ago in chronic infection with hepititis C & B and also chronic alcohol consumption. Worldwide liver cancer affects 700,000 people with 18,000 Americans diagnosed in 2006 and over 19,000 estimated to be diagnosed in 2007. The increase of this disease in the United States has doubled in one decade and over 16,000 people are estimated to die from the disease this year.
The rise in the United States is expected to increase. There are now 1.4 million people in the United States infected with HBV and 4 million are infected with HCV. Growing evidence suggests two other diseases now increasingly common in the United States to have significant risk factors for primary liver cancer. Diabetes and obesity.
HCC typically does not have any symptoms until its later stages which makes it difficult to diagnose. Traditional chemo does not treat the disease with much success and liver transplants or resection surgeries are needed. One reason why donors are very important in fighting this disease. When signs and symptoms do arise they might include weight loss, fatigue, pain in the upper right abdomen that may extend to the back and shoulder, feeling full after small meals, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, nausea, loss of appetite, and jaundice.
A newer drug called Nexavar, used for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma cancer, is being marketed by Bayer and Onyx Pharmaceuticals in Europe to be approved for an officially-sanctioned treatment of liver cancer.
Although Nexavar is being used in 50 countries for kidney cancer, the drug is now being described as a possible treatment for advanced liver cancer, it is now being suggested by both pharmaceutical companies for the treatment of liver cancer in Europe, with an application as a supplemental new drug being sent to the FDA sometime this summer, according to reports.
The summary phase 3 trial data concluded that Nexavar extended overall survival by 44 percent in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma compared to a placebo treatment. In addition, no additional side effects were noticed between Nexavar and placebo treatment patients.
Can coffee reduce the risk of liver cancer? According to findings published in the medical journal Gastroenterology it can. "Data on potential beneficial effects of coffee on liver function and liver diseases have accrued over the last two decades," states Drs. Susanna C. Larsson and Alicja Wolk, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
11 studies involving 2,260 liver cancer patients and 239,146 individuals without liver cancer showed that for every 2 cups of coffee per day, the investigators observed a 43 percent reduced risk of liver cancer. Coffee contains large amounts of antioxidants, such as chlorogenic acids that have an inhibitory effect on liver cancer.
Georgetown University scientists have discovered a "new" molecular mechanism that may -- get this -- spontaneously cause liver cancer. Now that's a mouthful: cancer can be caused through some spontaneous molecule?
The molecule in question disappears in the cells of 90 percent of human hepatocellular cancers, but the loss of only one copy of the embryonic liver fodrin (ELF) gene can result in what Georgetown scientists are saying is "spontaneous development of liver cancer."
Although Hepatocellular cancer has a very low five-year survival rate (no more than five percent), it is rising as a percentage of all cancers in the U.S. The good news is that the understanding of how to deal with very difficult liver cancer is increasing, and this latest ELF research could lead to a possible liver cancer treatment breakthrough when it's all dissected and consumed by the oncology community.
Interferon is an immune stimulating agent. According to an article recently published in the Annals of Surgery, administration of interferon following surgery may improve survival among patients with advanced hepatitis B-related hepatocelluar carcinoma.
Hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer. Unfortunately for this disease, recurrences often happen after surgical removal of the cancer. Researchers continue to evaluate ways to reduce these recurrences.
A clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the use of interferon following surgery in patients with HCC. The trial included 80 patients, one group received the interferon after surgery and the other group received no further treatment. The researchers found that the group treated with interferon experienced better survival rates.
The immune system of people living with chronic Hep C is constantly taxed, and it's believed this is the reason behind the link between these two diseases. Hep C, as the article points out, affects more than four million people in the United States, and afflicts men more than women.
Nicole Labrecque was only three years old when she lost her battle with hepatoblastoma, a rare liver cancer. That was 16 years ago and for the last six years, Nicole's father Richard has been raising money to help seriously-ill children like his daughter have their special wish come true.
Richard said his daughter died suddenly three days after the family's Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World. Richard Labrecque told reporters, "She spent a beautiful week having fun and for a few days, she was able to forget about the pain of surgeries and chemotherapy. It is priceless to see these kids have fun. Nicole was three years old and we were swept off our feet. I'm dedicated to this organization."
In the past five years, Nicole's walk has raised over $70,000, which has gone to the Vermont Make-A-Wish Foundation. The annual walk, which will be held this year on May 20, 2007 on the Toonerville Trail in Springfield, VT starts at 9:30 a.m. The trail is 6.2 miles.
All participants get a purple T-shirt -- purple was Nicole's favorite color.
More on coffee -- a topic of panel discussion at the recent Experimental Biology 2007 meeting in Washington, DC, and subject of nearly 400 studies investigating consumption and cancer risk.
Think about this:
No one claims coffee is the new health food. And non-coffee drinkers are not encouraged to drink the beverage for their health. Yet the beverage is certainly losing some of its negative health image.
But is it enough?
Some say coffee protects against colon, rectal, and liver cancers (diabetes too). These same people recognize it also can increase the risk of leukemia and stomach cancer. Those at risk, like pregnant women and children, should limit their consumption.
Like many connections between cancer and diet, there just isn't enough research to tell a whole story. We can only take what's available and make our own educated decisions about our own individual lives.
Cleopatra was her name, she died yesterday. She was eleven and half years old. What a sweet girl she was and I am going to miss her so much. She died of a liver tumor that was diagnosed yesterday. I took her to the emergency animal hospital after I noticed that she looked very lethargic.
Cleo was part of my life for such a long time. One thing that sticks in my mind about her was that after I was diagnosed with breast cancer she would always come over to me when I was crying -- like she knew I was upset and she always made me feel better.
Nexavar, a pharmaceutical drug designed to treat liver cancer, had a late-stage trial recently cut off and disbanded. 
Liver cancer -- the fifth most common cancer type worldwide -- may have do do more with a patient's DNA rather than any specific environmental variable, according to new research.
A simple new blood test can detect early stage liver cancer
A German biotech company has announced positive results from a genetically engineered herpes virus that is designed to kill cancer cells. It not only kills the cancer cells but leaves healthy tissue unharmed. Results from clinical trials has showed promise.
Recent 
A reason more men end up developing liver cancer than women may have been discovered, as new findings have pointed to a protein that's produced more by males than females.
Liver cancer experts attribute the rise in HCC, a highly aggressive cancer sometimes called hepatoma, to an increase decades ago in chronic infection with hepititis C & B and also chronic alcohol consumption. Worldwide liver cancer affects 700,000 people with 18,000 Americans diagnosed in 2006 and over 19,000 estimated to be diagnosed in 2007. The increase of this disease in the United States has doubled in one decade and over 16,000 people are estimated to die from the disease this year.
A newer drug called Nexavar, used for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma cancer, is being marketed by Bayer and Onyx Pharmaceuticals in Europe to be approved for an officially-sanctioned treatment of liver cancer.
Can coffee reduce the risk of liver cancer? According to findings published in the medical journal Gastroenterology it can. "Data on potential beneficial effects of coffee on liver function and liver diseases have accrued over the last two decades," states Drs. Susanna C. Larsson and Alicja Wolk, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
Georgetown University scientists have discovered a "new" molecular mechanism that may -- get this -- spontaneously cause liver cancer. Now that's a mouthful: cancer can be caused through some spontaneous molecule?
If living with Hepatitis C isn't trying enough, 
Nicole Labrecque was only three years old when she lost her battle with hepatoblastoma, a rare liver cancer. That was 16 years ago and for the last six years, Nicole's father Richard has been raising money to help seriously-ill children like his daughter have their special wish come true.
More on coffee -- a topic of panel discussion at the recent 
Cleopatra was her name, she died yesterday. She was eleven and half years old. What a sweet girl she was and I am going to miss her so much. She died of a liver tumor that was diagnosed yesterday. I took her to the emergency animal hospital after I noticed that she looked very lethargic.
