2015 - Cancer Currents Blog

Two shapes labeled “EGF, TGF-alpha, etc” next to two crab-claw shapes clutching spheres. A line leads from each shape under a layer titled EGFR. Under the EGFR layer, the end of the lines say phosphorylation. There are three pathways: one with three labeled circles, another with one circled labeled STAT, and another with six labeled circles. The pathways all have arrows pointing to a circle labeled gene transcription and cell cycle progression.

Approval of Osimertinib and Necitumumab Increases Lung Cancer Treatment Options

By NCI Staff
December 28, 2015

The FDA has approved two targeted therapies, osimertinib (Tagrisso™) and necitumumab (Portrazza™), for the treatment of some patients with advanced lung cancer.

A doctor points at a computer screen while speaking to a patient. The doctor is an elderly man with white hair, glasses, and a dark suit with a lanyard around his neck. He is looking at the computer screen, not the patient. The patient is an adult woman with curly brown hair and a long light blue shirt.

Cancer Can Lead to Financial Hardship, Study Confirms

By NCI Staff
December 23, 2015

A substantial number of working-age cancer survivors report material or psychological financial hardship associated with their cancer.

A doctor and a patient, both sitting, speak to each other. The doctor is middle aged with short dark hair, glasses, a grey suit and tan shirt with patterned tie. He’s sitting in a chair. The patient is an elderly man in a green button up shirt and khakis with white hair; he sits on an exam chair. A sink, cabinets, and gloves are in the background.

Checking In on Cancer Checkpoint Inhibitors

By NCI Staff
December 18, 2015

NCI’s Dr. James Gulley discusses cancer checkpoint inhibitors, their impact on patient care, and future directions for these therapies.

Small green shapes with blue centers fade into a black background. The green shapes are fairly dense and are sized similarly.

New Drug for Pediatric Neuroblastoma Shows Promise in Preclinical Studies

By NCI Staff
December 17, 2015

An international research team has identified a possible new treatment target for pediatric neuroblastoma and is planning an early-stage clinical trial of a drug that inhibits this target.

A diagram of the effects of using cobimetinib in combination with vemurafenib. At the top, an arch of small spheres that are tightly aligned in two rows. Below that, arrows point to labeled circles. The circles read: Ras, Raf, MEK1/2, and ERK1/2. The last three circles have a smaller circle attached, labeled with a P. The ERK1/2 circle points to a box with the words Proliferation, Differentiation, Migration, Survival/Apoptosis.

FDA Approves Cobimetinib as Part of Drug Combination for Advanced Melanoma

By NCI Staff
December 15, 2015

The FDA has approved the targeted drug cobimetinib, in combination with another targeted therapy, to treat patients with advanced melanoma whose tumors have specific genetic mutations.

The structure of the KRAS protein is visible in this artistic rendering.

Two Small RNAs, Often Missing from Cancer Cells, May Suppress Tumors

By NCI Staff
December 14, 2015

Two small RNAs that are frequently deleted from cancer cells may help suppress tumors by interacting with RAS proteins, a new study suggests.

Silhouettes of people in dark blue sit above blocks of the letters ACGT. The letters go from larger to smaller from the top and outside of the image to the bottom center. The letters are gradients of yellow, orange, red, and green. Part of a silhouette of a stethoscope in dark blue is in the top left.

Precision Medicine Trials for Cancer: A New Era

By Jeff Abrams, M.D., and Nita Seibel, M.D.
December 10, 2015

NCI is designing smaller, quicker, and smarter clinical trials that incorporate the principal tenets of precision medicine.

A closeup of a latex gloved hand holding a newborn’s foot over a piece of paper with the newborn’s inked footprint. To the left of the footprint, the letters ACGT repeat in different patterns.

Study Sheds Light on Role of Inherited Mutations in Childhood Cancer

By NCI Staff
December 8, 2015

In 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.

An illustration of the human body titled “Soft Tissue Sarcoma.” The body is in silhouette and has labels for various parts of the human body which are illustrated to mimic the look of each part. The labels read “Nerves”, “Muscle, Tendons, Ligaments and Cartilage”, “Fat”, “Blood Vessels”, and “Lymph Vessels.”

FDA Approves Trabectedin to Treat Two Types of Soft Tissue Sarcoma

By NCI Staff
December 4, 2015

The FDA has approved trabectedin for patients with advanced liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma whose cancer has progressed after prior treatment.

An illustrated cross-section labeled “Brain Anatomy.” An adult’s head from the side labels the pineal gland, choroid plexus, cerebrum, ventricles (fluid-filled spaces), hypothalamus, optic nerve, pituitary gland, brain stem (pons and medulla), spinal cord, and cerebellum. Bold text reads “Supratentorium” (next to the cerebrum) and “Infratentorium” (next to the cerebellum).

Patient with Brain Tumor Responds Dramatically to Targeted Therapy

By NCI Staff
December 3, 2015

A patient with a papillary craniopharyngioma saw his tumor shrink more than 80 percent after treatment with a targeted drug that inhibits a mutant form of the BRAF protein.