News

Epigenetic changes are chemical modifications that turn our genes off or on. In a new study from Uppsala University, researchers show that tea consumption in women leads to epigenetic changes in genes that are known to interact with cancer and estrogen metabolism.

Changes in immune activity appear to signal a growing brain tumor five years before symptoms arise, new research has found.

Clinicians continue to add to the system’s cancer-assessing repertoire.

Researchers found that a molecule called PD-L1, which is blocked by the immunotherapy drug nivolumab, acts not only on immune cells but also on the nerve cells that signal pain. That insight could lead to a simple test that measures subtle differences in pain sensitivity to gauge whether or not a cancer patient is responding to immunotherapy. This study also identifies PD-L1 as a previously unrecognized neuromodulator and pain inhibitor.

A new plasmonic sensor developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will serve as a reliable early detection of biomarkers for many forms of cancer and eventually other diseases.

Scientists have found that some types of cancers have more of a sweet tooth than others.

Researchers have identified a new way to potentially slow the fast-growing cells that characterize all types of cancer. By removing a specific protein from cells, they were able to slow the cell cycle, which is out of control in cancer. The findings were made in kidney and cervical cancer cells and are a long way from being applied in people, but could be the basis of a treatment option in the future.

On May 23, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab, made by Merck and marketed as Keytruda, for adults and children without remaining treatment alternatives and with metastatic solid tumors identified with a biomarker called microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR).

Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy- or immunotherapy-based treatments must undergo regular CT and PET scans—and in some cases, new biopsies—to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment. Flow cytometry, a method for identifying circulating tumor cells (CTCs) via a simple blood test, is much less invasive than scans and biopsies, and could be a game-changer in cancer treatment.

The men and women who are trying to bring down cancer are starting to join forces rather than work alone. Together, they are winning a few of the battles against the world’s fiercest disease. For this unprecedented special report, we visited elite cancer research centers around the country to find out where we are in the war.