Cancer Currents: An NCI Cancer Research Blog

A diagram of a platelet being activated within a tumor cell and relationship to a t-cell.

Study Shows Platelets Can Deliver Immunotherapy, Reduce Tumor Regrowth

By NCI Staff
March 3, 2017

In experiments in mice, researchers show platelets linked to an immunotherapy drug can help eliminate residual cancer cells that remain after surgery. The engineered platelets may also prevent leftover cancer cells from spreading.

Illustration labeled “Stage III Bladder Cancer.” The main illustration labels the bladder, ureter, fat around the bladder, urethra, and prostate. A small cancer cluster inside of the muscle and fat layers of the bladder is linked to an inset illustration which labels the muscle layers, connective tissue, and inner lining of the bladder along with the actual cancer.

FDA Approves Nivolumab for Bladder Cancer

By NCI Staff
March 1, 2017

The FDA has approved nivolumab for the treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer that worsened after treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy.

CT scan showing a cross-section of the chest with a large white mass in the left lung, indicating a tumor.

Lung Cancer Screening Pilot Reveals Challenges, Growing Pains

By NCI Staff
February 27, 2017

A demonstration project by the Veterans Health Administration is highlighting some of the complexities and challenges associated with the expansion of lung cancer screening in the United States.

Microscopic image showing chromosomes extracted from glioblastoma cells.

Conditional Reprogramming: An Interview with Dr. Richard Schlegel on Growing Cancer Cells

By NCI Staff
February 22, 2017

Dr. Richard Schlegel describes an innovative cell culture technique he helped to develop. Called conditional reprogramming, the technique can be used to rapidly establish cell cultures of normal and tumor cells from patient samples.

U.S. Cancer Mortality Rates Falling, But Some Regions Left Behind, Study Finds

By NCI Staff
February 21, 2017

A study of nationwide mortality data found that, while cancer deaths in the U.S. dropped between 1980 and 2014, disparities persisted, and in 160 counties cancer mortality rose substantially.

Cancer Moonshot Moves Forward, Bringing Funding Opportunities for Researchers

By Douglas R. Lowy, M.D.
February 17, 2017

NCI has issued a series of funding opportunity announcements aligned with goals of the recommendations in the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot℠ Blue Ribbon Panel report released last fall.

A two-panel image compares receptor activation and antagonist antibody locks in a receptor resting state. On the left, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) binds to TNFR2 receptors, shown in yellow and blue, leading to downstream signaling. On the right, an antagonist antibody, shown in pink and blue, binds to the receptors, locking them in a resting state and preventing TNF binding. This results in no signaling, indicated by a red cross at the bottom.

Potential New Cancer Therapy Could Target Tumors Two Ways

By NCI Staff
February 15, 2017

A team of researchers has developed a potential new therapy that may work in two distinct ways to attack tumors, by directly killing cancer cells and immune cells that can suppress the anti-cancer immune response.

Illustration of the male endocrine system focusing on hormone regulation. It shows the brain, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland producing LHRH, which stimulates the release of LH. Arrows indicate the feedback loop of hormone regulation within the body.

Combination Therapy Improves Survival for Some Men with Recurrent Prostate Cancer

By NCI Staff
February 13, 2017

Long-term results from an NCI-sponsored clinical trial suggest that adding androgen deprivation therapy to radiation therapy can improve survival for some men with recurrent prostate cancer.

Bortezomib blocks the action of the proteasome.

Three-Drug Combination Extends Survival for Patients with Multiple Myeloma

By NCI Staff
February 10, 2017

A phase III clinical trial demonstrates that adding the drug bortezomib to a commonly used two-drug regimen extends survival in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Person working at a laptop, with various digital icons connected by dotted lines. Symbols include DNA strands with binary code, a medical clipboard, facial recognition images, and a computer screen displaying data analysis.

NCTN/NCORP Data Archive: Expanding Access to Clinical Trial Data

By Jeff Abrams, M.D., and Warren Kibbe, Ph.D.
February 6, 2017

NCI is launching the NCTN/NCORP Data Archive, a centralized repository of patient-level data from phase III clinical trials conducted by NCI’s NCTN and NCORP trials programs and the National Cancer Institute of Canada-Clinical Trials Group.