Category Archives: Genetic Therapy

Radiation treatment gets more precise and rapid

Dr. Asa Nixon, a radiation oncologist at the Seacoast Cancer Center at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, stands near one of two linear accelerators in the center's radiation department.Suzanne Laurent photo

DOVER Many local patients diagnosed with breast cancer that requires radiation therapy treatment choose to go to the Seacoast Cancer Center at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.

While chemotherapy is offered at most hospitals, radiation therapy is not.

Radiation therapy works by damaging the genetic material within cancer cells and limiting their ability to successfully reproduce. It may be used alone or in combination with other therapies such as chemotherapy, medication or surgery.

"Radiation therapy reduces the likelihood of the cancer coming back," said Dr. Asa Nixon, a radiation oncologist at Wentworth-Douglass. "Today, women are mostly diagnosed in the early stages of breast cancer," he said. "They will usually have a lumpectomy and may be treated with hormonal medications like Tamoxifen or chemotherapy."

Nixon said radiation treatment typically follows a lumpectomy.

"There are two types of radiation we do here for breast cancer," Nixon said.

The first is with a linear accelerator that delivers radiation from the outside to the inside of a woman's breast.

"With certain cancers, like brain cancer, we can be more precise and pinpoint the treatment," Nixon said. "But with breast cancer we treat the whole breast."

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Targeting fight against breast cancer

HOLT, Mo. A 4-year-old Missouri girl has cleared a big hurdle in her battle to overcome a rare genetic disorder.

FOX 4 News first reported the story of Brooklin Altis back in August. Shes the first known case of a genetic syndrome so rare doctors in the United States say theyve never seen it before. Thanks in part to the generosity of FOX 4 viewers, Brooklin is recovering from successful surgery to repair a dislocated hip.

Its one of many problems the 4-year-old faces as a result of being born without part of a chromosome that doctors say theyve never seen missing before.

The first surgery went absolutely amazing, said Cori Altis, Brooklins mother. Much better than the doctor even expected.

This is Brooklins first week without braces on her legs following surgery to repair her right hip. Shell have to return to the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia next month for similar surgery on her left hip. Her mother is overwhelmed by all the support and donations the family has received after FOX 4 reported that Brooklin is missing part of her 9th chromosome.

We just want to say a big thank you to everyone that has helped, Cori Altis said. Every single person that has come out and helped us we want to give a huge thank you. Words cannot express how much it has helped us.

Brooklin is ready to resume therapy again. She suffers from a host of developmental delays, including a tiny head size for her age. To help her overcome these hurdles, Brooklin has received speech therapy, vision therapy, occupational therapy, aquatic therapy, and physical therapy to regain movement in her legs.

About Christmastime she should be done, out of her casting, and ready to start walking again, learning how to walk and crawl again, her mother said. Around Christmastime or beginning of next year, we will be going to the Cleveland Clinic to find out what type of seizures shes having.

Because Brooklin is the only child known to have this genetic problem, the family must travel to Philadelphia to see a doctor who specializes in the 9th chromosome. Health insurance is covering Brooklins treatment but the family has relied the support of others to cover travel and lodging expenses.

We thought we were going to stay at the Ronald McDonald house but they did not have a place for us to stay, Cori Altis said. We started checking around to get a hotel, to stay in a hotel. There were 3 conventions going on that week, so there was nowhere to stay.

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Little Girl Making Strides in Fight Against Rare Disorder

By Felise Levine & Richard Levak 6 p.m., Oct. 11, 2012

Senate Bill 1172 makes it illegal to coerce teenagers into psychotherapy to convert them from being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Some parents see this as another attack on traditional values by the state Legislature and the gay and lesbian community. Others feel the new law might encourage gay behavior because confused or immature teenagers experimenting with sexual behavior and questioning their sexual orientation may not be able to obtain help. While the San Diego Psychological Association (SDPA) supports the bill to ban conversion therapies, it is important we explain why. We want to allay parents fears that teens will not be able to obtain appropriate help should they experience confusion or distress about their sexual orientation.

Over the last 20 years, psychotherapy has become evidence-based, meaning that it must have scientific foundation and be evaluated based on effectiveness. Conversion therapies have no scientific basis and do harm because they make the teen feel shameful and damaged. The lack of supporting evidence for conversion therapies stems from the complexities of human sexuality. There is growing scientific evidence for genetic factors influencing sexuality. Common biological traits among gay men suggest that sexual orientation is decided before birth. If one identical twin is gay, the other is likely gay even if reared apart. Other biological evidence shows that gay men are more likely to be left-handed, to be the younger siblings of older brothers and to have hair that whorls in a counterclockwise direction. None of these characteristics mean a male is gay but they suggest an underlying biological similarity among gay men. Psychotherapy is not effective in changing biology. It is effective for confused teens questioning their orientation, but only if it is not coercive and humiliating and its mission is to help teens find their true identity.

Therapy to help teens not act in sexually reckless ways, whatever their orientation, is also important and not prohibited by the legislation. The teen years are a confusing time. As part of their identity search or even due to sexual frustration and drug experimentation, some teens, regardless of their sexual orientation, will experiment sexually. The new law will not prohibit therapy they should receive to help with their identity struggles and learning to avoid risky behavior.

While sexual behavior is a choice and highly influenced by peer groups and parents, attraction is dictated by biology with little contribution from parenting, the influence of gay literature or friends. Though genes are a huge contributor, the mothers hormones can also influence sexual orientation. Research has shown that each successive boy born to the same mother has a greater chance of being gay perhaps due to an increasing immunological response by a mothers body to each male fetus. Genetically male infants born with ambiguous genitals who had a vagina constructed surgically and were raised as girls have been studied. As adults, these genetic males made into females were virtually all attracted to women in spite of being reared as a girl and having their penis removed, proving the power of biology in sexual orientation.

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No scientific basis for ‘conversion’ therapy

ScienceDaily (Oct. 9, 2012) Scientists have designed a blood test that reads genetic changes like a barcode -- and can pick out aggressive prostate cancers by their particular pattern of gene activity.

A team at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust found reading the pattern of genes switched on and off in blood cells could accurately detect which advanced prostate cancers had the worst survival.

And the researchers believe the blood test could eventually be used alongside the existing PSA test at diagnosis to select patients who need immediate treatment.

The test, described in The Lancet Oncology today (Oct. 9), is unique because it assesses changes in the pattern of gene activity in blood cells triggered by a tumour elsewhere in the body.

Lead author Professor Johann de Bono, leader of the prostate cancer targeted therapy team at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), and honorary consultant at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Prostate cancer is a very diverse disease -- some people live with it for years without symptoms but for others it can be aggressive and life-threatening -- so it's vital we develop reliable tests to tell the different types apart.

"We've shown it is possible to learn more about prostate cancers by the signs they leave in the blood, allowing us to develop a test that is potentially more accurate than those available now and easier for patients than taking a biopsy. Our test reads the pattern of genetic activity like a barcode, picking up signs that a patient is likely to have a more aggressive cancer. Doctors should then be able to adjust the treatment they give accordingly."

Researchers scanned all the genes present in blood samples from 100 patients with prostate cancer at the ICR's and The Royal Marsden's joint Drug Development Unit in London and The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow. They included 69 patients with advanced cancer and 31 control patients thought to have low-risk, early-stage cancer, who were being managed by active surveillance.

Using statistical modelling, they divided the patients into four groups reflecting their pattern of gene activity -- the barcode. When they reviewed all the patients' progress after almost two-and-a-half years, they found patients in one group had survived for significantly less time than patients in the others. Further modelling identified nine key active genes that were shared by all patients in the group.

They confirmed the results in another 70 US patients with advanced cancer, showing that just these nine genes could be used to accurately identify those who ultimately survived for a shorter time -- 9.2 months compared with 21.6 months for patients without the gene pattern. The genes included a number involved in the immune system -- suggesting the immune system was suppressed in patients whose cancers were spreading around the body.

Professor Alan Ashworth, chief executive of The Institute of Cancer Research, said: "Whether particular genes are active or not is an important clue in identifying patients with a poor prognosis. This latest study shows that it is possible to read these patterns of gene activity like a barcode, allowing scientists to spot cancers that are likely to be more aggressive."

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'Barcode' blood test for aggressive prostate cancer developed

TUESDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Two separate genetic "signatures" for aggressive prostate cancer have been identified by researchers, who said the findings could one day help improve patient treatment and outcomes.

The two studies pinpointed two distinctive patterns of RNA -- the genetic material that helps turn DNA into proteins -- that appear to predict whether patients have an aggressive or milder form of prostate cancer.

In one study, British researchers identified a set of genes that could predict whether patients had castration-resistant prostate cancer and also predicted survival of those patients. Castration-resistant prostate cancer is the form of the disease which does not respond to standard androgen-deprivation therapy.

Patients with a distinctive nine-gene pattern characteristic of aggressive prostate cancer survived an average of 9.2 months, compared with 21.6 months for those without the gene pattern.

In the second study, U.S. researchers pinpointed a different set of genes with similar predictive properties to those identified by the British team. The U.S. scientists discovered a set of six genes characteristic of a more aggressive form of prostate cancer. Patients with this genetic signature survived an average of 7.8 months, compared with at least 34.9 months for those without the genetic signature.

The studies were published Oct. 8 in the journal The Lancet Oncology.

Previous research has identified genetic signatures for different forms of cancer, but they have been used only to classify cancers. These new studies are the first to show that genetic signatures might prove useful in predicting patient outcomes.

There can be large differences between prostate cancer patients, with some never having symptoms, some responding well to treatment and others developing resistance to treatment and having their cancer progress.

Tests to determine whether a patient has a more aggressive form of prostate cancer exist, but are only moderately accurate.

One expert agreed that the genetic signatures might help guide treatment in the future.

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Scientists ID 'Genetic Signatures' for Aggressive Prostate Cancer

London, October 9 (ANI): Scientists have developed a blood test that reads genetic changes like a barcode - and can identify aggressive prostate cancers by their particular pattern of gene activity.

A team at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust found reading the pattern of genes switched on and off in blood cells could accurately detect which advanced prostate cancers had the worst survival.

And the researchers believe the blood test could eventually be used alongside the existing PSA test at diagnosis to select patients who need immediate treatment.

The test is unique because it assesses changes in the pattern of gene activity in blood cells triggered by a tumour elsewhere in the body.

"Prostate cancer is a very diverse disease - some people live with it for years without symptoms but for others it can be aggressive and life-threatening - so it's vital we develop reliable tests to tell the different types apart," said Professor Johann de Bono, leader of the prostate cancer targeted therapy team at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and honorary consultant at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, senior author of the study.

"We've shown it is possible to learn more about prostate cancers by the signs they leave in the blood, allowing us to develop a test that is potentially more accurate than those available now and easier for patients than taking a biopsy. Our test reads the pattern of genetic activity like a barcode, picking up signs that a patient is likely to have a more aggressive cancer. Doctors should then be able to adjust the treatment they give accordingly," de Bono said.

Researchers scanned all the genes present in blood samples from 100 patients with prostate cancer at the ICR's and The Royal Marsden's joint Drug Development Unit in London and The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow. They included 69 patients with advanced cancer and 31 control patients thought to have low-risk, early-stage cancer, who were being managed by active surveillance.

Using statistical modelling, they divided the patients into four groups reflecting their pattern of gene activity - the barcode. When they reviewed all the patients' progress after almost two-and-a-half years, they found patients in one group had survived for significantly less time than patients in the others. Further modelling identified nine key active genes that were shared by all patients in the group.

They confirmed the results in another 70 US patients with advanced cancer, showing that just these nine genes could be used to accurately identify those who ultimately survived for a shorter time - 9.2 months compared with 21.6 months for patients without the gene pattern. The genes included a number involved in the immune system - suggesting the immune system was suppressed in patients whose cancers were spreading around the body.

"Whether particular genes are active or not is an important clue in identifying patients with a poor prognosis. This latest study shows that it is possible to read these patterns of gene activity like a barcode, allowing scientists to spot cancers that are likely to be more aggressive," said Professor Alan Ashworth, chief executive of The Institute of Cancer Research.

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New 'barcode' blood test can pick out aggressive prostate cancer