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In what is being called a medical breakthrough, a vaccine that targets skin cancer has shown improved response rates and progression-free survival for patients when combined with the immunotherapy drug, Interleukin-2.

This new research was released today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Orlando, Florida.  The breakthrough comes after three decades of failed attempts to produce cancer vaccines. The vaccine, developed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and called gp 100:209-217, or gp 100, helped shrink tumors as well as delay worsening of the disease in the study.

Vaccines work by training the body’s immune system to distinguish diseased cells and attack them. The hypothesis is that once the body can distinguish cancer cells, it can kill them before cancer has a opportunity to recur in a patient.

“Obviously, this is a disease, in its advanced setting, in need of better therapies for our patients,” said Hwu, a co-investigator on the study.

“While more follow up is needed, this study serves as a proof-of-principle for vaccines’ role in melanoma and in cancer therapy overall. If we can use the body’s own defense system to attack tumor cells, we provide a mechanism for ridding the body of cancer without destroying healthy tissue,” the expert added.

Approximately 22 percent of patients given the vaccine plus interleukin-2 saw their tumors shrink by half or more, compared with 10 percent of people getting interleukin-2 alone. Vaccine users saw their cancer stabilize for three months versus half that time for the others.

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. The five year-survival rates for local and metastatic melanoma are 65 percent and 16 percent, respectively. In 2009, an approximated 69,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with melanoma and about 8,600 will die of the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

New research shows that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to counter the effects of menopause, is connected with a higher risk of dying in women diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer.

This new research show that after five years on Wyeth’s Prempro, a combination of the hormones estrogen as well as progestin, 67 women died from non-small cell lung cancer, compared with 39 on placebo. The findings of the trial, which analyzed women age 50 to 79 and included current as well as former smokers, were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Orlando.

The study centered on the incidence of the most common form of lung cancer and its mortality rate over a time period of almost 5.5 years comparing women who followed the hormonal treatment and another group that took placebos.

“We shouldn’t be using both combined hormone therapy and tobacco at the same time,” said Dr. Rowan Chlebowski of the Harbor-U.C.L.A. Medical Center in California and lead author of the study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “Women almost certainly shouldn’t be using combined hormone therapy and tobacco at the same time”.

However, there have been only 106 lung cancer deaths in the study so far,  which is too few to make conclusions about risk, said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld of the American Cancer Society.

Chlebowski stated that ealier research proposed that hormones play a role in non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease, since women generaly have higher survival rates than men and react better to certain therapies.

Actress Farrah Fawcett is well known for her role on the cult classic television show “Charlie’s Angels”, but sadly now she is battling for her life. In 2006, she was diagnosed with anal cancer and went into remission in 2007 but the cancer returned a short time later.

Fawcett experienced some bleeding in one of the muscles of her abdomen after arriving in Los Angeles from Germany late last week and checked into an unnamed hospital. Her doctors report she left the hospital Thursday and is now resting at home.

Sadly, the 62 year-old actress’s prognosis is very poor and she is getting weaker and weaker by the day. The anal cancer that she has had spread to her liver, she has undergone treatments for her cancer in the United States and in Germany but the treatments have not cured her cancer. Anal cancer is a very rare form of cancer and less than five thousand people a year in the United States will contract the disease. Most people who have the disease live five years or longer so it is very surprising that Farrah Fawcett’s cancer has progressed this fast in a few years.

Farrah Fawcett has been in a romantic relationship with actor Ryan O’Neal for many years; they also have a son together Redmond. Ryan O’Neal has stated that Farrah is confined to her bed, has lost a lot of her hair, and is not receiving any more medical treatments.

“I rub her head. It’s kind of fun, actually, this great, tiny little head. How she carried all that hair I’ll never know. She doesn’t have a vanity about it,” O’Neal said.

At this stage the doctors are just keeping her as comfortable as they can; hopefully Farrah will get a miracle and recover but according to Ryan, her outlook is bleak.

A new study looking at adding the lung-cancer drug Tarceva to Avastin, that failed in two small studies, now shows in a phase III study that patients did in fact live longer.

Roy Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chief of the section of M. D. Anderson’s Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, presented the findings on ASCO’s press program.

“This study shows that an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor can be combined with chemotherapy safely and effectively to provide systematic benefit to patients with this life-threatening disease,” said Herbst. “This study will have immediate clinical implications. Still, we need to build on this research and turn our focus toward better identifying molecular markers involved, with the ultimate goal of personalizing our patient’s care.”

Alimta, sold by Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY), and Tarceva, sold in the U.S. by Roche’s (RHHBY) Genentech and OSI Pharmaceuticals (OSIP) were being studied as maintenance therapy in patients with advanced lung cancer, a relatively new concept of continuing treatment with some drugs after initial chemotherapy but before new tumor growth, which is when additional treatments would typically be started.

“It’s fairly unequivocal in my mind that the Avastin/Tarceva combination is superior to either agent alone,” Dr. Vincent Miller of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and one of the study’s lead investigators said in an interview.

Many people with lung cancer are diagnosed with advanced stage disease that can’t be surgically removed or has spread to other parts of the body. The majority of those with advanced lung cancer live less than one year.

The legendary icon of the 1970’s, Farrah Fawcett appears to be losing her battle with cancer. The popular star that once graced the cover of the best selling poster in history is currently in a bed ridden state as the ravages of a rare form of anal cancer have spread to her liver.

Currently, she is being fed via and IV tube in her arm and it appears the cancer is in its final stages and her end is near. Fawcett was diagnoses with cancer in 2006 and had fought the onset of the disease with her doctors for the past three years. However, the ability to permanently send the cancer into remission has proven impossible.

Currently, doctors have stated that Fawcett’s cancer is not treatable and that she is in the terminal stage. She is believed to have anywhere from several weeks to perhaps six months to live. The condition is simply untreatable and all that can be done now is to make her as comfortable as possible.

Fawcett recently appeared in a documentary that detailed her condition. Airing on NBC, the documentary drew an audience of 9 million people moved by her plight, many of whom were fans of her growing up in the 1970’s.

Fawcett’s partner of many years, Ryan O’Neal, has remained by her side as her condition enters the final and fatal stages.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has given new guidelines on how much weight to gain during pregnancy. This is the first time in almost 20 years the guidelines have been changed.

Obesity rates in the United States have significantly risen over the past two decades. Putting on too much weight in pregnancy can result in health risks such as high blood pressure or diabetes, as well as increase the chances you will require a C-section. And babies born to obese mothers have a higher risk of premature birth or of later becoming obese themselves.

The suggested weight gain ranges in pregnancy are now:

- 28-40 pounds for underweight women
- 25-35 pounds for normal-weight women
- 15-25 pounds for overweight women
- 11-20 pounds for obese women

These guidelines are supported by a number of factors involving the health of the mother and embryo. Primarly the Institute’s recommendations is based on the body mass index (BMI) of the pregnant mother, a measurement based on acceptable weight to height ratios. Women with a BMI of 30 or higher are thought to be obese, while a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight. Normal weight women have BMIs between 18.5 and 24.9 and a BMI below 18.5 falls in the underweight range.

The Institute of Medicine report that, almost two-thirds of American women of childbearing age (18 to 49 years) are obese, and about one- third are obese.

The yearly Relay for Life, which is the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event, will be from Friday, May 29th from 7 P.M. to Saturday, May 30th at 7 A.M. Check to see if your area is involved.

The highly successful fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society is likely the most effective way the organization has devised to raise funds.

Teams will alternate walking on a track and camping out overnight, as a way to show their fight against cancer as well as help raise money to fight the disease. This event is held over a 12-hour and in some places 24 hour period as a way to show everyone how hard it is for cancer patients as they are going through treatments.

The Relay for Life symbolizes hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who deal with cancer will be supported and that one day cancer will be cured, according to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life website.

There are a number of ways that the American Cancer society suggests a person can get involved in local Relay for LIfe events:

Become a Team Captain: Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relay is an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.

Donor / Sponsor: Relay For Life offers community-based sponsorship to give you and your company or organization the opportunity to show your commitment to the fight against cancer. Various levels of exposure and benefits are offered. For more information contact the community Relay event you would like to support.

Survivorship Activities: We invite all cancer survivors in our community to attend the opening ceremonies of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life. We encourage you to enjoy the day, make new friends, and celebrate! Relay For Life is an overnight team event that increases awareness of cancer in the community and raises much needed funds to fight the disease.

Volunteer: Relay For Life is a community gathering, where everyone can participate in the fight against cancer. We need your help before, during, or after Relay. All talents and interests are welcome!

The theme of this year’s walk is “Through the Years — 25 Years of Celebrating Hope.”

The turn for the worst has come for Farrah Fawcett and her battle with cancer.

Farrah has been in battle with cancer since 2006 when she was diagnosed with the rare form of anal cancer. With all her treatment she received between German doctors and American Doctors she was said to be cancer free for four months, until the doctors found that the cancer had spread to the liver. With a period of remission and loads of treatment, Fawcett is now losing her battle against the disease.

Farrah had made a documentary of all she went through and spoke of her feelings as she was fighting this battle. “Farrah’s Story” was aired on NBC this past month; which brought millions of viewers to see the struggle she is going through. Fawcett was strong through everything she has gone through and has put up a good fight.

Ryan O’Neil, Fawcett’s long time partner, stated that she is bed ridden now and all medical treatment has stopped. O’Neal also stated that Farrah is on IV’s for nourishment and the doctors are there to see that she is comfortable. The doctors have reported that they don’t think there is very much time left for the star, maybe a few months or so.
It has been reported that the former actress’s father has taken off from his home in Texas to go be at her bedside at her California home, and her Specialists from Germany are going to be flying in to be with her as well.

New research by the National Institutes of Health shows that Human skin is home to far more bacteria than previously thought.

The researchers set out to explore the micro-ecosystem living on the surface of our skin.  Preliminary results from the study have confirmed an unexpectedly diverse fauna of bacteria and microbes, and a far more intricate and complex system of life than previously thought.

The team discovered more than 112,000 bacteria, finding bugs belonging to 205 groups.

“All our knowledge had been based on what we could culture in the laboratory,” said lead researcher Julia A. Segre. “Culturing puts a bias on what you can study. You’re limited to what you can grow at a certain temperature in enriched media. In culture, you can find what you are looking for, but it’s hard to find what is not there.”

Unforeseen was the similarity of the bacteria living in the same sites on different people. “We found that the site was more determining than the individual,” Segre said. “In different people’s armpits we found the same bacteria, while different parts of the body had very different bacteria.”

The findings of this study will set a foundation for the Human Microbiome Project, a $115-million NIH venture directed at cataloging the bacteria as well as other organisms that populate the skin, gut, nose, mouth and vagina.

The climb in obesity rates has inspired new guidelines for how much, or for that matter how little,  weight heavier women should gain when pregnant. The US Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council now suggest obese women restrict their weight gain to 11 to 20 pounds during pregnancy.

The new guidelines, which update a 1990 report by the Institute of Medicine, are based on revised body mass index categories. For the first time, it gives a guidelines for women with a BMI of larger than 30, which is thought to be obese.

The primary reason of the new recommendations is to spotlight the importance of attaining a sound weight even before conception.  Healthy mothers are less likely to get high blood pressure as well as gestational diabetes and are less likely to require a C-section delivery.

The women are promoted to only gain between 11 to 20 pounds. That’s approximately half of what women of average weight are suggested to gain. Average weight women should gain between 25 and 35 pounds. Overweight women should gain 15 to 25 pounds. And underweight women should gain between 28 and 40 pounds.

Obesity and other body-weight categories are determined by a ratio of height to weight called the body mass index.

The least risks related with pregnancy are when healthy women with a normal BMI at conception follow the appropriate weight gain guidelines. However the findings also points out the fact that more women are getting pregnant at an older age and run the added risks associated with chronic conditions for example hypertension and diabetes, among others. These and other factors led to the new guidelines