ICYMI: Today’s Cancer Biology Insights, Tomorrow’s Cancer Advances – NCI Cancer Currents

Dan Gallahan, Ph.D., director of NCI's Division of Cancer Biology (DCB), weighs in

Guest Editor Dan Gallahan, Ph.D.: Today's Cancer Biology Insights, Tomorrow's Cancer Advances When I meet somebody new, I'm often asked what I do for a living. When I explain that I'm a cancer biologist, the next question is almost always, "So what are the big advances in cancer?" Not uncommonly, I find myself at a loss to come up with an answer. That's not because there haven't been big advances. It's because there are so many to choose from! I've dedicated the better part of my career to working on basic research. When it comes to cancer, basic research involves studies that live at the intersection of the elemental levels of human biology and the library of diseases that we collectively call cancer. So, from the perspective of a cancer biologist, it's overwhelming to contemplate all that we've learned over the past few decades about the inner workings of healthy and diseased cells, the choreography of interactions between cells of all types, the effect of external forces (think diet or pollution) on the human body at the molecular level, and how all of these elements conspire to do things like cause tumors to form and spread or fend off the assault of the immune system and cancer therapies. Investigating the precise details of how this molecular machinery functions isn't just an academic exercise. This research provides the foundation for new discoveries that may one day prevent or treat cancer, make treatments safer, and lead to the development of new analytical tools and techniques that provide insights that weren't previously possible. As the director of an NCI division whose mission is to fund basic research, I get excited about the opportunity to share the importance of this research. Cancer Currents is one tool NCI has to do that. So, I'm delighted to share with you some examples of Cancer Currents stories from the past year that report on studies that have provided new insights into cancer biology. If you missed them the first time around, please take a few minutes to catch up now. And if you have any family or friends who have curious minds and might be interested in learning more about the biology of cancer, please encourage them to subscribe to Cancer Currents. Dan Gallahan, Ph.D. Director, NCI Division of Cancer Biology Loss of Y Chromosome in Men Makes Bladder Cancer More Aggressive In men, loss of the Y chromosome in bladder cancer cells helped tumors evade the immune system and grow unchecked, a new study shows. However, losing the chromosome also appears to make bladder cancer more susceptible to immunotherapy, researchers reported. Read More No Glucose? Pancreatic Cancer May Have a Ready Energy Alternative A new study finds that pancreatic cancer cells have a ready way to overcome a lack of glucose, a frequent occurrence in this disease. They use another fuel source: a molecule called uridine. Findings from a related study suggest other cancers do as well. Read More How Some Brain Tumors Hijack the Mind to Grow Researchers have found that the aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma can co-opt the formation of new synapses to fuel its own growth. This neural redirection also appears to play a role in the devastating cognitive decline seen in many people with glioblastoma. Read More Coming Full Circle on Cancer and Extrachromosomal DNA A new study shows for the first time that a circular form of DNA, called ecDNA, is present in precancerous tissue and not just cancer cells. The study also suggested that when ecDNA is present in Barrett's esophagus, that tissue is almost certain to become cancer. Read More Vulnerability in Brain Tumors May Open Door to New Treatments Two companion studies have found different forms of some brain tumors, diffuse midline glioma and IDH-mutant glioma, become dependent for their survival on the production of chemicals called pyrimidines. Researchers are planning clinical trials to test a drug that blocks pyrimidine synthesis in patients with gliomas. Read More Additional Resources from NCI NCI Division of Cancer Biology Cancer Biology Research Biology of Cancer – Cancer Currents Blog Topics

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