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.
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Study Reinforces Treatment Idea for Cancer with Microsatellite InstabilityCancer cells with a genetic feature called microsatellite instability-high (MSI-high) depend on the enzyme WRN to survive. A new NCI study explains why and reinforces the idea of targeting WRN as a treatment approach for MSI-high cancer.
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Melanoma Cells Are More Likely to Spread after a Stopover in Lymph NodesMelanoma cells that pass through the lymphatic system before entering the bloodstream are more resistant to cell death and spread more readily than cells that enter the bloodstream directly. The finding could lead to new treatment approaches.
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Having a Heart Attack May Make Breast Cancer Grow FasterA heart-related event, like a heart attack, may make breast cancer grow faster, a new study suggests. In mice, heart attacks accelerated breast tumor growth and human studies linked cardiac events with breast cancer recurrence, researchers reported.
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Scientists Focus on Fusion Proteins in Childhood CancersFusion proteins drive the development of many cancers in children, yet little is known about their biology. NCI’s Fusion Oncoproteins in Childhood Cancers Consortium brings together experts from varied disciplines to investigate these cancers.
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How Does Ovarian Cancer Form? A New Study Points to MicroRNAA microRNA—a molecule made by cells to turn genes on and off—called miR-181a may help high-grade serous ovarian cancer form, a study has found. The scientists think the microRNA could potentially help doctors detect ovarian cancer earlier.
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Rediscovered Drugs Hit Leukemia from Two Different AnglesTwo rediscovered drugs, bisantrene and brequinar, slowed the growth of acute myeloid leukemia in studies of mice. The drugs blocked the activity of a protein called FTO, killing cancer stem cells and helping the immune system attack the cancer.
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Boosting Dendritic Cells Helps the Immune System Find Pancreatic CancerThe number of dendritic cells in a tumor may explain why immunotherapies work for some cancers but not others, a new study suggests. In mice, boosting dendritic cells triggered an immune response that slowed pancreatic tumor growth.
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Analyzing Tumor RNA May Help Match Patients with Most Effective Cancer TreatmentsA novel approach to analyzing tumors may bring precision cancer medicine to more patients. A study showed the approach, which analyzes gene expression using tumor RNA, could accurately predict whether patients had responded to treatment with targeted therapy or immunotherapy.
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Mapping Cancer Genomic Evolution Offers Insights into Tumor DevelopmentScientists have mapped the evolution of 38 cancer types, noting common gene and protein alterations that occur early, in the middle of, and late in their development. The hope is that these maps create opportunities to identify cancers much earlier.
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Mouse Study Points to Strategy for Preserving Bone During ChemotherapyBone loss associated with chemotherapy appears to be induced by cells that stop dividing but do not die, a recent study in mice suggests. The researchers tested drugs that could block signals from these senescent cells and reverse bone loss in mice.
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Off Target: Investigating the Abscopal Effect as a Treatment for CancerIn people with cancer, the abscopal effect occurs when radiation—or another type of localized therapy—shrinks a targeted tumor but also causes untreated tumors in the body to shrink. Researchers are trying to better understand this phenomenon and take advantage of it to improve cancer therapy.
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Changes in Metabolism Help Melanomas SpreadMelanoma cells that metastasize to other parts of the body produce high levels of a protein called MCT1, a new study in mice has found. Blocking MCT1 with an investigational drug, AZD3965, led to fewer and smaller metastatic tumors.
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Brain Cancer Cells Hijack Gene “On Switches” to Drive Tumor GrowthGlioblastoma cells sneak many copies of a key oncogene into circular pieces of DNA. In a new NCI-funded study, scientists found that the cells also slip several different genetic “on switches” into these DNA circles, helping to fuel the cancer’s growth.
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Epigenetic Changes Pinpointed as the Cause of Some GISTsScientists may have pinpointed the cause of some gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), a rare cancer, according to a new NCI-funded study. However, the culprit isn’t a harmful genetic mutation, but another type of genetic change, what are called epigenetic alterations.
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To Treat Pancreatic Cancer, Mouse Study Suggests Altering Tumor MicrobiomeIn people with pancreatic cancer, the makeup of bacteria that populate their tumors could predict how long they live, results from a new study suggest. Experiments in mice suggested that altering the tumor microbiome could play a role in treatment.
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Altering Diet Enhances Response to Cancer Treatments in MiceA new NCI-supported study showed that altering cancer cell metabolism by feeding mice a diet very low in the nutrient methionine improved the ability of chemotherapy and radiation therapy to shrink tumors.
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Newly Discovered ‘Don’t Eat Me’ Signal May be a Target for Cancer ImmunotherapyResearchers have identified a protein called CD24 that may be a new target for cancer immunotherapy. The protein is a ‘don’t eat me’ signal that prevents immune cells called macrophages from engulfing and eating cells.
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Could A Form of Cell Death Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy?Injecting cells undergoing necroptosis, a form of cell death, into tumors in mice kickstarted an immune response against the tumors, researchers have found. When combined with immunotherapy, the treatment was effective at eliminating tumors in mice.
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Metastatic Colorectal Cancer May Spread Early in the Disease, Study FindsMany colorectal cancers likely have spread long before the original tumor is detected, researchers have found. The findings suggest the need for very early detection and could help identify patients who need more aggressive systemic treatments.
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Improving Cancer Immunotherapy: Overcoming the Problem of ‘Exhausted’ T CellsResearchers have identified proteins that may play a central role in transforming T cells from powerful destroyers to depleted bystanders that can no longer harm cancer cells. The findings could lead to strategies for boosting cancer immunotherapies.