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2019 - Cancer Currents Blog

  • Pathology slides from a patient with acute myeloid leukemia that has relapsed (left) and after remission (right).
    • By NCI Staff

    People with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with FLT3 gene mutations treated with gilteritinib had improved survival, higher rates of remission, and fewer side effects than those treated with chemotherapy, a recent trial found.

  • A CT scan of a tumor recurrence in the brain of a child with ALL.
    • By Sharon Reynolds

    Only 1.5% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who skipped radiation had a recurrence in the central nervous system, according to a recent trial. The therapy, which is intended to prevent such a recurrence, can have devastating side effects.

  • An astrocyte in culture emitting long, winding extensions.
    • By NCI Staff

    Brain cells called astrocytes can activate PPAR-gamma, a growth protein in cancer cells that helps them gain a foothold in the brain, a new study shows. The findings suggest that drugs that block PPAR-gamma activity may help treat brain metastases.

  • A graphic explaining epigenetic changes in normal cells and SDH-deficient GIST.
    • By NCI Staff

    Scientists may have pinpointed the cause of some gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), a rare cancer, according to a new NCI-funded study. However, the culprit isn’t a harmful genetic mutation, but another type of genetic change, what are called epigenetic alterations.

  • A diagram showing how three drugs target parts of the MAPK signaling pathway in cancer cells with BRAF mutations.
    • By NCI Staff

    For people with colorectal cancer with a specific mutation in the BRAF gene, a treatment regimen of three targeted drugs can improve how long they live without increasing their risk of serious side effects, results from a new clinical trial show.

  • An older African American couple walking in a park.
    • By NCI Staff

    Updated guidelines on exercise for those living with cancer and cancer survivors were recently released. In this conversation, Dr. Kathryn Schmitz discusses what these new guidelines mean for doctors, patients, and survivors.

  • Headshot of Dr. Norman E. Sharpless
    • By Norman E. Sharpless, M.D.

    Dr. Ned Sharpless discusses his return as NCI director after serving as acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration for 7 months.

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