• The researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center discovered that cancer cells express DUX4, a gene responsible for certain muscular dystrophies, to protect themselves from the effects of immunotherapy, in particular – from immune checkpoint inhibitors. The implications of this research would be development of therapies that would target DUX4 and thus make treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors more efficient. The study is due to be published in Developmental Cell.
• Researchers from the University of Western Australia in collaboration with Telethon Kids Institute and 13 health research organizations looked into the genes in cancer samples and devised a way of using cancer samples to identify potential response to immune checkpoint inhibitors therapy before initiating immunotherapy treatment. This could help identify drugs that improve response to checkpoint inhibitors. The study was published in Science Translational Medicine.
• Researchers from the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center have come close to developing a blood test, based on a patient’s immune response, which may predict relapse of breast cancer. The study was published in Nature Immunology.
• It is known that cancer cells spread in the body by feeding on sugar. British researchers discovered that if deprived of sugar, cancer cells switch, with the help of a protein called AKR1B10, to fatty acids as a source of energy to boost their spread. The implications could be for diagnosis, as increased levels AKR1B10 may predict metastatic spread; and for management, which means development of new treatments that would prevent cancer cells from using fatty acids. This preclinical study was published in Nature Communications.

A new research study published in JAMA Oncology has found that about 35% of cancer survivors live with chronic pain. One of the study’s authors is Dr. Robert Sidlow, MD, MBA, Head, Division of Survivorship and Supportive Care; Associate Chair, Patient Care Operations at MSK.

Dr. Robert Sidlow Image credit: MSK Digital Assets Library

Corresponding author Changchuan Jiang, MD, MPH, a medical resident at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West, told Science Daily that the study is the “first comprehensive estimate of chronic pain prevalence among cancer survivors” and that the study results “highlight the important unmet needs of pain management in the large, and growing cancer survivorship community.”

The study also found that the prevalence of chronic pain is highest among certain types of cancer survivors – including bone (54.0%), kidney (52.3%), throat-pharynx (47.9%), and uterine (44.5%) cancers.

Jiang, C., Wang, H., Wang, Q., Luo, Y., Sidlow, R., & Han, X. (2019). Prevalence of Chronic Pain and High-Impact Chronic Pain in Cancer Survivors in the United States. JAMA oncology.

• Scientists from Johns Hopkins University developed a new diagnostic tool for predicting breast cancer spread. Knowing whether a tumor is going to metastasize is crucial for timely addressing the issue and ultimately prolonging lives. Current prediction tools use genetics screening which can be difficult to interpret. The new tool, called MAqCI, developed by Professor Konstantopoulos team is based on cell characteristics, behavior and phenotype. This was reported in Nature Biomedical Engineering on May 6th.
• A new and potentially more effective way to prevent the spread of castration resistant prostate cancer was identified by researchers from at Boston University School of Medicine. The team of researchers “discovered that inhibition of the protein BRD 4” may be a way to hinder cancer spread by regulating cancer cell migration and invasion. The study was published in Molecular Cancer Research on May 20th.
• Through a unique intersection of biology, medicine, physics and mathematics, researchers from Johns Hopkins University created a visualization they compared to Google Maps of blood vessels and blood flow in a tumor. While this technology will likely not be used to directly study human cancer growth, the tools can be used to identify earlier signs of cancer and predict it’s behavior to customize treatment. A report originally published in March was publicized recently on a physics news site.