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Many new drugs inhibit the processes that cancer cells need to divide rapidly. So as to inhibit the cancer as a whole. But cancer cells have all sorts of workarounds to get around that effect. As a result, the tumor becomes unresponsive to treatment. That’s why researcher Matheus dos Santos Dias is taking a completely different approach. He had to convince some colleagues before he could start working on this quite surprising idea. After all, you’re not going to give cancer cells [...]

A protein that has been widely studied owing to its association with neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is also linked to medulloblastoma, a type of central nervous system cancer. Medulloblastoma is one of the most common and aggressive brain tumours in children, arising from undifferentiated cells during early neural development. A study led by a group of Brazilian scientists has shown in vitro and in vivo that the gene VAPB is linked to cell [...]

Tobacco smoking and human papillomavirus (HPV) are both well-known risk factors for head and neck cancer, but there is ample evidence to show they can interact to increase still further the risk of contracting the disease, according to a study by scientists at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil and the University of Chile. An article on the study is published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. The results of the study clarify aspects of the molecular [...]

Cachexia is a syndrome characterised by severe loss of weight and muscle mass. It is present in approximately half of all lung cancer patients and is particularly damaging in cases of non-small cell lung cancer. Early detection is important for prognostic purposes and as a basis for optimal decisions on treatment.  Weakness due to cachexia hinders everyday activities, causes pain, and increases the difficulty of coping with the disease and the side effects of its treatment. In [...]

Preclinical trials have shown that zika virus can inhibit the spread of prostate cancer, suggesting its potential use in treating the disease. However, a new study by researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo State, Brazil, shows that zika can trigger a persistent inflammatory process in healthy epithelial cells and damage the male reproductive system. The researchers analysed the effects of the virus on tumour cells and healthy cells, reporting their [...]

A combination of chemotherapy and drugs that stimulate the immune system to combat cancer is increasingly used to control progression of the disease in patients. On the other hand, clinical studies show that the combination has adverse side effects, such as peripheral neuropathy characterised by pain, numbness, tingling, sensitivity to cold in the hands and feet, and sometimes in the arms and legs. These problems can lead to suspension of the treatment. A group of Brazilian researchers [...]

A group of researchers based in Brazil and France have managed to discover markers left by exposure to sunlight in the genomes of people who suffer from cutaneous melanoma. An article about the study published in Nature Communications also offers a novel understanding of other melanomas not caused by the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. "We found some of the alterations to be markers of the patient's survival. We were able to predict whether a person was more or less likely to [...]

Melanopsin (OPN4) is a light-sensing protein found in skin and retina cells. A new study conducted at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil suggests that OPN4 can also participate in the development and progression of melanoma, the most aggressive type of skin cancer. In experiments with animals and genetically modified cells at the Comparative Physiology of Pigmentation Laboratory belonging to the Institute of Biosciences (IB-USP), the researchers showed that the disease [...]

A drug carrier able to reach the brain, bind to an aggressive type of tumour called glioblastoma multiforme, and release a chemotherapeutic agent has been tested for the first time by Brazilian researchers. According to an article published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics, the potential treatment was shown to be effective in isolated cells and animal models thanks to a combination of nanotechnology, chemotherapy and a monoclonal antibody. Glioblastoma [...]