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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Targeted Drug Erdafitinib Benefits Some Patients with Advanced Bladder CancerNew clinical trial findings confirm that the targeted therapy erdafitinib (Balversa) can benefit patients with advanced bladder cancer whose tumors have a genetic alteration in one of the four FGFR genes.
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Study Suggests Reviewing Lung Cancer Screening Criteria for African AmericansClinical recommendations on who should be screened for lung cancer may need to be reviewed when it comes to African Americans who smoke, findings from a new study suggest.
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Could A Form of Cell Death Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy?Injecting cells undergoing necroptosis, a form of cell death, into tumors in mice kickstarted an immune response against the tumors, researchers have found. When combined with immunotherapy, the treatment was effective at eliminating tumors in mice.
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Laser-Based Device Detects and Kills Melanoma Cells in the Blood, Study FindsResearchers have developed a device that uses lasers and sound waves to scan circulating blood for melanoma cells. In a small study, the device accurately detected and reduced the amount of cancer cells in participants’ blood.
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Metastatic Colorectal Cancer May Spread Early in the Disease, Study FindsMany colorectal cancers likely have spread long before the original tumor is detected, researchers have found. The findings suggest the need for very early detection and could help identify patients who need more aggressive systemic treatments.
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Improving Cancer Immunotherapy: Overcoming the Problem of ‘Exhausted’ T CellsResearchers have identified proteins that may play a central role in transforming T cells from powerful destroyers to depleted bystanders that can no longer harm cancer cells. The findings could lead to strategies for boosting cancer immunotherapies.
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Can Some Women Treated for Endometrial Cancer Forgo Radiation after Surgery?Some women with endometrial cancer may be able to receive less intensive treatment, chemotherapy and no radiation, without increasing their risk of the disease recurring within 5 years, according to the results of a randomized clinical trial.
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Helping Dogs—and Humans—with Cancer: NCI’s Comparative Oncology StudiesDid you know that NCI supports clinical trials of new treatments for pet dogs with cancer? Learn more about NCI’s comparative oncology studies and how they may also help people with cancer.
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New on NCI Websites for July 2019NCI 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 July 2019.
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Trial Highlights Complexities of Targeted Therapy for Pancreatic CancerOlaparib (Lynparza) may be beneficial for some people with advanced pancreatic cancer who have inherited mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, according to results from the POLO trial.
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More Treatment Options Emerging for Some Men with Metastatic Prostate CancerIn two large clinical trials, the drugs enzalutamide (Xtandi) and apalutamide (Erleada), respectively, combined with the androgen deprivation therapy, improved the survival of men with metastatic prostate cancer that still responds to hormone-suppressing therapies.
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Combination Therapy with Venetoclax Approved for Chronic Lymphocytic LeukemiaThe Food and Drug Administration has approved venetoclax (Venclexta) in combination with obinutuzumab (Gazyva) for the initial treatment of adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma.
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Researchers Turn On PTEN Tumor-Suppressor Protein in Cancer CellsResearchers have discovered a potential way to turn on one of the most commonly silenced tumor-suppressor proteins in cancer, called PTEN. They also found a natural compound, I3C, that in lab studies could flip the on switch.
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The Childhood Cancer Data Initiative: Why Data Sharing Is Essential to ProgressNCI is laying the groundwork to develop the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI). NCI Acting Director Douglas Lowy, M.D., explains why an initiative with a focus on data sharing is essential to accelerating progress against childhood cancer.
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Drug Shows Promise in Slowing Progression of Smoldering Myeloma to CancerThe drug lenalidomide (Revlimid) may delay the progression of smoldering myeloma to multiple myeloma, according to preliminary results from a clinical trial.
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Studying Genes and Proteins Together Sheds New Light on Colon CancerUsing novel proteogenomic techniques, scientists from NCI’s Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium have uncovered new features of colon cancer that may guide new treatment strategies.
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T-DM1 Approval Expanded to Include Some Women with Early-Stage HER2-Positive Breast CancerFDA has expanded the approved use of the drug ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla), also called T-DM1, to include adjuvant treatment in some women with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer.
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When Cancer Spreads to Bone, A Single Dose of Radiation Therapy May Control PainNew findings from a clinical trial suggest that a single dose of radiation therapy may control painful bone metastases as effectively as multiple lower doses of radiation therapy.
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Pediatric MATCH Study Finds More Targetable Genetic Changes than ExpectedAn early report from the NCI–COG Pediatric MATCH trial shows that 24% of young patients with advanced cancer who had their tumors tested for genetic changes were eligible to receive one of the targeted therapies being tested.
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Tagraxofusp Proves Effective for BPDCN, A Rare Blood CancerNew findings from a clinical trial of the drug tagraxofusp confirm its efficacy against the rare blood cancer blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN).