latest research on cancer

Suggestions or feedback?

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Machine learning
• Social justice
• Black holes
• Classes and programs

Departments

• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Architecture
• Political Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Centers, Labs, & Programs

• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
• Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
• Lincoln Laboratory
• School of Architecture + Planning
• School of Engineering
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Sloan School of Management
• School of Science
• MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

New cancer treatment may reawaken the immune system

Press contact :, media download.

*Terms of Use:

Images for download on the MIT News office website are made available to non-commercial entities, press and the general public under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives license . You may not alter the images provided, other than to crop them to size. A credit line must be used when reproducing images; if one is not provided below, credit the images to "MIT."

Previous image Next image

Immunotherapy is a promising strategy to treat cancer by stimulating the body’s own immune system to destroy tumor cells, but it only works for a handful of cancers. MIT researchers have now discovered a new way to jump-start the immune system to attack tumors, which they hope could allow immunotherapy to be used against more types of cancer.

Their novel approach involves removing tumor cells from the body, treating them with chemotherapy drugs, and then placing them back in the tumor. When delivered along with drugs that activate T cells, these injured cancer cells appear to act as a distress signal that spurs the T cells into action.

“When you create cells that have DNA damage but are not killed, under certain conditions those live, injured cells can send a signal that awakens the immune system,” says Michael Yaffe, who is a David H. Koch Professor of Science, the director of the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine, and a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.

In mouse studies, the researchers found that this treatment could completely eliminate tumors in nearly half of the mice.

Yaffe and Darrell Irvine, who is the Underwood-Prescott Professor with appointments in MIT’s departments of Biological Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, and an associate director of the Koch Institute, are the senior authors of the study, which appears today in Science Signaling . MIT postdoc Ganapathy Sriram and Lauren Milling PhD ’21 are the lead authors of the paper.

T cell activation

One class of drugs currently used for cancer immunotherapy is checkpoint blockade inhibitors, which take the brakes off of T cells that have become “exhausted” and unable to attack tumors. These drugs have shown success in treating a few types of cancer but do not work against many others.

Yaffe and his colleagues set out to try to improve the performance of these drugs by combining them with cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs, in hopes that the chemotherapy could help stimulate the immune system to kill tumor cells. This approach is based on a phenomenon known as immunogenic cell death, in which dead or dying tumor cells send signals that attract the immune system’s attention.

Several clinical trials combining chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs are underway, but little is known so far about the best way to combine these two types of treatment.

The MIT team began by treating cancer cells with several different chemotherapy drugs, at different doses. Twenty-four hours after the treatment, the researchers added dendritic cells to each dish, followed 24 hours later by T cells. Then, they measured how well the T cells were able to kill the cancer cells. To their surprise, they found that most of the chemotherapy drugs didn’t help very much. And those that did help appeared to work best at low doses that didn’t kill many cells.

The researchers later realized why this was so: It wasn’t dead tumor cells that were stimulating the immune system; instead, the critical factor was cells that were injured by chemotherapy but still alive.

“This describes a new concept of immunogenic cell injury rather than immunogenic cell death for cancer treatment,” Yaffe says. “We showed that if you treated tumor cells in a dish, when you injected them back directly into the tumor and gave checkpoint blockade inhibitors, the live, injured cells were the ones that reawaken the immune system.”

The drugs that appear to work best with this approach are drugs that cause DNA damage. The researchers found that when DNA damage occurs in tumor cells, it activates cellular pathways that respond to stress. These pathways send out distress signals that provoke T cells to leap into action and destroy not only those injured cells but any tumor cells nearby.

“Our findings fit perfectly with the concept that ‘danger signals’ within cells can talk to the immune system, a theory pioneered by Polly Matzinger at NIH in the 1990s, though still not universally accepted,” Yaffe says.  

Tumor elimination

In studies of mice with melanoma and breast tumors, the researchers showed that this treatment eliminated tumors completely in 40 percent of the mice. Furthermore, when the researchers injected cancer cells into these same mice several months later, their T cells recognized them and destroyed them before they could form new tumors.

The researchers also tried injecting DNA-damaging drugs directly into the tumors, instead of treating cells outside the body, but they found this was not effective because the chemotherapy drugs also harmed T cells and other immune cells near the tumor. Also, injecting the injured cells without checkpoint blockade inhibitors had little effect.

“You have to present something that can act as an immunostimulant, but then you also have to release the preexisting block on the immune cells,” Yaffe says.

Yaffe hopes to test this approach in patients whose tumors have not responded to immunotherapy, but more study is needed first to determine which drugs, and at which doses, would be most beneficial for different types of tumors. The researchers are also further investigating the details of exactly how the injured tumor cells stimulate such a strong T cell response.

The research was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health, the Mazumdar-Shaw International Oncology Fellowship, the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine, and the Charles and Marjorie Holloway Foundation.

Share this news article on:

Related links.

• Department of Biology
• Department of Biological Engineering
• Department of Materials Science and Engineering
• Koch Institute
• Ragon Institute

Related Topics

• Biological engineering

Related Articles

Cancer biologists identify new drug combo

A boost for cancer immunotherapy

Fighting cancer with the power of immunity

Previous item Next item

More MIT News

Scientists identify mechanism behind drug resistance in malaria parasite

Read full story →

Getting to systemic sustainability

New MIT-LUMA Lab created to address climate challenges in the Mediterranean region

MIT Press releases Direct to Open impact report

Modeling the threat of nuclear war

Modular, scalable hardware architecture for a quantum computer

• More news on MIT News homepage →

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA

• Map (opens in new window)
• Events (opens in new window)
• People (opens in new window)
• Careers (opens in new window)
• Accessibility
• Social Media Hub
• MIT on Facebook
• MIT on YouTube
• MIT on Instagram

10 new breakthroughs in the fight against cancer

Medical advances are continuing to help the world fight cancer. Image:  Unsplash/National Cancer Institute

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Victoria Masterson

Madeleine north.

.chakra .wef-9dduvl{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-9dduvl{font-size:1.125rem;}} Explore and monitor how .chakra .wef-15eoq1r{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;color:#F7DB5E;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-15eoq1r{font-size:1.125rem;}} Global Health is affecting economies, industries and global issues

.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;color:#2846F8;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{font-size:1.125rem;}} Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:, global health.

Listen to the article

This article was originally published in May 2022, and most recently updated in May 2024 .

• Cancer is one of the world’s biggest killers, with around 10 million deaths per year due to the disease.
• Scientists are using artificial intelligence, DNA sequencing, precision oncology and other technologies to improve treatment and diagnosis.
• The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution India, a collaboration with the World Economic Forum, hopes to accelerate 18 cancer interventions.

Cancer kills around 10 million people a year and is a leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization.

Breast, lung and colon cancer are among the most common. Death rates from cancer were falling before the pandemic . But COVID-19 caused a big backlog in diagnosis and treatment .

There is some good news, however. Medical advances are accelerating the battle against cancer. Here are 10 recent developments.

Test to identify 18 early-stage cancers

Researchers in the US have developed a test they say can identify 18 early-stage cancers. Instead of the usual invasive and costly methods, Novelna's test works by analyzing a patient's blood protein. In a screening of 440 people already diagnosed with cancer, the test correctly identified 93% of stage 1 cancers in men and 84% in women. The researchers believe the findings "pave the way for a cost-effective, highly accurate, multi-cancer screening test that can be implemented on a population-wide scale". It's early days, however. With such a small sample screening and a lack of information on co-existing conditions, the test is currently more of "a starting point for developing a new generation of screening tests for the early detection of cancer".

Seven-minute cancer treatment jab

England's National Health Service (NHS) is to be the first in the world to make use of a cancer treatment injection , which takes just seven minutes to administer, rather than the current time of up to an hour to have the same drug via intravenous infusion. This will not only speed up the treatment process for patients, but also free up time for medical professionals. The drug, Atezolizumab or Tecentriq, treats cancers including lung and breast, and it's expected most of the 3,600 NHS patients in England currently receiving it intravenously will now switch to the jab.

Precision oncology

Precision oncology is the “ best new weapon to defeat cancer ”, the chief executive of Genetron Health, Sizhen Wang, says in a blog for the World Economic Forum. This involves studying the genetic makeup and molecular characteristics of cancer tumours in individual patients. The precision oncology approach identifies changes in cells that might be causing the cancer to grow and spread. Personalized treatments can then be developed. The 100,000 Genomes Project, a National Health Service initiative, studied more than 13,000 tumour samples from UK cancer patients , successfully integrating genomic data to more accurately pin-point effective treatment. Because precision oncology treatments are targeted – as opposed to general treatments like chemotherapy – it can mean less harm to healthy cells and fewer side effects as a result.

Artificial intelligence fights cancer

In India, World Economic Forum partners are using emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to transform cancer care. For example, AI-based risk profiling can help screen for common cancers like breast cancer, leading to early diagnosis. AI technology can also be used to analyze X-rays to identify cancers in places where imaging experts might not be available. These are two of 18 cancer interventions that The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution India, a collaboration with the Forum , hopes to accelerate.

Greater prediction capabilities

Lung cancer kills more people in the US yearly than the next three deadliest cancers combined. It's notoriously hard to detect the early stages of the disease with X-rays and scans alone. However, MIT scientists have developed an AI learning model to predict a person's likelihood of developing lung cancer up to six years in advance via a low-dose CT scan. Trained using complex imaging data, 'Sybil' can forecast both short- and long-term lung cancer risk, according to a recent study. "We found that while we as humans couldn't quite see where the cancer was, the model could still have some predictive power as to which lung would eventually develop cancer," said co-author Jeremy Wohlwend.

Clues in the DNA of cancer

At Cambridge University Hospitals in England, the DNA of cancer tumours from 12,000 patients is revealing new clues about the causes of cancer, scientists say. By analyzing genomic data, oncologists are identifying different mutations that have contributed to each person’s cancer. For example, exposure to smoking or UV light, or internal malfunctions in cells. These are like “fingerprints in a crime scene”, the scientists say – and more of them are being found. “We uncovered 58 new mutational signatures and broadened our knowledge of cancer,” says study author Dr Andrea Degasperi, from Cambridge’s Department of Oncology.

Liquid and synthetic biopsies

Biopsies are the main way doctors diagnose cancer – but the process is invasive and involves removing a section of tissue from the body, sometimes surgically, so it can be examined in a laboratory. Liquid biopsies are an easier and less invasive solution where blood samples can be tested for signs of cancer. Synthetic biopsies are another innovation that can force cancer cells to reveal themselves during the earliest stages of the disease.

The application of “precision medicine” to save and improve lives relies on good-quality, easily-accessible data on everything from our DNA to lifestyle and environmental factors. The opposite to a one-size-fits-all healthcare system, it has vast, untapped potential to transform the treatment and prediction of rare diseases—and disease in general.

But there is no global governance framework for such data and no common data portal. This is a problem that contributes to the premature deaths of hundreds of millions of rare-disease patients worldwide.

The World Economic Forum’s Breaking Barriers to Health Data Governance initiative is focused on creating, testing and growing a framework to support effective and responsible access – across borders – to sensitive health data for the treatment and diagnosis of rare diseases.

The data will be shared via a “federated data system”: a decentralized approach that allows different institutions to access each other’s data without that data ever leaving the organization it originated from. This is done via an application programming interface and strikes a balance between simply pooling data (posing security concerns) and limiting access completely.

The project is a collaboration between entities in the UK (Genomics England), Australia (Australian Genomics Health Alliance), Canada (Genomics4RD), and the US (Intermountain Healthcare).

CAR-T-cell therapy

A treatment that makes immune cells hunt down and kill cancer cells was declared a success for leukaemia patients in 2022. Known as CAR-T-cell therapy, it involves removing and genetically altering immune cells, called T cells, from cancer patients. The altered cells then produce proteins called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), which can recognize and destroy cancer cells. In the journal Nature , scientists at the University of Pennsylvania announced that two of the first people treated with CAR-T-cell therapy were still in remission 12 years on.

However, the US Food and Drug Administration is currently investigating whether the process can in fact cause cancer , after 33 cases of secondary cancer were observed in patients receiving CAR-T therapies. The jury is still out as to whether the therapy is to blame but, as a precaution, the drug packaging now carries a warning.

Fighting pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. It is rarely diagnosed before it starts to spread and has a survival rate of less than 5% over five years. At the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, scientists developed a test that identified 95% of early pancreatic cancers in a study. The research, published in Nature Communications Medicine , explains how biomarkers in extracellular vesicles – particles that regulate communication between cells – were used to detect pancreatic, ovarian and bladder cancer at stages I and II.

Have you read?

Cancer: how to stop the next global health crisis, how to improve access to cancer medicines in low and middle-income countries, why is cancer becoming more common among millennials, a tablet to cut breast cancer risk.

A drug that could halve the chance of women developing breast cancer is being tested out by England's National Health Service (NHS). It will be made available to almost 300,000 women seen as being at most risk of developing breast cancer, which is the most common type of cancer in the UK . The drug, named anastrozole, cuts the level of oestrogen women produce by blocking the enzyme aromatase . It has already been used for many years as a breast cancer treatment but has now been repurposed as a preventive medicine. “This is the first drug to be repurposed through a world-leading new programme to help us realize the full potential of existing medicines in new uses to save and improve more lives on the NHS," says NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard.

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

The Agenda .chakra .wef-n7bacu{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-weight:400;} Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

.chakra .wef-1dtnjt5{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-wrap:wrap;-ms-flex-wrap:wrap;flex-wrap:wrap;} More on Health and Healthcare Systems .chakra .wef-nr1rr4{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;white-space:normal;vertical-align:middle;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:0.75rem;border-radius:0.25rem;font-weight:700;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;line-height:1.2;-webkit-letter-spacing:1.25px;-moz-letter-spacing:1.25px;-ms-letter-spacing:1.25px;letter-spacing:1.25px;background:none;padding:0px;color:#B3B3B3;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;}@media screen and (min-width:37.5rem){.chakra .wef-nr1rr4{font-size:0.875rem;}}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-nr1rr4{font-size:1rem;}} See all

This pioneering airspace management system can unleash the societal benefits of drone tech

Daniella Partem, Ofer Lapid and Ami Weisz

May 29, 2024

5 steps towards health equity in low- and middle-income countries through tailored innovation

Melanie Saville

The world must invest in oral health, plus other top health stories

Shyam Bishen

Why health ministers must be at the forefront of global healthcare processes

May 28, 2024

How AI, robotics and automation will reshape the diagnostic lab of the future

Ranga Sampath

How health data collaboration can help unlock inclusive healthcare

Laura Heinrich and Antonio Spina

May 27, 2024

• Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer
• Bile Duct Cancer
• Bladder Cancer
• Brain Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Cervical Cancer
• Childhood Cancer
• Colorectal Cancer
• Endometrial Cancer
• Esophageal Cancer
• Head and Neck Cancer
• Kidney Cancer
• Liver Cancer
• Lung Cancer
• Mouth Cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Multiple Myeloma
• Neuroendocrine Tumors
• Ovarian Cancer
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Skin Cancer/Melanoma
• Stomach Cancer
• Testicular Cancer
• Throat Cancer
• Thyroid Cancer
• Prevention and Screening
• Diagnosis and Treatment
• Research and Clinical Trials
• Survivorship

Request an appointment at Mayo Clinic

Cancer research highlights from 2023

Share this:.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Researchers at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center spent 2023 studying the biology of cancer and new ways to predict, prevent, diagnose and treat the disease. Their discoveries are creating hope and transforming the quality of life for people with cancer today and in the future. Here are some highlights from their research over the past year:

Mayo Clinic researchers link ovarian cancer to bacteria colonization in the microbiome.

A specific colonization of microbes in the reproductive tract is commonly found in people with ovarian cancer, according to a study from the Mayo Clinic  Center for Individualized Medicine . Published in  Scientific Reports  and led by  Marina Walther-Antonio, Ph.D. , a Mayo Clinic researcher, and Abigail Asangba, Ph.D., the discovery strengthens the evidence that the bacterial component of the microbiome — a community of microorganisms that also consists of viruses, yeasts and fungi — is an important indicator for early detection, diagnosis and prognosis of ovarian cancer . The study also suggests that a higher accumulation of pathogenic microbes plays a role in treatment outcomes and could be a potential indicator for predicting a patient's prognosis and response to therapy.  Read more .

Artificial intelligence is forging a new future for colorectal cancer and other digestive system diseases.

Colonoscopy remains the gold standard in detecting and preventing colorectal cancer , but the procedure has limitations. Some studies suggest that more than half of post-colonoscopy colon cancer cases arise from lesions missed at patients' previous colonoscopies. In 2022, Michael Wallace, M.D. , a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, published the results  of an international, multicenter study testing the impact of adding artificial intelligence (AI) to routine colonoscopies. His team, including James East, M.D. , a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, and other researchers from the U.S., the U.K., Italy, Germany and Ireland, found that incorporating AI into colonoscopies reduced the risk of missing polyps by 50%.  Read more .

A big step forward: Bringing DNA sequencing data to routine patient care.

The Tapestry study , an extensive genomic sequencing clinical research study, aims to complete exome sequencing (sequencing the protein-coding regions of a genome) for 100,000 Mayo Clinic patients. The results will be integrated into patients’ electronic health records for three hereditary conditions, and the amassed data will contribute to a research dataset stored within the Mayo Clinic Cloud on the Omics Data Platform. The overall hope of Tapestry is to accelerate discoveries in individualized medicine to tailor prevention, diagnosis and treatment to a patient's unique genetic makeup. It is poised to advance evidence that exome sequencing, when applied to a diverse and comprehensive general population, can proficiently identify carriers of genetic variants that put them at higher risk for a disease, allowing them to take preventive measures.  Read more .

Patients with multiple tumors in one breast may not need a mastectomy.

Patients who have multiple tumors in one breast may be able to avoid a mastectomy if surgeons can remove the tumors while leaving enough breast tissue, according to research led by the  Alliance in Clinical Trials in Oncology  and  Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center . Patients would receive breast-conserving therapy — a  lumpectomy  followed by whole-breast  radiation therapy — rather than mastectomy . The study is published in the  Journal of Clinical Oncology . Historically, women with multiple tumors in one breast have been advised to have a mastectomy. Now, patients can be offered a less invasive option with faster recovery, resulting in better patient satisfaction and cosmetic outcomes, says  Judy Boughey, M.D. , lead author, Mayo Clinic breast surgical oncologist and the W.H. Odell Professor of Individualized Medicine. Read more .

Staging pancreatic cancer early with minimally invasive surgery shows positive results in patient prognosis.

A study published in the  Journal of the American College of Surgeons  reveals that performing a minor surgical procedure on patients newly diagnosed with  pancreatic cancer  helps to identify cancer spread early and determine the stage of cancer. The researchers add that the surgery ideally should be performed before the patient begins chemotherapy. "This is an important study because it supports that staging laparoscopy may help determine a patient's prognosis and better inform treatment so that patients avoid unhelpful or potentially harmful surgical therapy," says  Mark Truty, M.D. , a Mayo Clinic surgical oncologist who led the research.  Read more .

Mayo Clinic study reveals proton beam therapy may shorten breast cancer treatment.

In a trial published in  The Lancet Oncology , Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers uncovered evidence supporting a shorter treatment time for people with breast cancer . The study compared two separate dosing schedules of pencil-beam scanning proton therapy , known for its precision in targeting cancer cells while preserving healthy tissue to reduce the risk of side effects. The investigators found that both 25-day and 15-day proton therapy schedules resulted in excellent cancer control while sparing surrounding non-cancerous tissue. Further, complication rates were comparable between the two study groups. "We can now consider the option of 15 days of therapy for patients based on the similar treatment outcomes observed," says  Robert Mutter, M.D. , a Mayo Clinic radiation oncologist and physician-scientist. Read more .

Harnessing the immune system to fight ovarian cancer.

Mayo Clinic research is biomanufacturing an experimental, cell-based ovarian cancer vaccine and combining it with immunotherapy to study a "one-two punch" approach to halting ovarian cancer progression. This research begins with a blood draw from people with advanced  ovarian cancer  whose tumors have returned after standard surgery and chemotherapy. White blood cells are extracted from the blood, biomanufactured to become dendritic cells and returned to the patient. Dendritic cells act as crusaders that march through the body, triggering the immune system to recognize and fight cancer. "We're building on an earlier phase 1 clinical trial  that showed promising results  in terms of survival after the dendritic cell-based vaccine," says  Matthew Block, M.D., Ph.D. , co-principal investigator and Mayo Clinic medical oncologist. "Of the 18 evaluable patients in the phase 1 study, 11 had cancer return, but seven of them — 40% — have been cancer-free for almost 10 years. We typically expect 90% of patients in this condition to have the cancer return."  Read more .

New gene markers detect Lynch syndrome-associated colorectal cancer.

Researchers from Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine have discovered new genetic markers to identify Lynch syndrome-associated colorectal cancer with high accuracy. Studies are underway to determine if these genetic markers are in stool samples and, if so, how this could lead to a non-invasive screening option for people with  Lynch syndrome . The research was published in Cancer Prevention Research , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "This is an exciting finding that brings us closer to the reality that clinicians may soon be able to offer a non-invasive cancer screening option to patients with the highest risk of getting cancer," says  Jewel Samadder, M.D. , co-lead author of the paper and a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist. Read more .

Mayo Clinic prepares to biomanufacture a new CAR-T cell therapy for B-cell blood cancers.

Mayo Clinic research has developed a new type of  chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy)  aimed at killing B-cell blood cancers that have returned and are no longer responding to treatment. This pioneering technology, designed and developed in the lab of  Hong Qin, M.D., Ph.D. , a Mayo Clinic cancer researcher, killed B-cell tumors grown in the laboratory and tumors implanted in mouse models. The preclinical findings are published in  Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy . "This study shows our experimental CAR-T cell therapy targets several blood cancers, specifically chronic lymphocytic leukemia," says Dr. Qin. "Currently, there are six different CAR-T cell therapies approved for treatment of relapsed blood cancers. While the results are impressive, not everyone responds to this treatment. Our goal is to provide novel cell therapies shaped to each patient's individual need."  Read more .

Related Posts

Dr. Jonathan Schwartz discusses medulloblastoma treatment for children, the latest advances, and what families should look for in a care team.

Dr. Mark Tyson discusses new and developing bladder cancer treatment options and what you should know when seeking bladder cancer care.

Mayo Clinic researchers are collaborating to develop CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors in thyroid cancer.

Cancer News

Top headlines, latest headlines.

• Genetic Mosaicism More Common Than Thought
• Treated for Breast Cancer? Can Still Have Kids
• Epstein-Barr Virus and Resulting Diseases
• Melanoma: Role of Inherited Genes
• Predicting Individual Cancer Risk
• Can Diet Help With Advanced Breast Cancer?
• Sweet Move for Modified Sugar
• Take a Keto-Break? New Study
• How Immune Cells Recognize Cancer Cells
• Exercise and Efficacy of Cancer Drugs

Earlier Headlines

Friday, may 24, 2024.

• New Advances in Cancer Viral Immunotherapy

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

• Gentler Cell Therapies for Blood Cancer

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

• Scientists Create Tailored Drug for Aggressive Breast Cancer
• Lung Cancer Study Offers Further Evidence on Importance of Screening
• Drug Helps Reprogram Macrophage Immune Cells, Suppress Prostate and Bladder Tumor Growth

Monday, May 20, 2024

• Body's 'message in a Bottle' Delivers Targeted Cancer Treatment
• Scientists Uncover Promising Treatment Target for Resistant Brain Cancer

Friday, May 17, 2024

• Research Finds VISTA Directly Blocks T-Cells from Functioning in Immunotherapy
• Gut Bacteria Boost Immune Response to Fight Tumors
• New AI Tool to Help Beat Brain Tumors
• Anti-Diabetic Treatment Associated With Reduced Risk of Developing Blood Cancer

Thursday, May 16, 2024

• Researchers Discover New Pathway to Cancer Cell Suicide

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

• Pre And Post-Surgical Immunotherapy Improves Outcomes for Patients With Operable Lung Cancer
• Two Decades of Studies Suggest Health Benefits Associated With Plant-Based Diets
• This Time, It's Personal: Enhancing Patient Response to Cancer Immunotherapy
• Two Genes of the Germline Are Essential for the Development of Brain Tumors in Drosophila
• New Study Links Protein Secreted by Blood Vessels to Drug-Resistant Cancer

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

• Stem Cells Provide New Insight Into Genetic Pathway of Childhood Cancer
• Newly Identified PET Biomarker Predicts Success of Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy

Monday, May 13, 2024

• Derivatives of the Thalidomide Compound Drive Resistant Cancer Cells to Their Deaths
• New Viruses That Could Cause Epidemics on the Horizon
• Research on Centromere Structure Yields New Insights Into the Mechanisms of Chromosome Segregation Errors
• Prostate Cancer Study: More Health Benefits from Plant-Based Diet
• Plant Virus Treatment Shows Promise in Fighting Metastatic Cancers in Mice

Friday, May 10, 2024

• Melanoma in Darker Skin Tones
• ERR-Gamma 'trains' Stomach Stem Cells to Become Acid-Producing Cells
• Stem Cells: A New Mechanical Transducer

Thursday, May 9, 2024

• AI Advancements Make the Leap Into 3D Pathology Possible

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

• Strengthening CAR-T Therapy to Work Against Solid Tumors
• New Target for Potential Leukemia Therapy

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

• AI Predicts Tumor-Killing Cells With High Accuracy
• Years After His Death, Late Scientist's Work Could Yield New Cancer Treatments
• US Geographic Region Results in Vastly Different Anal Cancer Risk for People With HIV
• Intermittent Fasting Protects Against Liver Inflammation and Liver Cancer
• Study Sheds Light on Cancer Cell 'tug-of-War'
• Dogma-Challenging Telomere Findings May Offer New Insights for Cancer Treatments
• Researchers Use Foundation Models to Discover New Cancer Imaging Biomarkers

Monday, May 6, 2024

• Direct Measurement of the Interaction Between Immune Cells and Cancer Cells from a Patient's Biopsy
• Past and Guides Future Efforts to Reduce Cancer Disparities
• Simulated Chemistry: New AI Platform Designs Tomorrow's Cancer Drugs
• Expanding a Lymph Node, Boosting a Vaccine
• Researchers Develop New AI Tool for Fast and Precise Tissue Analysis to Support Drug Discovery and Diagnostics

Friday, May 3, 2024

• Newly Discovered Mechanism of T-Cell Control Can Interfere With Cancer Immunotherapies
• Pan-Cancer Analysis Uncovers a New Class of Promising CAR T--Cell Immunotherapy Targets
• New Immunosuppressive Mechanism Found in Brain Cancer

Thursday, May 2, 2024

• Scientists Track 'doubling' In Origin of Cancer Cells
• Gene Signatures from Tissue-Resident T Cells as a Predictive Tool for Melanoma Patients
• Cancer Patients Gain Important Benefits from Genome-Matched Treatments
• Medical School Scientist Creates Therapy to Kill Hypervirulent Bacteria

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

• Therapy to Kill Hypervirulent Bacteria Developed
• Research Breakthrough on Birth Defect Affecting Brain Size
• Unraveling the Roles of Non-Coding DNA Explains Childhood Cancer's Resistance to Chemotherapy
• Biomarkers in Blood to Predict Liver Cancer
• New mRNA Cancer Vaccine Triggers Fierce Immune Response to Fight Malignant Brain Tumor
• Clogged Arteries Worsened by Cells That Behave Like Cancer Cells
• One-Two Punch Treatment Delivers Blood Cancer Knockout

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

• Difference Found in Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Offering New Hope for Immunotherapy Effectiveness
• New and Improved Way to Grow the Cells That Give Rise to the Kidney's Filtration System
• Regulating Cholesterol Levels Might Be the Key to Improving Cancer Treatment
• Scientists Find Cancer-Like Features in Atherosclerosis, Spurring Opportunity for New Treatment Approaches

Monday, April 29, 2024

• Kaposi Sarcoma Discovery Could Facilitate Drug Development
• The Aspirin Conundrum: Navigating Negative Results, Age, Aging Dynamics and Equity
• Blood Samples Enhance B-Cell Lymphoma Diagnostics and Prognosis

Friday, April 26, 2024

• Breast Cancer Rates Rising Among Canadian Women in Their 20s, 30s and 40s
• Component of Keto Diet Plus Immunotherapy May Reduce Prostate Cancer

Thursday, April 25, 2024

• Vitamin D Alters Mouse Gut Bacteria to Give Better Cancer Immunity
• Physical Activity in Nature Helps Prevent Several Diseases, Including Depression and Type 2 Diabetes
• Circadian Rhythms Can Influence Drugs' Effectiveness

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

• Tumor Cells Evade the Immune System Early On: Newly Discovered Mechanism Could Significantly Improve Cancer Immunotherapies
• Mini-Colons Revolutionize Colorectal Cancer Research
• Artificial Intelligence Can Develop Treatments to Prevent 'superbugs'
• Scientists Identify and Show How to Target a Key Tumor Defense Against Immune Attack
• CAR T Cell Therapy Targeting HER2 Antigen Shows Promise Against Advanced Sarcoma in Phase I Trial
• Discovering Cancers of Epigenetic Origin Without DNA Mutation

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

• Researching Cancer by Studying Lipids Cell by Cell
• Genetics Predict Type 2 Diabetes Risk and Disparities in Childhood Cancer Survivors
• New Study Uncovers Lasting Financial Hardship Associated With Cancer Diagnosis for Working-Age Adults in the U.S.
• Liver Cancer: Molecular Signaling Pathway of Tumor Development Decoded

Monday, April 22, 2024

• Breakthrough Rice Bran Nanoparticles Show Promise as Affordable and Targeted Anticancer Agent
• Genetically Engineering a Treatment for Incurable Brain Tumors

Friday, April 19, 2024

• Researchers Develop a New Way to Safely Boost Immune Cells to Fight Cancer
• Study Opens New Avenue for Immunotherapy Drug Development

Thursday, April 18, 2024

• Mutations in Noncoding DNA Become Functional in Some Cancer-Driving Genes
• AI Tool Predicts Responses to Cancer Therapy Using Information from Each Cell of the Tumor
• Siblings With Unique Genetic Change Help Scientists Progress Drug Search for Type 1 Diabetes
• New Urine-Based Test Detects High-Grade Prostate Cancer, Helping Men Avoid Unnecessary Biopsies

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

• Researchers Uncover Human DNA Repair by Nuclear Metamorphosis

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

• Researchers Discover Urine-Based Test to Detect Head and Neck Cancer
• Nanoparticle Delivery of FZD4 to Lung Endothelial Cells Inhibits Lung Cancer Progression and Metastases
• New Insights Could Unlock Immunotherapy for Rare, Deadly Eye Cancer

Monday, April 15, 2024

• Next-Generation Treatments Hitch a Ride Into Cancer Cells
• Epilepsy Drug Prevents Brain Tumors in Mice With NF1
• New Study Sheds Light on the Mechanisms Underlying the Development of Malignant Pediatric Brain Tumors

Friday, April 12, 2024

• Melanomas Resist Drugs by 'breaking' Genes
• Scientists Uncover a Missing Link Between Poor Diet and Higher Cancer Risk

Thursday, April 11, 2024

• Researchers Identify New Genetic Risk Factors for Persistent HPV Infections
• Colorless, Odorless Gas Likely Linked to Alarming Rise in Non-Smoking Lung Cancer
• Scientists Uncover Key Resistance Mechanism to Wnt Inhibitors in Pancreatic and Colorectal Cancers
• Study Lays the Basis for New Knowledge on Gastrointestinal Diseases

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

• Researchers Identify Protein That Controls CAR T Cell Longevity
• LATEST NEWS
• Health & Medicine
• Diseases & Conditions
• Alzheimer's Research
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• Attention Deficit Disorder
• Back and Neck Pain
• Birth Defects
• Bladder Disorders
• Blood Clots
• COVID and SARS
• Cervical Cancer
• Bladder Cancer
• Multiple Myeloma
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Brain Tumor
• Colon Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Ovarian Cancer
• Lung Cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Skin Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Cerebral Palsy
• Chikungunya
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Cold and Flu
• Crohn's Disease
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Dengue Fever
• Down Syndrome
• Eating Disorder Research
• Encephalitis
• Epilepsy Research
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Fibromyalgia
• Gastrointestinal Problems
• HIV and AIDS
• Headache Research
• Hearing Loss
• Heart Health
• Cholesterol
• Stroke Prevention
• Heart Disease
• Hormone Disorders
• Hypertension
• Infectious Diseases
• Insomnia Research
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Kidney Disease
• Liver Disease
• Lung Disease
• Lyme Disease
• Mental Health Research
• Multiple Sclerosis Research
• Mumps, Measles, Rubella
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Osteoporosis
• Parkinson's Research
• Prostate Health
• Restless Leg Syndrome
• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Sleep Disorder Research
• Thyroid Disease
• Triglycerides
• Tuberculosis
• Medical Topics
• Accident and Trauma
• Alternative Medicine
• Birth Control
• Bone and Spine
• Chronic Illness
• Controlled Substances
• Dietary Supplements and Minerals
• Epigenetics
• Food Additives
• Foodborne Illness
• Foot Health
• Gene Therapy
• Health Policy
• Human Biology
• Immune System
• Joint Health
• Medical Imaging
• Nervous System
• Pain Control
• Personalized Medicine
• Pharmacology
• Psychology Research
• Wounds and Healing
• PHYSICAL/TECH
• ENVIRONMENT
• SOCIETY & EDUCATION
• The Case of the Missing Black Holes
• Adjusting Sunglasses for Your Windows
• Novel Gene-Editing Tool Created
• How Hummingbirds Hover With Such Accuracy
• Complete X and Y Chromosomes of Great Apes
• Moonlets Stuck Together Orbit 'Dinky' Asteroid
• Orchids Aid Seedlings Through Fungal Networks
• Precise Maps of the Moon's Surface
• Amazing Expertise of Scent Detection Dogs
• Getting to Grips With a Handy Extra Thumb

Trending Topics

Strange & offbeat.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Ann Gastroenterol Surg
• v.5(4); 2021 Jul

Recent developments in cancer research: Expectations for a new remedy

1 Department of Surgery and Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka Japan

Qingjiang Hu

Yuta kasagi, masaki mori.

Cancer research has made remarkable progress and new discoveries are beginning to be made. For example, the discovery of immune checkpoint inhibition mechanisms in cancer cells has led to the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors that have benefited many cancer patients. In this review, we will introduce and describe the latest novel areas of cancer research: exosomes, microbiome, immunotherapy. and organoids. Exosomes research will lead to further understanding of the mechanisms governing cancer proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, as well as the development of cancer detection and therapeutic methods. Microbiome are important in understanding the disease. Immunotherapy is the fourth treatment in cancer therapy. Organoid biology will further develop with a goal of translating the research into personalized therapy. These research areas may result in the creation of new cancer treatments in the future.

Cancer research has made remarkable progress and new discoveries are beginning to be made. In this review, we will introduce and describe the latest novel areas of cancer research: exosomes, microbiomes, immunotherapy, and organoids.

1. INTRODUCTION

The cancer research field has developed significantly through use of new equipment and technology. One example of new technology is Next‐Generation Sequencing (NGS). Also known as high‐throughput sequencing, NGS is the catch‐all term used to describe a number of different modern nucleic acid sequencing technologies. These methods allow for much quicker and cheaper sequencing of DNA and RNA compared with the previously used Sanger sequencing, and as such have revolutionized the study of genomics and molecular biology. NGS also allows for easier detection of mutations in cancer samples, leading to development of many new agents that can be used to treat patients. For example, if the RAS gene status is detected as wild type in a colorectal cancer patient, then an anti‐EGFR antibody, such as cetuximab or panitumumab, can be used for treatment.

A liquid biopsy, also known as fluid biopsy or fluid phase biopsy, is the sampling and analysis of non‐solid biological tissue, primarily blood. 1 It is being used as a novel way to detect cancer. Like a traditional biopsy, this type of technique is mainly used as a diagnostic and monitoring tool for diseases, and also has the added benefit of being largely noninvasive. Therefore, liquid biopsies can be performed more frequently, allowing for better tracking of tumors and mutations over a duration of time. This technique may also be used to validate the effectiveness of a cancer treatment drug by taking multiple liquid biopsy samples in the span of a few weeks. It may also prove to be beneficial for monitoring relapse in patients after treatment.

Novel devices and drugs have also been developed and used for cancer treatment. For surgery procedures, robotic‐assisted laparoscopic surgery has evolved and made it possible to visualize the fine movement of the forceps in three dimensions. This method is now used in esophageal, gastric, and rectal cancer surgeries in Japan. 2 , 3 , 4

Recently, immunotherapy became an additional method for treating cancer patients. The discovery of the immune checkpoint by Dr Honjo led to the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors. 5 Despite these developments, gastrointestinal cancers are still a major problem in need of new treatment methods. In this review, we introduce and describe four new areas of cancer research that may contribute to cancer treatment in the future: exosomes, microbiome, immunotherapy, and organoids.

2. AN APPLICATION OF EXOSOME RESEARCH IN CANCER THERAPY

An exosome is a small particle that is secreted by cells. Its size can range from 50 to 150 nm and has a surface consisting of proteins and lipids that originate from the cell membrane. Additionally, proteins and nucleic acids, such as DNA, microRNAs, and mRNAs, can be found inside the exosome as its “cargo.” 6 Recently, many researchers have discovered that exosomes are involved in the mechanisms of various diseases. As mentioned above, various functional compounds, such as microRNAs, mRNAs, and proteins, can be contained within exosomes. 7 , 8 Many cells use secretion of exosomes to communicate with one another, and these exosomes can even reach distant cells. Cancer cells can also secrete exosomes that contain molecules beneficial to cancer growth. For example, microRNAs found in cancer exosomes can modulate gene expression to induce angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment, which supports metastasis. 9 Exosomes released from cancer cells can also reportedly break the blood‐brain barrier, which makes it contribute to brain metastasis. 10 , 11 Cancer cells themselves are similarly affected by the exosomes secreted by the surrounding normal cells. 12 In one case, the exosomes secreted by bone marrow‐delivered mesenchymal stem cells can force cancer cells into a dormant state. 13 These dormant cancer cells become resistant to chemotherapy and are involved in long‐term disease recurrence. Thus, exosomes are deeply involved in cancer proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, as well as in the formation of the tumor microenvironment and pre‐metastatic niche. 13 Further research on cancer‐related exosomes is ongoing.

Knowledge of exosomes can be applied to cancer treatment. If the secretion of exosomes from cancer cells can be prevented, then signal transduction supporting the formation of the tumor microenvironment and pre‐metastatic niche can be blocked. Work focusing on the removal of cancer exosomes is now ongoing. 14

Exosomes can also be utilized for cancer diagnosis. Exosomes secreted by many cell types are found in various body fluids, such as blood and urine. Capturing and analyzing exosomes from cancer cells can be used to detect the presence of disease. 15 Obtaining blood or urine from patients is not very invasive or painful. Since many molecules, such as various proteins, DNA, and microRNAs, can be found in exosomes from normal cells, it is important to distinguish them from cancer‐related ones. If exosomes are to be used for cancer diagnosis, then specific biomarkers need to be discovered. Additionally, the development of a method to detect these exosomes must be done. Currently, exosome detection methods for exosomes abundantly found in the serum of colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients, as well as exosomes found in the urine of bladder cancer patients, are being developed. 16 , 17 Thus, further understanding of the mechanisms governing cancer proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, as well as the development of cancer detection and therapeutic methods, is significantly affected by exosome research.

3. MICROBIOME IN CANCER RESEARCH

A large number of microorganisms inhabit the human body. These microorganisms include bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Among them, bacteria have the most important relationship with the human body. Bacteria can live anywhere within the human body, including the digestive tract, respiratory system, and oral cavity. 18 , 19 , 20 In particular, bacteria in the digestive tract are rich in type and number, 21 with possibly 1000 types and more than 100 trillion individual bacterial cells present. 22 , 23 The overall population of various bacteria found in the human intestine is referred to as the “intestinal flora.” Recently, the terms “microbiota” or “microbiome” have also been widely used.

Recent advancements with NGS have led to a much more precise understanding of the intestinal microbiome. 24 The bacteria in the human microbiome mainly belong to four phyla: Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteri. Of these, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are the most dominant species. It is reported that microbiome vary depending on age and race. 25 , 26 Dysbiosis is a condition in which the diversity of the microbiome is reduced. Dysbiosis is reportedly involved in various diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, obesity, diabetes, and allergic diseases. 27 , 28 , 29 For example, bacteria such as Atopobium parvulum and Actinomyces odontolyticus increase in number during the early stages of colorectal cancer (adenomas or intramucosal cancers) and decrease in number during cancer progression. 30 This suggests that a specific microbiome is associated with early stages of colorectal cancer development, which may be useful knowledge for early cancer detection.

Various studies have also been conducted to elucidate the relationship between the microbiome and the human immune system. 31 The IgA antibody, which is one of the most important elements in the intestinal immune system, is believed to play a role in the elimination of pathogens and maintenance of the intestinal environment. The IgA antibody recognizes, eliminates, and neutralizes pathogenic bacteria and toxins. It also maintains a symbiotic relationship by recognizing and binding to the normal microbiome of the host. 32 Mice lacking a microbiome have reduced production of the IgA antibody. A microbiome is required for IgA antibody differentiation. Recent studies have identified W27IgA antibodies that have the ability to bind to various bacteria. 33 Oral administration of a W27IgA antibody to enteritis model mice suppressed enteritis by altering the microbiome. This W27IgA antibody can recognize a part of the amino acid sequence of serine hydroxymethyl transferase, which is a metabolic enzyme involved in bacterial growth. The W27IgA antibody can suppress the growth of E coli by binding to them. However, the W27IgA antibody does not bind to bacteria that suppress enteritis, such as bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria. 33 Thus, the microbiome is deeply involved in human intestinal immunity. Recently, it is having been established that the microbiome is not only involved in intestinal immunity, but also in the systemic immune system.

As the analysis of the microbiome progresses, the pathophysiology of various diseases, such as cancers, and its relationship with the regulatory function of the human immune system will be further elucidated. It has been demonstrated that F nucleatum plays a role in the development and progression of colon adenomas and colorectal cancer. It is also related to lymph node metastases and distant metastasis. 34 , 35 Also, microbiome is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. 36 Studying microbiome will give us some clue in the development and remedy for gastrointestinal cancers (Table  1 ).

Gastrointestinal cancer and their related microbiome

4. THE RISE OF IMMUNOTHERAPY IN CANCER TREATMENT

For many years, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy were the main methods of cancer treatment. In addition to these therapies, immunotherapy has recently attracted great attention worldwide (Table  2 ). 37 , 38 Under normal circumstances, a cancer antigen will activate the patient's immune system to attack the cancer cells. However, sometimes the immune system does not recognize the cancer cells as non‐self, or it simply fails to attack them. This can result in the development and progression of cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors

Although therapies that activate the immune system against cancer cells have been studied for a long time, the use of the patient's own immune system for cancer treatment was not established. Recently, the effectiveness of both immune checkpoint inhibition therapy and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)‐T cell therapy has proved to be promising. 39 , 40 Immunotherapy has moved to the forefront of cancer treatment strategies.

There are two major reasons why proving the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies was difficult for some time. First, cancer immunity is strongly suppressed. Signal transduction from immune checkpoint compounds, such as PD‐1 and CTLA4, strongly inhibits cytotoxic T cells (CTLs). 38 This checkpoint mechanism can prevent the immune system from attacking cancer cells. The development of immune checkpoint inhibitors has arisen from the discovery of this mechanism. Inhibition of immune checkpoint molecules with neutralizing antibodies can release the suppression of cancer‐specific CTLs, activate immunity, and promote cancer elimination. The effectiveness of immune checkpoint antibodies has been confirmed and clinically applied to many solid cancers such as melanoma, 41 lung cancer, 42 urothelial cancer, 43 gastric cancer, 44 and esophageal cancer. 45 In addition to PD‐1 and CTLA4, new immune checkpoint molecules, such as LAG3, TIGIT, and SIRPA, are also being actively studied. 46 , 47 , 48 Although this therapy is promising, the cancer cases who respond to these therapies are limited. This is because use of this therapy requires the presence of cancer‐specific CTLs in the patient's body. To maximize the therapeutic effect, it is desirable to select appropriate cases and develop useful biomarkers.

The second difficulty for immunotherapy is that T cells do not recognize specific cancer cell antigens and immune accelerators are too weak. One goal of CAR‐T cell therapy is to strengthen the immune accelerator by administering CTLs to the patient's body that recognize specific cancer cell‐specific antigens. A CAR is prepared by fusing a single chain Fv (scFv), derived from a monoclonal antibody that recognizes a specific antigen expressed by cancer cells, with CD3z and costimulatory molecules (CD28, 4‐1BB, and others). Next, the CAR is introduced to the T cells obtained from a cancer patient and CAR‐T cells are made. CAR‐T cells recognize the specific antigen of the cancer cells and are activated to damage these cells. CAR‐T cells recognize cancer‐specific antigens with high antibody specificity and attack the respective cancer cells with strong cytotoxic activity and high proliferative activity. CAR‐T therapy is effective in blood cancers such as B‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and myeloma. 49 , 50 While CAR‐T cell therapy has a high therapeutic effect, a frequent and serious adverse event called cytokine release syndrome has been observed in some patients. 51 , 52 The development of a technique for suppressing the occurrence of cytokine release syndrome is anticipated. In addition, the development of CAR‐T cell therapies for solid tumors is ongoing.

Recently, there was new progress made in treating gastrointestinal cancer patients. For MSI‐H colorectal cancer, the combination therapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab was approved. From the nivolumab plus ipilimumab cohort of CheckMate‐142, progression‐free survival rates were 76% (9 months) and 71% (12 months); respective overall survival rates were 87% and 85% which were quite high. This new treatment will benefit MSI‐H colorectal cancer patients. 53

Thus, it is expected that further understanding of cancer immune mechanisms and the development of various immunotherapies will contribute to great progress in cancer treatment.

One problem for immunotherapy is that there is no certain predictive biomarker. It was thought that the expression of PD‐1 or PD‐L1 would predict the effect. However, this was not the case. To find a new biomarker, we assessed the cytolytic activity (CYT) score. The CYT score is a new index of cancer immunity calculated from the mRNA expression levels of GZMA and PRF1. We are now evaluating CYT score in gastric cancer patients (data not published). The development in the biomarker search will benefit many gastrointestinal cancer patients.

5. ADVANTAGES FOR USING ORGANOIDS IN CANCER RESEARCH

The three‐dimensional (3D) organoid system is a cell culture‐based, novel, and physiologically relevant biologic platform. 54 An organoid is a miniaturized and simplified version of an organ that is produced in vitro in 3D and shows realistic microanatomy. With only one to a few cells isolated from tissue or cultured cells as the starting material, organoids are grown and passaged in a basement membrane matrix, which contributes to their self‐renewal and differentiation capacities. 54 , 55 The technique used for growing organoids has rapidly improved since the early 2010s with the advent of the field of stem cell biology. The characteristics of stem, embryonic stem cells (ES cells), or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) that allow them to form an organoid in vitro are also found in multiple types of carcinoma tissues and cells. Therefore, cancer researchers have applied ES cells or iPS cells in their field. 56 , 57 , 58

Organoid formation generally requires culturing stem cells or their progenitor cells in 3D. 54 , 55 The morphological and functional characteristics of various types of carcinoma tissue have been recapitulated in organoids that were generated from single‐cell suspensions or cell aggregates. These suspensions or aggregates were isolated from murine and human tissues or cultured cells, as well as from cancer stem cells propagated in culture. The structures of the organoids show the potential of cancer stem cell self‐renewal, proliferation, and differentiation abilities, and also provide insights into the roles of molecular pathways and niche factors that are essential in cancer tissues. 56 , 57 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 The organoid system also has been utilized for studying multiple biological processes, including motility, stress response, cell‐cell communications, and cellular interactions that involve a variety of cell types such as fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and inflammatory cells. These interactions are mediated via cell surface molecules, extracellular matrix proteins, and receptors in the microenvironment under homeostatic and pathologic conditions.

Although the organoid system is a complex and not effortless procedure that requires specific media, supplements, and many tricky techniques, 58 , 63 application of this system has been extended to a variety of cell types from different carcinomas (colorectal, pancreatic, prostate, breast, ovary, and esophageal cancers). 56 , 57 , 59 , 60 , 61 An organoid is generally induced within a few days to weeks, and is faster and less costly than the murine xenograft assay. Furthermore, applying novel genetic manipulations (e.g. CRISPR‐Cas9) can be carried out in the organoid system. 64 , 65

Kasagi et al modified keratinocyte serum‐free medium to grow 3D organoids from endoscopic esophageal biopsies, immortalized human esophageal epithelial cells, and murine esophagi. Esophageal 3D organoids serve as a novel platform to investigate regulatory mechanisms in squamous epithelial homeostasis in the context of esophageal cancers. 64

We anticipate that many experimental results that utilize the organoid system will be published in the future.

The 3D organoid system has emerged in the past several years as a robust tool in basic research with the potential to be used for personalized medicine. 66 By passaging dissociated primary structures to generate secondary 3D organoids, this system can be performed using live tissue pieces obtained from biopsies, operative‐resected specimens, or even frozen tissues. This method has the potential to transform personalized therapy. For example, in the case of cancer recurrence, an effective chemotherapy can be selected by testing the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of cancer‐derived organoids from an individual patient's tissue stocks. In many cases, a patient's organoid accumulation is helpful for testing the sensitivity of novel therapeutic agents for treating carcinoma. 66 Hence, it appears that organoid biology will further develop with a goal of translating the research into personalized therapy.

6. SUMMARY AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

This review describes four new cancer‐related studies: exosomes, microbiome, immunotherapy, and organoids (Figure  1 ).

The summary of the four cancer research areas. In this figure the summary of the four cancer research areas is shown: exosome, microbiome, immunotherapy, and organoid research

Since exosomes are released in blood or urine, if the capturing system is established, it will be a less invasive test to diagnose cancer. In the present, the presence of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is one of the tools to detect the minimal residual disease. However, since ctDNA is only DNA, it is difficult to spread to cancer research. In that respect, as exosomes include not only DNA but also other nucleic acids and proteins, this will be a new tool for cancer research such as the diagnosis of early cancer.

Microbiome may lead to improved cancer diagnosis and treatment. Detecting a specific microbiome in a gastrointestinal tract may predict a specific cancer. And changing microbiome in some way may result in preventing cancer development.

Organoids may help address the problem of drug resistance, and also lead to the development of personalized therapy. However, producing organoids takes time and testing the drug resistance may take more time. If we could overcome these problems, the research into organoids can contribute to overcoming cancer.

As shown in Table  3 , many new studies and findings are reported into this field of research. These four novel cancer research areas will make many contributions to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Recent studies on exosome, microbiome, immunotherapy, and organoids

Conflict of Interest: All the authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Dr Hirofumi Hasuda and Dr Naomichi Koga for their help in preparing this manuscript. We also thank J. Iacona, PhD, from Edanz Group for editing a draft of this manuscript.

Ando K, Hu Q, Kasagi Y, Oki E, Mori M. Recent developments in cancer research: Expectations for a new remedy . Ann Gastroenterol Surg . 2021; 5 :419–426. 10.1002/ags3.12440 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]

Select "Patients / Caregivers / Public" or "Researchers / Professionals" to filter your results. To further refine your search, toggle appropriate sections on or off.

Home > About the AACR > Newsroom > News Release > AACR Cancer Progress Report Details Exciting Advances in Cancer Research and Treatment

• News Releases
• Media Advisories
• Media Contacts
• AACR Fast Facts
• Apply for Embargoed Access
• Media Coverage
• AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023
• AACR Annual Meeting 2024
• AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2022
• AACR Report on COVID-19 and Cancer 2022
• The AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism
• San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2023
• Press and PIO Registration
• AACR Annual Meeting
• Press Program 2024
• Peer-reviewed Journals
• National Cancer Research Month
• Resources for Cancer Center PIOs and Communications Staff
• AACR Stories Index
• AACR Blog: Cancer Research Catalyst
• Cancer Today Magazine

AACR Cancer Progress Report Details Exciting Advances in Cancer Research and Treatment

Report includes call to action outlining steps congress must take to maintain momentum against cancer for all patients.

PHILADELPHIA – Today, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) released the 13th edition of its annual Cancer Progress Report , which chronicles how basic, translational, and clinical cancer research and cancer-related population sciences—primarily supported by federal investments in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI)—remain vitally important to improving health and saving lives.

In addition to providing the latest statistics on cancer incidence, mortality, and survivorship, the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 offers detailed updates and important context regarding the latest research in cancer etiology, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and survivorship. Throughout the report, the personal stories of patients who have benefited from innovative, recently approved anticancer therapeutics highlight the real-world impact of cancer research.

This comprehensive report also features a spotlight on cancer immunotherapy and addresses persistent challenges in cancer research, including cancer disparities, slow progress against certain types of cancer, and the physical, psychosocial, and financial hardships faced by cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers. A closing call to action outlines steps Congress and other stakeholders must take to ensure that the U.S. maintains its momentum against cancer for the benefit of all patients.

“The advances in cancer research, particularly in the last two decades, have been breathtaking,” said AACR President Philip Greenberg, MD, FAACR, faculty member at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. “We are in an era of unparalleled opportunity to make even more breakthroughs for patients. For the cancer research community to achieve these breakthroughs, however, our representatives in Congress must continue to prioritize funding for biomedical research, from basic research to clinical trials. Through the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 , we are sharing with the public and policy makers the progress that has been made, how that progress has been delivered to patients, how it’s changed people’s lives, and the unparalleled opportunities that now exist from scientific and technologic advances, so they understand how crucial it is that we maintain this momentum through continued support of NIH and NCI.”

PROMISING TRENDS AND ADVANCES IN CANCER CARE

The medical research community—including researchers in academia and industry, physician-scientists, patient advocates, regulators, and many other stakeholders—has maintained impressive momentum against cancer in recent years. As outlined in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 :

• A new gene therapy-based immunotherapeutic for certain patients with bladder cancer
• A first-in-class antibody drug conjugate for patients with ovarian cancer
• Four new T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies for a range of hematologic malignancies
• The first approval of an immune checkpoint inhibitor for pediatric and adult patients with a rare form of sarcoma
• Due in large part to advances in prevention, early detection, and treatment, the age-adjusted overall cancer death rate in the U.S. fell by 33% between 1991 and 2020— an estimated 3.8 million cancer deaths averted .
• Breast cancer mortality declined by 43% between 1989 and 2020 , leading to an estimated 460,000 fewer breast cancer deaths.
• The decrease in lung cancer mortality has accelerated from 0.9% a year between 1995 and 2005 to nearly 5% a year between 2014 and 2020. This rapid decline is the result of a steep reduction in the U.S. smoking rate as well as the development of numerous highly effective molecularly targeted therapeutics and immunotherapeutics.
• More and better treatment options have led to notable progress against many pediatric cancers as well. Among children (14 and younger) and adolescents (15-19), overall cancer death rates declined by 70% and 64%, respectively, between 1970 and 2020.

THE IMMUNOTHERAPY REVOLUTION

Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer care. Breakthroughs in this field have contributed to much of the progress noted above, such as declines in the death rates for previously intractable cancers like advanced lung cancer and melanoma. The AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 contains a spotlight on the history of cancer immunotherapy, the current state of this treatment modality, and the immense promise of the next generation of immunotherapeutics. Highlights include:

• Since 2011, the FDA has approved 11 immune checkpoint inhibitors , which release “brakes” on the surface of certain immune cells—called T cells—so that the T cells are able to destroy cancer cells. Many of these drugs are approved for more than one type of cancer, making immune checkpoint inhibitors a treatment option for 20 cancer types and any tumor with certain specific molecular characteristics.
• Since 2017, the FDA has approved six CAR T-cell therapies to treat a range of hematologic malignancies. CAR T-cell therapy is a type of adoptive cell therapy, which is designed to dramatically increase the number of cancer-killing immune cells a patient has.
• The field is expanding in exciting ways, with researchers combining the power of other cells in the immune system with recent advances in gene editing to develop more personalized and effective versions of adoptive cell therapy for treatment of solid tumors; developing mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics to treat cancer; and targeting the gut microbiome to increase the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, among many other innovative approaches.

DESPITE PROGRESS, CHALLENGES PERSIST

Despite the extraordinary scientific progress against cancer in recent years, this complex disease remains a significant threat to human health around the world. In the U.S., it is estimated that nearly 2 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and more than 609,000 people will die from the disease in 2023.

Indeed, cancer research and patient care face numerous challenges, as outlined in the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 :

• Cancer disparities are a pervasive public health problem, with racial and ethnic minorities and other medically underserved U.S. populations shouldering a disproportionally higher burden of cancer. While advances have been made in identifying, understanding, and addressing some of these disparities, more research and policy solutions are urgently needed to ensure equitable progress against cancer.
• There has been uneven progress against different cancer types. Few treatment options exist for patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer or glioblastoma, for example, and 5-year relative survival rates for these cancers are extremely low.
• Incidence rates for some cancers are increasing, including for early-onset colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and uterine cancer, in part due to the rising rate of obesity.
• Financial toxicity is widespread, exacerbated by the rising cost of cancer care. In 2019, U.S. cancer patients paid an estimated $16.2 billion in out-of-pocket cancer care costs and lost an additional $5 billion in “time costs.”

FEDERAL FUNDING ESSENTIAL FOR CONTINUED PROGRESS

To confront these and other challenges, the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 calls on Congress to support robust, sustained, and predictable annual funding growth for NIH and NCI by providing increases of at least $3.465 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively, in their fiscal year 2024 base budgets. This funding is crucial to continued progress for patients. From 2010 to 2019, NIH funding contributed to the development of 354 out of 356 new drugs, including many cancer drugs, approved by the FDA.

The AACR also urges Congress to:

• Provide $1.7 billion in dedicated funding for Cancer Moonshot activities in FY 2024 across NCI, FDA, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the assurance that Moonshot funding will supplement rather than supplant NIH funding in FY 2024.
• Appropriate at least $472.4 million in FY 2024 appropriations for the CDC Division of Cancer Prevention to support comprehensive cancer control, central cancer registries, and screening and awareness programs for specific cancers.
• Allocate $50 million in funding for the Oncology Center of Excellence at FDA in FY 2024 to allow regulators with the capable staff and necessary tools to conduct expedited review of cancer-related medical products.

“We are proud to release the 13 th annual AACR Cancer Progress Report ,” said AACR CEO Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc). “It is our hope that this comprehensive resource will help to increase knowledge about the myriad diseases we call cancer as well as the innovative research that is improving and extending lives. The findings in this report, along with the personal stories of the featured patients, underscore the enormous impact that robust, sustained, and predictable funding for cancer research has had on Americans’ health, and why that support must continue.”

• AACR Cancer Progress Report
• Achieving the Bold Vision of Health Equity for...
• Professional Development Opportunities

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

• Your Health
• Treatments & Tests
• Health Inc.
• Public Health

After 40 years of smoking, she survived lung cancer thanks to new treatments

Yuki Noguchi

Denise Lee on her last day of chemo. In addition to chemo and surgery, she was treated with immunotherapy. She's currently in remission. Denise Lee hide caption

Denise Lee on her last day of chemo. In addition to chemo and surgery, she was treated with immunotherapy. She's currently in remission.

Denise Lee grew up in Detroit in the mid-1970s and went to an all-girls Catholic high school. She smoked her first cigarette at age 14 at school, where cigarettes were a popular way of trying to lose weight.

Instead, her nicotine addiction lasted four decades until she quit in her mid-50s.

"At some point it got up as high as 2.5 packs a day," Lee, 62, recalls.

Yet she didn't think about lung cancer risk — until she saw a billboard urging former smokers to get screened. Lee, a retired lawyer living in Fremont, Calif., used to drive past it on her way to work.

"The thing that caught my attention was the fact that it was an African American female on the front," she recalls.

Shots - Health News

The american cancer society says more people should get screened for lung cancer.

She eventually got the low-dose CT scan recommended for current and former smokers. When doctors found an early, but dangerous, tumor, Lee cried and panicked. Her mother had cared for her father, who'd died of prostate cancer. "My biggest concern was telling my mom," she says.

But that was six years ago, and Lee is cancer free today. Surgery removed the 2-inch tumor in her lung, then new treatments also boosted her immune system, fighting off any recurrence.

Lung cancer remains the most lethal form of the disease, killing about 135,000 Americans a year – more than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined – which is why many people still think of a diagnosis as synonymous with a death sentence. But with new treatments and technology, the survival rates from lung cancer are dramatically improving, allowing some patients with relatively late-stage cancers to live for years longer.

"If you're gonna have lung cancer, now is a good time," Lee says of the advances that saved her.

Denise Lee has been cancer-free for six years. She says she's grateful she got screened and caught her lung cancer early enough that treatment has been effective. Denise Lee hide caption

Denise Lee has been cancer-free for six years. She says she's grateful she got screened and caught her lung cancer early enough that treatment has been effective.

The key breakthrough, says Robert Winn, a lung cancer specialist at Virginia Commonwealth University, is the ability to better pinpoint the mutations of a patient's particular form of cancer. In the past, treatments were blunt tools that caused lots of collateral damage to healthy parts of the body while treating cancer.

"We've gone from that to molecular characterization of your lung cancer, and it has been a game changer," Winn says. "This is where science and innovation has an impact."

One of those game-changing treatments is called targeted therapy . Scientists identify genetic biomarkers in the mutated cancer cells to target and then deliver drugs that attack those targets, shrinking tumors.

CRISPR gene-editing may boost cancer immunotherapy, new study finds

Another is immunotherapy, usually taken as a pill, which stimulates the body's own defense system to identify foreign cells, then uses the immune system's own power to fight the cancer as if it were a virus.

As scientists identify new cancer genes, they're creating an ever-broader array of these drugs.

Combined, these treatments have helped increase national survival rates by 22% in the past five years – a rapid improvement over a relatively short time, despite the fact that screening rates are very slow to increase. Winn says as these treatments get cheaper and readily available, the benefits are even reaching rural and Black populations with historic challenges accessing health care.

The most remarkable thing about the drugs is their ability to, in some cases, reverse late-stage cancers. Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, a thoracic surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and faculty at Harvard Medical School, recalls seeing scans where large dark shadows of tumor would disappear: "It was remarkable to see the lung cancer completely melting away."

To Yang, such progress feels personal. He lost his beloved grandfather to the disease when Yang was in college. If he were diagnosed today, he might still be alive.

"Helping to take care of him was a big reason why I wanted to be a doctor," Yang says.

But the work of combating lung cancer is far from over; further progress in lung cancer survival hinges largely on getting more people screened.

Low-dose CT scans are recommended annually for those over 50 who smoked the equivalent of a pack a day for 20 years. But nationally, only 4.5% of those eligible get those scans , compared to rates of more than 75% for mammograms.

Andrea McKee, a radiation oncologist and spokesperson for the American Lung Association, says part of the problem is that lung cancer is associated with the stigma of smoking. Patients often blame themselves for the disease, saying: "'I know I did this to myself. And so I don't I don't think I deserve to get screened.'"

McKee says that's a challenge unique to lung cancer. "And it just boggles my mind when I hear that, because, of course, nobody deserves to die of lung cancer."

Denise Lee acknowledges that fear. "I was afraid of what they would find," she admits. But she urges friends and family to get yearly scans, anyway.

"I'm just so grateful that my diagnosis was early because then I had options," she says. "I could have surgery, I could have chemotherapy, I could be a part of a clinical trial."

And all of that saved her life.

• lung cancer
• immunotherapy
• lung cancer screening

The HPV vaccine prevents head and neck cancers in men, study suggests

The HPV vaccine is linked to a drastic reduction in head and neck cancers in adolescent boys and men, new research finds. 

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a sexually transmitted infection responsible for virtually all cases of cervical cancer . But the virus is also linked to a number of other cancers , including penile, anal and vaginal cancers. 

It also accounts for the majority — up to 70% — of head and neck cancers , which affect the throat and mouth. Men are about twice as likely to develop these cancers than women, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The HPV vaccine, initially approved for adolescent girls, protects against strains of the virus linked to cervical cancer and has been found to significantly reduce rates of the cancer . But there’s growing evidence that the vaccine also protects against other HPV-related cancers.

“We want males to be thinking about HPV vaccination not just as something that protects female patients, but also male patients,” said Jefferson DeKloe, a research fellow in the department of otolaryngology at Thomas Jefferson University, who specializes in head and neck surgery and who co-authored the research.

The findings will be presented next week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference and have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. 

Prior research showed a downward trend in oral infections with HPV strains known to cause cancer. That was a promising sign, said Dr. Glenn J. Hanna, a medical oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Center for Head and Neck Oncology, who was not involved in the new research.

“If we can lower the infection rate, we would hope that we would see what we are seeing now, a decline in cancer rates,” Hanna said. “This is an important evolution of the story.” 

The new study analyzed health records from a national database that included nearly 3.5 million people in the United States ages 9 to 39 who had received any vaccination — HPV or otherwise — from 2010 through 2023. About 1.5 million were male, half of whom had been vaccinated against cancer-causing strains of HPV. Nearly 1 million were females who had been vaccinated against HPV. 

The researchers compared the rates of HPV-linked cancers — including head and neck, anal, penile, and cervical cancers — in people who had received the HPV vaccine to those who hadn’t. They found being vaccinated reduced the overall risk of HPV-related cancers in males by 54%, a decrease driven primarily by a drop in head and neck cancers. Females were about 30% less likely to develop any type of HPV-related cancer, including cervical cancer. 

Most cases of head and neck cancer are in people older than 50. Since the U.S. is only about a decade into widespread HPV vaccination in both males and females, the vaccinated generation hasn’t reached this age yet. HPV typically infects younger people and takes decades for chronic infection to lead to cancer.

“These are the early results of a larger phenomenon we are going to watch play out over the next 20 or 30 years,” DeKloe said, noting that experts don’t expect to see the full effect HPV vaccination has on cancer rates until the largely vaccinated generation is older. 

A second study, which will also be presented at the ASCO conference next week and is not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, found that HPV vaccination rates have been on the rise in the U.S. from 2011 through early 2020, including in all racial and ethnic groups.

HPV vaccination wasn’t recommended for males until 2011, five years after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the vaccine series for girls. The HPV vaccine is now recommended for all adolescents starting as young as age 9, but can also be given to adults up to age 45. 

In the new study, which included children and young adults ages 9 to 26, the increase was largely driven by growing HPV vaccine uptake among males. Although overall HPV vaccination rates among males still lag behind females — about 36% compared to about 50% of those in the 9 to 26 age group — these rates are accelerating. 

“The gap is narrowing between males and females and eventually I would hope that they would meet up,” said Dr. Danh Nguyen, a resident physician at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who led the research. 

Although vaccination efforts have focused on adolescents, adults should also consider getting vaccinated if they weren’t when they were younger, said Dr. Nancy Lee, service chief of head and neck radiation oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, who was not involved with either study. 

“If you are in your 20s or 30s, you can still get the vaccination. Even if you are 45, there is no reason you cannot get vaccinated because we have a population that lives a long time,” Lee said. 

Nguyen said it’s important that conversations about HPV vaccination continue to focus on the prevention of all cancers, including head and neck cancers that are more prevalent in men, rather than solely on cervical cancer prevention.

Hanna said stigma around HPV being a sexually transmitted infection has made discussions around vaccinating adolescents a sticky subject in the past, but that clear data showing the impact vaccination rates have on HPV-related cancers is shifting the narrative. 

“HPV vaccination is cancer prevention,” Hanna said. “The bottom line is that we are preventing cancers broadly by getting people vaccinated younger.”

Kaitlin Sullivan is a contributor for NBCNews.com who has worked with NBC News Investigations. She reports on health, science and the environment and is a graduate of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York.

• Alzheimer's disease & dementia
• Arthritis & Rheumatism
• Attention deficit disorders
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Biomedical technology
• Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
• Endocrinology & Metabolism
• Gastroenterology
• Gerontology & Geriatrics
• Health informatics
• Inflammatory disorders
• Medical economics
• Medical research
• Medications
• Neuroscience
• Obstetrics & gynaecology
• Oncology & Cancer
• Ophthalmology
• Overweight & Obesity
• Parkinson's & Movement disorders
• Psychology & Psychiatry
• Radiology & Imaging
• Sleep disorders
• Sports medicine & Kinesiology
• Vaccination
• Breast cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Colon cancer
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart attack
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Kidney disease
• Lung cancer
• Multiple sclerosis
• Myocardial infarction
• Ovarian cancer
• Post traumatic stress disorder
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Schizophrenia
• Skin cancer
• Type 2 diabetes
• Full List »

share this!

May 29, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

peer-reviewed publication

trusted source

Researchers develop microneedle patch that can detect skin cancer early

by Karolinska Institutet

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a new method for detecting malignant melanoma. A new type of patch equipped with microneedles can identify the biomarker tyrosinase directly in the skin, according to a study published in Advanced Materials .

The patch is equipped with microneedles that can detect tyrosinase, an enzyme that is an important biomarker for malignant melanoma . By measuring the enzyme's levels directly in the skin, researchers can quickly identify changes linked to the disease.

"We used human tissue from healthy individuals. By applying tyrosinase directly to the skin, we were able to mimic skin cancer," explains the study's last author Onur Parlak, Associate Professor at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet.

"This is an important advance to improve skin health monitoring and can also be used to screen other biomarkers through a simple change in design."

Malignant melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer and the fastest growing cancer. The study shows that the new patch could be an alternative to current diagnostic methods, leading to earlier detection and treatment of malignant melanoma. The researchers hope their work will help reduce the number of procedures and improve patients' quality of life.

"Our method is less invasive and has the potential to provide faster and more reliable results compared to traditional biopsies," says Parlak. "Our goal is to continue developing and improving this technique to offer more accurate and painless diagnostics."

Explore further

Feedback to editors

Improving cell therapy by creating T-cell 'super soldiers'

8 hours ago

Study shows more than just social media use may be causing depression in young adults

More out-of-state patients seek abortions in Washington state

Blood flow makes waves across the surface of the mouse brain

9 hours ago

Study finds that memory complaints can predict biological changes in the brain

Research team creates mice that better reflect human genetic variation

Research shows robotic ultrasound systems can aid doctors during surgery

10 hours ago

Researchers uncover surprising role of opioid receptors in gut development

Could a medicated foam make gene therapies more accessible?

Novel method combines nano informatics and AI for advances in cancer prediction

11 hours ago

Related Stories

Molecules in urine allow doctors to monitor skin cancer

Aug 11, 2020

More accurate biomarkers needed to ensure melanomas are spotted

Feb 2, 2023

Check moles during Skin Cancer Awareness Month

May 13, 2022

New insights into melanoma development and therapy

Sep 5, 2023

Certain exosomes found to inhibit malignant melanoma growth, providing important prognostic marker

Mar 28, 2023

Melanoma misconception: Dark skin tones at risk, too

May 12, 2023

Recommended for you

New immunotherapy could treat cancer in the bone

Researchers identify the initial steps in colorectal cancer formation

Grow the skin you're in: In vivo generation of chimeric skin grafts

12 hours ago

Let us know if there is a problem with our content

Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form . For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines ).

Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.

Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.

E-mail the story

Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Medical Xpress in any form.

Newsletter sign up

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.

More information Privacy policy

Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience

We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.

E-mail newsletter

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

HPV vaccines prevent cancer in men as well as women, new research suggests

FILE - A doctor holds a vial of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil in Chicago on Aug. 28, 2006. Research published Thursday, May 23, 2024, by the American Society of Clinical Oncology suggests the HPV vaccine is preventing throat cancer in men, as well as cervical cancer in women, but fewer boys than girls are getting the shots in the United States. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

• Copy Link copied

New research suggests the HPV vaccine is preventing cancer in men, as well as in women, but fewer boys than girls are getting the shots in the United States.

The HPV vaccine was developed to prevent cervical cancer in women and experts give it credit, along with screening, for lowering cervical cancer rates. Evidence that the shots are preventing HPV-related cancers in men has been slower to emerge, but the new research suggests vaccinated men have fewer cancers of the mouth and throat compared to those who didn’t get the shots. These cancers are more than twice as common in men than in women.

For the study, researchers compared 3.4 million people of similar ages — half vaccinated versus half unvaccinated — in a large health care dataset.

As expected, vaccinated women had a lower risk of developing cervical cancer within at least five years of getting the shots. For men, there were benefits too. Vaccinated men had a lower risk of developing any HPV-related cancer, such as cancers of the anus, penis and mouth and throat.

These cancers take years to develop so the numbers were low: There were 57 HPV-related cancers among the unvaccinated men — mostly head and neck cancers — compared to 26 among the men who had the HPV vaccine.

“We think the maximum benefit from the vaccine will actually happen in the next two or three decades,” said study co-author Dr. Joseph Curry, a head and neck surgeon at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia. “What we’re showing here is an early wave of effect.”

Results of the study and a second were released Thursday by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and will be discussed next month at its annual meeting in Chicago. The second study shows vaccination rates rising but males lag behind females in getting the HPV shots.

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is very common and is spread through sex. Most HPV infections cause no symptoms and clear up without treatment. Others develop into cancer, about 37,000 cases a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the U.S., the HPV vaccine has been recommended since 2006 for girls at age 11 or 12, and since 2011 for boys the same age. Catch-up shots are recommended for anyone through age 26 who hasn’t been vaccinated.

In the second study, researchers looked at self- and parent-reported HPV vaccination rates in preteens and young adults in a large government survey. From 2011 to 2020, vaccination rates rose from 38% to 49% among females, and among males from 8% to 36%.

“HPV vaccine uptake among young males increased by more than fourfold over the last decade, though vaccination rates among young males still fall behind females,” said study co-author Dr. Danh Nguyen at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Parents of boys, as well as girls, should know that HPV vaccines lower cancer risk, said Jasmin Tiro of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center who was not involved in the research. And young men who haven’t been vaccinated can still get the shots.

“It’s really important that teenagers get exposed to the vaccine before they’re exposed to the virus,” she said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

• Coronavirus Updates
• Education at MUSC
• Adult Patient Care
• Children's Health
• Hollings Cancer Center
• Research at MUSC
• MUSC Catalyst News
• Pancreatic Cancer

Research study at Hollings points to new combination strategy for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common form of pancreatic cancer and is projected to become the second-leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030. Although progress has been made in improving outcomes, the five-year survival rate remains stubbornly low at just 13%.

Now, researchers at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center  have identified a promising therapeutic strategy. Published in Cell Death and Differentiation , the study describes a new role of HSP70, or heat shock protein 70, and suggests that simultaneously blocking HSP70 and a survival mechanism called autophagy may reduce the growth of pancreatic cancer. This is the inaugural publication for the Barnoud Lab, headed by Tim Barnoud, Ph.D ., who joined Hollings in late 2021. Co-first authors on the paper are Colleen Quaas, Ph.D., and Giulia Ferretti, Ph.D., who have both been awarded fellowships by Hollings. Ferretti is a current HCC Abney Fellow while Quaas has completed her T32 ITOS fellowship and is headed a few blocks north to a faculty position at The Citadel. Barnoud said he’s grateful for Hollings’ commitment to educating the next generation of scientists by funding these fellowships. Not only do they provide opportunities for young researchers, but by funding salary support, they enable his lab to direct more funds toward the research. Quaas pointed out that this investigation required a significant amount of research effort and collaboration from everyone in the lab as well as other labs at Hollings. “A lot of techniques were involved, and one of the benefits of the fellowship is that we were able to have the funds to use a lot of really cutting-edge techniques – such as live cell video-microscopy to study mitochondrial dynamics in real-time – and to perform all of the preclinical efficacy studies of our inhibitors in mouse models. And we’re fortunate that we have an environment at Hollings where we are all collaborative and work really well together,” she said.

Why is HSP70 important in cancer?

Cells utilize heat shock proteins (HSPs) especially when they are under stress. These HSPs act as “chaperones,” ensuring that other proteins are folded correctly in order to do their jobs when facing a stressful environment. Barnoud explained that cancer cells, because they grow and divide at abnormally fast rates, are in a constant state of stress, which includes instances where they have limited oxygen and nutrients necessary to grow. Because of this, they produce significantly more HSP70 than normal cells. Researchers’ attention was drawn to HSP70 as a therapeutic target, although there were still unknowns about everything it was doing in cancer cells. During his postdoctoral fellowship at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, Barnoud found that there was an especially large amount of HSP70 in the mitochondria of tumor cells, including pancreatic cancer cells. Mitochondria, the “powerhouse” of the cell, supplies the energy that cells need to live. However, HSP70 wasn’t showing up in the mitochondria of normal cells. “This was quite surprising. But these findings led us to ask a simple question: What is HSP70 doing in the mitochondria of cancer cells?” Barnoud said. At his lab at Hollings, Barnoud set out to find out. Mitochondrial dynamics, a process that regulates the size, shape and position of mitochondria within cells, has been implicated in pancreatic cancer progression and metastasis. The mechanisms that regulate mitochondrial dynamics still aren’t fully understood, however. Barnoud’s lab showed that inhibiting HSP70 with a small-molecule inhibitor impaired the function of a protein called DRP1, which is critical for mitochondrial health and integrity. The buildup of compromised mitochondria in turn can lead to the death of cancer cells. However, another consequence of HSP70 inhibition is the buildup of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress in the mitochondria, which can activate a critical metabolic sensor in cells known as AMPK. In turn, AMPK activation triggers a survival mechanism known as autophagy, which cancer cells often use to combat a variety of stresses, including chemotherapy. “Autophagy is an interesting way for pancreatic cancer cells to survive, in that cells essentially undergo ‘self-eating’ to obtain critical nutrients needed for important biological processes,” Barnoud said. “What was fascinating is that blocking HSP70 made this self-eating process go into over-drive in order for the pancreatic cancer cells to survive the stress we were throwing at them,” Ferretti said. The team showed that blocking autophagy improved the efficacy of HSP70 inhibition and slowed the growth of pancreatic tumors in mice. As with other cancers, research is showing that a multi-faceted intervention is more effective. “The exciting part of our story is that there is an FDA-approved drug that can block autophagy. Now, more potent autophagy-specific inhibitors are currently in clinical trials for pancreatic cancer,” Barnoud said. “The long-term goal of the lab is to advance the first small molecule HSP70 inhibitor to the clinic, which we hope will be beneficial in the fight against pancreatic cancer but perhaps also for other cancers that are ‘addicted’ to HSP70.”

TB was supported by NIH NCI R00 CA241367. Portions of the study were also performed with support from the MUSC Digestive Disease Research Core Center (P30 DK123704) and the MUSC COBRE in Digestive and Liver Disease Animal Models Core and the Imaging Core. Additional funding was awarded in the form of a pilot project to TB from the MUSC COBRE in Digestive and Liver Disease (P20 GM130457). GDSF was supported by the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center (MUSC) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and CEQ was supported by NIH NCI T32 CA193201. JR-B was supported by NIH NINDS K01 NS119351, a Rally Foundation Career Development Award (20CDN46), a V Foundation Scholar Award (V2022-008), and a Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation Grant. AAD was supported by NIH K01 CA245231 and ACS PF-1818301-TBG. GAH was supported by a 2022 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Career Development Award in memory of Skip Viragh (22-20-HOBB), a 2022 Concern Foundation Career Development Award, and by NIGMS P20 GM130457. JPO is supported in part by a Merit Review Award (1I01BX002095) from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development Service and by NIH awards (R01 CA212608, P30 CA138313, and P20 GM130457). JMS was supported by NIH awards S10 OD030245 and P30 CA010815. DFK was supported by NIH 1U54 CA274499-01-9941. OS was supported, in part, by NIH R01 CA251374 and NIH R01 CA267101. Support for the MUSC Core Facilities used in this study was provided in part by the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA138313, including support by the Biorepository & Tissue Analysis Shared Resource and the Cell & Molecular Imaging Shared Resource. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not the United States government. Open access funding provided by the Carolinas Consortium.

PurpleStride

The annual PurpleStride walk raises money for pancreatic cancer research at Hollings Cancer Center.

Overcoming Drug Resistance

Breast cancer often develops resistance to previously effective drugs. Hollings researchers showed how the effectiveness of one drug might be restored.

Improving Cancer Immunotherapy

Hollings researchers use patented technology to improve immunotherapy by prolonging survival of cancer-fighting T-cells.

Related Links

More MUSC Hollings Cancer Center news

Subscribe to our newsletter

Hollings Horizons magazine

About the Author

Staff Report

Categories: Cancer , Research

Advances in Lung Cancer Research

Lung cancer cells driven by the KRAS oncogene, which is highlighted in purple.

NCI-funded researchers are working to advance our understanding of how to prevent, detect, and treat lung cancer. In particular, scientists have made progress in identifying many different genetic alterations that can drive lung cancer growth.

This page highlights some of the latest research in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common form of lung cancer, including clinical advances that may soon translate into improved care, NCI-supported programs that are fueling progress, and research findings from recent studies.

Early Detection of Lung Cancer

A great deal of research has been conducted in ways to find lung cancer early. Several methods are currently being studied to see if they decrease the risk of dying from lung cancer.

The NCI-sponsored  National Lung Screening Trial (NLST)  showed that low-dose CT scans can be used to screen for lung cancer in people with a history of heavy smoking. Using this screening can decrease their risk of dying from lung cancer. Now researchers are looking for ways to refine CT screening to better predict whether cancer is present. 

Markers in Blood and Sputum

Scientists are trying to develop or refine tests of sputum and blood that could be used to detect lung cancer early. Two active areas of research are:

• Analyzing blood samples to learn whether finding tumor cells or molecular markers in the blood will help diagnose lung cancer early.
• Examining sputum samples for the presence of abnormal cells or molecular markers that identify individuals who may need more follow-up.

Machine Learning

Machine learning is a method that allows computers to learn how to predict certain outcomes. In lung cancer, researchers are using computer algorithms to create computer-aided programs that are better able to identify cancer in CT scans than radiologists or pathologists. For example, in one artificial intelligence study , researchers trained a computer program to diagnose two types of lung cancer with 97% accuracy, as well as detect cancer-related genetic mutations.

Lung Cancer Treatment

Treatment options for lung cancer are surgery , radiation , chemotherapy , targeted therapy ,  immunotherapy , and combinations of these approaches. Researchers continue to look for new treatment options for all stages of lung cancer.

Treatments for early-stage lung cancer

Early-stage lung cancer can often be treated with surgery. Researchers are developing approaches to make surgery safer and more effective.

• When lung cancer is found early, people usually have surgery to remove an entire section ( lobe ) of the lung that contains the tumor. However, a recent clinical trial showed that, for certain people with early-stage NSCLC, removing a piece of the affected lobe is as effective as surgery to remove the whole lobe . 
• The targeted therapy  Osimertinib (Tagrisso ) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2021 to be given after surgery—that is, as adjuvant therapy —to people with early-stage NSCLC that has certain mutations in the EGFR gene.
• Two immunotherapy drugs, atezolizumab (Tecentriq)  and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) have been approved by the FDA to be used as adjuvant treatments after surgery and chemotherapy, for some patients with early-stage NSCLC. 
• The immunotherapy drug nivolumab (Opdivo) is approved to be used, together with chemotherapy, to treat patients with early-stage lung cancer before surgery (called neoadjuvant ). This approval, which came in 2022, was based on the results of the CheckMate 816 trial, which showed that patients at this stage who received neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy lived longer than those who received chemotherapy alone . 
• In another trial (Keynote-671), patients with early-stage NSCLC who received pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy before surgery and pembrolizumab after surgery  had better outcomes than those who received just neoadjuvant or just adjuvant treatment.  

Treatments for advanced lung cancer

Newer therapies are available for people with advanced lung cancer. These primarily include immunotherapies and targeted therapies, which continue to show benefits as research evolves.  

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapies work with the body's immune system to help fight cancer. They are a major focus in lung cancer treatment research today. Clinical trials are ongoing to look at new combinations of immunotherapies with or without chemotherapy  to treat  lung cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor s are drugs that block an interaction between proteins on immune cells and cancer cells which, in turn, lowers the immune response to the cancer. Several immune checkpoint inhibitors have been approved for advanced lung cancer, including  p embrolizumab (Keytruda) ,  a tezolizumab (Tecentriq) , c emiplimab (Libtayo) , d urvalumab (Imfinzi) , and  n ivolumab (Opdivo) .

A key issue with immunotherapies is deciding which patients are most likely to benefit. There is some evidence that patients whose tumor cells have high levels of an immune checkpoint protein called PD-L1 may be more responsive to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Another  marker for immunotherapy response is tumor mutational burden , or TMB, which refers to the amount of mutations in the DNA of the cancer cells. In some lung cancer trials, positive responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors have been linked with a high TMB. However, these markers cannot always predict a response and there is ongoing work to find better markers.

To learn more, see Immunotherapy to Treat Cancer .

Targeted Therapies

Targeted treatments identify and attack certain types of cancer cells with less harm to normal cells. In recent years, many targeted therapies have become available for advanced lung cancer and more are in development. Targeted treatments for lung cancer include the below.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) Inhibitors

ALK inhibitors target cancer-causing rearrangements in a protein called ALK. These drugs continue to be refined for the 5% of NSCLC patients who have an ALK gene alteration. Approved treatments include   ceritinib (Zykadia) , alectinib (Alecensa) , brigatinib   (Alunbrig) , and lorlatinib  (Lorbrena) .

These ALK inhibitors are improvements from previous ones in their enhanced ability to cross the blood–brain barrier. This progress is critical because, in non-small cell lung cancer patients with  ALK  alterations, disease progression tends to occur in the brain.   Based on clinical trial results, in 2024 the FDA approved alectinib as adjuvant therapy for people with ALK-positive NSCLC .

EGFR Inhibitors

• Lung Cancer Trial of Osimertinib Draws Praise—and Some Criticism

The drug improved survival in a large clinical trial, but some question the trial’s design.

EGFR inhibitors block the activity of a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Altered forms of EGFR are found at high levels in some lung cancers, causing them to grow rapidly.  Osimertinib (Tagrisso) is the most effective and most widely used EGFR inhibitor. It is also used for adjuvant therapy after surgery for resectable NSCLC. Other drugs that target EGFR that are approved for treating NSCLC include afatinib (Gilotrif) , dacomitinib (Vizimpro) , erlotinib (Tarceva) , gefitinib (Iressa) . For people with Exon 20 mutations, amivantamab (Rybrevant)   is an approved targeted therapy.

ROS1 Inhibitors

The ROS1 protein is involved in cell signaling and cell growth. A small percentage of people with NSCLC have rearranged forms of the ROS1 gene. Crizotinib (Xalkori) and entrectinib (Rozlytrek) are approved as treatments for patients with these alterations. In late 2023, the FDA approved repotrectinib (Augtyro) for advanced or metastatic NSCLC with ROS1 fusions as an initial treatment and as a second-line treatment in those who previously received a ROS1-targeted drug.

BRAF Inhibitors

The B-Raf protein is involved in sending signals in cells and cell growth. Certain changes in the B-Raf gene can increase the growth and spread of NSCLC cells.

The combination of the B-Raf-targeted drug dabrafenib (Tafinlar)  and trametinib (Mekinist ), which targets a protein called MEK, has been approved as treatment for patients with NSCLC that has a specific mutation in the BRAF gene.

Encorafenib (Braftovi) combined with binimetinib (Mektovi) is approved for patients with metastatic NSCLC with a BRAF V600E mutation .

Other Inhibitors

Some NSCLCs have mutations in the genes NRTK-1 and NRTK-2 that can be treated with the targeted therapy larotrectinib (Vitrakvi). Those with certain mutations in the MET gene can be treated with tepotinib (Tepmetko) or capmatinib (Tabrecta) . And those with alterations in the RET gene are treated with selpercatinib (Retevmo)  and pralsetinib (Gavreto) . A 2023 clinical trial showed that treatment with selpercatinib led to longer progression-free survival compared with people who received chemotherapy with or without pembrolizumab. Inhibitors of other targets that drive some lung cancers are being tested in clinical trials.

See a complete list of  targeted therapies for lung cancer . 

NCI-Supported Research Programs

Many NCI-funded researchers at the NIH campus, and across the United States and the world, are seeking ways to address lung cancer more effectively. Some research is basic, exploring questions as diverse as the biological underpinnings of cancer and the social factors that affect cancer risk. And some is more clinical, seeking to translate basic information into improved patient outcomes. The programs listed below are a small sampling of NCI’s research efforts in lung cancer.

Pragmatica-Lung Study Enrolling Patients

The simplified trial may serve as a model for future cancer clinical trials.

• The Pragmatica-Lung Study is a randomized trial that will compare the combination of the targeted therapy ramucirumab (Cyramza) and the immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with standard chemotherapy in people with advanced NSCLC whose disease has progressed after previous treatment with immunotherapy and chemotherapy. In addition to looking at an important clinical question, the trial will serve as a model for future trials because it is designed to remove many of the barriers that prevent people from joining clinical trials.
• Begun in 2014, ALCHEMIST is a multicenter NCI trial for patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer. It tests to see whether adding a targeted therapy after surgery, based on the genetics of a patient’s tumor, will improve survival.
• The Lung MAP trial is an ongoing multicenter trial for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who have not responded to earlier treatment. Patients are assigned to specific targeted therapies based on their tumor’s genetic makeup.
• The Small Cell Lung Cancer Consortium  was created to coordinate efforts and provide a network for investigators who focus on preclinical studies of small-cell lung cancer. The goal of the consortium is to accelerate progress on this disease through information exchange, data sharing and analysis, and face-to-face meetings.
• NCI funds eight  lung cancer Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (Lung SPOREs) . These programs are designed to quickly move basic scientific findings into clinical settings. Each SPORE has multiple lung cancer projects underway.

Clinical Trials

NCI funds and oversees both early- and late-phase clinical trials to develop new treatments and improve patient care. Trials are available for both non-small cell lung cancer treatment  and small cell lung cancer treatment .

Lung Cancer Research Results

The following are some of our latest news articles on lung cancer research:

• Alectinib Approved as an Adjuvant Treatment for Lung Cancer
• Repotrectinib Expands Treatment Options for Lung Cancers with ROS1 Fusions
• Tarlatamab Shows Promise for Some People with Small Cell Lung Cancer
• Selpercatinib Slows Progression of RET-Positive Lung, Medullary Thyroid Cancers
• Lung-Sparing Surgery Is Effective for Some with Early-Stage Lung Cancer

View the full list of Lung Cancer Research Results and Study Updates .

• See us on facebook
• See us on twitter
• See us on youtube
• See us on linkedin
• See us on instagram

George Hahn, radiation biologist who pioneered heat treatment for cancer, dies at 98

A personal tragedy spurred Hahn, who had escaped Nazi Europe as a child, to pursue a career seeking new therapies for cancer.

May 29, 2024 - By John Sanford

George Hahn

George Hahn, PhD, a professor emeritus of radiation oncology at Stanford Medicine who pioneered the use of heat to help treat cancer, died March 10 at his home in Carmel Highlands, California. He was 98.

“Dr. Hahn put his heart into his work, always thinking of the patients who could one day benefit from his research advances,” said Lloyd Minor , MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine and vice president of medical affairs at Stanford University. “We should all aspire to the humanity and selflessness he demonstrated as a scientist and mentor. We will miss him tremendously.”

Hahn arrived at a career in biomedical science by way of personal tragedy. His second-eldest son, David, was 10 years old when he was diagnosed, in 1961, with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. David was treated at Stanford Hospital under the care of Malcolm Bagshaw, MD, a leading radiation therapist who later served as Stanford Medicine’s founding chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology. At the time, however, chemotherapy agents to treat the disease didn’t exist. David died about a year later.

David’s death spurred Hahn to devote his career to cancer research. He was in his late 30s when he enrolled in the biophysics PhD program at Stanford Medicine, having already earned a master’s degree in physics at the University of California, Berkeley, nearly a decade earlier. Even before matriculating, he began working in Bagshaw’s lab.

“One of the most remarkable things about my father is what he did with his grief,” said Hahn’s daughter, Nina Hahn, a veterinarian living in Carmel Valley, California. “He turned it into research.”

In a handwritten letter to Hahn in 1993, Bagshaw wrote, “There is no doubt that our first meeting was most crucial when we planned strategy to try to arrest David’s relentlessly progressive neoplasm. Perhaps I should not recall that sadness in this letter but that is a part of our lives and I think of it.”

Hahn earned his PhD in 1966 and was hired the same year as an assistant professor of radiology. He went on to a distinguished career as a researcher and mentor.

“George became a well-respected leader in radiation biology,” said Sarah Donaldson , MD, professor emerita of radiation oncology.

Escape from Nazi Europe

George Max Hahn was born Jan. 30, 1926, in Vienna to Jewish parents. After Anschluss — the incorporation of Austria into the German Reich — in 1938, Hahn went to the Netherlands through Kindertransport, the organized project to move Jewish children out of Nazi-controlled territory. (His older sister was taken to England.)

He lived in an orphanage in Holland until his parents managed to secure visas to the United States. They settled in Sacramento, California, where Hahn attended C.K. McClatchy High School. He enlisted in the Army toward the end of World War II. Because he was fluent in German, he was transferred to the Counter Intelligence Corps, where he assisted with the arrest and interrogation of Gestapo and Waffen-SS personnel.

Returning to California after the war, he enrolled at UC Berkeley with funding from the G.I. Bill, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1952 and master’s degree in 1955 in physics. As an undergraduate student, he married Joyce Webb, whom he had known in high school.

George Hahn and his wife, Joyce, bought a second home in Guatemala after retiring. Courtesy of the Hahn family

He worked at Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., which at the time had a defense contract to develop a guided missile, before joining, in 1957, the faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, where he taught electronics. After the death of his son in 1962, he left the job to begin graduate studies focused on cancer research at Stanford Medicine.

Research and mentorship

Hahn co-authored some 200 scientific papers. He conducted groundbreaking research on the use of hyperthermia — the heat treatment of cancer cells — to make tumors more vulnerable to radiation and chemotherapy. With funding from the National Cancer Institute, he led a multiyear investigation into how heat and ultrasound influenced drug responses in cancer.

Hahn was a founding member of the Hyperthermia Society and served as president of the Radiation Research Society from 1998 to 1999.

Today, Hahn’s discoveries are reflected in the hyperthermic treatments of certain sarcomas, melanomas and abdominal cancers, said George A. Fisher , MD, PhD, professor of oncology and the Colleen Haas Chair in the School of Medicine.

And while high-energy, focused heat ablation is more often used to treat cancers today than the relatively low-temperature application of heat Hahn was studying, his work helped pave the way to new therapies, Fisher said.

“The idea of heating tumors led to high-microwave ablation, radiofrequency ablation and different ways of applying heat to deeper tumors,” Fisher said. “We use those treatments routinely now for metastasis in the liver, for instance. But we do them at very high temperatures, whereas George’s expertise was in the use of more moderate temperatures and how it affected tumor cells.”

There are many personal stories of how George Hahn impacted the lives of young people, gave them an opportunity, gave them some guidance and helped them.

Hahn was known as a generous and supportive mentor to students and trainees. When Fisher was in his early 20s and, with no research experience, trying in vain to get a job at Stanford Medicine, Hahn allowed him to volunteer in his lab. There, Fisher received training in research techniques and eventually landed a paid job as a lab technician. Hahn and one of his colleagues then nominated Fisher to be a doctoral student in the cancer biology program, which was new at the time. Hahn served as Fisher’s PhD adviser.

“There are many personal stories of how George Hahn impacted the lives of young people, gave them an opportunity, gave them some guidance and helped them,” said Donaldson, who, as a resident at the Stanford School of Medicine from 1969 to 1972, worked in Hahn’s lab.

“He was a very distinguished faculty member but very approachable, and he always made time for students and trainees,” she said. “He didn’t assert himself with grandiosity. He was rather humble.”

Fisher recalled that when a supermarket tabloid exaggerated some of Hahn’s findings, writing that hyperthermia was going to cure cancer, Hahn was flooded with letters from cancer patients worldwide asking him for access to the treatment.

“For several weeks straight, George was still in his office after I would leave the laboratory at 6 or 7 p.m.,” Fisher said. “And what he was doing was personally writing to every person who wrote him asking for that treatment to say how sorry he was that it was not ready for prime time, and how he hoped that their loved ones would do OK with standard treatments. That’s the kind of guy he was.”

Falling for Central America

After retiring from Stanford Medicine in 1993, Hahn and his wife, Joyce, traveled extensively. Earlier, they had visited Central America and fallen in love with the region, Nina Hahn said. They bought a house in Panajachel, Guatemala, around 1990, and both became deeply interested in Mayan culture and art. Hahn also wrote several books, including a memoir titled The Lottery and a fictionalized biography of Alan Turing, the mathematician and computer scientist.

Joyce died in 2016. In addition to his daughter, Nina, Hahn is survived by two sons, Peter Hahn of Saranac Lake, New York, and Jack Hahn of San Francisco; four grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Guatemala Friends Scholarship Program .

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu .

Hope amid crisis

Psychiatry’s new frontiers

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals
• Explore content
• About the journal
• Publish with us
• Sign up for alerts

Collection  12 March 2023

Top 100 in Cancer - 2022

This collection highlights our most downloaded* cancer papers published in 2022. Featuring authors from aroud the world, these papers showcase valuable research from an international community.

You can also view the top papers across various subject areas here .

*Data obtained from SN Insights, which is based on Digital Science's Dimensions. 

Metformin sensitizes leukemic cells to cytotoxic lymphocytes by increasing expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)

• Nerea Allende-Vega
• Joaquin Marco Brualla
• Martin Villalba

T cell subtype profiling measures exhaustion and predicts anti-PD-1 response

• Ian Schillebeeckx
• Jarret I. Glasscock

A cross-sectional study of clinical, dermoscopic, histopathological, and molecular patterns of scalp melanoma in patients with or without androgenetic alopecia

• Ana Carolina Porto
• Tatiana Pinto Blumetti
• J. Casagrande Tavoloni Braga

Deep learning-based algorithm for lung cancer detection on chest radiographs using the segmentation method

• Akitoshi Shimazaki

Lapatinib as first-line treatment for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma in dogs

• Shingo Maeda
• Kosei Sakai
• Yasuyuki Momoi

Different syngeneic tumors show distinctive intrinsic tumor-immunity and mechanisms of actions (MOA) of anti-PD-1 treatment

• Xuesong Ouyang

Survival Genie, a web platform for survival analysis across pediatric and adult cancers

• Bhakti Dwivedi
• Manoj Bhasin

MACSima imaging cyclic staining (MICS) technology reveals combinatorial target pairs for CAR T cell treatment of solid tumors

• Ali Kinkhabwala
• Christoph Herbel
• Andreas Bosio

Efficient prediction of a spatial transcriptomics profile better characterizes breast cancer tissue sections without costly experimentation

• Masaru Koido
• Yoichiro Kamatani

Detection of rare prostate cancer cells in human urine offers prospect of non-invasive diagnosis

• Nima Sayyadi
• Irene Justiniano
• James A. Piper

Efficacy of adjuvant trastuzumab in women with HER2-positive T1a or bN0M0 breast cancer: a population-based cohort study

• Jace Hendry
• Shahid Ahmed

Left sided breast cancer is associated with aggressive biology and worse outcomes than right sided breast cancer

• Medhavi Gupta
• Kazuaki Takabe

A promising deep learning-assistive algorithm for histopathological screening of colorectal cancer

• Zitong Zhao
• Wei-Qiang Leow

A cell-based phenotypic library selection and screening approach for the de novo discovery of novel functional chimeric antigen receptors

• Julie K. Fierle
• Johan Abram-Saliba
• Steven M. Dunn

Extrachromosomal DNA formation enables tumor immune escape potentially through regulating antigen presentation gene expression

• Xue-Song Liu

Survival, treatment regimens and medical costs of women newly diagnosed with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer

• Chee-Jen Chang
• Jur-Shan Cheng

A prognostic model of non small cell lung cancer based on TCGA and ImmPort databases

• Dongliang Yang

Updated fraction of cancer attributable to lifestyle and environmental factors in Denmark in 2018

• Anne Julie Tybjerg
• Søren Friis
• Brian Køster

In vitro characterization of a small molecule PD-1 inhibitor that targets the PD-l/PD-L1 interaction

• Chih-Hao Lu
• Wei-Min Chung
• Huey-En Tzeng

The impact of CCR8+ regulatory T cells on cytotoxic T cell function in human lung cancer

• Miya Haruna
• Azumi Ueyama
• Hisashi Wada

Real-time high-resolution millimeter-wave imaging for in-vivo skin cancer diagnosis

• Amir Mirbeik
• Robin Ashinoff
• Negar Tavassolian

Refined characterization of circulating tumor DNA through biological feature integration

• Havell Markus
• Dineika Chandrananda
• Nitzan Rosenfeld

Humanization of a strategic CD3 epitope enables evaluation of clinical T-cell engagers in a fully immunocompetent in vivo model

• Julie A. Zorn
• Matthew L. Wheeler
• Pavel Strop

Transgenic expression of IL-7 regulates CAR-T cell metabolism and enhances in vivo persistence against tumor cells

• Wei-Li Zhao

Differences between human and machine perception in medical diagnosis

• Taro Makino
• Stanisław Jastrzębski
• Krzysztof J. Geras

A deep learning system for prostate cancer diagnosis and grading in whole slide images of core needle biopsies

• Nitin Singhal
• Shailesh Soni
• Arvind Ganpule

Half of germline pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants found on panel tests do not fulfil NHS testing criteria

• Tala Andoni
• Jennifer Wiggins
• Rosalind Eeles

Survival benefit with adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III microsatellite-high/deficient mismatch repair colon cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Gianluca Tomasello
• Michele Ghidini
• Fausto Petrelli

Immuno-reactive cancer organoid model to assess effects of the microbiome on cancer immunotherapy

• Ethan Shelkey
• David Oommen

Single cell RNA sequencing reveals differentiation related genes with drawing implications in predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response in gliomas

• Zijian Zhou
• JinHong Wei

Dual-sgRNA CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of PD-L1 in human U87 glioblastoma tumor cells inhibits proliferation, invasion, and tumor-associated macrophage polarization

• Javier Fierro Jr.
• Jake DiPasquale

Extracellular vesicles released by non-small cell lung cancer cells drive invasion and permeability in non-tumorigenic lung epithelial cells

• Humna Hasan
• Ikjot Singh Sohal
• Andrea L. Kasinski

Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene expression is an independent prognostic marker for IDH mutant low-grade glioma

• Michael Naidoo
• Leanne Jones
• Lee R. Machado

Assessment of factors associated with PSA level in prostate cancer cases and controls from three geographical regions

• Nishi Karunasinghe
• Tsion Zewdu Minas
• Lynnette R. Ferguson

The lactate sensor GPR81 regulates glycolysis and tumor growth of breast cancer

• Shota Ishihara
• Toshiyuki Yoneda

Concomitant KRAS mutations attenuate sensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer cells to KRAS G12C inhibition

• Tereza Vaclova
• Atanu Chakraborty
• Elza C. de Bruin

Microwave versus radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of liver malignancies: a randomized controlled phase 2 trial

• Aleksandar Radosevic
• Rita Quesada
• Fernando Burdio

Tumor-infiltrating immune cell status predicts successful response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in renal cell carcinoma

• Akira Kazama
• Vladimir Bilim
• Yoshihiko Tomita

Activation of lysosomal mediated cell death in the course of autophagy by mTORC1 inhibitor

• Sameer Ullah Khan
• Anup Singh Pathania
• Fayaz Malik

Short- and long-term recurrence of early-stage invasive ductal carcinoma in middle-aged and old women with different treatments

• Ying-Jhen Wu
• Chien-Cheng Huang

Synthetic correlated diffusion imaging hyperintensity delineates clinically significant prostate cancer

• Alexander Wong
• Hayden Gunraj
• Masoom A. Haider

Identification and validation of plasma biomarkers for diagnosis of breast cancer in South Asian women

• Thangarajan Rajkumar
• Sathyanarayanan Amritha
• Rajaraman Swaminathan

SHR1032, a novel STING agonist, stimulates anti-tumor immunity and directly induces AML apoptosis

• Chunying Song
• Weikang Tao

Quantitative systems pharmacology modeling sheds light into the dose response relationship of a trispecific T cell engager in multiple myeloma

• R. E. Abrams
• S. K. Stamatelos

A new platform for ultra-high dose rate radiobiological research using the BELLA PW laser proton beamline

• Jianhui Bin
• Lieselotte Obst-Huebl
• Antoine M. Snijders

Tumor RNA transfected DCs derived from iPS cells elicit cytotoxicity against cancer cells induced from colorectal cancer patients in vitro

• Shimpei Maruoka
• Toshiyasu Ojima
• Hiroki Yamaue

Deep learning model for tongue cancer diagnosis using endoscopic images

• Jaesung Heo
• June Hyuck Lim
• Chul-Ho Kim

Identification of genomic signatures in bone marrow associated with clinical response of CD19 CAR T-cell therapy

• Avinash Iyer

Trends in female breast cancer incidence, mortality, and survival in Austria, with focus on age, stage, and birth cohorts (1983–2017)

• Gerald Haidinger
• Kyriaki Papantoniou

Biomarker dynamics and prognosis in breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

• Cristina Zarotti
• Bärbel Papassotiropoulos
• Zsuzsanna Varga

Novel therapeutic strategy for melanoma based on albendazole and the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib

Association of hormone replacement therapy with risk of gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Yeu-Chai Jang
• Chi Yan Leung
• Hsi-Lan Huang

Design of high avidity and low affinity antibodies for in situ control of antibody drug conjugate targeting

• Reginald Evans
• Greg M. Thurber

Prediction of lymph node metastasis in early colorectal cancer based on histologic images by artificial intelligence

• Manabu Takamatsu
• Noriko Yamamoto
• Kengo Takeuchi

Apigeninidin-rich Sorghum bicolor (L. Moench) extracts suppress A549 cells proliferation and ameliorate toxicity of aflatoxin B1-mediated liver and kidney derangement in rats

• Solomon E. Owumi
• Abisola I. Kazeem
• Adegboyega K. Oyelere

Role of CD47 in tumor immunity: a potential target for combination therapy

• Fangkun Liu

The prevalence of dental developmental anomalies among childhood cancer survivors according to types of anticancer treatment

• Elinor Halperson
• Vered Matalon
• Moti Moskovitz

The different overall survival between single-agent EGFR-TKI treatment and with bevacizumab in non-small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastasis

• Tzu-Hsuan Chiu
• Pi-Hung Tung
• Cheng-Ta Yang

Clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of 118 cases of myeloid sarcoma

• Haiqiu Zhao
• Zhenkun Dong

Machine Learning analysis of high-grade serous ovarian cancer proteomic dataset reveals novel candidate biomarkers

• Federica Farinella
• Mario Merone
• Daniele Caligiore

Characterization of transcriptome diversity and in vitro behavior of primary human high-risk breast cells

• Sahar J. Alothman
• Keunsoo Kang
• Priscilla A. Furth

Detection of germline variants in Brazilian breast cancer patients using multigene panel testing

• Rodrigo Santa Cruz Guindalini
• Danilo Vilela Viana
• Maria Aparecida Azevedo Koike Folgueira

Deep learning for fully automatic detection, segmentation, and Gleason grade estimation of prostate cancer in multiparametric magnetic resonance images

• Oscar J. Pellicer-Valero
• José L. Marenco Jiménez
• José D. Martín-Guerrero

A deep learning-based radiomics approach to predict head and neck tumor regression for adaptive radiotherapy

• Shohei Tanaka
• Noriyuki Kadoya
• Keiichi Jingu

PPP6C, a serine-threonine phosphatase, regulates melanocyte differentiation and contributes to melanoma tumorigenesis through modulation of MITF activity

• Carolyn R. Maskin
• Renuka Raman
• Yariv Houvras

The impact of driver mutation on the treatment outcome of early-stage lung cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant immunotherapy and chemotherapy

• Jung-Yueh Chen

cGAS-STING signaling encourages immune cell overcoming of fibroblast barricades in pancreatic cancer

• Ayano Kabashima
• Yuki Matsuo
• Shinji Tanaka

Gastric cancer cell death analyzed by live cell imaging of spheroids

• George Alzeeb
• Danielle Arzur
• Catherine Le Jossic-Corcos

Mass spectrometry imaging discriminates glioblastoma tumor cell subpopulations and different microvascular formations based on their lipid profiles

• Kelly C. O’Neill
• Evangelos Liapis
• Claire L. Carter

Combination gemcitabine and PD-L1xCD3 bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) enhances T lymphocyte cytotoxicity against cholangiocarcinoma cells

• Methi Wathikthinnakon
• Piriya Luangwattananun
• Aussara Panya

The third-generation anti-CD30 CAR T-cells specifically homing to the tumor and mediating powerful antitumor activity

• Shangkun Zhang
• Chaojiang Gu
• Tongcun Zhang

Follow-up of men with a PI-RADS 4/5 lesion after negative MRI/Ultrasound fusion biopsy

• Kira Kornienko
• Miriam Reuter
• Hannes Cash

Association between recurrent breast cancer and phthalate exposure modified by hormone receptors and body mass index

• Pei-Jing Yang
• Ming-Feng Hou
• Tsu-Nai Wang

Active surveillance versus initial surgery in the long-term management of Bosniak IIF–IV cystic renal masses

• Lassi Luomala
• Juhana Rautiola
• Harry Nisén

Survival prediction in triple negative breast cancer using multiple instance learning of histopathological images

• Piumi Sandarenu
• Ewan K. A. Millar
• Erik Meijering

Copy number alterations analysis of primary tumor tissue and circulating tumor cells from patients with early-stage triple negative breast cancer

• Marco Silvestri
• Matteo Dugo
• Vera Cappelletti

The K-Ras(G12D)-inhibitory peptide KS-58 suppresses growth of murine CT26 colorectal cancer cell-derived tumors

• Kotaro Sakamoto
• Bangzhong Lin
• Shinsaku Nakagawa

Targeting the translational machinery in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST): a new therapeutic vulnerability

• Donna M. Lee
• Anette Duensing

Comprehensive analysis of epigenetics regulation, prognostic and the correlation with immune infiltrates of GPX7 in adult gliomas

• Wallax Augusto Silva Ferreira
• Glauco Akelinghton Freire Vitiello
• Edivaldo Herculano Correa de Oliveira

Impact of baseline culture conditions of cancer organoids when determining therapeutic response and tumor heterogeneity

• Rebecca A. DeStefanis
• Jeremy D. Kratz
• Dustin A. Deming

Microinvasive breast cancer and the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy

• Sean M. Hacking
• Kara-Lynne Leonard
• Yihong Wang

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia promotes an immune suppressive microenvironment that can be overcome by IL-12

• Kathleen J. Imbach
• Christopher C. Porter

Real-world evidence of the intrinsic limitations of PCR-based EGFR mutation assay in non-small cell lung cancer

• Chia-I Shen
• Chi-Lu Chiang
• Chao-Hua Chiu

Modelling liver cancer microenvironment using a novel 3D culture system

• Ala’a Al Hrout
• Karla Cervantes-Gracia

Role of CD68 in tumor immunity and prognosis prediction in pan-cancer

• Jingwei Zhang

Novel chalcone-derived pyrazoles as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

• Natalia Maciejewska
• Mateusz Olszewski
• Maciej Baginski

Molecular investigation of possible relationships concerning bovine leukemia virus and breast cancer

• Muhammad Abubakar
• Shumaila Manzoor

PD-L1 strong expressions affect the clinical outcomes of osimertinib in treatment naïve advanced EGFR -mutant non-small cell lung cancer patients

• Kuo-Hsuan Hsu
• Jeng-Sen Tseng
• Gee-Chen Chang

Temporal dynamics from phosphoproteomics using endoscopic biopsy specimens provides new therapeutic targets in stage IV gastric cancer

• Hidekazu Hirano

The breast cancer immune microenvironment is modified by neoadjuvant chemotherapy

• Claudia Urueña
• Paola Lasso
• Susana Fiorentino

Identification of long non-coding RNAs and RNA binding proteins in breast cancer subtypes

• Claudia Cava
• Alexandros Armaos
• Isabella Castiglioni

Inhibition of interferon-gamma-stimulated melanoma progression by targeting neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)

• Shirley Tong
• Maris A. Cinelli

Effects of inhalable gene transfection as a novel gene therapy for non-small cell lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma

• Misa Ichikawa
• Naomi Muramatsu
• Akinobu Gotoh

Pressure increases PD-L1 expression in A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells and causes resistance to anti-ROR1 CAR T cell-mediated cytotoxicity

• Zhenglin Ou
• Xiaolin Dou
• Guodong Liu

Non- Helicobacter pylori Helicobacter (NHPH) positive gastric cancer

• Tomohiko Yasuda
• Hyun Seok Lee
• Sachiyo Nomura

Radiation dose enhancement using gold nanoparticles with a diamond linear accelerator target: a multiple cell type analysis

• Olivia Piccolo
• John D. Lincoln
• Michael N. Ha

Pan-cancer analysis on the role of PIK3R1 and PIK3R2 in human tumors

Combined MEK/MDM2 inhibition demonstrates antitumor efficacy in TP53 wild-type thyroid and colorectal cancers with MAPK alterations

• Seyed Pairawan
• Argun Akcakanat
• Funda Meric-Bernstam

Outcomes of right-sided and left-sided colon cancer after curative resection

• Chien-Yi Yang
• Min-Hsuan Yen
• Tung-Cheng Chang

Conditioned media of pancreatic cancer cells and pancreatic stellate cells induce myeloid-derived suppressor cells differentiation and lymphocytes suppression

• Yuen Ping Chong
• Evelyn Priya Peter

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies