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Progress Against Cancer

Home Patients, Caregivers, and Advocates Progress Against Cancer Research Page 110

Recent Progress

Kidney Cancer: Examining Risk Factors and Recently Approved Treatments

Kidney Cancer: Examining Risk Factors and Recently Approved Treatments

A highly complex filtering system, the kidneys process roughly half a cup of blood every minute, isolating waste and returning minerals and nutrients to the bloodstream. Renal cell carcinoma, a cancer that develops in the lining of the renal tubules, is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, representing 85 percent of kidney and ureter cancers. Other types of kidney and ureter cancer can develop in the renal pelvis, the funnel where urine flows from the kidney to the bladder.

AACR Conference on the Microbiome, Viruses, and Cancer: Regulating Microbes to Reduce Chemotherapy Toxicity

AACR Conference on the Microbiome, Viruses, and Cancer: Regulating Microbes to Reduce Chemotherapy Toxicity

“There’s a clear connection between cancer and the gut microbiome,” began Matthew Redinbo, PhD, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, at the opening keynote address during the recent AACR special conference The Microbiome, Viruses, and Cancer, held in Orlando. Redinbo, a professor of chemistry, biochemistry, and microbiology, noted that there is an “intimate chemical relationship” linking specific microbiota with cancer progression, and that certain bacteria can also modulate patient’s responses to cancer treatment, representing an untapped area of drug discovery.

Examining Diverse Uses for Liquid Biopsies

Examining Diverse Uses for Liquid Biopsies

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was first detected over 30 years ago, but its potential uses for cancer diagnosis and treatment are only recently being extensively explored. An emerging method known as liquid biopsy examines ctDNA, cell-free DNA (cfDNA), or circulating tumor cells in blood plasma samples to learn about the patient’s cancer without needing to resect tissue from the tumor itself, as is typically required in traditional diagnostic and staging methods. Liquid biopsy could, therefore, provide a minimally invasive technique to detect and characterize cancer and to monitor its response to treatment.

February Brings a Focus on Prevention

February Brings a Focus on Prevention

February is National Cancer Prevention Month. We recently had the opportunity of speaking with American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Past President William Hait, MD, PhD, a leading expert in cancer prevention and interception. Hait, who is a Fellow of the AACR Academy and the current AACR treasurer, forecasted several key areas of advancement in this field. In this excerpt from our previous post, Hait shares his predictions for cancer prevention and interception research in 2020.