FDA grants orphan drug status to selumetinib for neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) treatment
Apr 23, 2018
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted orphan drug status in February to selumetinib for use in patients with the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), who often develop tumors of the peripheral nervous system. Receiving orphan drug designation is a helpful step for selumetinib. Read more...
New CCR publication, Landmarks, is now available
Apr 19, 2018
The Center for Cancer Research has been at the forefront of cancer research for decades. Spanning the spectrum from basic research to advances in clinical care, including the development of new cancer drugs and innovative vaccines, Landmarks highlights the remarkable discoveries that have occurred at CCR over the years. Read more...
CCR scientists to present at 2018 AACR Annual Meeting in Chicago
Apr 2, 2018
The Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) covers the latest basic, translational, clinical and prevention-focused cancer research in the field. The 2018 AACR Annual Meeting —“Driving Innovative Cancer Science to Patient Care” — will take place on April 14-18 in Chicago and feature presentations from several CCR scientists. View the list of CCR presentations at AACR…
CCR celebrates Doctors Day
Mar 30, 2018
March 30th marks the annual observation of National Doctors Day. Learn more...
International Workshop on Merkel Cell Carcinoma Research (IWMCC) held in early March
Mar 29, 2018
Over 50 global thought-leaders gathered in early March to discuss and identify the most important research questions in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Read more...
CCR’s 2017-18 Milestones publication is now available
Mar 26, 2018
Every year, the Center for Cancer Research makes remarkable contributions to the understanding, detection, treatment and prevention of cancer. The CCR’s annual publication, Milestones, features select research highlights from the past year to illustrate the quality and spectrum of our work in the basic and clinical sciences. Read the 2017-18 issue of Milestones…
CCR-led study identifies possible strategy to improve efficacy of moxetumomab in leukemia
Mar 19, 2018
A recent study identifies a possible strategy for improving the efficacy of moxetumomab pasudotox (Moxe), a toxin-based immunotherapy, for leukemia. For patients with relapsed and refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, clinical trials have demonstrated Moxe as a promising treatment, but patients quickly develop resistance to the drug, so benefits are limited. This new study, led by Ira Pastan, M.D., Co-Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, suggests combining Moxe with a drug used to treat some types of blood cancer may help overcome resistance to the immunotoxin treatment. Read the full story on the NCI Cancer Currents Blog…
Three CCR accomplishments receive Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards
Feb 23, 2018
The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer has recognized three CCR accomplishments with Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards. This award category honors employees of FLC member laboratories and non-laboratory staff who have accomplished outstanding work in the process of transferring federally developed technology. Read more…
CCR scientists help develop first recommendations for managing mesothelioma
Feb 7, 2018
Anish Thomas, M.B.B.S., M.D., Investigator in the Developmental Therapeutics Branch, Markku Martti Miettinen, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Clinician in the Laboratory of Pathology, and Raffit Hassan, M.D., Co-Chief of the Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Oncology Branch, are among the contributing authors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s first guidelines for evidence-based recommendations on the management of mesothelioma. The guidelines were informed by 222 relevant studies. The recommendations were developed for diagnosis, staging, chemotherapy, surgical cytoreduction, radiation therapy and multimodality therapy in patients with mesothelioma. Learn more…
Mark Roschewski discusses significance of early detection in solid tumors with Newsweek
Jan 23, 2018
A recent Newsweek article profiles the capabilities of CancerSEEK, a blood-based cancer detection test that may improve detection of early-stage cancers, including those that are hard to detect. Mark Roschewski, M.D., Staff Clinician in the Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, offered insight on the value of early detection for patients with solid tumors, such as those of the pancreas. According to Dr. Roschewski, “In solid tumors, earlier detection is actually the key. The earlier that one could detect a patient with a tumor, the more likely that the intervention would succeed because the intervention is surgery.” Read the full article…