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Articles on Oncology

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Tumor cells traverse many different types of fluids as they travel through the body. Christoph Burgstedt/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

How cancer cells move and metastasize is influenced by the fluids surrounding them – understanding how tumors migrate can help stop their spread

Counterintuitively, cells move faster in thicker fluids. New research on breast cancer cells explains why, and reveals the role that fluid viscosity plays in metastasis.
Killer T cells (green and red), or cytotoxic T cells, surround a cancer cell (blue, center). NICHD/J. Lippincott-Schwartz

Anti-cancer CAR-T therapy reengineers T cells to kill tumors – and researchers are expanding the limited types of cancer it can target

Immunotherapy has the potential to eliminate tumors, but works best for select patients. Engineering T cells to bypass cancer’s defenses could help expand treatment eligibility to more patients.
Melanoma is a particularly aggressive form of skin cancer. Dlumen/iStock via Getty Images Plus

How cancer cells can become immortal – research finds a mutated gene that helps melanoma defeat the normal limits on repeated replication

One enzyme plays a key role in how tumor cells replicate and divide indefinitely. Identifying the genes that give these cells their immortality could provide new drug targets to treat cancer.
Stem cell transplants involve completely eliminating and then replacing the immune system of a patient, often by transplanting the bone marrow. xia yuan/Moment via Getty Images

Gut bacteria nurture the immune system – for cancer patients, a diverse microbiome can protect against dangerous treatment complications

Patients with blood cancer undergoing stem cell transplantation have a high risk of complications. The bacteria in their gut, however, can help their immune system recover and fight infections.
Black patients are more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to have a biopsy delay of 90 days or more after an abnormal mammogram. Yellow Dog Productions/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Biopsies confirm a breast cancer diagnosis after an abnormal mammogram – but structural racism may lead to lengthy delays

Early detection of breast cancer is critical to improving chances of survival. But racial and ethnic minority patients systematically have delayed diagnoses that reduce the benefits of screening.
Dendritic cells (green) produce cytokines like IL-12, which can train T cells (pink) to attack tumors. Victor Segura Ibarra and Rita Serda/National Cancer Institute via Flickr

‘Masked’ cancer drug stealthily trains immune system to kill tumors while sparing healthy tissues, reducing treatment side effects

One promising cancer treatment has been in the works for decades, but severe side effects have kept it out of the clinic. A reengineered version may offer a way to safely harness its potent effects.
Identifying the difference between normal genetic variation and disease-causing mutations can sometimes be difficult. Andrii Yalanskyi/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Genetic mutations can be benign or cancerous – a new method to differentiate between them could lead to better treatments

Tumors contain thousands of genetic changes, but only a few are actually cancer-causing. A quicker way to identify these driver mutations could lead to more targeted cancer treatments.
Nanoparticles can help cancer drugs home in on tumors and avoid damaging healthy cells. Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Nanoparticles are the future of medicine – researchers are experimenting with new ways to design tiny particle treatments for cancer

The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines put nanomedicine in the spotlight as a potential way to treat diseases like cancer and HIV. While the field isn’t there yet, better design could help fulfill its promise.
Anticipating when cancer cells become resistant to treatment can help oncologists more quickly adjust their therapies. CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images

Cancers are in an evolutionary battle with treatments – evolutionary game theory could tip the advantage to medicine

Applying the principles of ecology and evolution could help oncologists anticipate cancer drug resistance and optimize their treatment plans for patients.
Many women with metastatic breast cancer feel left out of annual ‘Pinktober’ awareness drives because these campaigns tend to focus on earlier, more curable stages of the disease. kali9/E+ via Getty Images

Breast cancer awareness campaigns can do a better job supporting women who’ve received a stage 4 diagnosis, instead of focusing only on early detection and ‘beating cancer’

A diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer means having cancer for the rest of one’s life – a situation with very different needs and concerns compared to earlier stages of the disease.

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