cancer science research paper

Cancer Biology Research

Breast cancer cells

The Importance of Cancer Biology Research

Research on the biology of cancer starts with the simplest of questions: What is—and isn’t—normal? To understand how cancer develops and progresses, researchers first need to investigate the biological differences between normal cells and cancer cells. This work focuses on the mechanisms that underlie fundamental processes such as cell growth, the transformation of normal cells to cancer cells, and the spread ( metastasis ) of cancer cells.

Virtually all major advances against cancer originated with discoveries in basic science . Basic research can reveal new ideas about the causes of cancer and how it develops, progresses, and responds to therapy.

Knowledge gained from such studies deepens our understanding of cancer and produces insights that could lead to new clinical interventions. For example, studies of cell signaling pathways  in normal cells and cancer cells have contributed greatly to our knowledge about the disease, revealing molecular alterations that are shared among different types of cancer and pointing to possible treatment strategies.

Decades of basic research in cancer biology have created a broad base of knowledge that has been critical to progress against the disease.

Selected NCI Activities in Cancer Biology Research

NCI Research and the National Cancer Plan

NCI supports a broad variety of research that aligns with the goals of the National Cancer Plan. Read about the plan and explore each goal.

Federal funding for cancer biology is essential because this area of research receives relatively little funding from entities that are driven by profit. NCI supports and directs cancer biology research through a variety of programs and approaches. For example:

• The Metastasis Research Network (MetNet) supports research to improve our understanding of how cancer spreads. Cancer metastasis is a complex, dynamic, nonlinear process. The network supports several specialized centers working collaboratively on multidisciplinary projects focused on several themes of the metastatic process, including mechanisms of early dissemination, cellular and physical microenvironment crosstalk, dormancy, and mechanisms of responses to therapy by metastatic cells.
• The Translational and Basic Science Research in Early Lesions (TBEL) Program is advancing the understanding of the mechanisms driving, or restraining, the development of precancers and early cancers, as well as informing the development of precision prevention approaches. The program supports multidisciplinary research centers that are integrating basic and translational research to investigate the interactions of an early lesion, its microenvironment, and host factors as “co-organizers” of tumor initiation and the development of cancer.
• The Human Tumor Atlas Network is constructing 3-dimensional atlases of the cellular, morphological, and molecular features of human cancers as they evolve from precancerous lesions to advanced disease. The atlases, which represent a diverse patient population, will also be used to study how tumors respond to treatment and develop resistance to drugs.
• The Cancer Tissue Engineering Collaborative (TEC) supports the development and characterization of state-of-the-art biomimetic tissue-engineered technologies for cancer research. This program advances innovative, well-characterized in vitro and ex vivo systems available for cancer research, expands the breadth of these systems to several cancer types, and promotes investigations of cancer with tissue-engineered systems.

NCI Fiscal Year 2025 Professional Judgment Budget Proposal

Each year, NCI prepares a professional judgment budget to lead progress against cancer.

• The consortium of tumor glycomics laboratories and their research partners that make up the Alliance of Glycobiologists for Cancer Research are investigating the cancer-related dynamics of complex carbohydrates. The alliance, which NCI sponsors with the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, aims to study the structure and function of glycans in relation to cancer.
• The NCI RNA Biology Initiative facilitates the exchange of information and expertise among investigator studying the structure, function, and biological roles of RNA for the purpose of developing new cancer diagnostics and therapies.
• NCI’s Centers of Excellence bring together the institute’s intramural researchers to collaborate on new projects and initiatives in various areas of cancer biology, including Chromosome Biology and Genitourinary Malignancies .

Recent Research Findings in Cancer Biology

• Loss of Y Chromosome in Men Makes Bladder Cancer More Aggressive
• Cells’ decision to divide is reversible
• How Fatty Liver Disease Helps Cancer Thrive in the Liver
• No Glucose? Pancreatic Cancer May Have a Ready Energy Alternative
• How Some Brain Tumors Hijack the Mind to Grow
• Researchers discover the multiple shapes of RNA, a boon for drug design
• Vulnerability in Brain Tumors May Open Door to New Treatments
• Preventing Chemo Brain? Study Identifies Potential Approach for Common Problem

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Impactful Research from JNCI Cancer Spectrum

Introducing a collection of articles that celebrates the most influential and highly cited works recently published at JNCI Cancer Spectrum . These articles include the gamut of cancer research, from a systematic review of novel drug therapy to epidemiology studies of smoking and colorectal cancer to examinations of randomized controlled trials.  Of particular impact were articles investigating the role of Artificial Intelligence in cancer care.  These manuscripts delve into the burgeoning intersection of AI and oncology, exploring how generative AI may influence how patients access information on cancer care.  We welcome your submissions to the journal in these and all other areas of clinical cancer research. Submit your work to the journal and your research could be included in similar collections in the future. James B. Yu MD MHS FASTRO, Editor in Chief | Sanjay Aneja MD, Associate Editor

Researchers publishing with  JNCI Cancer Spectrum  are in great company. Inspired by this collection? Find out more about publishing with us  here , or view our current Call For Papers here .

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Overview and countermeasures of cancer burden in China

Affiliations.

• 1 NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China.
• 2 Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China.
• 3 Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China.
• 4 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China.
• 5 NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China. [email protected].
• 6 Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China. [email protected].
• 7 Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China. [email protected].
• 8 NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Hunan Key Laboratory of Cancer Metabolism, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China. [email protected].
• 9 Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China. [email protected].
• 10 Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, China. [email protected].
• PMID: 37071289
• PMCID: PMC10111086
• DOI: 10.1007/s11427-022-2240-6

Cancer is one of the leading causes of human death worldwide. Treatment of cancer exhausts significant medical resources, and the morbidity and mortality caused by cancer is a huge social burden. Cancer has therefore become a serious economic and social problem shared globally. As an increasingly prevalent disease in China, cancer is a huge challenge for the country's healthcare system. Based on recent data published in the Journal of the National Cancer Center on cancer incidence and mortality in China in 2016, we analyzed the current trends in cancer incidence and changes in cancer mortality and survival rate in China. And also, we examined several key risk factors for cancer pathogenesis and discussed potential countermeasures for cancer prevention and treatment in China.

Keywords: China; cancer; countermeasures; incidence; mortality; statistics; survival.

© 2023. Science China Press.

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Future research on bladder cancer should focus on mechanical changes in tissue, suggest study

by Fabio Bergamin, ETH Zurich

In collaboration with University Hospital Basel, researchers from ETH are investigating the early stages of bladder cancer. Their findings show that future research should also focus on mechanical changes in tumor tissue.

Dagmar Iber is Professor of Computational Biology at ETH's Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel. Her research group uses a combination of lab experiments and computer modeling to investigate how cells organize themselves into organs and other complex, three-dimensional tissue structures based on the genetic information they contain.

Until recently, their work did not touch on cancer research . But that all changed when the ETH Board issued a call for research proposals combining basic and medical research on new topics in health-related fields.

In response, Iber teamed up with two professors from the University Hospital Basel, urologist Cyrill Rentsch and pathologist Lukas Bubendorf. They were seeking to understand what governs the direction in which bladder tumors grow. As it turns out, their collaboration may well have provided cancer research with a major new lead.

Tumor type is key

The direction in which a bladder tumor grows can play a key role in whether it proves malignant or benign. In turn, this also determines the course of treatment and the patient's chances of survival.

One of the most common forms of bladder cancer is a papillary tumor. This has a slender, branch-like structure and grows from the bladder wall into the bladder cavity. It is a relatively benign form of bladder cancer that can be effectively treated in a minimally invasive procedure that involves scraping the tumor off the bladder wall.

Harder to treat is what doctors refer to as muscle-invasive bladder cancer, where the tumor grows not into the bladder cavity but rather into the deeper layers of the bladder wall. Access to blood and lymphatic vessels in those deeper layers facilitates the formation of metastases that can then spread through the body.

In this case, the prognosis is much less favorable; frequently, the entire bladder must be surgically removed. It is known that these two forms of cancer differ genetically. However, these differences do not explain why one cancer type would grow into the inner layers of the bladder wall and the other grow out into the bladder cavity.

The team's initial inspiration came from their work on lung development. "The tree-like ramification of the papillary bladder tumors have some likeness to the minute branches of the bronchioles in the lungs," Iber explains.

This led them to wonder whether similar molecular mechanisms might be responsible for creating both these structures. Yet subsequent research showed this not to be the case. "It turns out that the molecular drivers in the formation of lung tissue are quite different to those in the development of bladder cancer," says Iber.

Mechanical, not biochemical

When it comes to lung tissue, a biochemical mechanism defines the position of new branches. In bladder cancer, however, the emergence of papilla appears to be influenced by mechanical rather than biochemical factors. In support of this theory, the Basel-based researchers have now published a study in the form of a preprint on bioRxiv —a full draft of a research paper that is shared publicly before peer review.

To understand their theory, it helps to visualize the structure of the bladder wall. This wall is flexible and has numerous folds that enable the bladder to expand and contract depending on the amount of urine it has to hold.

Three layers of tissue play an important role here. Together, they make up the innermost layers of the bladder wall, like an onion: first, a soft epithelial layer on the inside of the bladder wall; next, a substantially stiffer membrane, which provides mechanical stability; and, beyond that, a somewhat softer layer of connective tissue.

Based on computer models, biopsies from tumor patients and tissue samples harvested from experiments with mice, the researchers' theory posits that cancerous growth is accompanied by changes in the relative stiffness of the different layers of the bladder wall.

Depending on the degree of these changes, different forms of cancer develop. If there is only a minimal change in the stiffness of the layers relative to one another, blunt protrusions may grow from the bladder wall into the cavity of the bladder. These can then form the basis for papillary tumors.

By contrast, if changes in relative stiffness are more significant, the surface of the bladder mucosa remains smooth. Instead, the membrane that separates the epithelium from the surrounding layer of connective tissue forms fine wrinkles and narrow folds.

The researchers posit that this can result in tissue damage that encourages the growth of a malignant tumor into the inner layers of the bladder wall.

Focus on the early stages

"Pathologists have described changes in bladder wall stiffness in patients with advanced bladder cancer," explains Franziska Lampart, a doctoral student in Iber's group. The Basel researchers now used an animal model to investigate the early stage of bladder cancer.

In collaboration with the group led by Daniel Müller, Professor of Biophysics at the ETH Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, atomic force microscopy revealed localized softening of the membrane layer even at this early stage.

"This supports our idea that local changes in the relative stiffness of individual bladder wall layers play an important role in the development of bladder cancer," says Lampart.

These findings may well take cancer research in a new direction. At present, much of this work focuses on inhibiting the growth of cancer cells or killing them. "But our research shows once again that tissue mechanics is important, too," Iber notes.

Cells secrete protein fibers and enzymes that influence and modify the extracellular matrix that surrounds them. "Cancer research needs to focus more closely on biomechanics and the chemical signaling pathways that affect it," Iber says. "But this line of investigation is still very much in its infancy."

Besides the enjoyment of constructive collaboration with clinicians from University Hospital Basel, this cancer research project has brought Iber new insights. These may well prove invaluable back on her home territory of developmental biology, where tissue mechanics also play a role.

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Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center

Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC), at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, is a national leader in cancer research and clinical care located in the heart of Bronx, NY, one of the nation’s most ethnically diverse areas. Founded in 1971 and designated as an NCI Cancer Center in 1972 (the country’s fourth), MECCC combines the exceptional science of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine with the multidisciplinary clinical care of the Montefiore Health System. The mission of MECCC is to serve the unique cancer-related needs of one of the most diverse and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations in the U.S. and to reduce the burden of cancer in the Bronx and the nation through exceptional cancer research, education and training, and community outreach and engagement, as well as through the delivery of compassionate leading-edge care for all - including historically marginalized communities that face heightened inequities in cancer and social determinants of health.  

Read more about the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center . 

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Collection  11 March 2020

Top 100 in Cancer

This collection highlights our most downloaded* cancer papers published in 2019. Featuring authors from around the world, these papers feature valuable research from an international community.

*Data obtained from SN Insights which is based on Digital Science’s Dimensions.

A landmark in drug discovery based on complex natural product synthesis

• Satoshi Kawano
• Yoshito Kishi

Comparative analysis of exosome isolation methods using culture supernatant for optimum yield, purity and downstream applications

• Girijesh Kumar Patel
• Mohammad Aslam Khan
• Ajay Pratap Singh

Pathologist-level classification of histologic patterns on resected lung adenocarcinoma slides with deep neural networks

• Jason W. Wei
• Laura J. Tafe
• Saeed Hassanpour

Peripheral T cell cytotoxicity predicts T cell function in the tumor microenvironment

• Kota Iwahori
• Yasushi Shintani
• Hisashi Wada

The Phenolic compound Kaempferol overcomes 5-fluorouracil resistance in human resistant LS174 colon cancer cells

• Ichrak Riahi-Chebbi
• Soumaya Souid
• Khadija Essafi-Benkhadir

Deep-tissue optical imaging of near cellular-sized features

• Xiangnan Dang
• Neelkanth M. Bardhan
• Angela M. Belcher

A novel approach to triple-negative breast cancer molecular classification reveals a luminal immune-positive subgroup with good prognoses

• Guillermo Prado-Vázquez
• Angelo Gámez-Pozo
• Juan Ángel Fresno Vara

Impact of sarcopenia in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer treated with PD-1 inhibitors: A preliminary retrospective study

• Takayuki Shiroyama
• Izumi Nagatomo
• Atsushi Kumanogoh

Metabolic therapies inhibit tumor growth in vivo and in silico

• Jorgelindo da Veiga Moreira
• Minoo Hamraz
• Sabine Peres

Quantifying circulating cell-free DNA in humans

• Romain Meddeb
• Zahra Al Amir Dache
• Alain R. Thierry

RNA-Seq transcriptome analysis shows anti-tumor actions of melatonin in a breast cancer xenograft model

• Bruna Victorasso Jardim-Perassi
• Pâmela A. Alexandre
• Debora Aparecida Pires de Campos Zuccari

Targeting CLDN18.2 by CD3 Bispecific and ADC Modalities for the Treatments of Gastric and Pancreatic Cancer

• Davide Foletti
• Shu-Hui Liu

Deep learning-based survival prediction of oral cancer patients

• Dong Wook Kim
• Sanghoon Lee
• Hyung Jun Kim

RNA Transcription and Splicing Errors as a Source of Cancer Frameshift Neoantigens for Vaccines

• Stephen Albert Johnston

A Human iPSC-derived 3D platform using primary brain cancer cells to study drug development and personalized medicine

• Simon Plummer
• Stephanie Wallace
• David Pamies

Short-term 3D culture systems of various complexity for treatment optimization of colorectal carcinoma

• Marloes Zoetemelk
• Magdalena Rausch
• Patrycja Nowak-Sliwinska

Blood-Brain Barrier Opening in Primary Brain Tumors with Non-invasive MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound: A Clinical Safety and Feasibility Study

• Todd Mainprize
• Nir Lipsman
• Kullervo Hynynen

Real-world evidence and clinical observations of the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors

• Jingcheng Zhang

Convolutional neural networks can accurately distinguish four histologic growth patterns of lung adenocarcinoma in digital slides

• Arkadiusz Gertych
• Zaneta Swiderska-Chadaj
• Beatrice S. Knudsen

Dual blockage of both PD-L1 and CD47 enhances immunotherapy against circulating tumor cells

Niraparib activates interferon signaling and potentiates anti-PD-1 antibody efficacy in tumor models

• Kaiming Sun

Drug-induced PD-L1 expression and cell stress response in breast cancer cells can be balanced by drug combination

• Yossi Eliaz
• David M. Lonard

Associations between Coffee Products and Breast Cancer Risk: a Case-Control study in Hong Kong Chinese Women

• Priscilla Ming Yi Lee
• Wing Cheong Chan

Apatinib Mesylate in the treatment of advanced progressed lung adenocarcinoma patients with EGFR-TKI resistance —A Multicenter Randomized Trial

• Liqin Zhang
• Hongbao Cao

Cancer associated fibroblasts sculpt tumour microenvironment by recruiting monocytes and inducing immunosuppressive PD-1 + TAMs

• Betul Gok Yavuz
• Gurcan Gunaydin

Anticancer polymers designed for killing dormant prostate cancer cells

• Haruko Takahashi
• Kenji Yumoto
• Kenichi Kuroda

Exercise during preoperative therapy increases tumor vascularity in pancreatic tumor patients

• Claudia Alvarez Florez Bedoya
• Ana Carolina Ferreira Cardoso
• Keri L. Schadler

Ex vivo organotypic culture system of precision-cut slices of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

• Sougat Misra
• Carlos F. Moro
• Caroline S. Verbeke

Selective HDAC6 inhibitors improve anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade therapy by decreasing the anti-inflammatory phenotype of macrophages and down-regulation of immunosuppressive proteins in tumor cells

• Eva Sahakian
• Alejandro Villagra

Optimisation of robust singleplex and multiplex droplet digital PCR assays for high confidence mutation detection in circulating tumour DNA

• Vicky Rowlands
• Andrzej J. Rutkowski
• J. Carl Barrett

A RNA sequencing-based six-gene signature for survival prediction in patients with glioblastoma

• Shuguang Zuo
• Xinhong Zhang
• Liping Wang

Mutations in DNA repair genes are associated with increased neoantigen burden and a distinct immunophenotype in lung squamous cell carcinoma

• Young Kwang Chae
• Jonathan F. Anker
• Jeffrey H. Chuang

Optimal design, anti-tumour efficacy and tolerability of anti-CXCR4 antibody drug conjugates

• Maria José Costa
• Jyothirmayee Kudaravalli

Small Peptide Ligands for Targeting EGFR in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells

• Hanieh Hossein-Nejad-Ariani
• Emad Althagafi
• Kamaljit Kaur

Network Analysis of the Multidimensional Symptom Experience of Oncology

• Nikolaos Papachristou
• Payam Barnaghi
• Christine Miaskowski

A reference collection of patient-derived cell line and xenograft models of proneural, classical and mesenchymal glioblastoma

• Brett W. Stringer
• Bryan W. Day
• Andrew W. Boyd

Cervical cancer detection by DNA methylation analysis in urine

• Barbara C. Snoek
• Annina P. van Splunter
• Renske D. M. Steenbergen

A novel tankyrase inhibitor, MSC2504877, enhances the effects of clinical CDK4/6 inhibitors

• Malini Menon
• Richard Elliott
• Christopher J. Lord

Differentiating between cancer and normal tissue samples using multi-hit combinations of genetic mutations

• Nicholas A. Kinney
• Ramu Anandakrishnan

Analytical Validation of Multiplex Biomarker Assay to Stratify Colorectal Cancer into Molecular Subtypes

• Chanthirika Ragulan
• Katherine Eason
• Anguraj Sadanandam

Manufacturing and preclinical validation of CAR T cells targeting ICAM-1 for advanced thyroid cancer therapy

• Yogindra Vedvyas
• Jaclyn E. McCloskey
• Moonsoo M. Jin

A library of Neo Open Reading Frame peptides (NOPs) as a sustainable resource of common neoantigens in up to 50% of cancer patients

• Ronald H. A. Plasterk

A novel immunogenic mouse model of melanoma for the preclinical assessment of combination targeted and immune-based therapy

• Emily J. Lelliott
• Carleen Cullinane
• Karen E. Sheppard

Cadaverine, a metabolite of the microbiome, reduces breast cancer aggressiveness through trace amino acid receptors

• Tünde Kovács

Bovine leukemia virus DNA associated with breast cancer in women from South Brazil

• Daniela Schwingel
• Ana P. Andreolla
• Luiz C. Kreutz

The effect of metformin therapy on incidence and prognosis in prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

• Kancheng He

PD-L1 Expression in Circulating Tumor Cells Increases during Radio(chemo)therapy and Indicates Poor Prognosis in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

• Tae Hyun Kim
• Sunitha Nagrath

The LL-100 panel: 100 cell lines for blood cancer studies

• Hilmar Quentmeier
• Claudia Pommerenke
• Hans G. Drexler

Soluble TRAIL Armed Human MSC As Gene Therapy For Pancreatic Cancer

• Carlotta Spano
• Giulia Grisendi
• Massimo Dominici

Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Urine via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry QTOF to Differentiate Between Localized and Metastatic Models of Breast Cancer

• Mark Woollam
• Meghana Teli
• Mangilal Agarwal

Measuring Tumor Mutational Burden (TMB) in Plasma from mCRPC Patients Using Two Commercial NGS Assays

• Christian H. Poehlein
• Diane Levitan

Inflammatory cytokines and change of Th1/Th2 balance as prognostic indicators for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization

• Hae Lim Lee
• Jeong Won Jang
• Seung Kew Yoon

2-Deoxy-D-Glucose inhibits aggressive triple-negative breast cancer cells by targeting glycolysis and the cancer stem cell phenotype

• Sadhbh O’Neill
• Richard K. Porter
• Lorraine O’Driscoll

Upfront Surgery versus Neoadjuvant Therapy for Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis

• Alison Bradley
• Robert Van Der Meer

Biological activities of Ficus carica latex for potential therapeutics in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) related cervical cancers

• Arshia Ghanbari
• Adam Le Gresley
• G. Hossein Ashrafi

Targeted delivery of TLR3 agonist to tumor cells with single chain antibody fragment-conjugated nanoparticles induces type I-interferon response and apoptosis

• Isabell Schau
• Susanne Michen
• Achim Temme

Fast and efficient microfluidic cell filter for isolation of circulating tumor cells from unprocessed whole blood of colorectal cancer patients

• Silvina Ribeiro-Samy
• Marta I. Oliveira
• Lorena Diéguez

Tumor Ensemble-Based Modeling and Visualization of Emergent Angiogenic Heterogeneity in Breast Cancer

• Spyros K. Stamatelos
• Akanksha Bhargava
• Arvind P. Pathak

Human macrophages survive and adopt activated genotypes in living zebrafish

• Colin D. Paul
• Alexus Devine
• Kandice Tanner

PCC0208027, a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor, inhibits tumor growth of NSCLC by targeting EGFR and HER2 aberrations

• Hiroshi Kurihara

A gapmer antisense oligonucleotide targeting SRRM4 is a novel therapeutic medicine for lung cancer

• Masahito Shimojo
• Yuuya Kasahara
• Satoshi Obika

Risk factors for immune-related adverse events associated with anti-PD-1 pembrolizumab

• Yeonghee Eun
• In Young Kim
• Jaejoon Lee

Ovarian cancer cell lines derived from non-serous carcinomas migrate and invade more aggressively than those derived from high-grade serous carcinomas

• Amelia Hallas-Potts
• John C. Dawson
• C. Simon Herrington

Three-dimensional imaging and quantitative analysis in CLARITY processed breast cancer tissues

• Laurie J. Goodman

Prognostic impact of ATM mutations in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

• Giovanni Randon
• Giovanni Fucà
• Filippo Pietrantonio

A 3D bioprinter platform for mechanistic analysis of tumoroids and chimeric mammary organoids

• John A. Reid
• Xavier-Lewis Palmer
• Robert D. Bruno

Carcinogenic risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes and potential effects of HPV vaccines in Korea

• Eunhyang Park
• Young Lyun Oh

Methylation of LINE-1 in cell-free DNA serves as a liquid biopsy biomarker for human breast cancers and dog mammary tumors

• Kang-Hoon Lee
• Tae-Jin Shin
• Je-Yoel Cho

Metformin and glucose starvation decrease the migratory ability of hepatocellular carcinoma cells: targeting AMPK activation to control migration

• Anabela C. Ferretti
• Florencia Hidalgo
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Relevance of a TCGA-derived Glioblastoma Subtype Gene-Classifier among Patient Populations

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Identification of recurrent fusion genes across multiple cancer types

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Direct and indirect associations between dietary magnesium intake and breast cancer risk

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PD-L1 expression combined with microsatellite instability/CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes as a useful prognostic biomarker in gastric cancer

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Identification of candidate neoantigens produced by fusion transcripts in human osteosarcomas

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PCA-PAM50 improves consistency between breast cancer intrinsic and clinical subtyping reclassifying a subset of luminal A tumors as luminal B

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Features of the cervicovaginal microenvironment drive cancer biomarker signatures in patients across cervical carcinogenesis

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Colon-cancer cases have more than doubled in young people since 1999, new research finds

• Cancer rates in Americans under 45 have surged over the past two decades, researchers found.
• Diagnoses are increasing most rapidly in teens and people in their early 20s.
• Factors such as genetics, alcohol use, diet, and physical activity may affect cancer risk.

There's new evidence that colon-cancer rates have skyrocketed in people younger than 45.

A team of researchers led by Dr. Islam Mohamed, a physician at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, analyzed CDC data on colon-cancer cases in Americans aged 10 to 44 over two decades since 1999.

The team found that cases have more than tripled in teenagers and more than doubled for people in their early 20s.

While the biggest jump in cancer diagnoses was in younger people, the surge in cancer rates was significant across all age groups under 45:

• Late 20s to early 30s: The rate of Americans diagnosed with colon cancer in this age range increased about 70% from 1999 to 2020.
• Late 30s: For this age group, the rate increased 58% over the same time period.
• Early 40s: This group had the highest overall rate. Cancer cases increased by 45% for Americans in their early 40s between 1999 and 2020.

The researchers plan to present the study at Digestive Disease Week, a meeting for professionals in gastroenterology and related fields, in Washington, DC, later this month.

They say young people need to be better educated about the disease and how to prevent and treat it.

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"Colorectal cancer is no longer considered just a disease of the elderly population," Mohamed said in a press release. "It's important that the public is aware of signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer."

Colon-cancer signs to look out for

Regular testing can be particularly important for colon cancer because its symptoms are harder to recognize until the disease reaches more advanced stages.

Mohamed said the most common early signs of colon cancer include abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, iron deficiency, and changes to bathroom habits like diarrhea or constipation.

Though the increase is striking, the overall number of colon-cancer diagnoses in young Americans is still low. In 2020, there were 1.3 cases per 100,000 teenagers and two cases per 100,000 people in their early 20s.

The CDC says colonoscopy screenings are only recommended for people 45 and older.

Strategies to prevent colon cancer

Data suggests that people who consume a lot of processed foods and added sugar have a higher risk of developing colon cancer. Cutting back on those foods could help people avoid the disease.

To reduce your chances of developing colon cancer , doctors recommend eating a high-fiber diet and avoiding tobacco and alcohol. Regular exercise has also been linked to a lower risk of multiple types of cancer.

However, colon-cancer risk can also be genetic. And there's ongoing research is investigating whether the gut microbiome , or bacteria in the digestive system, plays a role in colon cancer and if potential risk factors include food additives or some antibiotics that disrupt microbes in the gut.

Watch: Why more young people are getting cancer

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Oncoexporter: Conversion of NCI CRDC Data to the GA4GH Phenopacket Schema

If you’re attending the EACR 2024, make sure you hear Dr. Daoud Meerzaman’s poster presentation on using Oncoexporter to convert Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC) data into the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) Phenopackets schema. 

Dr. Meerzaman will illustrate the application of the Phenopacket standard to CRDC data and demonstrate a subsequent application to a simple clinical analysis.

Providing tools to convert CRDC data into the Phenopacket schema will enable further integration and analysis of a broad array of cancer data. This integration could unlock important insights into cancer development, progression, and treatment hidden in the massive reservoirs of heterogeneous cancer data sets worldwide.

The GA4GH Phenopacket schema is a common framework for capturing phenotypic and genotypic data in a way that works well with downstream machine learning applications. 

The CRDC is a cloud-based infrastructure that provides public and controlled access to multiple large-scale cancer data sets . You can use NCI Cloud Resources to analyze these data sets without downloading.

Dr. Meerzaman is the Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Branch chief at NCI’s Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology. Dr. Meerzaman and his team provide bioinformatics analysis support for life sciences and clinical and translational research for intramural scientists, including NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics and Center for Cancer Research.

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