Global Health - Cancer Currents Blog
News and expert commentaries about the impact of cancer around the world and efforts to improve global health, including new initiatives and research findings.
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Tumor Signatures May Help Explain Global Differences in Kidney Cancer RatesBy analyzing patterns of DNA mutations in kidney cancers from people around the world, researchers have discovered new clues about possible causes of the disease. Identifying these mutational signatures might lead to strategies for preventing kidney cancer.
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How a Simple Tool Is Saving Lives of Children with Cancer in Latin AmericaA system for catching treatment-related complications in children with cancer has proven to be highly effective in many Latin American hospitals. An NCI-funded study aims to help make these early warning systems sustainable.
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India’s First Homegrown CAR T-Cell Therapy Has Roots in NCI CollaborationTraining provided by NCI scientists helped researchers in India design an effective CAR-T cell therapy, NexCAR19, that can be manufactured in India, made available at a reasonable cost, and meet the needs of patients in India’s health care system.
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Cancer and Climate Change: The Health Threats of Unnatural DisastersThe consequences of climate change have already affected cancer care in the United States, particularly in areas hit by hurricanes and wildfires. Researchers are studying how to mitigate that impact and better understand the effect of climate change on the risk of developing cancer.
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Study in India Could Make Immunotherapy More Affordable WorldwideA study in India has found that an ultra-low dose of the immunotherapy drug nivolumab (Opdivo) helped people with advanced head and neck cancer live longer. Because the dose is 6% of what’s typically used in the United States and Europe, it is potentially more affordable.
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More Evidence that One HPV Vaccine Dose Protects against Cancer-Causing InfectionsOne dose of the HPV vaccine was highly effective in protecting young women against infection from high-risk HPV types, a study in Kenya found. A single dose would make HPV vaccines more accessible worldwide, reducing cervical cancer’s global burden.
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Alcohol Tied to 750,000 Cancer Cases Worldwide in 2020Nearly 750,000 cases of cancer diagnosed worldwide in 2020, or 4%, can be attributed to alcohol consumption, according to a new study. While heavy drinking accounted for most cases, light and moderate drinking accounted for a modest amount.
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Large Study Confirms that HPV Vaccine Prevents Cervical CancerWidespread HPV vaccine use dramatically reduces the number of women who will develop cervical cancer, according to a study of nearly 1.7 million women. Among girls vaccinated before age 17, the vaccine reduced cervical cancer incidence by 90%.
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Reducing Cancer’s Global Burden: A Conversation with NCI’s Dr. Satish GopalDr. Satish Gopal, director of NCI’s Center for Global Health, discusses opportunities for making progress against cancer worldwide, particulary in low- and middle-income countries, many of which are seeing increasing cancer incidence and deaths.
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For Children with Retinoblastoma, Disparities Seen across the GlobeChildren with retinoblastoma in low- and middle-income countries were, on average, diagnosed at an older age and with more advanced disease than those in high-income countries, an analysis shows. The data provide clues about global disparities in outcomes.
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Trial Should Change Care for AIDS-Related Kaposi Sarcoma in Sub-Saharan AfricaFor people with advanced AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma in sub-Saharan Africa, results from a large clinical trial are expected to change treatment. In the trial, paclitaxel greatly improved outcomes compared with treatments typically used in the region.
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Endometrial Cancer Incidence Rising in the US and WorldwideDiagnoses of endometrial cancer have increased worldwide in recent years, with rates rising in more than half of the 43 countries studied during the decade ending around 2010, a team of international researchers has shown.
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The Global Economic Burden of Tobacco: An Interview with Dr. Mark ParascandolaNCI’s Dr. Mark Parascandola answers questions about The Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Control, the latest in a series of monographs on tobacco use and tobacco control, which was co-written with the World Health Organization.
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Symposium Brings Rising Global Cancer Burden into FocusAn NCI Cancer Currents blog post about the NCI Global Cancer Research Symposium, which examined ways of increasing research collaboration, particularly in cancer prevention and screening, to reduce the cancer burden.
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Forging Collaborations to Spur Global Progress against CancerNCI and NIH announce efforts to establish international collaborations that can accelerate progress in reducing the global cancer burden.
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Tackling the Global Cancer Burden: A Conversation with NCI’s Dr. Ted TrimbleIn honor of World Cancer Day, the director of NCI’s Center for Global Health discusses key opportunities in global cancer research.
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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.