While browsing the news, these are some of the stories that caught my attention:

• The NIH has launched new breast cancer research with a focus on prevention. Grant-funded investigators will study risk factors for breast cancer in racially and ethnically diverse populations.
• A joint study by UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health Hospital System has found that outreach increases completion of HPV vaccination series by adolescent girls. The results are reported in Pediatrics.
• Scientists at MIT and Harvard have for the first time identified the universe of genes in the human genome essential for the survival and proliferation of human cell lines or cultured human cells. Read more about their discovery in Science.
• Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in the UK have developed a new test to identify patients at risk of suffering a relapse from testicular cancer. Their findings have been published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research
• The American Cancer Society released new breast cancer screening guidelines. It now calls for women to begin mammograms at 45 years of age and have mammograms every other year starting at the age of 55. For more specifics on the new recommendations, read the following article in JAMA.

While browsing the news, these are some of the stories that caught my attention:

• Clinical trials of two new drugs suggest they work better for advanced kidney cancer than standard treatments. One study involved the drug nivolumab (sold as Opdivo) and the other study demonstrated the effectiveness of cabozantinib (sold as Cometriq). Both studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
• Scientists at Stanford University have re-engineered a virus into a safe vehicle for delivering vaccines and therapies directly where they are needed. Read more about this innovation in PNAS.
• According to a new study conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, the genetic makeup of colon cancer tumors and survival rates differ by race. Researchers analyzed clinical trial data of more than 3000 white, black and Asian patients. Findings were published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute.
• A study led by scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London has revealed five new genetic variants associated with brain cancer. The study analyzed DNA from 5,637 people who had developed glioma, and compared it with 9,158 people without the disease. The results are published in Nature Communications.

Some of the stories that caught my attention:

• A cancer patient in Spain has received a 3D-printed chest prosthetic made of lightweight titanium in a first-of-its-kind surgery. Surgeons at Salamanca University Hospital in Salamanca Spain worked with an Australian-based medical company to build the titanium 3D sternum and ribcage.
• A study from investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center has, for the first time, identified genomic differences between the breast tumors of African American and white women, differences that could contribute to the recognized differences in recurrence rate and survival. More on their findings are discussed in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
• While cancer is the second leading cause of death overall in the United States, it remains the leading cause of death among U.S. Hispanics/Latinos. The finding comes from “Cancer Statistics for Hispanics/Latinos,” a comprehensive report produced every three years by the American Cancer Society and published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
• In pre –clinical studies in mice, researchers with the American Chemical Society have found that injecting gold nanoparticles to mammary tissue enhances imaging. They describe their study and results in ACS Nano.