Biology of Cancer - Cancer Currents Blog

Cancer biology research news, with context from experts at NCI and elsewhere. Topics include cancer metastasis, the tumor microenvironment, and new targets for cancer therapies.

Collateral Damage: Missing Tumor Suppressor Gene Creates Opening for Cancer Treatment
- By NCI Staff
- May 15, 2015
Tumor 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.
Facilitating Research, Fueling Collaboration: Dr. Frank McCormick on the RAS Initiative
- By NCI Staff
- April 9, 2015
Frank 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.
The RAS Problem: Turning Off a Broken Switch
- By NCI Staff
- April 9, 2015
The 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.”
Conference Report: Pursuing Progress Against HIV-Related Cancers
- By NCI Staff
- March 9, 2015
At the recent annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, several NCI researchers and NCI-funded investigators presented important new findings on HIV-related cancers.
Genetic Studies Yield Clues to Treatment-Related Side Effects in Children with Cancer
- By NCI Staff
- February 26, 2015
Researchers have identified genetic variations in children with brain cancer that increased their risk of rapid hearing loss after treatment.
Genome Study Yields Clues to Head and Neck Cancers
- By NCI Staff
- February 3, 2015
Researchers 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).