Leadership & Expert Views - Cancer Currents Blog
Commentaries from scientific leaders at NCI and other institutions about cancer research topics, programs, and initiatives.
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Saying YES: Inspiring a Diverse Generation of Cancer Scientists
Drs. Ned Sharpless and Sanya Springfield highlight NCI’s YES program, which is encouraging young students from underrepresented populations to become interested and engaged in cancer research.
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Reducing Cancer’s Global Burden: A Conversation with NCI’s Dr. Satish Gopal
Dr. Satish Gopal, director of NCI’s Center for Global Health, discusses opportunities for making progress against cancer worldwide, particulary in low- and middle-income countries, many of which are seeing increasing cancer incidence and deaths.
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CCDI Activities Enhance NCI’s Childhood and AYA Cancer Research
Since launching the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, NCI has undertaken a range of research activities to support this important effort. In this Cancer Currents post, NCI Director Dr. Norman Sharpless provides an update on these efforts.
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A New FDA Approval Furthers the Role of Genomics in Cancer Care
FDA’s approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to treat people whose cancer is tumor mutational burden-high highlights the importance of genomic testing to guide treatment, including for children with cancer, according to NCI Director Dr. Ned Sharpless.
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How Does COVID-19 Affect People with Cancer? NCCAPS Will Help Find Out
NCI has launched the COVID-19 in Cancer Patients Study (NCCAPS), which will help answer questions about COVID-19’s impact on cancer patients. The study is now open to adults and will later be expanded to include children.
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Updated Nutrition Facts Label Reflects Science on Diet and Health, including Cancer
On January 1, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring food manufacturers to display updated nutrition facts labels on their product packaging. Experts from FDA and NCI discuss the update and the research that underpins the changes.
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At NCI, A Robust and Rapid Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
NCI is lending its tremendous expertise and unique research capabilities to the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. NCI Director Dr. Norman Sharpless describes some of the COVID-19 specific research activities NCI has initiated.
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Training Cancer Researchers: A Conversation with Dr. Oliver Bogler
NCI’s Center for Cancer Training (CCT) develops training and career development programs for the next generation of cancer researchers. Here, the new CCT director discusses his goals for CCT and the challenges of training cancer researchers.
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Cancer Moonshot℠ Workshop Highlights Recent Research Advances
Hundreds of investigators participating in the Cancer Moonshot℠ to accelerate cancer research met recently to provide updates on their progress since the initiative was announced in 2016.
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Oncofertility: Creating a Bridge Between Cancer Care and Reproductive Health
Dr. Teresa Woodruff discusses the field that connects oncology with reproductive health, and the Oncofertility Consortium’s efforts to support clinicians, cancer patients, and families in understanding how cancer and its treatment affect fertility.
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Prescribing Exercise as Cancer Treatment: A Conversation with Dr. Kathryn Schmitz
Updated guidelines on exercise for those living with cancer and cancer survivors were recently released. In this conversation, Dr. Kathryn Schmitz discusses what these new guidelines mean for doctors, patients, and survivors.
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Home Is Where the Heart Is
Dr. Ned Sharpless discusses his return as NCI director after serving as acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration for 7 months.
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Building on Success, Maximizing Opportunities: NCI’s Annual Plan & Budget Proposal
NCI Acting Director Douglas Lowy, M.D., discusses the institute’s Annual Plan & Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2021, which includes the institute’s professional judgement on the funding required to make the most rapid progress against cancer.
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The Childhood Cancer Data Initiative: Transforming the Pediatric Cancer Landscape through Sharing Data
To prepare for the proposed Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, NCI sponsored a 3-day symposium that brought together pediatric cancer researchers, advocates, and other stakeholders.
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The Childhood Cancer Data Initiative: Why Data Sharing Is Essential to Progress
NCI is laying the groundwork to develop the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI). NCI Acting Director Douglas Lowy, M.D., explains why an initiative with a focus on data sharing is essential to accelerating progress against childhood cancer.
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Prostate Cancer Prevention and Finasteride: A Conversation with NCI’s Dr. Howard Parnes
The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial showed that finasteride can reduce the risk of prostate cancer, but might increase the risk of aggressive disease. NCI’s Howard Parnes talks about subsequent findings and what they mean for men aged 55 and older.
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Ensuring a Smooth Leadership Transition at NCI
Doug Lowy, M.D., a long-time researcher and deputy director at NCI, addresses the cancer community as the institute's acting director, a position he previously held for more than 2 years.
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Making Cancer Clinical Trials Available to More Patients
NCI is expanding eligibility criteria for its cancer clinical trials in the hope that more patients will join, leading to more rapid advances. The goal is to maximize the number of patients who are eligible to enroll while maintaining their safety.
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Partnering with Small Business to Advance Innovation in Cancer Research and Care
NCI Director Dr. Norman Sharpless describes how NCI’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs act as “engines of innovation” and shares recommendations from a federal working group for strengthening the programs.
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The HPV Vaccine: Increasing the Use of an Important Cancer Prevention Tool
Dr. Barbara Rimer, chair of the President’s Cancer Panel, summarizes the panel’s recent report on the HPV vaccine, which includes priorities and strategies to ensure that more people receive this critical cancer vaccine.