Free Republic

Cutting-edge technology could one day transform treatment for Down syndrome, as researchers have successfully deleted an extra chromosome in lab-grown cells. Down syndrome - which occurs when a person has three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two - alters brain development and can cause intellectual disability, learning difficulties and other health challenges. It affects about one in 700 births in the US, with an estimated 250,000 people living with the condition. Scientists from Mie University in Japan have used CRISPR-Cas9, a DNA-editing tool often described as 'molecular scissors,' to cut away the surplus chromosome in cells. Their system was...

Explore the latest guide by Dr. Paul Marik and Dr. Justus Hope on cancer stem cells—the hidden drivers of relapse and metastasis. Cancer treatment often succeeds—until it doesn’t. A tumor shrinks. A scan looks clean. The patient goes home hopeful. And then… the cancer returns. But why does it come back? And sometimes more aggressive than before? The answer lies with a small population of cells that most standard treatments ignore. Cells that don’t just survive chemotherapy and radiation but adapt and return. They’re called cancer stem cells (CSCs), and they may be the single most overlooked driver of relapse,...

A medication developed in the 1950s to treat Parkinson's disease may offer a powerful new tool in the fight against tuberculosis (TB), according to new research. The study found that benztropine can dramatically reduce levels of TB-causing bacteria by boosting the body's natural immune response. TB is the world's deadliest infectious disease. Treatment requires a months-long regimen of multiple antibiotics, which can have serious side effects and is increasingly challenged by the emergence of drug-resistant bacterial strains. Tuberculosis is particularly difficult to treat because the bacteria responsible, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is able to infect and survive within the very immune cells...

In A Nutshell A new bladder cancer device called TAR-200 delivers chemotherapy directly into the bladder over time, avoiding long treatment sessions. In a clinical trial, over 8 in 10 patients with a specific type of bladder cancer (carcinoma in situ) saw their cancer disappear after treatment. Many patients stayed cancer-free for more than a year, and most were able to avoid bladder removal surgery during the study period. Side effects were mostly mild urinary symptoms that cleared up within weeks, with serious problems being uncommon. ================================================================= LOS ANGELES — For bladder cancer patients whose tumors stop responding to standard...

By sparking the immune system into action, radiation therapy makes certain tumors that resist immunotherapy susceptible to the treatment, leading to positive outcomes for patients, according to new research. In the study, investigators dove deep into the molecular biology of non-small cell lung cancer to pinpoint what happens on a cellular and molecular level over time when the cancer is treated with either radiation therapy followed by immunotherapy or immunotherapy alone. They found that radiation plus immunotherapy induced a systemic anti-tumor immune response in lung cancers that do not typically respond to immunotherapy. The combination therapy also yielded improved clinical...

Pharmaceutical scientists, clinicians, nurses and pharmacists have shown that a reduced dose of abiraterone acetate is potentially as effective and safe as the standard regimen for prostate cancer patients. Prostate cancer remains one of the most common malignancies among men. The current standard treatment involves a 1000 mg daily dose of abiraterone acetate (AA), a drug that targets hormone pathways driving cancer progression. However, this high dose can lead to unwanted side effects and high treatment costs. The study investigated whether a 500 mg daily dose of AA, taken on an empty stomach, could achieve comparable therapeutic outcomes. In their...

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting are among the most distressing side effects of anti-cancer treatment. A new study examined whether a 5 mg dose of olanzapine taken at home after chemotherapy could reduce nausea and vomiting in patients with breast cancer while minimizing the sedative effects associated with the standard 10 mg dose. This phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 500 female patients with breast cancer in Japan receiving outpatient anthracycline plus cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either olanzapine 5 mg or placebo in combination with standard triplet antiemetic therapy (palonosetron, dexamethasone, and an NK-1 receptor antagonist). The...

Cervical cancer is one of the most common gynecologic cancers worldwide and continues to be a leading cause of cancer-related death in women. While early detection through screening has improved outcomes, treatment options for advanced or recurrent disease remain limited. The five-year survival rate for late-stage cervical cancer is still less than 20%, underscoring the urgent need for better therapies. The disease is most often linked to high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, but other factors also contribute to tumor progression—such as changes in the immune system, abnormal cell survival signals, and increased blood vessel formation that supports tumor growth. Current...

Radiation therapy can promote the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligand amphiregulin, which increases growth of existing metastases in patients with advanced solid tumors, according to a study. András Piffkó, M.D. and colleagues explored the potentially deleterious effect of radiation in promoting metastasis in patients with advanced solid tumors who received stereotactic body radiotherapy to multiple metastatic sites. Gene expression was examined in 22 matched preradiotherapy and postradiotherapy biopsies for irradiated metastases. The researchers found that the EGFR ligand amphiregulin was induced by radiotherapy in tumor cells; amphiregulin reprograms EGFR-expressing myeloid cells toward an immunosuppressive phenotype and can reduce phagocytosis....

"... stevia leaf extract fermented with L. plantarum SN13T, which contains CAME, may serve as a promising candidate for pancreatic cancer treatment." Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a perennial herb widely utilized in the food and pharmaceutical industries, valued not only for its intense natural sweetness but also for its potential health-promoting properties. In addition to steviol glycosides, stevia leaves are rich in flavonoids and phenolic compounds, which exhibit various biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, and anticancer effects. While purified steviol glycosides and their derivatives (e.g., stevioside, isosteviol) have demonstrated cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities against several cancer cell lines,...

New research finds that for people diagnosed with nonmetastatic low-risk prostate cancer later in life, and treated according to NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology, 90% were likely to survive their cancer for their remaining life-expectancy. Of those with nonmetastatic higher-risk cancer and a longer life expectancy, that likelihood was still greater than 65%. The researchers studied 62,839 people diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cancer in Sweden between the years 2000-2020. All were placed within a defined risk category, had a life expectancy of more than three years, and were treated according to evidence-based, expert consensus-driven recommendations. Those with low- and...

Ovarian cancer cells dividing. (Credit: ecancer) In A Nutshell High-throughput drug screening identified rigosertib as highly selective for ovarian cancer cells. Alone, rigosertib shuts down one survival pathway but triggers compensatory activation of another. Combining rigosertib with PI3K/mTOR inhibitors prevents this resistance and shrinks tumors in mice. Human trials are needed to confirm safety and effectiveness before clinical use. ================================================================== NEW YORK — Scientists have identified a potentially game-changing treatment approach for ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest forms of the disease that kills roughly 12,740 American women each year. The breakthrough involves pairing an existing drug called rigosertib with...

Fisherman holding a pair of sea cucumbers. (Photo by The Pirates on Shutterstock) Scientists Discover Sea Cucumbers Contain Powerful Compound That Fights Aggressive Tumors In a nutshell * Scientists found that a compound from sea cucumbers can block Sulf-2, an enzyme that helps cancer cells spread throughout the body * Smaller fragments of the sea cucumber extract work just as well as the full compound but cause fewer side effects * The compound targets cancer cells specifically without broadly attacking healthy cells like traditional chemotherapy ========================================================================== UNIVERSITY, Miss. — Scientists at the University of Mississippi have discovered that a slimy...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is known to be associated with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but how and why they are connected remains unknown. Researchers from Mass General Brigham discovered that HBV does not cause liver inflammation or cancer on its own, but worsens liver inflammation and may make patients more susceptible to early cancer development caused by environmental carcinogens. Limiting carcinogen exposure or reducing inflammation could mitigate this risk. "Our research sheds light on the intricate interplay between HBV infection and carcinogen exposure to generate immune dysregulation in the liver that leads to cancer development," said corresponding...

A study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers found that combining chemotherapy and immunotherapy before surgery for patients with aggressive stage III non-small cell lung cancer that is considered difficult or impossible to surgically remove can help shrink tumors and make surgery possible. The multicenter observational study was conducted in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute in Rome, Italy. It analyzed data from 112 patients who were treated at cancer centers across the U.S. and Italy with chemoimmunotherapy—a combination of chemotherapy and an immune checkpoint inhibitor blocking PD-1 or PD-L1. After treatment,...

From myocarditis to turbo cancer, emerging research offers hope for the millions injured by mRNA shots. Millions of people injured by mRNA injections have been completely abandoned by our public health agencies. In the absence of meaningful support, it is critically important to identify and advance safe, evidence-based strategies to aid recovery. At the McCullough Foundation, ongoing research has highlighted the following key interventions: Vitamin D Mounting evidence supports vitamin D as a critical intervention for vaccine injury: Myocarditis Protection: 73.3% of mRNA vaccine-induced myocarditis cases were vitamin D deficient, and low levels correlated with significantly worse inflammation, higher troponin...

In a study conducted at São Paulo State University involving 80 women over the age of 45, low-dose vitamin D supplementation nearly doubled the rate of treatment response. A study conducted at the Botucatu School of Medicine at São Paulo State University (FMB-UNESP) in Brazil found that low-dose vitamin D supplementation can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy in women with breast cancer. The findings suggest that vitamin D may serve as an alternative to other drugs designed to boost chemotherapy response, especially those that are difficult to access. The research, supported by FAPESP, included 80 women over the age of...

Researchers have harnessed a deadly fungus (Aspergillus flavus) to create a powerful cancer-fighting agent.The development is particularly notable as this toxic crop fungus has a grim historical connection. The fungus was linked to mysterious deaths among archeological teams excavating ancient tombs.For instance, in 1922, the opening of King Tutankhamun's tomb was reportedly followed by unexplained deaths, fueling rumors of a "pharaoh's curse."But it was later hypothesized that a dormant fungus might have been responsible.Fast forward to the 1970s. A similar tragedy unfolded in Poland, where 10 scientists died within weeks of entering the tomb of Casimir IV.The culprit was identified...

First-line treatment with the triplet combination of encorafenib, cetuximab and mFOLFOX6 significantly improved survival compared to the standard of care in patients with BRAF V600E-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer, according to data from the Phase III BREAKWATER trial. The findings demonstrated significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to standard chemotherapy-based regimens. The median PFS was 12.8 months with the triplet combination compared to 7.1 months in the standard-of-care group, and the median OS was 30.3 months compared with 15.1 months, respectively. "The latest data from the BREAKWATER trial further confirms that targeting the BRAF V600E mutation up...

Strawberry tree extracts helped treat ulcerative colitis in rats. (HJBC/Shutterstock) In a nutshell A traditional Mediterranean plant, the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), showed strong protective effects against ulcerative colitis in rats, performing nearly as well as a common prescription drug. The extract worked by reducing inflammation, preventing tissue damage, and restoring antioxidant enzyme levels, suggesting multiple mechanisms of action. While promising, these findings are from animal studies, and more research is needed before the extract can be considered a safe or effective treatment for humans. ======================================================================== JENDOUBA, Tunisia — A humble fruit from the Mediterranean region might hold the key...