• Researchers from Harvard University developed an experimental vaccine to start a new generation of cancer vaccines, tumor cell-based vaccines, that would make cancer fight cancer. The researchers modified cancer cells to “produce agents that kill tumors and to form other proteins that help the body develop immunity against the cancer.” Clinical trials of this vaccine could follow in several years. The study was published in Science Translational Medicine.
• A typical protocol for patients with colon cancer removed surgically automatically includes chemotherapy after surgery, but it is hard to tell beforehand whether a patient would benefit from it. A positive blood test, otherwise called ‘liquid biopsy” or ctDNA, reveals if there are residual cancer cells in the body. The study conducted by researchers in Japan showed that patients with positive tests might be at a very high risk of cancer recurrence and thus would need post-surgical chemotherapy treatment. Conversely, patients with negative tests may safely not be treated by chemotherapy and avoid its potential hurdles and adverse effects. The study was published in Nature Medicine.
• Researchers from more than a dozen countries conducted a multicenter trial on the use of the oral drug futibatinib for bile duct cancers (cholangiocarcinoma and gall bladder cancer) for which the survival outlook is very poor and found that the drug was superior to chemotherapy and extended the life of patients with advanced bile duct cancers who participated in the trial for up to 2 years. Treatment with this drug is a precision or personalized therapy as it targets a specific genetic mutation in a group of genes known as fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR). Patients with bile duct cancer should undergo molecular testing to benefit from this drug. The results were reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
• Researchers from Israel have produced a peptide that prevented secondary breast cancer in mice with a 90 percent success rate. The scientists hope that their research will prevent cancer metastasis in humans and can be translated to other types of cancer. The study was published in Oncogene.
• A new in vitro and animal study by researchers at The Ohio State University reported a way to re-energize critical killer immune cells when they become dysfunctional while fighting cancer or chronic viral infections. The results were reported in Nature Immunology.
• Researchers from India conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare turmeric mouthwash to benzydamine mouthwash for oral mucositis. The study involving 92 patients found that turmeric mouthwash could reduce the severity of oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiation therapy. The study was published in Cancer Nursing.
  

Researchers from the University of Michigan developed a real-time 3D imaging technique to know precisely where the X-rays hit and how much radiation is delivered when cancer patients receive radiation therapy. With a lack of precision in current imaging, providers could not specifically see which cells in the tumors were targeted by X-rays, leading to both the killing of cancerous cells and some healthy cells. This breakthrough technology could be used to position patients better and adjust the trajectory and the level of radiation to protect healthy cells in the areas surrounding the tumor. The study was published in Nature Biotechnology.

A paper published by authors from multiple National Cancer Institute consortia in the United States and Europe presents the vision of leaders in the oncology field on next-generation precision oncology. The leaders emphasize the importance of developing “3D patient tumor avatars” to allow testing and identifying optimal treatments before applying them to patients. Those “avatars” and their associated data will increase the precision of cancer treatments, reduce the side effects, and improve treatment outcomes. The authors outline the challenges and processes for widespread tumor “avatars” implementation. The study was published in Cancer Cell.