NCI News
Norman Sharpless sworn in as director of the National Cancer Institute
10/17/2017
Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, M.D., becomes the 15th director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He comes to NCI from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, where he was director of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
NCI-funded TMIST study compares 2-D and 3-D mammography for finding breast cancers
9/25/2017
TMIST, the first randomized trial comparing two types of digital mammography for breast cancer screening, is enrolling participants. Developed by ECOG-ACRIN and NCI, the trial is comparing 2-D and 3-D mammography for finding breast cancers.
NCI’s Douglas R. Lowy and John T. Schiller to receive 2017 Lasker Award
9/05/2017
Dr. Douglas R. Lowy and Dr. John T. Schiller of the National Cancer Institute receive the 2017 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for their significant research leading to the development of HPV vaccines.
NCI study identifies essential genes for cancer immunotherapy
8/06/2017
A new NCI study identifies genes in cancer cells that are necessary for them to be killed by T cells, and therefore could be partially responsible for why immunotherapy doesn’t work in some patients.
NCI study shows feasibility of cancer screening protocol for patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome
8/02/2017
A new NCI study demonstrates the feasibility of a comprehensive screening protocol for patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare inherited disorder that leads to a higher risk of developing certain cancers.
NCI-COG Pediatric MATCH trial to test targeted drugs in childhood cancers
7/23/2017
The nationwide precision medicine trial will enroll children and adolescents with advanced cancers that haven’t responded to standard therapy to explore treatments targeted at specific genetic mutations.
TCGA study of liver cancer reveals potential targets for therapy
6/14/2017
Only two drugs are FDA-approved for liver cancer. This study of hepatocellular carcinoma found genetic alterations in tumors—including mutations in tumor-suppressing genes and high expression of immune checkpoint genes—that could be targets for drugs that already exist.
Study estimates number of U.S. women living with metastatic breast cancer
5/17/2017
A new study shows that the number of women in the United States living with distant metastatic breast cancer (MBC), the most severe form of the disease, is growing. This is likely due to the aging of the U.S. population and improvements in treatment.
Annual Report to the Nation: Cancer death rates continue to decline
3/30/2017
According to the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2014, overall cancer death rates continue to decrease in men, women, and children for all major racial and ethnic groups. But more work remains for some cancers.
NCI launches study of African-American cancer survivors
2/26/2017
The Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors (ROCS) study, which will include 5,560 cancer survivors, will look at the major factors affecting cancer progression, recurrence, mortality, and quality of life among African-American cancer survivors.