An “electronic nose” may one day be used to diagnose asthma, say researchers who presented a preliminary study of the device at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference.The device contains chemical vapor sensors that react to the presence of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, in a person’s exhaled breath. “A person’s breath contains a mixture of thousands of VOCs that may be used as markers of lung disease,” says researcher Silvano Dragonieri, M.D. [click link for full article]

The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee on Tuesday held a hearing on private Medicare Advantage fee-for-service plans, and subcommittee Chair Pete Stark (D-Calif.) said that the plans top his list for proposed reductions in Medicare reimbursements to fund an expansion of SCHIP, [click link for full article]

Democratic lawmakers during a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday expressed doubt about continuing a legal provision that grants drug makers six months of market exclusivity for conducting pediatric studies requested by FDA, [click link for full article]

Around 5,500 pre-menopausal breast cancer patients could be offered a hormone drug that is shown to be as effective as traditional chemotherapy - and so avoid potential infertility and long-term menopausal side effects - according to a Cancer Research UK report published today in The Lancet. [click link for full article]

An innovative type of gene therapy has for the first time succeeded in making bowel cancer cells commit suicide, according to a report in Cancer Research* this week. The therapy, developed by Cancer Research UK-funded scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, combines cutting-edge techniques to target tumour cells. [click link for full article]

The UK’s new world-class archive of patients’ tissue and blood samples for use in cancer research, is to be based in Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire - it was announced today. Following the decision to award Fisher Bioservices the contract to store the samples, [click link for full article]

Ten-year survival for all types of cancer combined has reached 46.2 per cent, new statistics from Cancer Research UK reveal today. The figures - calculated by Professor Michel Coleman and his team at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - show that while survival varies widely between different types of cancer, on average a patient with cancer now has a 46. [click link for full article]

In response to today’s report by the National Radiotherapy Advisory Group on radiotherapy services in England, Cancerbackup issues the following statement:”It is just not acceptable that half of cancer patients that need radiotherapy are waiting over a month to receive it,” says Joanne Rule, Cancerbackup Chief Executive. [click link for full article]

In response to Macmillan’s campaign launched today on the difficulty people affected by cancer have getting travel insurance, Cancerbackup issues the following response: “Today’s research reinforces what Cancerbackup found last year - many cancer patients are unfairly discriminated against by insurance providers,” says Joanne Rule, Cancerbackup Chief Executive. [click link for full article]