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A study of the cells that respond to crises in the blood system has yielded a few surprises, redrawing the 'map' of how blood cells are made in the body. The finding could have wide-ranging implications for understanding blood diseases such as myeloproliferative disorders as well as used to develop new ways of controlling how blood and clotting cells are produced.

Researchers have discovered a molecular pathway that may explain how a particularly deadly form of cancer develops. The discovery may lead to new cancer therapies that reprogram cells instead of killing them.

Researchers have discovered new links between leukemia cells and cells involved in bone formation, offering a fresh perspective on how the blood cancer progresses and raising the possibility that therapies for bone disorders could help in the treatment of leukemia.

Targeting a single protein can help fight both breast cancers and leukemias, according to two new reports.

Turning off the gene that codes for WEE1 sensitizes acute myeloid leukemia cells to chemotherapy, a new study shows.

Researchers have discovered that acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer with poor prognosis, may be susceptible to medications that target a protein called Mcl-1.

A natural enzyme derived from human blood plasma showed potential in significantly reducing the effects of graft-vs.-host disease, a common and deadly side effect of lifesaving bone marrow transplants.

Researchers have discovered that a subtype of leukemia characterized by a poor prognosis is fueled by mutations in pathways distinctly different from a seemingly similar leukemia associated with a much better outcome. The findings highlight a possible new strategy for treating patients with this more aggressive cancer.

A new study shows how the cancer causing gene Notch, in combination with a mutated Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) protein complex, work together to cause T- cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL).

The chemotherapy drugs required to push a common form of adult leukemia into remission may contribute to DNA damage that can lead to a relapse of the disease in some patients, findings of a new study suggest.

Researchers recently presented results from 31 major studies of blood-related cancers -- leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

A compound produced from fish oil that appears to target leukemia stem cells could lead to a cure for the disease, according to researchers.

Will a drug used to treat childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and other pediatric cancers cause heart problems later in life? A professor of pharmaceutical sciences, who sees his work as a bridge between research and clinical practice, has focused recent efforts on trying to answer this question.

Scientists have uncovered a critical genetic mutation in some patients with myelodysplastic syndromes -- a group of blood cancers that can progress to a fatal form of leukemia.

An HIV drug that redirects immune cell traffic appears to significantly reduce the dangerous complication graft-versus-host disease in blood cancer patients following allogeneic stem cell transplantation, according to new research.

Patients who receive a blood stem cell transplant from a donor outside of their family to treat leukemia and other blood diseases are more likely to have graft failure but less likely to experience graft-versus-host disease, a condition caused by the donor cells attacking the recipient's body, if the transplanted blood cells come directly from a donor's bone marrow, rather than from blood stem cells circulating in the donor's bloodstream (PBSCs), according to new research.

The most comprehensive search to date of DNA abnormalities in chronic lymphocytic leukemia has unearthed several new altered genes that drive this common blood cancer, a finding that could potentially help doctors predict whether an individual patient's disease will progress rapidly or remain indolent for years, say scientists.

Older people with acute myeloid leukemia and normal looking chromosomes in their cancer cells have a higher risk of recurrence if they have mutations in the ASXL1gene, according to a new study. The study is the first to investigate the influence of these gene mutations on prognosis in these patients and in conjunction with other prognostic gene mutations. The findings could lead to more effective targeted therapies and improved cure rates for these patients.

A woman received a transplant from her sister to treat leukemia. Both sisters later developed lymphoma, suggesting transfer of a common ancestor. Finding gives scientists new insight into lymphoma development.

A new, targeted approach to treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia has produced durable remissions in a Phase I/II clinical trial for patients with relapsed or resistant disease, researchers report.

Scientists have discovered a molecular marker for the immediate precursors of hematopoietic stem cells in the developing embryo, which provides much-needed insights for making these cells from engineered precursors.

Human stem cells aren't immune to the aging process, according to scientists. Researchers studied hematopoietic stem cells, which create the cells that comprise the blood and immune system. Understanding when and how these stem cells begin to falter as the years pass may explain why some diseases, such as acute myeloid leukemia, increase in prevalence with age, and also why elderly people tend to be more vulnerable to infections such as colds and the flu.

Older patients with advanced hematologic malignancies, such as leukemia and lymphoma, who received a conditioning regimen that included minimal-intensity radiation therapy prior to allogeneic (genetically different) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT; receipt of bone marrow or stem cells transplant) had survival and progression-free survival outcomes suggesting that this treatment approach may be a viable option for older patients with these malignancies, according to a new study.

Age alone no longer should be considered a defining factor when determining whether an older patient with blood cancer is a candidate for stem cell transplantation. That's the conclusion of the first study summarizing long-term outcomes from a series of prospective clinical trials of patients age 60 and over who were treated with the mini-transplant, a "kinder, gentler" form of allogeneic (donor cell) stem cell transplantation.

For prostate cancer patients with bone metastases, repeated administrations of radionuclide therapy with 188Re-HEDP are shown to improve overall survival rates and reduce pain, according to new research.

In geriatric medicine, the adage that age is just a number holds true. New research uses a simple assessment tool to determine how well older adults diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) can handle treatment.

One of the causes of resistance to cancer treatment in children is now beginning to be elucidated. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients with a particular form of the ATF5 gene are at higher risk of having a relapse when treated with E. coli asparaginase, a key chemotherapy drug for this type of leukemia.

A new potential leukemia therapy targets only cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells alone. Many current chemotherapy treatments affect cancer cells and healthy cells, causing significant side effects, such as fatigue, hair loss, nausea, anxiety and depression.

A team of researchers has found a biomarker they believe can help rapidly identify one of the most serious complications in cancer patients after a bone marrow transplant.

A new study has found that an osteoporosis drug protects against the bone damaging side effects of certain breast cancer medications. The study indicates that some breast cancer patients could take zoledronic acid in addition to their anti-cancer medications to maintain bone health.

Bone marrow-derived cells participate in the growth and spread of tumors of the breast, brain, lung, and stomach. To examine the role of BMDCs, researchers developed a mouse model that could be used to track the migration of these cells while tumors formed and expanded. Their results strongly suggest that more effective cancer treatments may be developed by exploiting the mechanism by which bone marrow cells migrate to tumors and retard their proliferation.

The invasion of a new species into an established ecosystem can be directly compared to the steps involved in cancer metastasis. New research uses the Tilman model of competition between invasive species to study the metastasis of prostate cells into bone.

Pre-clinical research has generated some very promising findings about a prototype drug for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Researchers have identified a gene frequently mutated in myelodysplasia, one of the most common forms of blood cancer. Patients with a mutation in SF3B1 had a better overall chance of survival compared to those without the mutation, suggesting that the SF3B1 mutations drive a more benign form of myelodysplasia. It is hoped that, in the future, patients could be screened for SF3B1 mutations through a single blood test.

Geneticists have discovered that a gene involved in the modification of ribonucleic acid is mutated in a significant proportion of people with a collection of blood cancers called myelodysplastic syndromes. The researchers found that mutations in the SF3B1 gene tended to be associated with a better prognosis, raising the possibility that patients could be screened for the mutation and their treatment tailored accordingly.

A newly identified defect in a DNA repair system might leave some young leukemia patients less likely to benefit from a key chemotherapy drug, possibly putting them at greater risk of relapse.

A drug used to protect bone may extend survival in older breast cancer patients, according to researchers. The AZURE trial has revealed that the bisphosphonate drug zoledronic acid boosts disease-free survival in postmenopausal breast cancer patients but may have an adverse effect on younger women.

Scientists have identified a way that chemotherapy causes platelet numbers to drop, answering in the process a decade-old question about the formation of platelets, tiny cells that allow blood to clot.

A trial investigating the use of zoledronic acid to aid chemotherapy for breast cancer has found a significant benefit for post-menopausal women. The overall survival rate in post-menopausal women was 85 percent compared to 79 percent for women who did not receive zoledronic acid. Researchers in the multi-center AZURE trial think it could be the key for a greater understanding of the mechanisms of breast cancer recurrence.

The first Phase III study of an alpha-pharmaceutical (Radium-223 Chloride -- Alpharadin) in patients with bone metastases from advanced prostate cancer has shown that it can prolong survival significantly. Until now, options for these patients have been very limited. The ALSYMPCA trial had to be stopped early after interim analysis revealed that patients receiving the best standard treatment plus radium-223 were living longer than those who were receiving the same standard treatment plus placebo.

Blacks and Hispanics have fewer cases of acute leukemia compared to whites but they die at a substantially higher rate, according to a new study.

Scientists have pioneered a new combination treatment for prostate cancer. The treatment, which has been successful in phase one of trials, will now be tested for efficacy in a second phase.

A drug now prescribed for cardiovascular problems could become a new tool in physicians' arsenals to attack certain types of leukemia that so far have evaded effective treatments, researchers say.

Mutations on a gene that regulates the transition of primitive blood-forming cells to white blood cells have been implicated in acute myeloid leukemia and in myelodysplasia, a difficulty in producing white blood cells. Studies beyond this one link GATA2 gene mutations to other health problems, including intractable infections, to a type of developmental delay, as well as to a leukemia that causes limb swelling and deafness. A clinical trial under way may point to treatment recommendations for those with GATA2 mutations.

Medical researchers have found a group of mutations involved in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), and showed that certain drugs, already in clinical use to treat other diseases, can eliminate the cells carrying these mutations. Results may allow for the development of novel therapeutic approaches for treating leukemia.

Half-matched bone marrow or stem cell transplants for blood cancer patients have typically been associated with disappointing clinical outcomes. However, a clinical trial testing its unique, two-step half-match procedure has produced some promising results: the probability of overall survival was 45 percent in all patients after three years and 75 percent in patients who were in remission at the time of the transplant.

Researchers have found one more reason to exercise: working out triggers influential stem cells to become bone instead of fat, improving overall health by boosting the body's capacity to make blood.

New research focuses on patients and shows that acute myeloid leukemia (AML) contains rare cells with stem cell properties, called leukemia stem cells (LSC), that are better at predicting clinical outcome than the majority of AML cells, showing for the first time that LSCs are significant not just in experimental models but also in patients.

Bone marrow transplantation with genetically modified cells may prolong the period of cancer-free survival, suggests a new study.

Scientists have discovered that hyperactive signaling of a particular growth factor called IGF1 promotes T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-ALL). When the investigators blocked this factor, blood cancer cells ceased to growth further. Moreover, the cancer stem cells lost their capability to self-renew. Inhibitors of this growth factor are already available and might help to enhance treatment of this type of leukemia and prevent recurrence.

While testing a new drug designed to treat chronic leukemia, researchers have discovered new markers that could identify which patients would receive maximum benefit from the treatment.

New research suggests that blood stem cells can be involved in the generation of leukemia, even when the leukemia is caused by the abnormal proliferation of mature cells. The study may guide future strategies aimed at identifying therapeutic targets for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Researchers have reported that administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, a drug that releases stem cells from the bone marrow into the blood, is unlikely to put healthy stem cell donors at risk for later development of abnormalities involving loss or gains of chromosomes that have been linked to hematologic disorders such as myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia.

In a cancer treatment breakthrough 20 years in the making, researchers have shown sustained remissions of up to a year among a small group of advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients treated with genetically engineered versions of their own T cells.

Researchers have clarified the role of two proteins key to T-cell development. They found that one well-known protein called Notch passes off much of its role during T-cell maturation to another protein called TCF-1.

Findings may suggest new strategies for successful donor adult stem cell transplants in patients with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

Taking a leukemia chemotherapy drug may help breast cancer patients who don't respond to tamoxifen overcome resistance to the widely-used drug, new research suggests.

Scientists have laid bare the mechanism behind oncogene addiction, in mice suffering from a form of leukemia that mimics acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in humans. The team was able to target "addiction" pathways in the model mice, resulting in rapid and complete eradication of the cancer, which is usually fatal and resistant to conventional chemotherapy.

Researchers have discovered a gene pattern that distinguishes the more severe form of bone cancer from a less aggressive form in dogs.

Sentinel lymph node metastases detected with the diagnostic procedure of immunohistochemical staining were not associated with overall survival among women with early-stage breast cancer receiving breast-conserving therapy, according to a new study.