Cancer Currents: An NCI Cancer Research Blog

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

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).

A infographic titled “National Cancer Institute Precision Medicine in Cancer Treatment”. The intro reads “Discovering unique therapies that treat an individual’s cancer based on the specific genetic abnormalities of that person’s tumor.” Below are three rows of icons: four people on the left, a DNA strand in the middle, and a medicine bottle with different icons on the right. The icons on the medicine bottle appear on different places on the people and DNA icons.

Precision Medicine Initiative® and Cancer Research

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

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

By NCI Staff
January 23, 2015

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

By NCI Staff
January 16, 2015

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

By NCI Staff
January 13, 2015

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

By NCI Staff
January 7, 2015

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

By NCI Staff
January 6, 2015

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

By NCI Staff
December 17, 2014

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

By NCI Staff
December 12, 2014

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

By NCI Staff
December 11, 2014

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.