Cancer Currents: An NCI Cancer Research Blog
A blog featuring news and research updates from the National Cancer Institute. Learn more about Cancer Currents.
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Drug Combo JAKs Up Immunotherapy in Two Clinical TrialsScientists have been searching for ways to make immune checkpoint inhibitors work for more patients. In two trials, researchers explored a possible role for JAK inhibitors, which dampen chronic inflammation.
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More Immunotherapy Options Approved for Treating Endometrial CancerPeople with advanced endometrial cancer now have new FDA-approved treatment options: pembrolizumab and durvalumab, paired with chemotherapy, for tumors with a genetic change called mismatch repair deficiency. The agency also expanded the approved uses of dostarlimab for the disease.
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Screening People at High Risk for Pancreatic Cancer May Help Them Live LongerRegular imaging tests to monitor the pancreas may help detect pancreatic cancer at an early stage in people who are at high risk, a new study suggests. This type of surveillance could also help improve how long these patients live.
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FDA Approves HPV Tests That Allow for Self-Collection in a Health Care SettingThe expanded approval of two HPV tests allows the patient to collect a vaginal sample themselves in a health care setting, rather than a health provider collecting a sample during a pelvic exam. The availability of a self-collection option in health care settings could help widen access to cervical cancer screening.
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Treating the Whole Person: How Cancer Centers Are Addressing Social NeedsWhile treating people’s health-related social needs has always been a part of health care in one form or other, cancer centers and community cancer clinics increasingly are viewing the people they treat through a social lens and addressing social needs—including transportation, food, and housing—as part of patient care.
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Lorlatinib Slows Growth of ALK-Positive Lung Cancers, May Prevent Brain MetastasesLorlatinib (Lorbrena) is superior to crizotinib (Xalkori) as an initial treatment for people with ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer, according to new clinical trial results. Treatment with lorlatinib also helped prevent new brain metastases.
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Trial Establishes Preferred Treatment for Some People with Esophageal CancerFor people with locally advanced esophageal cancer, a chemotherapy regimen called FLOT is the preferred treatment, according to results from a large clinical trial. People treated with FLOT lived much longer than those treated with the CROSS regimen.
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Program Helps Medically Underserved, Minority Cancer Survivors Be More ActiveA program in Texas helped minority and medically underserved cancer survivors get much more physical activity, according to a new study. Participants also reported improved physical functioning and quality of life.
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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 Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tools WorkDrs. Ruth Pfeiffer and Peter Kraft of NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics discuss how breast cancer risk assessment tools are created and how people can use them to understand and manage their risk.
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Durvalumab Extends Lives of People with Early-Stage Small Cell Lung CancerThe immunotherapy drug durvalumab (Imfinzi) can help people with early-stage small cell lung cancer live longer, results from a large clinical trial show. Three years after starting treatment, nearly 60% of people who received the drug were still alive.
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Experimental mRNA Vaccine Hints at Potential Against GlioblastomaRecent results from several small clinical trials have suggested it may be possible to develop an effective immunotherapy for glioblastoma. Among them are findings from a four-patient trial testing a unique type of mRNA cancer vaccine.
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Anal Cancer Advances Open Door to Screening and PreventionA recent study showed that removing precancerous anal lesions can prevent anal cancer. Scientists are now studying how best to screen people at the high risk of anal cancer, including those with HIV, for these lesions.
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Spurred by Survivors, Researchers Are Revisiting Cancer Drug DosesWhen it comes to cancer drugs, researchers are moving away from a paradigm called the maximum tolerated dose. Instead, they’re focusing more on identifying doses that produce fewer side effects but are still effective against a person’s cancer.
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Leading Change in Cancer Clinical Research, Because Our Patients Can’t WaitReshaping the cancer clinical trials infrastructure to overcome key bottlenecks will involve embracing technology and collaboration, and inviting innovation, explain NCI Director Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell and NCI Special Advisor Dr. Shaalan Beg.
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Tovorafenib Approved for Some Children with Low-Grade GliomaFDA has granted an accelerated approval to tovorafenib (Ojemda) for kids and teens who have low-grade glioma with changes in the BRAF gene. In a small clinical trial, the drug shrank or completely eliminated tumors in nearly 70% of patients.
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Pembrolizumab Is First Adjuvant Therapy to Improve Overall Survival in Kidney CancerIn a large clinical trial, treatment with pembrolizumab after surgery helped people with kidney cancer live longer than those who got a placebo and standard monitoring. The findings mark the first time an adjuvant treatment for kidney cancer has improved survival.
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New Approach May Help People with Cancer Better Manage Depression, Pain, and FatigueAssessing and offering people with cancer stepped collaborative care may help better manage symptoms of depression, pain, and fatigue than the standard referral to providers for treatment, according to a recent study.
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Blood Test Accurately Detects Early-Stage Pancreatic CancerIn a new study involving nearly 1,000 people, a liquid biopsy accurately detected early- and late-stage pancreatic cancer. When paired with a test for the protein CA19-9, the combination accurately identified 97% of people with early-stage disease.
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Alectinib Approved as an Adjuvant Treatment for Lung CancerFDA has approved alectinib (Alecensa) as adjuvant therapy for people with lung cancer who have ALK-positive tumors. In a clinical trial, alectinib helped people live longer after surgery without their cancer returning than chemotherapy.