Cancer Currents: An NCI Cancer Research Blog
A blog featuring news and research updates from the National Cancer Institute. Learn more about Cancer Currents.
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Ovarian Cancer Studies Aim to Reduce Racial Disparities, Improve OutcomesThree recently launched NCI-supported studies could help researchers better understand the causes of racial/ethnic disparities in ovarian cancer. The ultimate goal is to eliminate disparities and improve survival for all women with the disease.
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CCDI Activities Enhance NCI’s Childhood and AYA Cancer ResearchSince launching the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, NCI has undertaken a range of research activities to support this important effort. In this Cancer Currents post, NCI Director Dr. Norman Sharpless provides an update on these efforts.
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Study Links Mental Health Treatment to Improved Cancer SurvivalIn a study of more than 50,000 veterans with lung cancer, those with mental illness who received mental health treatment—including for substance use—lived substantially longer than those who didn’t participate in such programs.
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A New FDA Approval Furthers the Role of Genomics in Cancer CareFDA’s approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to treat people whose cancer is tumor mutational burden-high highlights the importance of genomic testing to guide treatment, including for children with cancer, according to NCI Director Dr. Ned Sharpless.
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New Drug Regimen Cures More Children with Aggressive B-Cell LymphomaFor children with aggressive Burkitt lymphoma and other B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, adding rituximab (Rituxan, Truxima) to chemotherapy substantially increases the likelihood of the child being cured, results from a large clinical trial show.
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Responding to Coronavirus, Cancer Researchers Reimagine Clinical TrialsIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, cancer researchers are making changes to clinical trials to ensure patient safety and protect the integrity of their work. Some changes, such as greater use of telemedicine, will likely continue into the future.
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New on NCI’s Websites for June 2020NCI periodically provides updates on new websites and other online content of interest to the cancer community. See selected content that has been added as of June 2020.
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Study Clarifies Timing of Immunotherapy for Advanced Bladder CancerResults from a large study show that, for most people with advanced bladder cancer, starting immunotherapy with avelumab (Bavencio) shortly after initial treatment with chemotherapy is better than delaying treatment.
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Selpercatinib Approved for Thyroid and Lung Cancers with RET Gene AlterationsFDA has granted accelerated approval for selpercatinib (Retevmo) to treat certain patients with thyroid cancer or non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have RET gene alterations. The drug, which works by blocking the activity of RET proteins, was approved based on the results of the LIBRETTO-001 trial.
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Olanzapine Reduces Nausea and Vomiting Caused by Advanced CancerMany advanced cancer patients suffer from chronic nausea and vomiting and there aren’t many good treatments available. But a small study suggests that the drug olanzapine (Zyprexa) may fill that gap.
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With Two FDA Approvals, Prostate Cancer Treatment Enters the PARP EraFDA has approved olaparib (Lynparza) and rucaparib (Rubraca) to treat some men with metastatic prostate cancer. The PARP inhibitors are approved for men whose cancers have stopped responding to hormone treatment and have specific genetic alterations.
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Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab Approved to Treat Liver CancerFDA has approved atezolizumab (Tecentriq) plus bevacizumab (Avastin) as an initial treatment for some people with advanced liver cancer. This is the first approval in 13 years for a treatment that is more effective than the current standard, sorafenib.
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Study Examines Whether Blood Test Can Identify Early CancersA blood test combined with imaging tests detected tumors—some at an early stage—in women with no history of cancer or symptoms, a recent study showed. The test also mistakenly indicated some women had cancer when further testing showed they didn't.
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More Evidence that Ruxolitinib Benefits Some Patients with Graft-Versus-Host DiseasePatients with acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) that does not respond to steroid therapy are more likely to respond to the drug ruxolitinib (Jakafi) than other available treatments, results from a large clinical trial show.
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Sacituzumab Govitecan Approved for Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast CancerFDA has approved sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy) for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Under the approval, patients must have already undergone at least two prior treatment regimens.
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How Does COVID-19 Affect People with Cancer? NCCAPS Will Help Find OutNCI has launched the COVID-19 in Cancer Patients Study (NCCAPS), which will help answer questions about COVID-19’s impact on cancer patients. The study is now open to adults and will later be expanded to include children.
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Updated Nutrition Facts Label Reflects Science on Diet and Health, including CancerOn January 1, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring food manufacturers to display updated nutrition facts labels on their product packaging. Experts from FDA and NCI discuss the update and the research that underpins the changes.
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For Women with Breast Cancer, Regular Exercise May Improve SurvivalWomen with high-risk breast cancer who engaged in regular exercise before their cancer diagnosis and after treatment were less likely to have their cancer return or to die compared with women who were inactive, a recent study found.
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PSMA PET-CT Accurately Detects Prostate Cancer Spread, Trial ShowsFor some men with prostate cancer at high risk of spreading, a large clinical trial shows an imaging method called PSMA PET-CT is more likely to detect metastatic tumors than the standard imaging approach used in many countries.
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Encorafenib, Cetuximab Combination Approved for Metastatic Colorectal CancerThe Food and Drug Administration has approved encorafenib (Braftovi) in combination with cetuximab (Erbitux) to treat adults with metastatic colorectal cancer whose tumors have a specific mutation in the BRAF gene, called V600E.