Cancer Currents: An NCI Cancer Research Blog

Three orange medicine bottles with white caps and labels with a multitude of differently colored, sized, and shaped pills in front of the bottles.

FDA Grants Palbociclib Accelerated Approval for Advanced Breast Cancer

February 11, 2015, by NCI Staff

Palbociclib (Ibrance) is approved to be used in combination with letrozole (Femara) to treat postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer.

A patient holds their arms up while going through a CT scanning machine. A smiling doctor, with one hand on the CT machine, looks down at the patient.

Medicare to Cover Annual Lung Cancer Screening for Some Beneficiaries

February 6, 2015, by NCI Staff

For the first time, Medicare will cover the costs of lung cancer screening for some beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on February 5.

An illustrated cross section of the head and neck, with labels focusing on the pharynx, nasal and oral cavities. The pharynx section further labels the nasopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharnyx. The larynx, esophagus and trachea are also labeled.

Genome Study Yields Clues to Head and Neck Cancers

February 3, 2015, by NCI Staff

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).

Precision Medicine Initiative® and Cancer Research

January 30, 2015, by Harold Varmus, M.D.

Under the Precision Medicine Initiative, NCI is working to accelerate the pace of research that will help identify which treatments work best for which patients.

A Good Year: FDA Approved Nine New Cancer Drugs in 2014

January 23, 2015, by NCI Staff

In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 41 drugs that had not been approved previously for any indication, the most in nearly 20 years. Of these 41 novel drugs, 9 were approved for the treatment of cancer or cancer-related conditions.

Bacterial Biofilms Provide Clues into Colorectal Cancer Risk

January 16, 2015, by NCI Staff

A new study suggests that dense bacterial communities called biofilms may promote the development of some colorectal cancers.

A microscopic view of Fusobacterium necrophorum. The bacteria is colored reddish pink, is thin and has various lengths - some fairly short, others quite long.

Analyzing the Gut Microbiome to Help Detect Colorectal Cancer

January 13, 2015, by NCI Staff

New research suggests that identifying specific changes in the gut microbiome could potentially help screen patients for colorectal cancer.

A graphic with the text “Smokeless Tobacco and Public Health: A Global Perspective“. There is an image grid using rectangles with some rounded corners. Two of the boxes have a maps: one with a view of North and South America, the other with Africa and Europe. Another box is a photo of a man holding a tobacco leaf.

Report Offers Comprehensive Look at Global Smokeless Tobacco Use

January 7, 2015, by NCI Staff

The first report of its kind finds that more than 300 million people worldwide use smokeless tobacco products and that they are linked to a number of cancers.

Three-dimensional structure of a melanoma cell.

New on Cancer.gov: Resources on Melanoma Therapies

January 6, 2015, by NCI Staff

Several new resources that provide more details about the changing treatment landscape for advanced melanoma have recently been added to Cancer.gov.

A close-up photo of melanoma on otherwise health skin. The area of the melanoma is black and mostly reddish-pink; a small mole-sized growth, purplish red, sit on top of the top right of the melanoma area.

Which Patients Will Benefit from Immunotherapy for Cancer? Some Hints Emerge

December 17, 2014, by NCI Staff

Researchers have identified a “genetic signature” in the tumors of patients with advanced melanoma who responded to a form of immunotherapy called checkpoint blockade. The results could be the basis for a test that identifies likely responders to this treatment as well as for developing new treatments.

Fluorescence microscopy image of cells showing blue-stained cell nuclei surrounded by a network of green cytoskeletal filaments (likely actin or microtubules). Small red dots are visible between some of the cells.

Method for Identifying Combination Therapies to Combat Treatment Resistance Shows Promise

December 12, 2014, by NCI Staff

Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston have reported on a method for studying treatment resistance that may identify combinations of targeted therapies that can help to combat resistance in some patients.

Two views of an e-cigarette; one, the e-cigarette in its entirety, appearing very similar to a regular cigarette with orange-brown filter and white body. The second view shows the three pieces that make up the e-cigarette separately: the “filter”, a metallic middle section, and the top white section.

Debate, Research on E-Cigarettes Continue

December 11, 2014, by NCI Staff

Since they first began to be sold in North America in the mid-2000s, electronic cigarettes have been the subject of intense debate. NCI's Dr. Michele Bloch recently presented an update on some of the issues surrounding e-cigarettes.