April 2015 - Cancer Currents Blog
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Trial Yields Positive Data on Pembrolizumab for Lung Cancer, Potential Response BiomarkerFindings from an early phase clinical trial may point to a biomarker that identifies patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer most likely to respond to the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda®).
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Study Forecasts New Breast Cancer Cases by 2030A new study from NCI researchers is forecasting important trends in the types and molecular makeup of breast cancer cases through 2030, including a reduction in the proportion of cases that are considered to be difficult to treat.
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HPV Vaccine Effective Against Infection at Multiple Sites, Provides Partial Protection in Women with Previous InfectionsA new study from NCI researchers finds that the HPV vaccine protects young women from infection with high-risk HPV types at the three primary anatomic sites where persistent HPV infections can cause cancer. The multi-site protection also was observed at lower levels in previously HPV-exposed women.
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At NCI, A Continued Commitment to Supporting the Best ScienceYesterday, at the AACR annual meeting, Dr. Doug Lowy spoke directly to the research community about his goals as NCI Acting Director. Dr. Lowy said that he plans to continue many of the programs launched by his predecessor, Dr. Harold Varmus, and to sharpen the institute’s focus in several areas where he believes greater progress can offer significant dividends.
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Future Directions for NCI’s Surveillance Research ProgramSince the early 1970s, NCI’s SEER program has been an invaluable resource for statistics on cancer in the United States. For the past several years, SEER researchers have been working toward a much broader and comprehensive goal for providing cancer statistics on a nationwide basis.
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Immune-Based Treatment Shows Promise against Metastatic Cervical CancerIn an early phase NCI clinical trial, two patients with metastatic cervical cancer had a complete disappearance of their tumors after receiving treatment with a form of immunotherapy called adoptive cell transfer.
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Microscopy Advances Open Up New Avenues of Cancer DiscoveryToday’s high-powered microscopes are allowing researchers to study the fine details of individual cells and to peer into cells, opening up new avenues of discovery about the inner workings of cells, including the events that can cause healthy cells to transform into cancer cells.
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Advancing Cancer Care Delivery Research in the Next DecadeA more substantial and coordinated effort is needed to advance the science of cancer care delivery to help address the complex problems facing our health care systems. In response, NCI has created a new Healthcare Delivery Research Program (HDRP) to strengthen its support and coordination of research in ways that both improve survival and enhance patient care experiences.
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Facilitating Research, Fueling Collaboration: Dr. Frank McCormick on the RAS InitiativeFrank McCormick, Ph.D., talks about the history, the challenges, and the future of research on RAS gene mutations, which drive more than 30 percent of all human cancers.
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The RAS Problem: Turning Off a Broken SwitchThe RAS gene is commonly mutated in cancer and researchers are working to better understand how to develop drugs that can target the RAS protein, which for many years has been considered to be “undruggable.”
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The Cancer Genome Atlas: Generating a "Parts List" for CancerJean-Claude Zenklusen, Ph.D., discusses the accomplishments and future of The Cancer Genome Atlas, inspired by topics covered in the documentary film, Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.
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A Message to the Cancer Research CommunityDoug Lowy, M.D., a long-time researcher and leader at NCI, greats the cancer research community as the institute's new acting director.
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The Importance of Cancer Prevention Research and its ChallengesBarry Kramer, M.D., M.P.H., talks about NCI's efforts for improving cancer prevention and early detection, two topics discussed in the documentary film, Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.