Research Advances

A pilot study found microplastics in human prostate tissue, raising concerns about a possible environmental risk factor for prostate cancer. Researchers detected microplastics in 90% of cancerous tumors and 70% of benign samples, with tumor tissue containing about 2.5 times more plastic than healthy tissue. Microplastics come from the breakdown of everyday products like food […]

New research shows that CDK8 and CDK19 kinases play a key role in helping ovarian cancer cells survive after detaching from the primary tumor, a process called anoikis resistance that drives metastasis. Normally, detached cells die, but resistant ovarian cancer cells survive in the peritoneal fluid, spread to other organs, and become more aggressive. The

A recent study examined eye side effects from mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx (Elahere), a drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2024 for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Eye problems usually appeared early, about five weeks after starting treatment, and most were mild to moderate, including corneal damage and blurred vision. However, researchers found an unexpected

Researchers discovered that extra copies of chromosome 1q drive early-stage pancreatic cancer. Unlike small mutations, these large chromosomal changes appear in nearly 40% of tumors and often show up in precancerous lesions before other mutations occur. The researchers identified two key genes, NCSTN and PSEN2, on chromosome 1q that regulate cell behavior. Using whole-genome sequencing and

Researchers at have discovered how lung tumors can manipulate the immune system to protect themselves. The study, published in Cancer Immunology Research, helps explain why many patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) do not respond well to immunotherapy and points to a possible new treatment target. The research focuses on regulatory T cells, or

Researchers have shown that in cancer vaccines, how the ingredients are arranged can be just as important as what they are made of. A new study demonstrates structural nanomedicine, a field focused on nanoscale vaccine design. Scientists discovered that simply changing how a cancer-targeting peptide is positioned on a nanoparticle can greatly strengthen the immune

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) have discovered what triggers chromothripsis, a dramatic genetic event in which a chromosome breaks into many pieces and is stitched back together incorrectly. This process happens in about 25% of all cancers and in nearly all bone cancers. It can help tumors become resistant

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest cancer of the female reproductive system. About 80% of patients relapse after initial chemotherapy, and most recurrent cases develop multidrug resistance. Standard treatment uses platinum-based drugs to damage DNA and paclitaxel to stop cell division, but cancer cells often adapt and survive. This resistance is largely driven by cytokines—signaling proteins

Researchers have found that the nervous system helps pancreatic cancer develop much earlier than scientists once believed, even before full tumors form. They discovered that certain support cells around early lesions, called myCAFs, send signals that attract nerve fibers. These nerves do not just appear later to help cancer spread—they are involved from the beginning

A new study explains why ovarian cancer spreads so quickly and becomes so dangerous. Researchers found that cancer cells do not spread alone. Instead, they recruit healthy cells in the abdomen to help them invade other organs. Unlike many cancers that travel through the bloodstream, ovarian cancer cells float in abdominal fluid. During this time,