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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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.
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Researchers Turn On PTEN Tumor-Suppressor Protein in Cancer CellsResearchers have discovered a potential way to turn on one of the most commonly silenced tumor-suppressor proteins in cancer, called PTEN. They also found a natural compound, I3C, that in lab studies could flip the on switch.
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Studying Genes and Proteins Together Sheds New Light on Colon CancerUsing novel proteogenomic techniques, scientists from NCI’s Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium have uncovered new features of colon cancer that may guide new treatment strategies.
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New Drugs, New Side Effects: Complications of Cancer ImmunotherapyThe expanding use of cancer immunotherapy has revealed a variety of side effects associated with this treatment approach. Researchers are now trying to better understand how and why these side effects occur and develop strategies for better managing them.
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Researchers Discover Potential Way to Hit Elusive Target in Pancreatic CancerThree research groups have found a potential way to kill cancer cells in pancreatic tumors by simultaneously blocking the activity of proteins that interact with KRAS proteins and disrupting an energy-creating process called autophagy.
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Bone Marrow Transplant Drug May Improve Immunotherapy for Metastatic Breast CancerThe build-up of connective tissue around some types of cancer can act as a barrier to immunotherapy. A new study uses a bone marrow transplant drug, plerixafor, to break down this barrier and improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in animal models of breast cancer.
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Dormant Tumor Cells Can Be Sensitized to ChemotherapyA new study in mice shows that disrupting the relationship between breast cancer cells that spread to bone and normal cells surrounding them makes the cancer cells sensitive to treatment.
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HTAN: Mapping Tumors across Space and Time Using Cutting-Edge TechnologiesThe Human Tumor Atlas Network, an NCI-led collaborative research project, is creating detailed maps of cancers that will be used to learn how cancer develops, spreads, and responds to treatment.
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Curbing Production of Immune Checkpoint Protein Slows Liver Cancer in MiceResearchers have found an unconventional way to unleash the immune system against liver cancer in mice. The researchers used an investigational drug to curb the production of a checkpoint inhibitor protein that shields tumors from the immune system.
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Glioblastoma Study Highlights Sex Differences in Brain CancerMen and women with glioblastoma appear to respond differently to standard treatment. A new study identifies biological factors that might contribute to this sex difference.
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For Early-Stage Lung Cancer, Study Identifies Potential New Biomarker, Treatment TargetA new study has identified a potential biomarker of early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The biomarker, the study’s leaders said, could help diagnose precancerous lung growths and early-stage lung cancers noninvasively and distinguish them from noncancerous growths.
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Drug Combination May Target the Unique Metabolism of Leukemia Stem CellsTwo new studies show how the drugs venetoclax (Venclexta) and azacitidine (Vidaza) team up to block the unique metabolism of leukemia stem cells and may explain why the drug combination is effective against acute myeloid leukemia.
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Appendix Cancers Are Genetically Distinct from Other Gastrointestinal Cancers, Study ShowsThe largest-ever study of DNA changes in appendix cancer shows that it is distinct from colorectal and other gastrointestinal cancers and suggests that specific mutations in appendix tumors may help predict whether they may be aggressive.