MDNews - Cleveland-Akron-Canton

F UTURE ANTI- OVARIAN CANCER DRUGS could treat patients by interfering more comprehensively with development of tumor blood vessels. A team of British researchers at the University of Manchester discovered that lowering HS6ST proteins in cancerous cells inhibited development of new blood vessels. Their recent study, published in The Journal of Biological Chemistr y, found that inhibiting HS6ST-1 and HS6ST-2 proteins leads to a 30–50 percent reduction in glucosamine 6-O-sulfate levels in the heparan sulfate molecule of the cancer cells, which reduces angiogenesis and tumor growth. The development of anti- ovarian cancer drugs that target t hese proteins "may be a better strateg y than current drugs, which target only one molecule," according to Professor Gordon Jayson, who leads the team of researchers. ■ — By Andrew Carney A GGRESSIVE PROSTATE CANCER treatment for some older men with multiple comorbidities may be harmful or ineffective, according to a new study. Researchers at UCLA found that older men may not benefit from aggressive treatment in the early stages of prostate cancer if they have conditions such as diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Researchers analyzed 140,553 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1991 and 2007 and determined the men's Charlson score based on any existing medical conditions, rating them from 0 to 3+. Aggressively treated men with a score of 0, 1 or 2 had a sig- nificantly lower risk of cancer-related mortality, but men with a score of 3+ did not. The study recommends that men in the latter group consider a less aggressive treatment. ■ — By Andrew Carney A RESEARCH TEAM WITH the University of Maryland found that U.S. cervical cancer rates are worse than previously believed. Women who have had their cervixes removed have been included in prior estimates, which skews the actual number of women who have cervical cancer. When the researchers excluded this group of women, who are no longer at risk of cervical cancer, rates rose from 11.7 cases per 100,000 women to 18.6 per 100,000. Women between 65 and 69 years of age — a group that is not recommended to undergo regular screening — had 27.4 cases per 100,000. Researchers found that African-American women had generally higher risk than Caucasian women, which has also been underestimated due to the inclusion of women whose cervixes have been removed. Among black women 65–69 years of age, the rate is 53 cases per 100,000, compared with 24.7 cases per 100,000 wh ite women in t hat age group. ■ — By Andrew Carney Fighting Ovarian Cancer Statistical Adjustment Reveals Higher Rate of Cervical Cancer Study Questions Value of Aggressive Prostate Cancer Treatment for Some Men Protein Levels Could Play Role in 2 0 1 4 N OV E M B E R / D E C E M B E R ■ M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Cleveland/Akron/Canton | 2 9

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