Cancer Currents: An NCI Cancer Research Blog
A blog featuring news and research updates from the National Cancer Institute. Learn more about Cancer Currents.
-
Prostate Cancer Prevention and Finasteride: A Conversation with NCI’s Dr. Howard ParnesThe Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial showed that finasteride can reduce the risk of prostate cancer, but might increase the risk of aggressive disease. NCI’s Howard Parnes talks about subsequent findings and what they mean for men aged 55 and older.
-
New Drugs, New Side Effects: Complications of Cancer ImmunotherapyThe expanding use of cancer immunotherapy has revealed a variety of side effects associated with this treatment approach. Researchers are now trying to better understand how and why these side effects occur and develop strategies for better managing them.
-
Some Children with Liver Cancer May Need Less Chemotherapy, Study SuggestsSome children with liver cancer may need less chemotherapy than is typically used, new research suggests. The study included children and infants with hepatoblastoma whose tumors had been surgically removed when the disease was diagnosed.
-
A Vaccine to Treat Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Advancing in Clinical TrialsIn some people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), treating a single tumor with an in situ vaccine can help to shrink, or eliminate, tumors in other parts of the body, findings from a small clinical trial suggest.
-
Telephone-Based Rehab Program Helps People with Advanced Cancer Maintain IndependenceA physical rehabilitation program delivered by telephone improved function and reduced pain for people with advanced cancer, a clinical trial shows. The program also reduced the time patients spent in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
-
Immunotherapy Drug with Two Targets Shows Promise against HPV-Related CancersThe investigational immunotherapy drug bintrafusp alfa (also called M7824), a bifunctional fusion protein, shrank the tumors of some patients with advanced HPV-related cancers, according to results from a phase 1 clinical trial.
-
Study Advances Fertility Preservation Approach for Male Cancer SurvivorsIn a study in young monkeys, researchers showed that a technique using stored testicular tissue led to successful conception. Researchers are hopeful the approach could eventually be a fertility preservation option for young boys being treated for cancer.
-
Could a Vaccine Prevent Colorectal Cancer in People with Lynch Syndrome?Findings from an NCI-funded study suggest a new vaccine approach may have the potential to prevent colorectal cancer in people with Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition that increases an individual's risk for developing certain types of cancer.
-
Ensuring a Smooth Leadership Transition at NCIDoug Lowy, M.D., a long-time researcher and deputy director at NCI, addresses the cancer community as the institute's acting director, a position he previously held for more than 2 years.
-
Fewer Women with Ovarian, Breast Cancer Undergo Genetic Testing than ExpectedMany women diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer are not undergoing tests for inherited genetic mutations that can provide important information to help guide decisions about treatment and longer-term cancer screening, a new study has found.
-
Researchers Discover Potential Way to Hit Elusive Target in Pancreatic CancerThree research groups have found a potential way to kill cancer cells in pancreatic tumors by simultaneously blocking the activity of proteins that interact with KRAS proteins and disrupting an energy-creating process called autophagy.
-
New on NCI's Websites for March 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 March 2019.
-
Atezolizumab Approved for Some Patients with Triple-Negative Breast CancerFDA has approved atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of some women with advanced triple-negative breast cancer. This is the first FDA-approved regimen for breast cancer to include immunotherapy.
-
Trial Examines Value of Lymph Node Surgery in Advanced Ovarian CancerSurgery to remove all the lymph nodes in the area around an advanced ovarian tumor did not improve survival in a recent randomized clinical trial. The study also found systematic lymphadenectomy was associated with more frequent serious complications.
-
Nature’s Bounty: Revitalizing the Discovery of New Cancer Drugs from Natural ProductsNCI has launched an ambitious initiative, called the NCI Program for Natural Products Discovery (NPNPD) and funded by the Cancer Moonshot℠, to make it easier for researchers to mine nature for leads on new cancer drugs.
-
Targeted Therapy–Immunotherapy Combinations Effective for Advanced Kidney CancerIn two clinical trials, combination treatments that included an immune checkpoint inhibitor and axitinib (Inlyta) led to better outcomes for patients with advanced kidney cancer than treatment with sunitinib (Sutent), the standard initial therapy.
-
Darolutamide Delays the Spread of Some Prostate CancersThe investigational drug darolutamide can help delay the spread of prostate cancer in some men with the disease, a recent clinical trial shows. In addition, the drug caused fewer side effects than similar prostate cancer drugs.
-
Bone Marrow Transplant Drug May Improve Immunotherapy for Metastatic Breast CancerThe build-up of connective tissue around some types of cancer can act as a barrier to immunotherapy. A new study uses a bone marrow transplant drug, plerixafor, to break down this barrier and improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in animal models of breast cancer.
-
UK Clinical Trial Compares E-cigarettes, Nicotine-Replacement Products for Smoking CessationResearchers in the United Kingdom have found that e-cigarettes combined with counseling may be more helpful to smokers trying to quit tobacco than counseling and nicotine-replacement products, such as patches, gums, and lozenges.
-
Making Cancer Clinical Trials Available to More PatientsNCI is expanding eligibility criteria for its cancer clinical trials in the hope that more patients will join, leading to more rapid advances. The goal is to maximize the number of patients who are eligible to enroll while maintaining their safety.