News & Events

The 2021 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer finds overall cancer death rates continue to decline in the United States for all cancer sites combined. The rapid drop in lung cancer and melanoma deaths led to the overall decline.

A team of international researchers has identified mutations in several genes, including TP53, MYOD1, and CDKN2A, that appear to be associated with an aggressive form of rhabdomyosarcoma in children. The findings could lead to more targeted treatments for the disease.

One study examined whether genetic changes associated with exposure to radiation from the 1986 accident were passed from parent to child. A second study documented the genetic changes in thyroid tumors from people exposed as children or fetuses to radiation from the accident.

In an NCI study, treating mice with engineered immune cells shrank tumors and prevented the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. The immunotherapy approach shows promise as a potential treatment for metastatic cancer.

Statement from the National Cancer Institute in support of the NIH UNITE initiative to end structural racism in biomedical research. NCI Director Dr. Norman Sharpless describes NCI’s equity and inclusion efforts.

A prior infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, appears to protect, at least for a few months, against reinfection from the virus, according to an NCI study. The finding may have important public health implications.

For patients with cancers that do not respond to immunotherapy drugs, the use of fecal transplants to modify the gut microbiome may help some of these patients respond to the immunotherapy drugs.

Some postmenopausal women with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer may not benefit from chemotherapy and can safely forgo the treatment, according to clinical trial results presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

A comprehensive analysis of patients with cancer who had exceptional responses to therapy has revealed molecular changes in the patients’ tumors that may explain some of the exceptional responses.

NCI and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering have awarded seven contracts to develop digital health solutions, like smartphone apps, wearable devices, and software, that help address the COVID-19 pandemic.