Lab Notes: Prostate Cancer Takes Nerve

Lab Notes: Prostate Cancer Takes Nerve

Innervation of prostate tumors appears to be related to their aggressiveness, and may prove to be a viable treatment target. Also this week: unhealthy gut flora go with HIV infection.

Prostate Cancer Takes Nerve

Sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves appear to boost development and spread of prostate tumors, researchers reported in Science
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In a mouse model, disabling sympathetic nerves controlling the "fight or flight" reflex cut down on the early stages of tumor growth in the prostate. The parasympathetic nerve fibers infiltrating the tumor were linked to dissemination of cancer cells.

Statin On-Board May Cut Cancer Risk in HIV Infection (CME/CE)

Individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who are on statin therapy are significantly less likely to develop cancer, researchers said here at the International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention.

In a retrospective analysis, Vincenzo Spagnuolo, MD, a resident in infectious diseases at Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, observed that 363 individuals out of 4617 who were not on statins (7.9%) were diagnosed with cancer compared with 12 of 740 patients on statins (1.3%).

Gilotrif Approved for Late-Stage Lung Cancer

The drug Gilotrif (afatinib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat spreading cases of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) caused by certain gene mutations, the agency said Friday.

The treatment, given priority FDA review, was sanctioned for tumors that express certain epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, as detected by a newly approved diagnostic, the agency said in a news release.

Cancer, Chemo May Lower Alzheimer's Risk, Study Suggests

If battling a deadly disease can be said to have a silver lining, this might be it: Many forms of cancer appear to lower the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests.

After sifting through the health records of nearly 3.5 million patients, investigators concluded that most kinds of cancer seem to confer some degree of protection against Alzheimer's, reducing risk of the age-related brain disorder by anywhere from 9 percent to 51 percent.