Cancer, Cancer Treatment

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15 — Researchers have identified a new genetic signature that may predict whether a liver tumor is likely to recur, according to a new study.

Unlike other such signatures that have been identified for other cancers, this one has something of a flourish: It is hidden not within the tumor itself, but in the normal cells that surround it — and which, by inference, remain in the body following surgery.

The findings potentially open the door to new surveillance, treatment, and intervention strategies for liver cancer patients, both after surgery and possibly before the primary cancer ever arises, experts said.

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NEW YORK - Nicotine, whether absorbed by smoking cigarettes or inhaling second-hand smoke, may promote tumor growth and the spread of breast cancer, a study found.

Nicotine made breast cancer cells more likely to multiply and migrate in laboratory tests, according to the study published in yesterday’s issue of the journal Cancer Research. Such evidence also suggests that nicotine given to help people stop smoking should be used cautiously.

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