EurekAlert! Cancer Research - News Releases

News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 5-May-2025 00:09 ET (5-May-2025 04:09 GMT/UTC)

New study explores the link between diet, blood sugar and cancer risk across species

Arizona State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study analyzing diet, average plasma sugar levels and cancer prevalence in some 273 vertebrate species showed surprising results. The study found no significant link between diet and plasma sugar levels across nonhuman vertebrate species, suggesting that glucose regulation is likely influenced more by evolutionary and physiological adaptations than diet alone. Birds in particular did not suffer increased cancer rates compared with mammals and reptiles, despite having higher blood glucose levels, which are associated with increased cancer risk in other animals, including humans.

Journal: Nature Communications

New test identifies high-risk childhood brain tumours, improving treatment decisions

University of British Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Canadian researchers have developed an effective new technique for identifying aggressive medulloblastoma—the most common type of malignant brain tumour in children—and potentially sparing young patients from unnecessary treatments and their harmful long-term side effects. Current diagnostic techniques rely on complex genetic tests that are expensive and only available in a handful of specialized laboratories worldwide. This research used proteomics to reveal that a protein called MYC is prominent in the most aggressive medulloblastoma cases, and developed an immunohistochemistry test for MYC that can be performed in a single day by any pathology lab around the world. Instead of waiting weeks for complex genetic tests, doctors can quickly determine which children truly need radiation and who can safely avoid it.

Journal: Neuro-Oncology

How UV radiation triggers a cellular rescue mission

Sabancı Üniversitesi Mühendislik ve Doğa Bilimleri Fakültesi
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is a well-known cause of DNA damage, which can lead to diseases like skin cancer. But how do our cells repair this damage to protect us? Researchers from Sabanci University, Veysel Oğulcan Kaya and Ogün Adebali, have uncovered a fascinating answer: when DNA is damaged by UV light, our cells reorganize their genetic material in 3D space to prioritize repair, in what might be called a “cellular rescue mission.”

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: TUBITAK

MD Anderson Research Highlights for March 12, 2025

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back.

The secret DNA circles fueling pancreatic cancer’s aggression

Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, with a five-year survival rate of 13%. This poor prognosis stems from both late detection and the cancer’s notorious capacity to adapt and resist therapy. Now, a study led by researchers at the University of Verona, University of Glasgow, and the Botton-Champalimaud Pancreatic Cancer Centre uncovers a hidden driver of this adaptability: extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA).

Journal: Nature

Hepatic stellate cells control liver function and regeneration

German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Until now, doctors knew hepatic stellate cells mainly as drivers of liver fibrosis. The actual functions of this cell type have hardly been studied to date. Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Mannheim Medical Faculty and Columbia University in New York have now published in the journal Nature that hepatic stellate cells control liver metabolism as well as liver regeneration and size. The results of the study could contribute to new therapeutic approaches for liver diseases.

Journal: Nature

Lighting the way: how activated gold reveals drug movement in the body

Waseda University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Tracking targeted drug delivery is often a challenge due to limitations in the current imaging techniques. A recent study by Tokyo’s Waseda University reports a breakthrough imaging technique that allows direct and highly sensitive tracking of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) inside the body. This novel technique, which uses neutron activation of gold, could revolutionize cancer drug delivery by enabling real-time visualization of the gold nanoparticles without external tracers.

Journal: Applied Physics Letters

Researchers identify molecular differences in pancreatic cancer of Black and white patients

Henry Ford Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In the article appearing in the AACR Journal, researchers at the Henry Ford Health Pancreatic Cancer Center, found that Black patients showed a higher prevalence of PD-L1 overexpression, a marker often linked with aggressive cancer behavior and a key target for immunotherapy treatments. Additionally, Black patients showed higher frequencies of TP53 mutations and KRASG12R mutations compared to White patients. Those genes affect how quickly cancer grows and the body’s ability to fight cancer.

Journal: Cancer Research Communications

Rethinking breast cancer screening: new insights on overdiagnosis

Impact Journals LLC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

BUFFALO, NY – March 12, 2025 – A new editorial was published in Oncotarget, Volume 16, on March 10, 2025, titled “COMETgazing – interesting insights, lessons for clinical practice and a call for more precision using the biomarkerSCOPE.”

Journal: Oncotarget

Blind to the burn: Misconceptions about skin cancer risk in the US

Florida Atlantic University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Experiencing five or more severe sunburns between the ages of 15 and 20 increases the risk of melanoma by 80% and nonmelanoma skin cancer by 68%. This study is among the few to examine the relationship between perceived cancer risk, concern about being diagnosed, confidence in health, sunburn history, and the prevalence of sun protection behaviors, all in relation to sociodemographic factors in U.S. adults. Findings reveal statistically significant associations between the number of sunburns and sociodemographic factors.

Journal: American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine

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