Treatment Research

The targeted cancer therapy ibrutinib can effectively treat the symptoms of chronic graft-versus-host disease, a common and serious complication of allogeneic stem cell transplants, findings from a small clinical trial show.

Drug resistance is a common occurrence that can lead to tumor relapse and patient death. Scientists are exploring combinations of different cancer drugs that have the potential to kill more cancer cells and overcome or delay drug resistance.

In a study of an immune therapy for colorectal cancer that involved a single patient, researchers identified a method for targeting the cancer-causing protein produced by a mutant form of the KRAS gene.

Scientists have designed a device that measures the mass of single cancer cells to predict how cells respond to drug treatment. The technology could potentially help clinicians determine whether a drug effectively kills cancer cells.

The recently launched COMET study will examine whether educating patients with cancer about genetic testing will increase their knowledge and reduce their stress levels after receiving genomic testing results.

A new study suggests that a chromosomal instability score may help guide treatment choices for patients with cancer.

A study suggests that doctors could use circulating tumor DNA to quickly identify patients who are responding to T-cell transfer immunotherapy.

A drug currently used to treat several psychiatric conditions can help prevent nausea and vomiting in patients receiving chemotherapy, a large clinical trial showed.

A therapy that uses the anthrax toxin selectively targets blood vessels that feed tumors and support their growth and spread, researchers have found.

Encouraging findings from several early-stage clinical trials featured at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting support the promise of precision medicine and immunotherapy.

The largest study of its kind to date has shown that a test that assesses DNA mutations and other changes in genetic material shed from tumors into the blood—a liquid biopsy—produced results highly similar to those of traditional tumor biopsies.

The CFH antibodies killed tumor cells in cell lines of several cancer types and slowed tumor growth in mouse models of brain and lung cancer, without evidence of side effects.

Two new studies from NCI researchers add to growing evidence of the promise of a novel type of cancer immunotherapy that uses infrared light to activate rapid and selective killing of cancer cells.

Researchers have developed a new injectable nanoparticle-generating technology that can deliver a cancer drug to the nucleus of metastatic breast cancer cells.

Many female cancer survivors have problems with mobility and other physical functioning as a result of persistent peripheral neuropathy caused by chemotherapy treatment, according to a new study.

NCI’s Dr. James Gulley discusses cancer checkpoint inhibitors, their impact on patient care, and future directions for these therapies.

Some cancer treatments may damage the heart, and researchers from the fields of oncology and cardiology are working to find ways to prevent, manage, and possibly even reverse these side effects.

A team of NCI researchers has reported that several types of gastrointestinal cancer have tumor-specific mutations that can be recognized by the immune system, thereby offering a new therapeutic opportunity for patients with these tumors.

The FDA has approved rolapitant to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Tumor cells that are missing one copy of the tumor suppressor gene TP53 often harbor another genetic alteration that may make them susceptible to a targeted attack, according to a new study.

A new NCI study has found that, among patients with severe aplastic anemia who received a hematopoietic cell transplant from an unrelated donor, those whose donor white blood cells had longer telomeres had higher survival rates five-years after transplantation than those whose donor white blood cells had shorter telomeres.

Under the Precision Medicine Initiative, NCI is working to accelerate the pace of research that will help identify which treatments work best for which patients.

Researchers have identified a “genetic signature” in the tumors of patients with advanced melanoma who responded to a form of immunotherapy called checkpoint blockade. The results could be the basis for a test that identifies likely responders to this treatment as well as for developing new treatments.

Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston have reported on a method for studying treatment resistance that may identify combinations of targeted therapies that can help to combat resistance in some patients.

An article about an immunotherapy approach that involves engineering patients’ own immune cells to recognize and attack their tumors. Several small ongoing phase I trials testing ACT in patients with advanced acute lymphoblastic leukemia are described.

The Exceptional Responders Initiative, a study to investigate the molecular factors of tumors associated with exceptional treatment responses of cancer patients to drug therapies, was launched today by NCI. Scientists will attempt to identify the molecular features of tumors that predict whether or not a particular drug or class of drugs will be beneficial.

Researchers have found that young women with breast cancer were able to better preserve their fertility during cancer treatments by using hormone-blocking drug injections that put them into temporary menopause. The results announced today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago are from the Prevention of Early Menopause Study (POEMS), a clinical trial sponsored by NCI.

A new method for using immunotherapy to specifically attack tumor cells that have mutations unique to a patient's cancer has been developed by NCI scientists.

A pilot trial to assess whether assigning treatment based on specific gene mutations can provide benefit to patients with metastatic solid tumors is being launched this month by the NCI. The Molecular Profiling based Assignment of Cancer Therapeutics, or M-PACT, trial is one of the first to use a randomized trial design to assess if assigning treatment based on genetic screening can improve the rate and duration of response in patients with advanced solid tumors.

At the 2013 American Society of Hematology meeting in Dec. 2013, James Kochenderfer, M.D., NCI, presented findings from two clinical trials evaluating the use of genetically modified immune system T cells as cancer therapy. These reports represent important advances in the understanding of gene therapy for treatment of advanced blood-borne cancers.

An intact gut commensal microbiota, which is a population of microorganisms living in the intestine, is required for optimal response to cancer therapy, according to a mouse study by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Hodgkin lymphoma survivors who received certain radiation and chemotherapy regimens have been found to be at increased risk of subsequently developing stomach cancer.

Drugs that block the MEK protein have shown promise in several cancers. Trametinib has had encouraging results in patients with advanced melanoma, and selumetinib has been tested in patients with advanced thyroid and ovarian cancers.

A survey of online recommendations shows there is a need for more research on the optimal nutritional approaches for patients being treated for cancer.

Scientists have overcome a major impediment to the development of effective stem cell therapies by studying mice that lack CD47, a protein found on the surface of both healthy and cancer cells. They discovered that cells obtained from the lungs of CD47-deficient mice, but not from ordinary mice that have the CD47 gene, multiplied in a culture dish and spontaneously converted into stem cells

More often than not, cancer immunotherapies that work in adults are used in modified ways in children. Seldom are new therapies developed just for children, primarily because of the small number of pediatric patients relative to the adult cancer patient population. Depicted are members of NCI’s Pediatric Oncology Branch. From left: Drs. Crystal Mackall, Daniel Lee, and Alan Wayne

A new study describes the pattern of risk for chemotherapy-related acute myeloid leukemia among adult cancer survivors over the past three decades who have previously been treated with chemotherapy for other cancers. These patterns coincide with major shifts in treatment practices. In particular, the study found that the risk of treatment-related AML among patients treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma has increased steadily during the last few decades.

NIH researchers have discovered a significant new mechanism of action for a class of chemotherapy drugs known as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors, or PARP inhibitors. They have also identified differences in the toxic capabilities of three drugs in this class which are currently being tested in clinical trials. Prior to this study, PARP inhibitors were thought to work primarily by blocking PARP enzyme activity, thus preventing the repair of DNA damage and ultimately causing cell death.

In this pilot study, patients with KSHV-associated multicentric Castleman disease will receive intravenous tocilizumab every other week for up to 12 weeks. Patients who do not benefit from tocilizumab therapy alone may go on to receive high-dose AZT and valganciclovir in addition to tocilizumab.

NCI scientists have found that a gene, Schlafen-11 (SLFN11), sensitizes cells to substances known to cause irreparable damage to DNA.  As part of their study, the researchers used a repository of 60 cell types to identify predictors of cancer cell response to classes of DNA damaging agents, widely used as chemotherapy treatments for many cancers.

Finding young people willing to take part in clinical trials can be difficult. Researchers are using new and traditional ways to connect with and enroll young patients in clinical studies to assess and offset infertility caused by cancer and its treatment.

Adoptive cell transfer is a form of immune-boosting therapy that is being tested in clinical trials to treat a number of cancers. Several research studies are using the technique to treat advanced melanoma.

By packaging molecules of the chemotherapy drug docetaxel in nanoparticles, researchers aim to deliver a high dose directly to tumors and reduce the drug's toxicity. A trial to test the targeted nanoparticle is underway in humans.

Genetically engineered T cells are being studied for the treatment of a variety of cancers. This article explores the challenges of moving the therapy from small clinical trials into the clinic.

A clinical trial has shown that addition of chemotherapy to radiation therapy leads to a near doubling of median survival time in patients with a form of brain tumor (oligodendroglioma) that carries a chromosomal abnormality called the 1p19q co-deletion. This abnormality is characterized by the simultaneous deletion of the short arm of chromosome 1 and long arm of chromosome 19. The presence of the chromosomal abnormality was associated with substantially better prognosis and marked improvements in survival in a treatment program of combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy compared to radiation therapy alone.

An article about why and how some patients with cancer develop a wasting syndrome that causes dramatic loss of muscle mass and substantial weight loss.

Use of robot-assisted prostate surgery has skyrocketed. What the trend means for patients and the health care system is still a matter of study and debate.

Many patients and researchers assert that in cancer clinical trials, placebos are inappropriate and that all participants should receive active treatment. But with the emergence of molecularly targeted anticancer agents, some cancer researchers believe placebo-controlled trials are now feasible and, in some cases, necessary.

More than half of the drugs approved to treat cancer come from a natural product or a natural product prototype. Scientists in NCI-Frederick's Natural Products Branch are exploring ways to harness chemicals produced by marine invertebrates, other animals, plants, and microbes for cancer drug discovery.

Some male survivors of childhood cancer who were thought to be sterile may be able to conceive children thanks to a surgical procedure.

Some oncologists neglect to discuss the possibility of treatment-related infertility with patients of reproductive age. Researchers are developing decision aids to help patients make an informed, carefully considered decision about fertility.

The benefits of exercise are well documented in a number of cancers. A panel of experts in cancer, fitness, obesity, and exercise training convened by the American College of Sports Medicine is spreading what they believe to be one of the most important messages for cancer patients and survivors: Avoid inactivity.

Participation in clinical trials by adult patients is dismally low. No one knows how many patients are offered the opportunity to enroll in trials. NCI researchers are studying how patients hear about trials, whether they discuss enrollment with their providers, and the roles they play in deciding to participate in a trial.

Adolescents, young adults, and the elderly lag far behind other age groups when it comes to enrolling in clinical trials. Their participation is critical to advancing effective therapies for these age groups.

Sipuleucel-T (Provenge) is a relatively nontoxic treatment option for men with hormone-resistant or castration-resistant prostate cancer. The FDA's approval of the vaccine represented the first proof of principle that immunotherapy can work in cancer.

Older patients metabolize drugs differently, are more likely to have other illnesses, and are more prone to problems that can influence cancer treatment efficacy. Researchers are now studying and altering their approach to caring for older patients.

The pain and discomfort caused by peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common reasons that cancer patients stop their treatment early. Researchers are working to improve new screening, treatment, and prevention options for patients.

Researchers have been intrigued by the potent and beneficial biological activity shown by some natural products and are testing ways to incorporate them into standard and experimental cancer treatment regimens, both to enhance the anticancer effects of therapy and reduce side effects.

Public interest in this form of radiation therapy is growing, but members of the medical and research communities are concerned that enthusiasm for this promising therapy may be getting ahead of the research.

Some patients with cancer turn to dietary supplements advertised as having anticancer effects or being supportive of general health. But these biologically active compounds may interact dangerously with chemotherapy, radiation, or other cancer treatments.

Cancer or cancer treatment can cause cognitive changes that impair concentration, memory, multitasking, and planning ability. Research is underway to explain why these changes occur and how they may be treated.

An article about a side effect of cancer treatment that causes lymph to build up in the extremities and cause swelling.

Researchers are focusing on patient education as an important component in overcoming barriers to cancer pain relief.

Patients with cancer may be reluctant to discuss their pain with their doctors for a variety of reasons. NCI sponsors research that examines the barriers that prevent patients from talking about pain.