PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 12-Nov-2014 Contact: Jane Finlayson jane.finlayson@uhn.ca 416-946-2846 University Health Network @UHN_News (TORONTO, Canada - Nov. 13, 2014) - Prostate cancer researchers have developed a genetic test to identify which men are at highest risk for their prostate cancer to come back after localized treatment with surgery or radiotherapy. The findings are published online today in Lancet Oncology. Study co-leads Dr. Robert Bristow, a clinician-scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Dr. Paul Boutros, an investigator at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, report that the gene test provides a much-needed quick and accurate tool to determine with greater precision the men who will do well with local treatment only (surgery or radiation), and those who will need extra treatment (chemotherapy and hormone therapy) to ensure the cancer is completely eradicated. Dr. Bristow talks about the research at http://youtu.be/7dZyVm_y5WU "Our findings set the stage to tackle the ongoing clinical problem of under-treating men with aggressive disease that will recur in 30% to 50% of patients due to hidden, microscopic disease that is already outside the prostate gland during initial treatment," says Dr. Bristow. "This genetic test could increase cure rates in intermediate- to high-risk men by preventing progression to … Continue reading →

CTVNews.ca Staff Published Wednesday, November 12, 2014 6:30PM EST Last Updated Wednesday, November 12, 2014 8:47PM EST Canadian researchers have developed a new genetic test to identify prostate cancer patients who are at highest risk of recurrence after surgery or radiotherapy. By analyzing DNA from diagnostic biopsies of men who underwent either surgery or image-guided radiotherapy to treat their prostate cancer, the researchers came up with a test that can determine with greater precision which men will need extra treatment, such as chemotherapy, to ensure that the cancer is eradicated. The findings were published online Tuesday in the Lancet Oncology journal. This genetic test could increase cure rates in intermediate- to high-risk men by preventing progression to this metastatic spread of prostate cancer, Dr. Robert Bristow, a clinician-scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, said in a news release. The test is currently still in research mode, Bristow told The Canadian Press. The hope is that the test will be validated, approved by Health Canada and ready for use in five years. Bristow is the co-lead of the study, along with Dr. Paul Boutros, an investigator at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. Hypoxia, or low oxygen, is a … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Embargoed for release until Nov. 12, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. ET Newswise (TORONTO, Canada Nov. 13, 2014) Prostate cancer researchers have developed a genetic test to identify which men are at highest risk for their prostate cancer to come back after localized treatment with surgery or radiotherapy. The findings are published online today in Lancet Oncology. Study co-leads Dr. Robert Bristow, a clinician-scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Dr. Paul Boutros, an investigator at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, report that the gene test provides a much-needed quick and accurate tool to determine with greater precision the men who will do well with local treatment only (surgery or radiation), and those who will need extra treatment (chemotherapy and hormone therapy) to ensure the cancer is completely eradicated. Dr. Bristow talks about the research at http://youtu.be/7dZyVm_y5WU Our findings set the stage to tackle the ongoing clinical problem of under-treating men with aggressive disease that will recur in 30% to 50% of patients due to hidden, microscopic disease that is already outside the prostate gland during initial treatment, says Dr. Bristow. This genetic test could increase cure rates in intermediate- to high-risk men … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise Mice bred to carry a gene variant found in a third of ALS patients have a faster disease progression and die sooner than mice with the standard genetic model of the disease, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. Understanding the molecular pathway of this accelerated model could lead to more successful drug trials for all ALS patients. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a degeneration of lower and upper motor neurons in the brainstem, spinal cord and the motor cortex. The disease, which affects 12,000 Americans, leads to loss of muscle control. People with ALS typically die of respiratory failure when the muscles that control breathing fail. Penn State researchers were the first to discover increased iron levels in the brains of some patients with the late-onset neurodegenerative disorders Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. A decade ago, they also identified a relationship between ALS and excess iron accumulation when they found that 30 percent of ALS patients in their clinic carried a variant of a gene known as HFE that is associated with iron overload disease. For this study, the researchers crossbred mice with the HFE … Continue reading →