Trial shows aggressive cancer treatment is appropriate for people with HIV-associated primary central nervous system lymphoma
Jul 2, 2020
New research from CCR scientists shows that chemoimmunotherapy with antiretroviral therapy can lead to long-lasting remissions of HIV-associated primary central nervous system lymphoma without compromising neurocognitive function. Read more...
Study finds drug beneficial for shrinking mesothelioma tumors
Jul 1, 2020
A drug that is designed to boost the immune system against mesothelioma, when combined with immunotherapy, was found to be beneficial in a small study involving ten patients. The results suggest that the drug LMB-100 could prolong the life of some patients with advanced disease. Read more...
New chemical sequencing reaction helps unravel the role of an ancient RNA modification
Jun 23, 2020
CCR researchers and collaborators have developed a novel chemical reaction that enables the quantitative mapping of an ancient and enigmatic RNA modification that is found in nearly all organisms on earth, providing fundamental insights that are potentially important for tumor biology and cancer treatment. Read more...
CCR scientists develop new blood test that may improve liver cancer screening
Jun 11, 2020
Scientists led by Xin Wei Wang, Ph.D., Deputy Chief of the Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, have developed a new test that can identify people who are likely to develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. The approach uses a simple blood test to check for the patient’s previous exposure to certain viruses. “Together with existing screening tests, the new test could play an important role in screening people who are at risk for developing HCC. It could help doctors find and treat HCC early. The method is relatively simple and inexpensive, and it only requires a small amount of blood,” he says. Read more...
New genetic analysis will help researchers understand how diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subtypes respond to experimental therapies
Apr 14, 2020
By looking for about 100 potential genetic abnormalities in the DNA of certain lymphomas, researchers can now assign individual cases of DLBCL to one of seven subtypes. The new classification system will better equip researchers to recognize the impact of experimental therapies on subsets of patients whose cancers share key clinical and biological features. Read more...
Mouse models and patient data suggest potential biomarker for immunotherapy response in melanoma
Apr 13, 2020
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are an effective treatment for about a third of patients with metastatic melanoma. Now, mouse models and patient data suggest these cancers are more likely to respond to immunotherapy if their cells resemble fully developed melanocytes rather than less mature precursor cells. Read more...
CCR researchers show testing with combined biopsy method improves prostate cancer diagnosis
Mar 5, 2020
A method of testing for prostate cancer developed at the Center for Cancer Research leads to more accurate diagnosis and prediction of the course of the disease, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Peter Pinto, M.D., Investigator in the Urologic Oncology Branch, led the study and says this method, which combines systematic biopsy, the current primary diagnostic approach, with MRI-targeted biopsy, is poised to greatly improve prostate cancer diagnosis, thereby reducing the risk of both overtreatment and undertreatment of the disease. To see all open prostate cancer trials, click here. Read more...
A new set of genes linked to metastasis in melanoma
Mar 3, 2020
CCR researchers have found that melanoma can reactivate gene expression patterns that are usually active in melanoblasts, facilitating their progression to metastatic behavior. These newly discovered melanoblast genes have the potential to provide a new source of pathways that could be tapped to develop new treatments for melanoma. Read more...
Irinotecan shrinks DNA-repair-deficient breast cancers in patient-derived mouse models
Mar 2, 2020
Laboratory studies uncover genetic features that make some triple-negative breast cancers vulnerable to an overlooked treatment option. Read more...
New study overturns conventional understanding of how HIV infection occurs
Feb 26, 2020
Researchers have succeeded in imaging where and when the protective coating that surrounds HIV is disassembled, a critical step in the viral replication process. Their observations show that the virus keeps its protective coating after entering the nucleus of a cell and then begins replicating, which is counter to what most scientists have thought for decades. Read more...