Clinical trial tests combinations of immunotherapy drugs for prostate cancer
Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is a disease that has spread beyond the prostate and no longer responds to hormone therapy. James Gulley, M.D., Ph.D., of the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch is leading a study of combination immunotherapy where patients will be treated with two, three or four drugs that affect the immune system in different ways to determine the safety of various combinations and whether they can make tumors shrink. Read more...
Combination immunotherapy clinical trial for prostate cancer patients with rise in PSA
Apr 20, 2018
A new study that is now open is testing combination immunotherapy for men with prostate cancer that are experiencing a rise in PSA after surgery or radiation. Read more...
Activated platelets can promote tumor cell invasion into healthy tissue
Apr 19, 2018
Pre-clinical studies conducted by CCR investigators and colleagues show that platelets, tiny cells that promote blood clotting, when activated by the CD97 protein on the surface of tumor cells, enable the tumor cells to invade healthy tissue and then metastasize. The study, published April 17, 2018, in Cell Reports, was led by Kathleen Kelly, Ph.D., Chief, Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis. 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...
Focusing on function to mine cancer genome data
Apr 17, 2018
CCR scientists have devised a strategy to sift through the tens of thousands of mutations in cancer genome data to find mutations that actually drive the disease. They have used the method to discover that the JNK signaling pathway, which in different contexts can either spur cancerous growth or rein it in, acts as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancers. Read more...
Study led by Louis Staudt revises molecular classification for most common type of lymphoma
Apr 13, 2018
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of lymphoma. Though potentially curable, treatment does not eliminate the disease for all patients. A new study led by Louis Staudt, M.D., Co-Chief of the Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, identified genetic subtypes of DLBCL that could help explain why some patients respond to treatment whereas others do not. Read more...
Phase I clinical trial will test multi-targeted immunotherapy in common childhood cancer
Apr 10, 2018
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy targeting the protein CD19 has shown promise in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). CD22-CAR T-cell therapy has yielded similarly encouraging results, but many patients relapse after either therapy. In an upcoming phase I clinical trial, Center for Cancer Research investigators will test a new strategy—treating patients with a CAR T-cell therapy that targets CD19 and CD22 simultaneously. Read more...
Imaging technique predicts efficacy of targeting prostate tumor metabolism in mice
Apr 10, 2018
Disrupting glycolysis, a metabolic process tumors often rely on to feed their growth by partially breaking down sugars and not requiring oxygen, has emerged as a promising approach to treating metastatic prostate cancer in a study by Center for Cancer Research investigators. Read more...
Marston Linehan featured in “The Code” video series from STAT and Retro Report
Apr 9, 2018
“Finding the Code: The Race to Sequence the Human Genome and What it Means” is the first in a three-part series from STAT and Retro Report investigating the roots of today’s most promising genetic technologies. Marston Linehan, Ph.D., Chief of the Urologic Oncology Branch, is featured for his work on the Human Genome Project. Read more...
Study reveals potentially prognostic gene, metabolism changes in kidney cancers
Apr 5, 2018
The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network investigators, including CCR scientists, identified genetic and metabolic pathway changes linked to reduced survival of patients within and across subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a type of kidney cancer. The study, published April 5, 2018, in Cell Reports, is part of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Program, a joint effort of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). Read more...
New clinical trial studies drug combination for recurring ovarian cancer
Apr 5, 2018
A new clinical trial is studying the effectiveness of an investigational drug combination that looks to see whether reducing the supply of oxygen to the cancer cells can make ovarian cancer shrink or slow its growth in association with an enzyme that repairs DNA damage. Read more...