A research team led by the University of the Basque Country (Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, EHU) has identified hundreds of molecular markers in saliva that could reveal the risk of a person developing major diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. Their results lay the foundation for the development of a powerful, non-invasive tool for early diagnosis and precision medicine

Tumors of the meninges are more common in older women than previously known. In a study from the University of Gothenburg, 2.7 percent of 70-year-old women in Sweden had such tumors. The researchers emphasize that such findings should be treated with diligence and careful consideration.

Serious quality defects were found in a significant number of cancer medications from sub-Saharan Africa, according to new research from the University of Notre Dame.

Alcohol-related cancer deaths rising, a new, four-drug combination is standard therapy for multiple myeloma, brain cancer patients find hope with a new drug, a preclinical study highlights a potential new way to treat colorectal cancer, and more are highlighted in this month’s tip sheet from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Huntsman Cancer Institute’s latest breakthroughs—including a powerful drug combination for preventing melanoma brain metastasis, personalized exercise for recovery, and a groundbreaking stem cell transplant—are reshaping cancer care and research.

Yuman Fong, M.D., chair of the Department of Surgery at City of Hope, this month delivered the Lister Legacy Lecture at the triennial conference of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. This presentation honors the long-term impact of Baron Joseph Lister, M.D., who brought antiseptic techniques and many other innovations to surgery, saving more lives and making a real difference in how patients live. Dr. Fong has surgically cured cancers once thought to be incurable, developed and tested the safety and efficacy of cancer-killing viruses in humans, and is advancing AI and robotic surgery infrastructure for the next generation of remote surgeons.

Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan studied what happens when macrophages—a type of immune cell—encounter dying cancer cells in tumors and discovered a mechanism that accelerates tumor growth. When cancer cells begin to die within tumors, they expose signals on their surface that indicate they are dying. Macrophages then detect these signals and engage in phagocytosis, where they eat dying cancer cells. Using fruit flies as a model organism, the scientists found this triggers production of proteins called cytokines, which activate growth signals in remaining cancer cells. These cells then produce more cytokines, causing an unexpected chain reaction that promotes tumor growth.