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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The Challenging Landscape of Cancer and Aging: Charting a Way Forward
NCI Director Dr. Norman Sharpless discusses research on aging and cancer, including understanding the biology of aging and its relationship to cancer, the treatment of older patients, and ensuring older patients participate in cancer clinical trials.
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Study Finds Biological Differences in Lung Tumors of African Americans and Whites
Patterns of gene expression may be different in the tumors of some African Americans than in those of whites, a new study has found, and these biological differences may contribute to racial disparities in lung cancer.
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Fusobacterium May Help Colorectal Cancer Grow and Spread
Fusobacterium, found in the stomach and intestines, may help fuel the growth of colorectal cancer and metastases. In a mouse model of colorectal cancer, using antibiotics to kill these bacteria slowed tumor growth.
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With Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy, Scientists Discuss Need to Develop New Mouse Models
A recent NCI symposium focused on developing new and better mouse models for testing treatments that harness the immune system against cancer.
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Fat Cells May Hinder Effectiveness of Chemotherapy
Researchers have shown that fat cells can absorb two commonly used chemotherapy drugs and break them down chemically into a less toxic form, potentially reducing the drugs’ effectiveness.
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Many Ovarian Cancers May Start in Fallopian Tubes, Study Finds
A new study provides more evidence that the most common form of ovarian cancer may originate in the fallopian tubes, and that there is a window of nearly 7 years between development of fallopian tube lesions and the start of ovarian cancer.
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Alternate Driver of Treatment-Resistant Prostate Cancer Identified
Researchers have identified an emerging subtype of metastatic prostate cancer that is resistant to therapies that block hormones that fuel the disease.
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Study Tracks the Evolution of Treatment Resistance in Metastatic Breast Cancer
A new study suggests that the cells in treatment-resistant tumors in women with metastatic breast cancer share important characteristics that could potentially make tumors vulnerable to therapies that otherwise might not have been considered.
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Levels of Immune Cells within Ovarian Tumors Linked to Survival for Some Patients
A large international study suggests that the presence of certain immune cells within the tumors of some patients with ovarian cancer are associated with improved survival.
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Study Uses Open Data to Analyze “Normal” Tissue Near Tumors
The tissue immediately surrounding a tumor may not be normal, even if it appears normal under the microscope, according to an analysis of data from two genomic databases.
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Study Identifies Crucial Characteristic of High-Risk HPV
By comparing the genomes of women infected with a high-risk type of human papillomavirus (HPV), researchers have found that a precise DNA sequence of a viral gene is associated with cervical cancer.
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Timing and Sequence Critical for Immunotherapy Combination
When given at the same time, two immune checkpoint inhibitors were ineffective against breast cancer growth in mice, a new study found. The combination was more effective and safer if the two inhibitors were given in a specific sequence.
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Study Uncovers Previously Unrecognized Effect of Chemotherapy
A new study conducted primarily in mice suggests that chemotherapy given before surgery for breast cancer can cause changes in cells in and around the tumor that are tied to an increased risk of the cancer spreading to other areas of the body.
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Cancer Researchers Report Progress in Studying Exceptional Responders
Researchers who study exceptional responders—patients who have dramatic and long-lasting responses to treatments for cancer that were not effective for most similar patients—met recently to discuss the state of the science in this emerging field.
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Genomic Study Seeks Clues to Help Explain Breast Cancer Disparities
Using one of the largest collections of tumor samples from African Americans with breast cancer, researchers tried to assess the extent to which the molecular characteristics on these tumors might help to explain breast cancer disparities.
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PARP Inhibitors May Be Effective in Brain, Other Cancers with IDH Mutations
Studies presented at the 2017 AACR annual meeting suggest that therapies which take advantage of the mutations in the IDH gene may be more effective than drugs that block it.
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Studies Identify Potential Treatment Strategies for Pediatric DIPG Brain Tumors
Two studies have identified proteins that drive growth of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) tumor cells. Blocking these targets with investigational drugs slowed tumor growth in animal models.
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Conditional Reprogramming: An Interview with Dr. Richard Schlegel on Growing Cancer Cells
Dr. Richard Schlegel describes an innovative cell culture technique he helped to develop. Called conditional reprogramming, the technique can be used to rapidly establish cell cultures of normal and tumor cells from patient samples.
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Potential New Cancer Therapy Could Target Tumors Two Ways
A team of researchers has developed a potential new therapy that may work in two distinct ways to attack tumors, by directly killing cancer cells and immune cells that can suppress the anti-cancer immune response.
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Genome Study Points to New Subtypes of Esophageal Cancer
A new study by The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network could help classify esophageal cancers according to their genetic and molecular alterations and identify potential new treatment options.