www.Cancer.gov News Releases

A new study provides insight into how cancer immunotherapy works and suggests ways to enhance the treatment’s effectiveness. The NCI-led study, published in Science, examined the effect of high potassium levels on T cells.

The 2019 Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research will be awarded to NCI’s Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., for his pioneering role in the development of immunotherapy.

A research team from NIH and Global Good has developed a computer algorithm that can analyze digital images of the cervix and identify precancerous changes that require medical attention. The AI approach could be valuable in low-resource settings.

The BRCA Exchange, a global resource that includes data on thousands of inherited variants in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes, is available to the public through a website and new smartphone app.

In a new study, NIH investigators found that patients treated with chemotherapy for most solid tumors had an increased risk of tMDS/AML, a rare but often fatal blood cancer. The study, which used population-based data, was published in JAMA Oncology.

A clinical trial showed that ibrutinib plus rituximab is superior to standard treatment for patients age 70 and younger with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Findings were announced at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.

Senator John McCain, a long-time supporter of cancer research, passed away on August 25.

In a new study, NCI-led researchers developed a gene expression predictor that can indicate whether melanoma in a specific patient is likely to respond to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, a type of immunotherapy.

NCI’s Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., and two NCI-supported researchers have been named recipients of the 2018 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research for their pioneering immunotherapy research.

Results from a randomized clinical trial show patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer treated with radiation and cetuximab had inferior survival compared to the current standard treatment with radiation and cisplatin. The trial’s goal was to find a less toxic treatment approach without compromising survival.