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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Smoking’s Disease Burden: Worse than Previously Thought?According to a new study, smoking may be responsible for far more deaths each year than previously thought.
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Treatment Helps Preserve Fertility for Some Women with Breast CancerIn a large clinical trial, giving a hormone-suppressing drug helped some younger women with breast cancer get pregnant after completing cancer treatment.
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Conference Report: Pursuing Progress Against HIV-Related CancersAt the recent annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, several NCI researchers and NCI-funded investigators presented important new findings on HIV-related cancers.
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FDA Approves Lenvatinib for Radioactive Iodine-Refractory Thyroid CancerThe FDA has approved lenvatinib (Lenvima) to treat some patients with the most common type of thyroid cancer.
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Genetic Studies Yield Clues to Treatment-Related Side Effects in Children with CancerResearchers have identified genetic variations in children with brain cancer that increased their risk of rapid hearing loss after treatment.
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New from NCI: Resources, Tools, and NewsNCI 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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"Flipping the Switch": An Interview with Dr. Mark Gilbert, Chief of NIH’s Neuro-Oncology BranchNCI's Dr. Mark Gilbert discusses new developments in neuro-oncology and the priorities of the Neuro-Oncology Branch.
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Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Plummets, but Disparities PersistSecond-hand smoke exposure has fallen by 50 percent since 1999, a new study finds, but millions are still routinely exposed to secondhand smoke.
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FDA Grants Palbociclib Accelerated Approval for Advanced Breast CancerPalbociclib (Ibrance) is approved to be used in combination with letrozole (Femara) to treat postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer.
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Medicare to Cover Annual Lung Cancer Screening for Some BeneficiariesFor the first time, Medicare will cover the costs of lung cancer screening for some beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on February 5.
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Genome Study Yields Clues to Head and Neck CancersResearchers have surveyed the genetic changes in nearly 300 head and neck cancers, revealing some previously unknown alterations that may play a role in the disease, including in patients whose cancer is associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV).
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Precision Medicine Initiative® and Cancer ResearchUnder the Precision Medicine Initiative, NCI is working to accelerate the pace of research that will help identify which treatments work best for which patients.
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A Good Year: FDA Approved Nine New Cancer Drugs in 2014In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 41 drugs that had not been approved previously for any indication, the most in nearly 20 years. Of these 41 novel drugs, 9 were approved for the treatment of cancer or cancer-related conditions.
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Bacterial Biofilms Provide Clues into Colorectal Cancer RiskA new study suggests that dense bacterial communities called biofilms may promote the development of some colorectal cancers.
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Analyzing the Gut Microbiome to Help Detect Colorectal CancerNew research suggests that identifying specific changes in the gut microbiome could potentially help screen patients for colorectal cancer.
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Report Offers Comprehensive Look at Global Smokeless Tobacco UseThe first report of its kind finds that more than 300 million people worldwide use smokeless tobacco products and that they are linked to a number of cancers.
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New on Cancer.gov: Resources on Melanoma TherapiesSeveral new resources that provide more details about the changing treatment landscape for advanced melanoma have recently been added to Cancer.gov.
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Which Patients Will Benefit from Immunotherapy for Cancer? Some Hints EmergeResearchers have identified a “genetic signature” in the tumors of patients with advanced melanoma who responded to a form of immunotherapy called checkpoint blockade. The results could be the basis for a test that identifies likely responders to this treatment as well as for developing new treatments.
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Method for Identifying Combination Therapies to Combat Treatment Resistance Shows PromiseResearchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston have reported on a method for studying treatment resistance that may identify combinations of targeted therapies that can help to combat resistance in some patients.
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Debate, Research on E-Cigarettes ContinueSince they first began to be sold in North America in the mid-2000s, electronic cigarettes have been the subject of intense debate. NCI's Dr. Michele Bloch recently presented an update on some of the issues surrounding e-cigarettes.