The anti-cancer drug Avastin increases the risk of blood clots in the legs and lungs by 33 percent, according to an analysis published by US researchers Wednesday.

The study examined results of 15 clinical trials with Avastin, made by the Swiss firm Roche, involving 7,956 patients with advanced solid tumors.

ABU DHABI, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - US First Lady Laura Bush arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday at the start of a Middle East tour to highlight the fight against breast cancer, the state news agency WAM reported.

In addition to the United Arab Emirates, Bush is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Kuwait on Thursday, and Jordan on Friday.

She will visit several cancer treatment and screening centres and launch new cancer awareness activities in the region, her spokeswoman Sally McDonough said on Saturday.

WASHINGTON, Oct 20, 2007 (AFP) - US First Lady Laura Bush, taking on a higher profile on behalf of her husband's diplomacy, leaves for the Middle East Saturday to promote research on breast cancer and to try to restore the US image in a crucial region.

She has stops scheduled for the United Arab Emirates (United Arab Emirate) on Sunday and Monday, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and Wednesday, Kuwait on Thursday and Jordan on Friday.

WASHINGTON, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - US First Lady Laura Bush, taking on a higher profile on behalf of her husband's diplomacy, leaves for the Middle East Saturday to promote research on breast cancer and try to restore the US image in a crucial region.

She has stops scheduled for the United Arab Emirates (United Arab Emirate) on Sunday and Monday, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and Wednesday, Kuwait on Thursday and Jordan on Friday.

WASHINGTON, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - The human papillomavirus (HPV) screening test for cervical cancer is far more accurate than the traditional Pap test, according to a Canadian study published Wednesday in the United States.

The first round of the Canadian Cervical Cancer Screening Trial, led by Eduardo Franco, Director of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology at McGill's Faculty of Medicine, put the HPV test's accuracy in detecting pre-cancerous lesions at 94.6 percent, compared to 55.4 for the Pap test.

CHICAGO, Oct 11, 2007 (AFP) - The most comprehensive map of breast and colon cancer-causing genes produced to date suggests that the genetic profile of tumours varies widely from person to person, a study released Thursday said.

After analyzing more than 18,000 genes in breast and colorectal cancer, researchers have linked 300 genes to the two diseases, but only a handful of them are 'high-frequency' or commonly occurring genetic mutations.

PARIS, Oct 11, 2007 (AFP) - Highly obese people are six times likelier to develop cancer of the gullet than people of healthy weight, according to a study published on Thursday in the British journal Gut.

The probe, carried out in Australia, looked at 793 people with oesophageal cancer, who were compared with 1,580 counterparts matched for age and place of residence.

Risks of developing this cancer were higher among individuals who had gastric acid reflux, which has long been associated with such tumours.

But another big risk factor was obesity.

GENEVA, Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation on Friday launched new guidelines to improve care for terminal cancer sufferers, particularly in developing countries where nearly two thirds of all deaths from the disease occur.

'Palliative care is an urgent need worldwide for people living with advanced stages of cancer,' said Dr. Catherine Le Gales-Camus, the WHO's assistant director general for noncommunicable diseases and mental health.

WASHINGTON, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) - Virtual colonoscopies, done with scanners that create a three-dimensional image of the intestinal wall, are just as effective in detecting advanced polyps as the more invasive traditional colonoscopy, a study released Thursday found.

The University of Wisconsin Medical School study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, compared virtual colonoscopies of 3,120 adults with an average age of 57, and the traditional colonoscopies of 3,163 adults with an average age of 58.

SYDNEY, Oct 3, 2007 (AFP) - Woman stand a better chance of surviving breast cancer if they are over 40 years old when diagnosed, new research released Wednesday showed.

The Australian study confirmed that survival rates are higher for those women who detect the tumour early, and for those with smaller tumours.

Researchers from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the National Breast Cancer Centre looked at the survival rates of more than 10,000 women who were diagnosed with the disease in 1997.