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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In Melanoma, Personalized Treatment Vaccines Show PromiseResults of an early-phase trial showed that a treatment vaccine personalized to a specific patient’s cancer generated a robust immune response against the cancer and may have helped to prevent it from returning.
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Glioblastoma—Unraveling the Threads: A Q&A with Drs. Mark Gilbert and Terri Armstrong of the NIH Neuro-Oncology BranchProgress against the brain cancer glioblastoma has been slow. Drs. Mark Gilbert and Terri Armstrong of NCI’s Neuro-Oncology Branch discuss why and what’s being done to change that.
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Survivors of Breast Cancer Differ on Who Should Manage Follow-Up CareMany survivors of early-stage breast cancer prefer that their oncologist handle aspects of routine medical care usually overseen by primary care practitioners, leading to concerns about gaps in care.
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FDA Grants Full Approval to Blinatumomab for Acute Lymphoblastic LeukemiaFDA changed its accelerated approval of blinatumomab (Blincyto) for some patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia to a full approval and expanded the approved indications for its use.
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FDA Clears Wider Use of Cooling Cap to Reduce Hair Loss during ChemotherapyThe FDA has cleared a cooling cap—a device designed to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy called the DigniCap Scalp Cooling System—for use by patients with any type of solid tumor.
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Two-Drug Combination Approved for Lung Cancers with BRAF MutationsFDA approved the combination of dabrafenib (Tafinlar®) and trametinib (Mekinist®) for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has an alteration in the BRAF gene called the V600E mutation.
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NCI’s Technology Transfer Center—Moving Inventions and Ideas from the Lab to Patients: An Interview with Dr. Michael SalgallerAn interview with Dr. Michael Salgaller about how NCI’s Technology Transfer Center helps to move new technologies developed by NCI and NIH scientists from the lab to the bedside.
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New Rituximab Formulation Approved for Some Lymphomas, LeukemiaThe FDA has approved a new formulation of rituximab, Rituxan Hycela, that reduces treatment administration time for patients with several types of blood cancer.
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Large Study Verifies Cancer Risk for Women Carrying BRCA1 or BRCA2 MutationsResults from the first large prospective study of breast and ovarian cancer risk in women with inherited mutations in the BRCA 1 or BRCA2 genes confirm the high risks estimated from earlier, retrospective studies.
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NCI's CURE Program—21 Years of Increasing Diversity in the Biomedical WorkforceNCI’s CURE program recently celebrated its 21st anniversary of providing training and other support to improve the diversity of people involved in cancer research and care.
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Improving Cancer Control in Rural Communities: Next StepsStudies continue to show disparities in cancer outcomes for people who live in rural parts of the United States. NCI’s Dr. Robert Croyle explains how the institute is working with multiple partners to better understand and address these disparities.
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Cancer Researchers Report Progress in Studying Exceptional RespondersResearchers who study exceptional responders—patients who have dramatic and long-lasting responses to treatments for cancer that were not effective for most similar patients—met recently to discuss the state of the science in this emerging field.
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Extensive Lymph Node Surgery Does Not Increase Survival in MelanomaA conservative approach to lymph node removal surgery may be best for people with melanoma that has spread from the skin to one or a small number of nearby lymph nodes, new results from a large international clinical trial suggest.
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Introducing DAVE: Online Analysis Tools for the Genomic Data CommonsNCI has released an online, open-access cancer research resource for the Genomic Data Commons called the Data Analysis, Visualization, and Exploration Tools, or DAVE.
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FDA Expands Approval of Ceritinib for ALK-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung CancerThe FDA has approved the targeted therapy ceritinib as an initial treatment for patients with lung cancer that has a mutation in the ALK gene.
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FDA Approves Pembrolizumab for Tumors with Specific Genetic FeaturesFDA approved pembrolizumab for patients with solid tumors that have specific genetic features, called mismatch repair deficiency and high microsatellite instability. This is the first approval based on a genetic feature, rather than cancer type.
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Abiraterone Improves Survival for Some Men with Hormone-Sensitive Prostate CancerIn two large clinical trials, adding the hormone-blocking drug abiraterone to androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) allowed men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer to live longer than men who were treated with ADT alone.
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Trastuzumab Emtansine Improves Survival in Previously Treated Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast CancerTwo clinical trials show that trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) improves survival compared with other standard treatments for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer that has progressed after treatment with other HER2-targeted drugs.
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Genomic Study Seeks Clues to Help Explain Breast Cancer DisparitiesUsing one of the largest collections of tumor samples from African Americans with breast cancer, researchers tried to assess the extent to which the molecular characteristics on these tumors might help to explain breast cancer disparities.
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CAR T Cells: Expanding into Multiple MyelomaResults from two early-phase trials presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting suggest that an immunotherapy using genetically engineered immune cells may be effective in patients with advanced multiple myeloma.