A team led by Stanford University researchers has developed a prototype blood scanner that can find cancer markers in the bloodstream in early stages of the disease, potentially allowing for earlier treatment and dramatically improved chances of survival. The system based on MagArray biodetection chips can find cancer-associated proteins in a blood serum sample in less than an hour. This could be especially helpful for lung cancer, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer, because those cancers are hidden in the body

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, while studying the mechanics of blood clots, have discovered a new enzyme that not only affects the blood, but seems to play a primary role in how cancer tumors expand and spread throughout the body. A research group at OU led by Patrick McKee first discovered the enzyme called sFAP in plasma. After studying the biochemical makeup of the protein and identifying the gene that controlled its function, they began to search gene sequencing databases worldwide to find what it was.

Varian Medical Systems is introducing a new product that makes it easier for clinicians to store, manage and view images generated during cancer treatments. Varian will showcase its new OncoView™ image management and storage solution at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting in Chicago, November 30 – December 4, 2008. OncoView provides oncology professionals with a reliable, scalable way of archiving and accessing the images and data that impact decisions about a patient’s course of treatment.