PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Antineoplastic agents associated with thyroid dysfunction

2011-10-19
(Press-News.org) Antineoplastic agents such as immunotherapies and targeted therapies that specifically target signaling pathways in cancer cells are associated with thyroid dysfunction in 20%-50% of cancer patients taking them, which can adversely affect patients' quality of life, according to a study published Oct. 18 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Over the past two decades, novel antineoplastic agents have been introduced that inhibit specific cellular processes to limit cancer cell growth. Some of these agents cause thyroid dysfunction, which physicians often overlook because of the complexity of the clinical picture in cancer patients. The symptoms of thyroid dysfunction, such as fatigue, weakness, depression, memory loss, and cardiovascular effects can be wrongly attributed to the primary disease. If under-diagnosed, thyroid dysfunction can adversely affect a patient's quality of life.

To understand the thyroid-related side effects of antineoplastic agents, their frequency, and underlying mechanisms, Ole-Petter Riksfjord Hamnvik, M.D., of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues reviewed articles on thyroid dysfunction in cancer patients. The researchers found that there are no known strategies to prevent thyroid disease in patients receiving these new antineoplastic agents, and that possible preventative measures may be more toxic than the thyroid disease itself. They also say that screening for thyroid disease is likely beneficial, but note that there were no screening recommendations for asymptomatic patients in the literature they reviewed. However, in this review, the authors provide their own recommendations for patients based on the pattern of abnormalities with each agent, in addition to recommending the monitoring of thyroid function tests in clinical trials of antineoplastic agents.

The researchers also recommend several paths of research that should be pursued, namely knowledge of the biological effects of the antineoplastic agents on the thyroid, so they can identify possible preventative strategies and improve the proposed screening strategies. They also recommend performing large randomized clinical trials of screening and treatment of thyroid disease to evaluate the improvements in patient quality of life and fatigue as well as to evaluate the unanticipated effects of cancer outcomes.

The researchers write, "Treatment for thyroid diseases is safe and likely to enhance patient quality of life, as well as potentially allow effective treatments for the underlying cancer to continue."

They note however, that there are many levels of uncertainty and that most of the data are derived from case reports or case series, small prospective studies, or laboratory-based studies. They recommend close monitoring of patients receiving these antineoplastic agents. "This may allow early recognition and treatment of thyroid disease, allowing continued treatment of the underlying cancer, as well as improving the quality of life of the patient."

INFORMATION:

Contact: Ole-Petter R. Hamnvik, ohamnvik@partners.org

http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/jnci/press_releases/hamnvikdjr373.pdf

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Number of Facebook friends linked to size of brain regions, study suggests

2011-10-19
AUDIO: Professor Geraint Rees and Dr Ryota Kanai explain their findings about the link between number of Facebook friends and the size of certain brain regions. Click here for more information. Scientists funded by the Wellcome Trust have found a direct link between the number of 'Facebook friends' a person has and the size of particular brain regions. In a study published today, researchers at University College London (UCL) also showed that the more Facebook friends a person ...

High blood pressure in early pregnancy raises risk of birth defects, irrespective of medication

2011-10-19
Women with high blood pressure (hypertension) in the early stages of pregnancy are more likely to have babies with birth defects, irrespective of commonly prescribed medicines for their condition, finds new research published on bmj.com today. The finding suggests that it is the underlying hypertension, rather than the use of antihypertensive drugs in early pregnancy, that increases the risk of birth defects. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are a type of antihypertensive medication commonly prescribed to tackle hypertension. It is already known that they ...

Nashville Medical Malpractice Lawyer Receives Peer-Review Award

2011-10-19
Best Lawyers, a national directory published by Woodward/White, Inc., has named Daniel L. Clayton as Best Lawyers' 2012 Nashville Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs Lawyer of the Year. Only one lawyer in each practice area in a given community is being honored in this way in 2012. The selections are based upon extensive peer-review surveys involving confidential evaluations submitted by many thousands of lawyers. Those who were selected as Lawyers of the Year obtained especially high peer ratings. In short, the Lawyer of the Year award reflects a high degree of ...

Male bowel cancer patients need more information about erectile dysfunction

2011-10-19
Male bowel cancer patients are very likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED) after treatment and yet the majority are not receiving adequate information about the condition, according to a study published on bmj.com today. Bowel cancer affects over 38,000 people every year in the UK with around half of patients surviving for more than five years after treatment. This figure is set to increase, says the study. Men are more likely to develop bowel cancer and many will suffer from ED after their treatment, say the authors, led by Professor Sue Wilson at the University ...

Optimal modulation of ion channels rescues neurons associated with epilepsy

2011-10-19
New research successfully reverses epilepsy-associated pathology by using a sophisticated single-cell modeling paradigm to examine abnormal cell behavior and identify the optimal modulation of channel activity. The study, published by Cell Press in the October 18th issue of Biophysical Journal, describes a procedure that may be useful for rescuing function in organs with excitable cells, such as the heart and pancreas. Ion channels regulate the flow of ions into and out of the cell and are absolutely critical for a wide range of biological processes, including transmission ...

CHEO scientist advances biotherapeutics as published in Cancer Cell

2011-10-19
Ottawa, Ontario – October 18, 2011 – Oncolytic virology uses live viruses to sense the genetic difference between a tumor and normal cell. Once the virus finds a tumor cell, it replicates inside that cell, kills it and then spreads to adjacent tumor cells to seed a therapeutic "chain reaction". As reported in today's issue of Cancer Cell, Dr. David Stojdl, a scientist from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute at the University of Ottawa has found a way to trick resistant cancer cells into committing suicide following oncolytic virus therapy. When ...

Trudeau Institute announces its latest discovery in the fight against tuberculosis

2011-10-19
Saranac Lake, N.Y. – New research from the Trudeau Institute may help in the ongoing fight against tuberculosis. Dr. Andrea Cooper's lab has discovered a connection between the development of new lymphoid tissue within the lung and protection against the disease. The new data will be published in the November 1 print issue of The Journal of Immunology (Vol. 187, Num. 10) and is available now online ahead of print. Tuberculosis (TB for short) is a deadly infectious disease caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis that affects many people throughout the world. ...

Romeo and Juliet Law Takes Effect in Texas

2011-10-19
The term "sex offender" conjures different images or meanings for different people. For those accused of sex crimes, it might bring to mind thoughts of lifetime registration on local sex-offender registries and social stigma. For others, the term might mean older adults who have had inappropriate contact with minors or of people who have committed forcible sex crimes against other adults. The term sex offender, however, rarely brings to mind teenagers who have engaged in consensual sexual relations. Until recently, teenagers or young adults convicted of sex ...

400,000 farmers in southern Africa using 'fertilizer trees' to improve food security

2011-10-19
NAIROBI, KENYA (14 October 2011)— On a continent battered by weather extremes, famine and record food prices, new research released today from the World Agroforestry Centre documents an exciting new trend in which hundreds of thousands of poor farmers in Southern Africa are now significantly boosting yields and incomes simply by using fast growing trees and shrubs to naturally fertilize their fields. The analysis of two decades of work to bring the soil-enriching benefits of so-called "fertilizer trees" to the nutrient-depleted farms of Africa was published in the most ...

CSI-style investigation of meteorite hits on Earth

CSI-style investigation of meteorite hits on Earth
2011-10-19
Volcanologists from the Universities of Leicester and Durham have forensically reconstructed the impact of a meteorite on Earth and how debris was hurled from the crater to devastate the surrounding region. New research by Mike Branney, of the University of Leicester's Department of Geology, and Richard Brown, University of Durham, shows that some aspects of giant meteorite impacts onto Earth may mimic the behaviour of large volcanic eruptions. Meteorite impacts are more common than is popularly appreciated – but what happens when the meteorite hits? Direct observation ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Fig trees convert atmospheric CO2 to stone

Intra-arterial tenecteplase for acute stroke after successful endovascular therapy

Study reveals beneficial microbes that can sustain yields in unfertilized fields

Robotic probe quickly measures key properties of new materials

Climate change cuts milk production, even when farmers cool their cows

Frozen, but not sealed: Arctic Ocean remained open to life during ice ages

Some like it cold: Cryorhodopsins

Demystifying gut bacteria with AI

Human wellbeing on a finite planet towards 2100: new study shows humanity at a crossroads

Unlocking the hidden biodiversity of Europe’s villages

Planned hydrogen refuelling stations may lead to millions of euros in yearly losses

Planned C-sections increase the risk of certain childhood cancers

Adults who have survived childhood cancer are at increased risk of severe COVID-19

Drones reveal extreme coral mortality after bleaching

New genetic finding uncovers hidden cause of arsenic resistance in acute promyelocytic leukemia

Native habitats hold the key to the much-loved smashed avocado’s future

Using lightning to make ammonia out of thin air

Machine learning potential-driven insights into pH-dependent CO₂ reduction

Physician associates provide safe care for diagnosed patients when directly supervised by a doctor

How game-play with robots can bring out their human side

Asthma: patient expectations influence the course of the disease

UNM physician tests drug that causes nerve tissue to emit light, enabling faster, safer surgery

New study identifies EMP1 as a key driver of pancreatic cancer progression and poor prognosis

XPR1 identified as a key regulator of ovarian cancer growth through autophagy and immune evasion

Flexible, eco-friendly electronic plastic for wearable tech, sensors

Can the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?

Stuckeman professor’s new book explores ‘socially sustainable’ architecture

Synthetic DNA nanoparticles for gene therapy

New model to find treatments for an aggressive blood cancer

Special issue of Journal of Intensive Medicine analyzes non-invasive respiratory support

[Press-News.org] Antineoplastic agents associated with thyroid dysfunction