A Conversation with Adam Sowalsky, Ph.D.
Adam Sowalsky, Ph.D., is an Investigator in the Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis. He is seeking to tease apart the molecular mechanisms underlying prostate cancers that have a high likelihood of progressing and then identifying patients who might benefit from earlier therapy. He discusses what motivated him to pursue a career in cancer biology as well as what lies ahead for his research. Read more...
Andrea Apolo receives Arthur S. Flemming Award
Apr 21, 2020
Andrea B. Apolo, M.D., NIH Lasker Clinical Research Scholar in the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, is a recipient of this year’s Arthur S. Flemming Award, which honors the accomplishments of mid-career federal employees. Dr. Apolo received the award for her work leading a clinical trial demonstrating that avelumab treatment led to prolonged survival in patients with refractory metastatic urothelial carcinoma. She then led the effort to get avelumab approved by the FDA for the treatment of bladder cancer. Read more...
Dr. William Dahut discusses coronavirus and cancer patients on Frankly Speaking about Cancer podcast
Apr 21, 2020
William L. Dahut, M.D., CCR Clinical Director, was a guest on the Frankly Speaking about Cancer podcast for their spotlight on coronavirus series. He addressed concerns from cancer patients and their caregivers and shared advice on what cancer patients can do to stay safe. Read more...
The discovery of selumetinib for children with NF1
Apr 21, 2020
When Brigitte Widemann, M.D., Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB), saw selumetinib shrinking the first child’s tumor, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Then, when she saw the second patient’s tumor shrinking, “I thought, oh my gosh, it’s working!” she recalls. Over 30 years of NCI-led and NCI-supported research culminated in clinical trials of selumetinib for kids with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and associated tumors called plexiform neurofibromas (PNs). With Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, selumetinib is now the first effective treatment for kids with PNs that can't be removed by surgery. Read more...
FDA approves first therapy for children with neurofibromatosis type 1
Apr 15, 2020
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved selumetinib (Koselugo) to treat children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and tumors called plexiform neurofibromas. The approval was based on results from a clinical trial, designed and led by Brigitte Widemann, M.D., Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB), and Andrea M. Gross, M.D., Assistant Research Physician in POB, that showed the drug shrank neurofibromas in 70 percent of patients. For many children in the trial, treatment with selumetinib also had clinical benefit, improving their pain, function and quality of life. 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...
In Memoriam: Nancy Colburn, Ph.D.
Apr 2, 2020
The Center for Cancer Research mourns the recent death of past colleague and friend Nancy Colburn, Ph.D. She was an esteemed member of the NCI community for 36 years from 1976-2012. Read more...
CCR researchers show selumetinib shrinks tumors in children with NF1
Mar 19, 2020
Findings from a phase 2 clinical trial show that the drug selumetinib improves outcomes for children with the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). In the trial, selumetinib shrank the inoperable tumors that develop with NF1 called plexiform neurofibromas, and children experienced reduced pain, improved function, and better overall quality of life after receiving the treatment. This trial was led by Brigitte Widemann, M.D., Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB), and Andrea M. Gross, M.D., Assistant Research Physician in POB, and the results were published March 18, 2020, in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read more...
New Milestones publication now available
Mar 12, 2020
Every year, the Center for Cancer Research makes remarkable contributions to the understanding, detection, treatment and prevention of cancer. This issue of our annual publication, Milestones, features some of the most impactful science conducted in the past year in CCR. These advances include new insights into how genomes are organized and how DNA and RNA function in cells, how cellular processes and signaling events function in healthy cells and how they are affected in cancer. Other major discoveries this year include how cancers become metastatic and what drives the proliferation of cancer 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...