Biology of Cancer - Cancer Currents Blog
Cancer biology research news, with context from experts at NCI and elsewhere. Topics include cancer metastasis, the tumor microenvironment, and new targets for cancer therapies.
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Immunotherapy’s Skin Side Effects: Are Microbes to Blame?People with cancer who take immunotherapy drugs often develop skin side effects, including itching and painful rashes. New research in mice suggests these side effects may be caused by the immune system attacking new bacterial colonies on the skin.
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New Way to Classify Meningioma Brain Tumors Suggests Potential TreatmentsTwo separate but complementary studies have identified a new way to classify meningioma, the most common type of brain tumor. The grouping system may help predict whether a patient’s tumor will grow back after treatment and identify new treatments.
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Keto Molecule Offers Clue for Preventing Colorectal CancerIn a study in mice, researchers showed that BHB, a compound produced while eating a ketogenic diet, may slow or stop colorectal cancer from growing. More studies are needed, they warned, to see if BHB has similar effects in humans.
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Cancer in Lymph Nodes May Help Tumors Spread by Enlisting Immune CellsCancer often spreads to the lymph nodes, but it has never been clear why. A new study in mice suggests lymph node invasion helps the primary tumor spread, or metastasize, to other organs.
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Body Location May Influence Fate of Cells with Cancer-Causing MutationsWhether cells with cancer-related genetic changes will develop into tumors may partly depend on their location in the body, a new study finds. The study focused on a rare form of skin cancer, acral melanoma.
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Alzheimer’s-Linked Protein May Help Melanoma Spread to BrainMelanoma cells that travel to the brain produce their own amyloid beta, helping the cells survive and form metastases, a new study in mice shows. The Alzheimer’s-linked proteins appear to tamp down the brain’s immune response to the cancer cells.
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Study Identifies Potential Drug Target to Prevent Some Liver CancersResearchers have found that mice that lack β2-spectrin protein in their livers are protected from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and the most common kind of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Cancer Immunotherapies Don’t Work for Everyone: HLA Gene May Explain WhyA specific form of the HLA gene, HLA-A*03, may make immune checkpoint inhibitors less effective for some people with cancer, according to an NCI-led study. If additional studies confirm the finding, it could help guide the use of these commonly used drugs.
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Can mRNA Vaccines Help Treat Cancer?The success of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 could help accelerate research on using mRNA vaccine technology to treat cancer, including the development of personalized cancer vaccines.
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Tumors May Shed Protein to Create Barriers that Block Immune CellsCancer cells can shed a protein called DDR1 that helps collagen proteins create dense barriers around tumors. A study in mice showed these barriers can prevent immune cells from entering and killing tumors.
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Studies Delve Deep into the Protein Machinery of Cancer CellsA research team has identified common interactions between cancer-related proteins in cancer cells. They also created a map of how these protein complexes function in those cells and identified a promising treatment target for head and neck cancer.
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Does Too Much Fructose Help Colorectal Cancers Grow?Excess fructose can promote obesity and colorectal cancer, a new study shows. In mice, the study found that the sweetener, a component of table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, increased how long normal and cancer cells in the intestines live.
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Extra or Missing Chromosomes May Help Cancer Cells Survive TreatmentAneuploidy—when cells have too many or too few chromosomes—is common in cancer cells, but scientists didn’t know why. Two new studies suggest that aneuploidy helps the cells survive treatments like chemotherapy and targeted therapies.
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Gut Microbes May Influence How Well Radiation Therapy Works against CancerNew research suggests that fungi in the gut may affect how tumors respond to cancer treatments. In mice, when bacteria were eliminated with antibiotics, fungi filled the void and impaired the immune response after radiation therapy, the study found.
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Can an Antibiotic Treat Cancers that Become Resistant to PARP Inhibitors?In lab studies, the antibiotic novobiocin showed promise as a treatment for cancers that have become resistant to PARP inhibitors. The drug, which inhibits a protein called DNA polymerase theta, will be tested in NCI-supported clinical trials.
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Pattern of DNA Damage Links Colorectal Cancer and Diet High in Red MeatResearchers have discovered a consistent pattern of DNA damage in colorectal tumors that may explain how a diet high in red and processed meat can help cause colorectal cancer.
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Avasopasem Shields Normal Cells from Radiation, Helps Kill Cancer CellsA drug called avasopasem manganese, which has been found to protect normal tissues from radiation therapy, can also make cancer cells more vulnerable to radiation treatment, a new study in mice suggests.
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Discovery of Tumor Suppressor Suggests New Cancer Treatment StrategiesResearchers have shown that the loss of a protein called AMBRA1 can cause tumors to form in mice and is linked with worse outcomes in some human tumors. The new research may lead to strategies for re-sensitizing cancer cells to CDK4/6 inhibitor drugs.
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Researchers Create Modified Antibodies to Target RAS and p53 in CancerResearchers have developed synthetic antibodies, called diabodies, that block the activity of two of the most notorious cancer-related proteins, RAS and p53. In experiments in mice, the synthetic antibodies shrank tumors with these mutated proteins.
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PDX Mouse Models Are Reliable Stand-Ins for Human Tumors, Study FindsA large study from an international group of researchers provides reassurance that cancer models, known as PDX mice, largely retain the genetics of the human tumors from which they were created. PDX mice are increasingly used in cancer research.