(Posted: 09/22/2011) - A study supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services could not validate or confirm previous research findings that suggested the presence of one of several viruses in blood samples of people living with chronic fatigue syndrome. The new study also could not find the viruses in blood samples of healthy donors who were previously known to not have XMRV. The new findings suggest earlier results may have resulted from laboratory error, either contamination or false positive test results.

(Posted: 09/21/2011) - In conjunction with a high-level United Nations meeting on non-communicable diseases in the developing world, NCI Director Harold Varmus, M.D., and Edward L. Trimble, M.D., NCI, have published a commentary in Science Translational Medicine on “Integrating Cancer Control into Global Health.”

(Posted: 09/19/2011) - Investigators have identified a new class of human immune cells that behave like stem cells. These cells, a subtype of T lymphocytes, which comprise a small fraction of white blood cells, may prove more effective than any previously reported type of T cell for treating tumors.

(Posted: 09/19/2011) - Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new recommendations to support health text messaging and mobile health (mHealth) programs. The department has been actively exploring means to capitalize on the rapid proliferation of mobile phone technology and platforms, such as text messaging, to develop programs and/or partnerships with the overall aim of improving public health outcomes.

(Posted: 09/13/2011) - NCI’s Provocative Questions project has announced that it is now seeking applications from researchers eager to influence the state of cancer research by tackling potentially game-changing, but perplexing, scientific questions that could drive progress against cancer. The grants will support research projects using sound and innovative research strategies to solve specific problems and paradoxes in cancer research.

(Posted: 09/12/2011) - NIH scientists have discovered a unique feature of a rare, hereditary form of kidney cancer that may provide a better understanding of its progression and metastasis, possibly laying the foundation for the development of new targeted therapies.

(Posted: 09/08/2011) - Two doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Cervarix were as effective as the current standard three-dose regimen after four years of follow-up/NCI-sponsored Costa Rica Vaccine Trial was designed to assess the efficacy of Cervarix in a community-based setting.

(Posted: 08/26/2011) - Scientists have found that individuals who carry a mutation in a gene called BAP1 are susceptible to developing two forms of cancer – mesothelioma, and melanoma of the eye. Additionally, when these individuals are exposed to asbestos or similar mineral fibers, their risk of developing mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the lining of the chest and abdomen, is markedly increased.

(Posted: 08/16/2011) - Current cigarette smokers have a higher risk of bladder cancer than previously reported, and the risk in women is now comparable to that in men, according to a study by scientists from NCI. While previous studies showed that only 20 to 30 percent of bladder cancer cases in women were caused by smoking, these new data indicate that smoking is responsible for about half of female bladder cancer cases – similar to the proportion found in men in current and previous studies. 

(Posted: 07/28/2011) - NCI announced today new funding of an existing cooperative agreement initiative that explores the relationship between obesity and cancer.