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New lab model brings hope for aggressive blood cancer research

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  Researchers working on an incurable blood cancer can now use a new lab model which could make testing potential new treatments and diagnostics easier and quicker, new research has found. In a paper published in Nature Communications a team of researchers led from the University of Birmingham have studied blood cells from patients with a blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome disease (MDS). This disease often develops into a highly aggressive form of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). Working with this new model has led to confirmation that a mutation in the gene CEBPA causes progression from MDS to AML. Behaved just like patient's real cells The team set out to examine whether changes to the gene CEBPA were driving disease progression in patients with MDS, or whether mutations were a passenger as the blood cancer developed into the more serious AML. The team took blood cells from a patient that was diagnosed with MDS and reprogrammed these cells into iPSCs using a genetic trick...
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Scientists reveal how chemotherapy causes genetic damage in healthy blood

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  For the first time, scientists have systematically studied the genetic effects of chemotherapy on healthy tissues. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Cambridge, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) and their collaborators analysed blood cell genomes from 23 patients of all ages who had been treated with a range of chemotherapies . Published today (1 July) in Nature Genetics, the researchers show that many but not all chemotherapy agents cause mutations and premature aging in healthy blood. As part of Cancer Grand Challenges team Mutographs, the researchers uncovered new patterns of DNA damage, or mutational signatures, associated with specific chemotherapy drugs. The researchers suggest that the damaging genetic effects of chemotherapy identified by whole genome sequencing could guide the future treatment of patients with effective chemotherapies that have less harmful effects on healthy tissues. Chemotherapy is a type of anti-c...
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Advancing treatment for urothelial cancer with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab

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  A new review was published in Volume 16 of Oncotarget on June 17, 2025, titled "Optimizing enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab therapy." First authors Elias Antoine Karam of the Gustave Roussy and Saint-Joseph University of Beirut and Yaghi César Céline from the Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, along with their colleagues, reviewed recent developments about treating advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC), an aggressive form of bladder cancer. Their review highlights how combining enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab as a first-line treatment offers a major improvement for patients with limited options and poor prognoses. Advanced urothelial cancer has traditionally been treated with platinum-based chemotherapy , which often causes serious side effects and offers limited long-term benefit. Many patients are even ineligible for it due to underlying health conditions. The new combination presents a more effective and better-tolerated alternative, as shown in recent clinical ...
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AI spots future breast cancer risk in mammograms years before diagnosis

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  In a recent study published in the JAMA Network Open, researchers evaluated whether a commercial artificial intelligence (AI) tool, originally developed for breast cancer detection, could leverage screening mammograms to estimate the risk of future breast cancer development years before clinical diagnosis. They used a cohort study comprising almost 350,000 screening examinations from 116,495 women to generate AI-based cancer detection scores, which were assessed as proxies for subsequent breast cancer risk rather than for direct diagnosis. Study findings revealed that the AI algorithm assigned higher cancer detection scores to breasts that would later develop breast cancer, even 4–6 years before clinical diagnosis, compared to breasts that did not develop cancer. This suggests that commercial AI tools may help identify women at higher risk of developing breast cancer well in advance of diagnosis, providing a pathway for more personalized risk-based screening and earlier intervent...
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Study explores how a familiar spice tackles the toughest cancer cells

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  In a recent study published in the journal Cancer Letters, a group of researchers investigated whether physiologically achievable curcumin can inhibit colorectal tumor initiation by inducing cancer stem-like cells in adenomas and early cancers to exit self-renewal and differentiate. Background Every four minutes, someone in the United States (US) learns they have colorectal cancer, the nation’s second-deadliest malignancy. Lifestyle shifts mean incidence is climbing fastest in adults under 50, amplifying the need for prevention. Most tumors arise from benign adenomas that evolve over decades, offering a long interception window. Evidence links daily aspirin to risk reduction, yet bleeding risks and incomplete protection leave many people unserved. Plant-derived compounds with proven safety, such as the kitchen spice curcumin, intrigue researchers but often fail because their mechanisms remain vague. Unlocking how curcumin works could turn a low-cost seasoning into a precision pre...
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Study reveals how FOXA1 mutations drive prostate cancer and therapy resistance

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  A new study from the University of Michigan Rogel Health Cancer Center, published in Science, sheds light on how two distinct classes of mutations in the FOXA1 gene-commonly altered in prostate cancer-drive tumor initiation formation and therapeutic resistance. FOXA1, a key transcription factor that facilitates androgen receptor binding to DNA, is mutated in 10–40% of hormone-dependent prostate cancers. While common, the exact ways these mutations alter cancer cells have remained elusive-until now. Rogel researchers, including Arul Chinnaiyan, M.D., Ph.D., S.P. Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology and Urology, and Abhijit Parolia, Ph.D., Rogel Fellow and Assistant Professor of Pathology, used mouse models to understand the mechanisms underlying two major classes of FOXA1 mutations. In addition to establishing FOXA1 as a true oncogenic driver in prostate cancer, their findings reveal the distinct ways that each class of FOXA1 mutations operate. Firstly, Class 1 mutations, commonly...
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Fusion genes found to be pivotal players in cancer development

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  Fusion genes, arising from abnormal chromosomal rearrangements, are gaining recognition as pivotal players in cancer development. These genetic alterations result in the creation of hybrid genes with altered functions, often driving tumor progression. The latest review highlights their significant role across various cancers, including hematological malignancies, lung cancer, thyroid cancer, and prostate cancer. As researchers deepen their understanding of these genetic mechanisms, new avenues for precision cancer therapies are emerging. The review underscores the biological impact of fusion genes on tumor formation. By disrupting normal cellular processes, these genetic alterations lead to uncontrolled proliferation, evasion of cell death, and enhanced metastatic potential. BCR-ABL, EML4-ALK, and PML-RARα are among the most studied fusion genes, each playing a crucial role in specific cancer types. The presence of these genes has revolutionized cancer diagnostics, allowing for m...
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