News tagged ‘Genetics’ clear
- Research has shown that a genetic abnormality behind one illness may also cause other disorders. These shared genetic links may put a person at greater risk for developing related diseases. Dr. Marc Vidal says that because of this interconnectivity, drug companies need to be careful in developing drugs as the treatment for one disease could cause severe side effects.
- Genetic testing can help clinicians assess a patient's risk for various diseases and to develop more effective treatment plans. Dana-Farber currently offers lung cancer patients six genetic tests and soon will test for more than 500 cancer-causing gene defects. As more genetic tests become available, some insurers and medical ethicists are questioning the value of such tests.
Tags: LungCancer, Genetics
- Researchers, including Dr. Matthew Meyerson and Dr. Bruce Johnson of Dana-Farber, found from a large study of the genetics of a common lung cancer, that more than half the tumors from that cancer have mutations that can be treated by drugs that are being developed or can be easily developed. (Full article requires a subscription)
Tags: BasicResearch, LungCancer, Genetics
- As reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, Oct. 25, Dana-Farber scientists found that aspirin therapy can extend the life of colorectal cancer patients whose tumors carry a mutation in a key gene, but it has no effect on patients who lack the mutation. Dr. Shuji Ogino says this is by far the best marker we’ve found for prediction of response to aspirin.
Tags: ColonCancer, Genetics
- Dr. Pasi A. Jänne discusses a new study that demonstrates that chemotherapy and a new, targeted therapy work better in combination than chemotherapy alone in treating patients with the most common genetic subtype of lung cancer.
Tags: LungCancer, TargetedTherapy, Genetics
- Three pharmaceutical companies are poised to test whether new drugs can work against a wide range of cancers, including those that are rare, such as liposarcoma, a cancer of the fat cells. According to Dr. Andrew J. Wagner, liposarcoma tumors can be very large and often start at the back of a patient's belly, where they can go unnoticed.
Tags: chemotherapy, Genetics
- Dr. Richard Stone discusses how mutations in a gene involved in the production of white blood cells may improve the diagnosis — and perhaps treatment — of two rare blood cancers.
Tags: Genetics, Leukemia