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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FDA Approves Niraparib as Maintenance Therapy for Recurrent Ovarian CancerThe FDA approved the PARP inhibitor niraparib for use as a maintenance therapy for some women with advanced ovarian cancer.
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FDA Approves Ribociclib, Expands Palbociclib Approval for Metastatic Breast CancerThe FDA has approved a new targeted therapy, ribociclib, and expanded its earlier approval of another targeted therapy, palbociclib, for some women with metastatic breast cancer.
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Advancing the Potential and Promise of Total-Body PET ImagingA total-body PET scanner under development is an ideal example of how NCI and NIH are supporting the development of new research and cancer care-related technologies.
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Avelumab Becomes First Approved Treatment for Patients with Merkel Cell CarcinomaThe FDA has approved the first drug ever for the rare skin cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, and updated data show an improved tumor response rate and that patients’ tumors continued to respond for at least a year.
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Blinatumomab Extends Survival for Patients with Advanced ALLPatients with previously treated acute lymphoblastic leukemia who received blinatumomab, which encourages the immune system to kill cancer cells, lived longer and experienced fewer side effects than patients given standard chemotherapy.
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Targeted Cancer Drug May Also Help Protect Fertility, Study SuggestsFindings from a new study in mice suggest that a class of targeted cancer drugs may have another use in some younger women being treated for cancer: preserving their fertility.
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Colorectal Cancer Incidence Rising in Young Adults: An Interview with Drs. Philip Rosenberg and William AndersonDrs. Philip Rosenberg and William Anderson of NCI discuss a recent study on which they were coauthors that reported an increase in colorectal cancer incidence among adults under age 50 in the United States.
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Stem-Cell Based Tool May Help Measure Heart Toxicity of Cancer DrugsResearchers have used adult stem cells to create a tool for ranking how toxic a group of cancer drugs, called tyrosine kinase inhibitors, are to human heart cells. Such a test could potentially identify toxic side effects earlier in the drug development process.
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Researchers Use CRISPR Gene-Editing Tool to Help Turn Immune Cells against TumorsUsing a new tool for editing genomes, known as CRISPR, researchers have genetically engineered immune cells and improved the ability of these cells to kill cancer cells in mice.
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FDA Approves New Use for Lenalidomide in Multiple MyelomaThe FDA has approved lenalidomide for use as a maintenance therapy in patients with multiple myeloma who have undergone an autologous stem cell transplant, to help keep the cancer from coming back.
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Putting the Cancer Patient Front and Center: An Interview with NCI’s Dr. Paul JacobsenNCI’s Dr. Paul Jacobsen discusses NCI’s Healthcare Delivery Research Program and its role in advancing innovative research to improve the delivery of cancer care.
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New on NCI Websites for March 2017NCI periodically provides updates on new websites and other online content of interest to the cancer community.
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Study Shows Platelets Can Deliver Immunotherapy, Reduce Tumor RegrowthIn experiments in mice, researchers show platelets linked to an immunotherapy drug can help eliminate residual cancer cells that remain after surgery. The engineered platelets may also prevent leftover cancer cells from spreading.
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FDA Approves Nivolumab for Bladder CancerThe FDA has approved nivolumab for the treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer that worsened after treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy.
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Lung Cancer Screening Pilot Reveals Challenges, Growing PainsA demonstration project by the Veterans Health Administration is highlighting some of the complexities and challenges associated with the expansion of lung cancer screening in the United States.
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Conditional Reprogramming: An Interview with Dr. Richard Schlegel on Growing Cancer CellsDr. Richard Schlegel describes an innovative cell culture technique he helped to develop. Called conditional reprogramming, the technique can be used to rapidly establish cell cultures of normal and tumor cells from patient samples.
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U.S. Cancer Mortality Rates Falling, But Some Regions Left Behind, Study FindsA study of nationwide mortality data found that, while cancer deaths in the U.S. dropped between 1980 and 2014, disparities persisted, and in 160 counties cancer mortality rose substantially.
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Cancer Moonshot Moves Forward, Bringing Funding Opportunities for ResearchersNCI has issued a series of funding opportunity announcements aligned with goals of the recommendations in the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot℠ Blue Ribbon Panel report released last fall.
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Potential New Cancer Therapy Could Target Tumors Two WaysA team of researchers has developed a potential new therapy that may work in two distinct ways to attack tumors, by directly killing cancer cells and immune cells that can suppress the anti-cancer immune response.
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Combination Therapy Improves Survival for Some Men with Recurrent Prostate CancerLong-term results from an NCI-sponsored clinical trial suggest that adding androgen deprivation therapy to radiation therapy can improve survival for some men with recurrent prostate cancer.