Biology of Cancer - Cancer Currents Blog
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Cancer Researchers Report Progress in Studying Exceptional RespondersResearchers 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 DisparitiesUsing 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 MutationsStudies 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 TumorsTwo 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 CellsDr. 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 WaysA 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 CancerA 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.
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New Mouse Model Closely Mimics Most Common Leukemia in InfantsResearchers have created a long-sought-after mouse model for an aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia that occurs commonly in infants and that the researchers believe can accelerate the development of new therapies for the disease.
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Brain Cancer’s Cholesterol Addiction May Offer New Treatment StrategyBrain cancer cells are heavily dependent on a constant supply of cholesterol to survive, a new study suggests. And in mice with brain tumors, treatment with a cholesterol-depleting drug slowed tumor growth and improved survival.
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Single Tumor Cells Reveal Clues to Biology of Multiple MyelomaA study suggests that individual tumor cells circulating in the blood of patients with multiple myeloma may be a new source of information about the genetic changes driving the disease.
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Immune-Cell Traps May Aid Cancer MetastasisCancer cells may exploit a normal function of neutrophils, the most common form of white blood cell, to help form metastatic tumors, a new study suggests.
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Scientists Identify Potential Marker of Resistance to PARP InhibitorsFindings from a new study from NCI researchers could help predict whether a tumor will respond to a new class of promising cancer drugs, and identifies a potential way to overcome that resistance.
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‘Unexpected’ Vulnerability Creates Treatment Opportunity in Aggressive Type of Lung CancerA new study has identified a potentially critical vulnerability in lung cancers that have mutations in the KRAS gene, and showed that a drug already under study may be able to exploit it.
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DINO RNA Molecule Triggers Anticancer Response in Damaged CellsStudies in cells and mice found that, in cells with damaged DNA, a noncoding RNA called DINO stabilizes the p53 protein and guides the cells into cell death, preventing tumor development.
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Metabolomics Study Reveals another Energy Source for Cancer CellsResearchers have found that cancer cells can use the compound lactate to fuel biochemical reactions and to generate other compounds they need for growth and survival.
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Studies Highlight Potential of Targeting HIF-2 in Kidney CancerTwo new studies suggest that a new class of drugs can effectively target a molecular driver of the most common type of kidney cancer.
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Chromosomal Instability Score May Predict Response to Cancer TreatmentA new study suggests that a chromosomal instability score may help guide treatment choices for patients with cancer.
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Pancreatic Cancer Cells May Obtain Nutrients from Neighboring CellsPancreatic cancer cells instruct healthy cells around them to provide nutrients they need to survive and grow, a new study suggests.
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Engineered Stem Cells Help Identify Potential New Treatment for MedulloblastomaStem cells engineered to mimic medulloblastoma development may help researchers identify potential new treatments, according to a new study.
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Mutations Linked to Immunotherapy ResistanceResearchers identified mutations in relapsed melanoma tumors that block the anticancer effects of the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab.
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Nanoparticle Delivers Cancer Drugs to Tumor Blood VesselsIn cancer mouse models, nanoparticles that bind to a protein called P-selectin on tumor blood vessels shrank tumors and extended survival.
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Inherited Mutations in DNA-Repair Genes Found in Advanced Prostate Cancers
Researchers estimate that nearly 12% of men with advanced prostate cancer have inherited mutations in genes that play a role in repairing damaged DNA.
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3-D View of Mutations May Identify Potential Targets for Cancer DrugsA new 3-D modeling tool may help identify mutations in cancer cells that could be targeted with new or existing drugs, a new study suggests.
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Mouse Study Illuminates the Spread of Breast Cancer to BoneResearchers have identified proteins that may regulate the movement of breast cancer cells into and out of bone marrow.
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Patient-Derived Antibody Appears to Selectively Target Tumor Cells, Spur Immune AttackThe CFH antibodies killed tumor cells in cell lines of several cancer types and slowed tumor growth in mouse models of brain and lung cancer, without evidence of side effects.
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Crosstalk between Cancer Cells and Neighboring Cells May Contribute to Tumor GrowthPancreatic cancer cells and neighboring normal cells engage in a two-way molecular conversation that helps drive malignant behavior in the cancer cells, according to new study results.
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New Treatment Target Identified for Diffuse Large B-Cell LymphomaNCI researchers have identified new therapeutic targets for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Drugs that hit these targets are under clinical development and the researchers hope to begin testing them in clinical trials of patients with DLBCL.
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New Treatment Target Identified for Key Prostate Cancer DriverResearchers have identified a potential alternative approach to blocking a key molecular driver of an advanced form of prostate cancer, called androgen-independent or castration-resistant prostate cancer.
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Vitamin D Deficiency May Promote Spread of Some Breast CancersLow vitamin D levels are associated with metastasis in women with breast cancer, suggests a new study.
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High-Magnification Microscopy Visualizes Tumor Blood Vessels in Real TimeHigh-powered intravital microscopy reveals that 50 percent of blood vessels in melanoma tumors do not have any blood flow, according to a new study.
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Study of Cancer’s Origins Reveals Genetic Reprogramming of Single CellsResearchers have used a new zebrafish model of cancer to characterize the early genetic changes associated with the initiation of tumors.
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Gene Fusion May Drive Rare Childhood Brain TumorResearchers have identified a genetic rearrangement that may drive the development of a rare benign brain tumor in children through three distinct biological mechanisms simultaneously.
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Prospective Study Links HPV Detection in the Mouth to Head and Neck CancerA new study confirms that infection with HPV 16 precedes the development of head and neck cancer.
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Mouse Study Points to Mechanism Linking Obesity and Colorectal Cancer RiskA missing hormone in obese mice may help explain a longstanding association between obesity and an increased risk of colorectal cancer in humans.
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Novel Treatment Approach Shrinks Ovarian Tumors in MiceResearchers have developed a new approach for treating tumors that express mutant versions of the p53 protein, which are present in more than half of all cancers, including an aggressive and common subtype of ovarian cancer.
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Genome Study Links Misfolded DNA to Brain TumorsChanges in the packaging of DNA in the cell nucleus may activate growth-promoting genes that cause cancer.
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Two Small RNAs, Often Missing from Cancer Cells, May Suppress TumorsTwo small RNAs that are frequently deleted from cancer cells may help suppress tumors by interacting with RAS proteins, a new study suggests.
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Study Sheds Light on Role of Inherited Mutations in Childhood CancerIn the most comprehensive study of its kind conducted to date, more than 8 percent of children with cancer were found to have inherited genetic mutations associated with a predisposition to the disease.
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Antioxidants Accelerate the Growth and Invasiveness of Tumors in MiceMetastatic tumor cells are particularly sensitive to oxidative stress, and antioxidant supplementation increases their ability to grow and metastasize.
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Study Identifies New Opportunities for Targeted ImmunotherapyA team of NCI researchers has reported that several types of gastrointestinal cancer have tumor-specific mutations that can be recognized by the immune system, thereby offering a new therapeutic opportunity for patients with these tumors.
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In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Targeting an AddictionA new approach to disrupting genes that promote the development and spread of tumors may hold promise for treating an aggressive and difficult-to-treat type of breast cancer.
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Risk of Breast Cancer Death is Low After a Diagnosis of Ductal Carcinoma in SituWomen who are diagnosed with a condition called ductal carcinoma in situ generally have a low risk of dying from breast cancer, a new study has found.
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Collateral Damage: Missing Tumor Suppressor Gene Creates Opening for Cancer TreatmentTumor cells that are missing one copy of the tumor suppressor gene TP53 often harbor another genetic alteration that may make them susceptible to a targeted attack, according to a new study.
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Facilitating Research, Fueling Collaboration: Dr. Frank McCormick on the RAS InitiativeFrank McCormick, Ph.D., talks about the history, the challenges, and the future of research on RAS gene mutations, which drive more than 30 percent of all human cancers.
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The RAS Problem: Turning Off a Broken SwitchThe RAS gene is commonly mutated in cancer and researchers are working to better understand how to develop drugs that can target the RAS protein, which for many years has been considered to be “undruggable.”
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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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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).