Jun 19, 2018

Join us on June 19 at 3:30 p.m. E.T. for a Facebook Live on the NIH Pediatric and Wildtype Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) Clinic. The GIST Clinic, which takes place June 20-22, is a collaborative effort between clinicians, research scientists and advocates who share the goal of helping young patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Fernanda Arnaldez, M.D., a physician in the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, and Margaret von Mehren, M.D., of Fox Chase Cancer Center will be joined by moderator Becky Owens of GIST Support International. Together they will discuss the GIST Clinic and its contributions to progressing GIST research. Read more...

Jun 18, 2018

In a recent collaborative study published in Nature, CCR researchers have visualized the interaction between two critical components of the body’s cellular communication network using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The near-atomic resolution images provide a blueprint that could lead to more effective medications for cancer and other conditions. According to Sriram Subramaniam, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Cell Biology and a senior author of the study, “The use of cryo-EM technology to obtain structural information on important pharmaceutical targets such as GPCRs in various states demonstrates that we are now in a position to apply these methods for drug discovery applications.” Read more...

Jun 15, 2018

Findings from a phase III international clinical trial, led by Robert Kreitman, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), show moxetumomab pasudotox (Moxe) may be an effective treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory hairy cell leukemia (HCL). Initially developed by an LMB team led by Ira Pastan, M.D., Moxe is a toxin-based drug that can eliminate tiny deposits of cancer cells hiding in bone marrow – referred to as minimal residual disease. These deposits often avoid being killed by standard chemotherapy and are thought to be the cause of relapsed HCL. According to Dr. Kreitman, Moxe offers an option for HCL patients to avoid additional chemotherapy and may potentially improve long-term outcomes.  Read more...

Jun 15, 2018

Preliminary results from a phase II clinical trial at the Center for Cancer Research support the use of the investigational drug selumetinib for shrinking tumors in children and young adults with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). NF1 is a genetic syndrome that often causes tumors, called plexiform neurofibromas, to develop in nerve cells on or under the skin. Although most of these tumors are not cancerous, patients commonly experience pain, reduced mobility and difficulty breathing. Results from the study, led by Brigitte Widemann, M.D., Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch, not only confirm findings from a smaller 2016 study demonstrating the drug’s ability to shrink large tumors, but also suggest the drug may improve symptoms. Read more...

Jun 14, 2018

This two-day national symposium addresses recent advances in the field of immunology and will be an exciting forum for discussion and debate on the current understanding of basic immunological mechanisms. Learn more...

Jun 12, 2018

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies and is the 4th leading cause of death due to cancer in the United States with a median survival of less than 6 months. The purpose of the 5th NCI Pancreatic Cancer Symposium is to provide an opportunity to bring together the leaders and young investigators including basic researchers and clinical scientists in the field from NCI/NIH and the extramural community to exchange information and understand the latest advances in tumor biology, epidemiology, early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer. The meeting will provide an exciting forum to foster collaborations and to address future challenges in advancing our commitment of improving disease outcome in patients with this recalcitrant cancer. Read more...

Jun 12, 2018

Minority, immigrant and disadvantaged populations in the United States continue to experience an excessive cancer burden not only due to barriers in access to health care and cultural barriers but also due to distinct carcinogen and pathogen exposures, environmentally induced stress, co-morbidities and ancestry-related risk factors. These factors, singularly or in combination, are the likely causes of the existing cancer health disparities in the U.S. and globally. This symposium will present recent advances in our understanding of the causes of cancer health disparities in the U.S. and globally and will discuss disparities in cancer outcome and survivorship and strategies to reduce these disparities, such as novel approaches to prevention, the use of immunotherapy and precision medicine. Read more...

Jun 12, 2018

The 2018 Jacobson Award of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) was presented to Steven Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Surgery Branch, at a dinner held in his honor on June 8 in Chicago. According to the ACS press release, the prestigious award honors living surgeons who have been innovators of a new development or technique in any field of surgery. Dr. Rosenberg was honored with this international surgical award for his role in developing effective immunotherapies and gene therapies for patients with advanced cancers. Read more...

Jun 11, 2018

When standard treatment failed to eliminate her late-stage breast cancer, Judy Perkins turned to a clinical trial led by Steven Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Surgery Branch at the Center for Cancer Research. The trial uses a novel immunotherapy approach of multiplying specific cancer-fighting cells and injecting them into a patient’s bloodstream to kill the cancer. In a recent interview with CBS News’ Jonathan LaPook, Perkins — who remains cancer free more than two years later — shares her clinical trial experience.  Read more...

Jun 6, 2018

In a new study in Nature, CCR researchers describe, for the first time, how a cell commits to dividing during the cell cycle. Since cancer cells divide when they should not, targeting this pathway might stop their inappropriate growth. Read more...