Effective drugs for treating a chemotherapy-resistant form of lymphoma might already be on the market according to a study that has pieced together a chemical pathway involved in the disease.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists’ discovery of a cancer-causing gene the first in its family to be linked to cancer demonstrates how the panoramic view of genomics and the close-up perspective of molecular biology are needed to determine which genes are involved in cancer and which are mere bystanders. The findings are reported in the June 25 issue of the journal Nature.

A group led by Columbia University Medical Center’s Timothy Wang, M.D., has studied the role of Helicobacter infection in the development of stomach cancer and found that the hormone gastrin, which stimulates secretion of gastric acid, plays a key role in the development of Helicobacter-induced stomach cancer, and may have distinct effects on carcinogenesis in different parts of the stomach.

Dr. Marc Sarti from the University of Virginia recently used the Veran IG4 Plug-N-Play Navigation System on multiple patients to target small cancerous lung lesions that were located in extremely challenging locations. Dr.

European Action Against Rare Cancers is a new campaign that has been launched today to coincide with the publication of the European Commission’s Communication on Cancer.

Scientists in the US have discovered that cancer tumors that don’t spread to other parts of the body secrete a protein called prosaposin and that metastatic tumors, which do spread, don’t secrete much of it. They suggest this discovery could lead the way to developing new treatments that stop cancers from spreading.

In the fruit fly’s developing brain, stem cells called neuroblasts normally divide to create one self-renewing neuroblast and one cell that has a different fate. But neuroblast growth can sometimes spin out of control and become a brain tumor.

The largest analysis of its kind has found that Caucasians are much more likely than people in other racial/ethnic groups to develop a rare bone and soft tissue cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma. In addition, among Caucasians with this cancer, men are more likely to die than women.

PharmaMar SA (Grupo Zeltia, ZEL.MC) announces the initiation of Phase I clinical trials with PM1183, a new antitumor compound developed by PharmaMar’s internal research program. The first patient enrolled in the trial has already started treatment with the compound.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting exceptional early career researchers and innovative cancer research, named 17 new Damon Runyon Fellows at its May 2009 Fellowship Award Committee review.