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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Calling on Data Enthusiasts to Help Advance Cancer ResearchHealth data enthusiasts of all stripes were in Washington, D.C., today for Health Datapalooza. NCI's Dr. Warren Kibbe explains that this annual event explores a topic that is central to NCI’s efforts against cancer: creating knowledge from data.
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After Rising for Decades, Thyroid Cancer Incidence StabilizesAfter rising steadily since the 1990s, the incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States may be leveling off, according to an analysis of data from NCI’s SEER program.
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Venetoclax Approved for Some Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic LeukemiaThe FDA has approved venetoclax for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia whose tumors have a specific genetic alteration.
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New on NCI’s Websites for May 2016NCI is constantly publishing new information on its websites, so periodically we provide updates on new content of interest to the cancer community.
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The Cancer Community's Next Steps for the Moonshot InitiativeThe National Cancer Moonshot Initiative’s Blue Ribbon Panel is moving quickly to develop recommendations on how to accelerate progress against cancer.
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Targeted Photoimmunotherapy Approach for Cancer Moves ForwardTwo new studies from NCI researchers add to growing evidence of the promise of a novel type of cancer immunotherapy that uses infrared light to activate rapid and selective killing of cancer cells.
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New Treatment Target Identified for Key Prostate Cancer DriverResearchers have identified a potential alternative approach to blocking a key molecular driver of an advanced form of prostate cancer, called androgen-independent or castration-resistant prostate cancer.
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A Shared Commitment for Accelerating Progress with the Cancer MoonshotAt the AACR annual meeting, Vice President Biden spoke about the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative and the critical role the entire research community will play in accelerating progress against cancer.
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Pembrolizumab Shows Promise in Patients with Rare Form of Skin CancerIn a small clinical trial, more than half of the patients with an aggressive form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma responded to the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab.
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Vitamin D Deficiency May Promote Spread of Some Breast CancersLow vitamin D levels are associated with metastasis in women with breast cancer, suggests a new study.
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Toward Precision Therapy for Children with Cancer: An Interview with Dr. Javed KhanNCI’s Dr. Javed Khan discusses a new NCI clinical program and the promise and challenges of genome-guided therapy for children with cancer.
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Nanoparticle Generator Slips Chemotherapy Past Tumor Cells’ Protective BarriersResearchers have developed a new injectable nanoparticle-generating technology that can deliver a cancer drug to the nucleus of metastatic breast cancer cells.
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Sunitinib and Sorafenib Ineffective as Adjuvant Therapies for Kidney CancerResults from a recent clinical trial show that post-surgical therapy with two anti-angiogenesis drugs does not improve progression-free survival for patients with kidney cancer and may cause serious side effects.
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Drug Combination Shrinks Duodenal Polyps in People with Familial Adenomatous PolyposisIn a small clinical trial of people with an inherited condition that greatly increases gastrointestinal cancer risk, a two-drug combination shrank precancerous lesions in the duodenum.
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Blocking Calcium Transfer May Selectively Kill Cancer CellsA new study shows that blocking the transfer of calcium ions (Ca2+) into mitochondria is toxic to cancer cells and impairs growth of tumors in mice, while sparing normal cells.
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New Strategy for Treating Advanced Ovarian Cancer Shows Promise in MiceThe use of a protein fragment to stimulate cells in the tumor microenvironment against cancer shows promise in animal models of metastatic ovarian cancer.
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Crizotinib Approval Expanded for Advanced Lung CancerThe FDA has approved uses of the targeted therapy crizotinib (Xalkori®) for patients with advanced lung cancer whose tumors have alterations in the ROS1 gene.
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What’s New on NCI’s Websites?NCI periodically provides updates on new websites and other online content of interest to the cancer community.
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High-Magnification Microscopy Visualizes Tumor Blood Vessels in Real TimeHigh-powered intravital microscopy reveals that 50 percent of blood vessels in melanoma tumors do not have any blood flow, according to a new study.
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Keeping Pace: How New Data Can Affect Ongoing Clinical TrialsResearch results sometimes outrace the design of an ongoing clinical trial and the trial has to be recalibrated to include newer treatments, according to NCI’s Dr. Jo Anne Zujewski.