Recently in Kidney Cancer Category

Scientists have identified a gene linked to the most common type of kidney cancer in children, and expressed hope this might help doctors determine which young patients are most at risk of dying.

Writing on Thursday in the journal Science, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers said about 30 percent of cases of the cancer called Wilms tumor involve mutations in a gene called WTX located on the sex-determining X chromosome.

About 90 percent of childhood kidney cancer cases are Wilms tumor. It occurs in roughly one in 10,000 children worldwide. It is treated with surgery and chemotherapy, with about 80 percent of patients surviving. It usually appears by age 5.

The disease also is called nephroblastoma.

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (NYSE: WYE), announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the file and granted priority review status to the Company's New Drug Application (NDA) for the investigational drug Torisel(TM) (temsirolimus). Wyeth Pharmaceuticals is seeking an indication for Torisel for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A priority designation can be given to an NDA for a drug that, if approved, would be a significant improvement compared with existing treatments.

The FDA previously granted fast track designation and orphan drug status for investigational temsirolimus for the treatment of advanced RCC.

LONDON - Treating patients with advanced kidney cancer before surgery with a combination of targeted therapies is safe, effective and may prolong their lives, researchers said on Thursday.

Scientists at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, who presented their findings at a conference in Prague, studied the effect of giving the drugs bevacizumab and erlotinib to patients before their tumour was removed.

“The main aim of this study was to look at the efficacy and safety of using these targeted therapies before surgery, and our results have shown that there were few side effects and that it prolonged the survival of our patients,” said Eric Jonasch, a professor of medicine at the university.

A case-control study of more than 2300 Italians has found a significant association between high bread consumption and renal cell carcinoma. Eating a lot of pasta and rice may also raise the risk, while eating many vegetables may lower the risk. The study published online October 20, 2006 in the International Journal of Cancer, the official journal of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC).

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer, and accounts for 2 percent of all adult cancers. Previous studies have shown that diet plays a role in RCC risk, but attempts to discern which foods have harmful or beneficial effects have been inconclusive. To discern the relationship between specific foods and RCC risk, researchers led by Francesca Bravi of the Institute of Pharmacological Research "Mario Negri" in Milan, conducted a large case-control study of 2301 Italians.

LONDON (Reuters) - Children with advanced kidney cancer may suffer fewer long-term side effects and need less treatment if they are given chemotherapy to shrink their tumor before surgery, researchers said on Tuesday.

Wilms' tumor is the most common type of kidney cancer that affects children. In most cases it is curable.

Chemotherapy is normally given after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells in the body. But British scientists said some children would benefit from delaying surgery to receive chemotherapy treatment.