Our Discoveries

Mutant RAS can shift other proteins’ positions inside cancer cells

Mutant RAS proteins help shuttle other proteins out of the cell nucleus and into the cytoplasm, where some can promote cancerous growth.

Immunotherapy after surgery helps people with high-risk bladder cancer live cancer-free longer

Results from a large CCR clinical trial show that treatment with an immunotherapy drug may nearly double the length of time people with high-risk, muscle-invasive bladder cancer are cancer-free following surgical removal of the bladder. Researchers led by Andrea B. Apolo, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, found that postsurgical treatment with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating at least 18 different cancers, was superior compared with observation.

NIH study links neighborhood environment to prostate cancer risk in men with West African genetic ancestry

CCR researchers led by Stefan Ambs, Ph.D., M.P.H., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, found that West African genetic ancestry was associated with increased prostate cancer among men living in disadvantaged neighborhoods but not among men living in more affluent neighborhoods. The findings suggest that neighborhood environment may play a role in determining how genetic ancestry influences prostate cancer risk.

Understanding the Risk of Second Cancers After CAR T-Cell Therapy

Two recent reports in the New England Journal of Medicine are seeking to determine if there may be a causal link between CAR T-cell treatment and second cancers. In this Q&A, Stephanie L. Goff, M.D., Senior Research Physician in the Surgery Branch, discusses the findings and what this issue may mean in general for patients and this area of research.

Dietary glutamine may be linked to B-cell lymphomas in abdominal lymph nodes

Study provides evidence for different anatomic locations being linked to different biology in lymphoma.

Photomicrograph of a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)

Technique targeting cell marker boosts treatment options for B-cell lymphomas

Researchers uncovered the mechanisms behind a drug treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The findings help clarify why certain patients respond well to the treatment, while others do not.

New immunotherapy approach shows potential in some people with metastatic solid tumors, NIH researchers say

Early findings from a small clinical trial provide evidence that a new cellular immunotherapy approach may be effective in treating metastatic colorectal cancer. In the trial, researchers led by Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Surgery Branch, genetically engineered lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) from each patient to produce receptors that recognize and attack their specific cancer cells. The personalized immunotherapy shrank tumors in several patients and was able to keep the tumors from regrowing for up to 7 months.

Repairing DNA that breaks during replication

DNA replication can generate double-strand DNA breaks. CCR scientists clarify how these breaks form and how cells repair the potentially catastrophic damage.

Artificial intelligence model analyzes tumor images to predict patients’ response to different cancer therapies

Understanding the genetic makeup of a tumor can help doctors recommend the best treatment option for their patients, but molecular sequencing is costly and not accessible to everyone. A new artificial intelligence model called ENLIGHT DEEP-PT could help overcome these challenges.

Researchers use artificial intelligence to tease apart subtypes of glioma

A new machine learning algorithm can dig deep into spectral data of brain tumor tissue to reveal genetic mutations, DNA methylation and even the fat content of gliomas. This research advance could help scientists better classify — and one day better treat — brain cancer.

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