Reading time: 5 minutes Maanya Rajasree Katta Introduction If you have delayed a colonoscopy, you are not alone. The preparation is lengthy, the cleanse is uncomfortable, and sedation can disrupt an entire day. Yet, colorectal cancer is among the most preventable cancers when detected early through screening. Fortunately, the screening landscape is changing, and two... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 6 minutes Shashank Gidipally, PharmD. Challenge of Bringing Precision Oncology to Skin Cancer Care in Community Settings In the last decade, skin cancer treatment has gone under a big shift. At first, treatments were limited to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Now, practitioners have access to targeted genetic therapies and immunotherapies that have dramatically... Continue Reading →
Reading Time: 3 minutes Libby-Ann Harpaul-Sahadeo Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in the body. It is most often used to treat cancer. Taxanes are a class of chemotherapy drugs used to treat many types of cancer, including ovarian, breast, lung, cervical, endometrial, gastroesophageal, and head and neck... Continue Reading →
Keyword: Preclinical oncology imaging Reading time: 6 minutes Bethany Cooper Introduction With almost 10 million deaths from cancer in 2020, it is the leading cause of death globally, accounting for nearly one in every six deaths. Given the scale and burden of disease, it is no surprise that oncology trials make up a significant proportion... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Anthony Tao Introduction For cancer to successfully grow, one of the major obstacles it must face is the immune system. Cells of the immune system, such as T cells, have natural and effective mechanisms that allow them to monitor the body and attack any cancer cell that might arise. For decades,... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 8 minutes Colin Ong Altered Metabolism in Cancer Cells Metabolic rewiring is one of the key features of cancer cells1. These cells display altered metabolism as a way to meet their constant energy needs. This increased energy requirement is essential for the continuous proliferation and survival of these cells within the tumor microenvironment.... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 3 minutes Patty Spears One of the most valuable contributions a patient can make to science is to donate tumor tissue for research. It is important to use the tissue in research in a way that respects the intentions of the patient who donated it. Tumor tissue can continue to add value to... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Anna Salamero Boix The tumor microenvironment has emerged as a potential therapeutic target in cancer therapy. Within the tumor microenvironment, tumor-associated immune cells regulate tumor progression and immune evasion (1). While most research has focused on targeting immune cell activity, fewer studies have interrogated the origin of tumor-associated immune cells. Expanding... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 6 minutes Mariella Careaga Finding effective ways to treat different types of cancer has been a long-standing goal for scientists all over the world. In this quest, many have turned their attention to vaccines. Originally created to fight microbes that cause infections, the vaccine's ability to stimulate immune responses specifically against certain antigens... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 7 minutes Preeti Prangya Panda Energy drinks are treated like a fast, accessible, and powerful tool to regain energy. Their popularity is undeniable. More than 38% of young adults use energy drinks, and the use is generally high among athletes, shift workers, motivated workers, and students. Taurine is one of the most important... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 6 minutes Nicole Bowens, PhD The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently rising in adults aged 20 to 49 years.1 Increasing accessibility to screening may help improve early detection for this population. Liquid biopsy is one method that may accomplish this goal. Additionally, liquid biopsy may also help to improve outcomes after... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Joycelyn Ghansah, MA, MPH Active treatments like immunotherapy are used for various cancers, including melanoma, commonly known as skin cancer. Unfortunately, only about half of the patients respond to this type of treatment. Current research focuses on early prediction of skin cancers and identifying which patients are likely to respond positively... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 7 minutes Oluoma Vivian Aneke The human microbiota is comprised of trillions of microorganisms that have both bacterial and viral origins. They work together with the immune system to fight the invasion of pathogens. They also help to carry out metabolic functions, extract energy like short-chain fatty acids, and source essential nutrients and... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 7 minutes Jessica Desamero, PhD Recently, I noticed I knew a good number of individuals that have developed cancer while pregnant or shortly after giving birth. Although there’s no direct correlation between pregnancy and the risk of cancer, could there be an indirect link? After researching potential causes, I found that pregnancy-associated cancer... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 4 minutes Hema Saranya Ilamathi Cancer is not just a disease of uncontrolled cell growth—it's a master in cellular manipulation and survival. Scientists have long known that cancer cells behave very differently from normal ones. They reprogram themselves to survive in harsh environments, change the way they use nutrients, and even manipulate their... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Chris Wang Since its discovery in 1982, therapies targeting the mutated KRAS oncogene have long eluded cancer researchers. KRAS has been considered an undruggable target for decades due to lack of a binding pocket where a drug could fit.1 However, the need for KRAS targeting therapies is severely needed as KRAS... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Bethany Cooper Over the last 5 years, the radiopharmaceutical sector has seen significant global growth, with discoveries transforming cancer diagnostics and treatment through the targeted use of radiation. Methods to deliver radiation are becoming more precise, controlled, and effective, targeting tumor cells directly while sparing healthy tissue. Three seminal trials have... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Anthony Tao Cancer is a debilitating disease in more ways than one. Its devastation arises predominantly from its parasitic nature, siphoning the host body's nutrients and space for tumor growth. Predictably, this leaves victims feeling tired and worn down, with muscle weakness and malnutrition. Altogether, this cancer-associated weakening and wasting is known... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 6 minutes Mikayla Sheild Cancer is a disease that has long been around, with the earliest known documented human case dating back over 5000 years ago in Ancient Egypt. [1] Millions of people around the world deal with it on a daily basis, whether as a patient themself or as a caregiver of... Continue Reading →
Could the key to efficient chemotherapy lie in our gut? Read along to find out. Reading time: 6 minutes Yousra Iftequar Cancer is a word that carries weight, fear, and urgency. It’s a disease that has touched nearly every family, leaving behind stories of resilience, loss, and medical breakthroughs. As one of the leading causes... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 3 minutes Laura Urbina Breast cancer (BC) is often thought of as a disease that affects mainly older women. Statistics show that about 10% of new BC diagnoses in the U.S. represent women under 45 years old [1]. For these young patients, the experience of BC is challenging, with more aggressive tumor characteristics,... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Joycelyn Ghansah, MA, MPH Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), or neuropathic pain (pain due to nerve damage), is a common type of pain experienced by cancer patients, especially those receiving treatment. It happens due to the side effects of cancer drugs, which affect 19% to over 85% of patients. CIPN mostly causes... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Sandhyaa Venkatachalam Who doesn’t love dark chocolate? A moment of pure bliss in every square… a deep, complex flavor in every bite… a luxurious treat that dances between bitter and sweet… dark chocolate is a true celebration of indulgence. What’s more tempting is the abundant dose of health benefits that dark... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Anthony Tao According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 1 in 8 women will have breast cancer in their lifetime. In 2024, an estimated 300,000 women and nearly 3000 men were diagnosed with breast cancer.1,2 In many cases, breast cancer can be attributed to two genes ‒ BRCA1 and BRCA2 (collectively... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Preeti Prangya Panda In 1895, Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-rays that paved the way for seeing into the human body. This invention revolutionized medical science. Today, the discovery has transformed into a powerful decoding tool that translates the hidden images in clinical scans. This emerging field is called radiomics, which is cracking... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Mariella Careaga Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive form of cancer that accounts for nearly half of all primary malignant brain tumors in adults (1). Patients diagnosed with this deadly brain cancer have an average survival rate of only 8 months, and it is estimated that glioblastoma claims the lives of more... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Dolores Mruk, PhD Cancer treatments have come a long way since the early 1900s, evolving from chemotherapy and radiotherapy to more targeted interventions. One promising approach involves the use of bispecific antibodies (bsAbs)—engineered molecules that help in fighting cancer. Today, these immunotherapies are being studied across different malignancies, with a particular... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 6 minutes Colin Ong Oncogenic signaling is a key characteristic of cancer cells Cancer cells, unlike normal cells, exhibit aberrant oncogenic signaling. This aberrant signaling, which is continuously turned on, facilitates the survival and proliferation of cancer cells as well as other hallmarks of cancer1. The term “oncogenic”, an adjective derived from the... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 6 minutes Nicole Bowens Recent advancements within the past decade are making cancer treatments more effective and accessible, revolutionizing the way care is delivered and offering renewed hope to patients. These advancements have been made possible in part by personalized therapies that are tailored for individual patients. In one newly developed personalized therapy,... Continue Reading →
Reading time: 5 minutes Andrea Lius For several decades, scientists have observed that disruptions to the body’s internal clock, also known as the circadian rhythm, can promote cancer development and progression.1 They also found that many fast-growing cancers have circadian rhythms that are desynchronized from healthy cells. However, glioblastoma (GBM), a deadly and aggressive type... Continue Reading →
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