Today Color Genomics unveiled the Benefits Program for Genetic Testing for Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk, a first-of-its-kind initiative to offer this type of testing to an organization’s employee base. The initial partners include 18 organizations from the Bay Area and surrounding area, who are pledging to offer their employees…

A single biomarker plus a fixed threshold may equal a missed diagnosis—actually, a great many missed diagnoses. But fixed thresholds aren’t inevitable. For example, a serum biomarker used to screen women for ovarian cancer can yield more accurate results if it is assessed serially. This biomarker, called cancer antigen 125…

Biomedical engineering researchers at the Washington University McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis have applied a variety of imaging method to diagnose ovarian caaner more accurately. Now, the team from the lab of Quing Zhu, a professor of biomedical engineering, have used machine learning to leverage ultrasound features of ovarian…

The FDA has approved the first blood test that can help identify hundreds of potentially cancer-associated hereditary variants. The Invitae Common Hereditary Cancers Panel evaluates a blood sample to identify DNA variants in 47 genes associated with an elevated risk of developing certain types of cancer. The agency has granted de…

Research suggests that some women could forgo genetic counseling before or after taking a remote screening test for inherited breast or ovarian cancer risk without experiencing increased distress, anxiety, or depression. Furthermore, omitting counseling increases the number of people who complete screening, reports Elizabeth Swisher, a gynecologic oncologist at UW…

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) released its annual Cancer Progress Report on Wednesday that highlighted advances in cancer treatments and survival while also advocating for continued funding by the US government to sustain progress. “The advances in cancer research, particularly in the last two decades, have been breathtaking,”…

Moderna and Immatics are collaborating to “pioneer novel and transformative therapies for cancer patients with high unmet medical needs,” in a deal worth potentially $1.7B+. They will combine Immatics’ T cell receptor (TCR) platform with Moderna’s mRNA technology, and span modalities including bispecifics, cell therapy, and cancer vaccines.  Cambridge-based Moderna…

Purdue University researchers have developed a first-in-class microRNA (miRNA) therapy that slows tumor growth by targeting multiple genes at once, giving it the potential outperform current single-gene targeted agents. The therapy, tested in mouse models, combines a folate-based delivery system that targets cancer cells with a fully modified version of…

A study that looked at data from 562,145 people found the incidence rates of early-onset cancers increased substantially from 2010 to 2019. Gastrointestinal cancers had the fastest-growing incidence rates among all early-onset cancers. But the increase in breast cancer in women under 50 was also notable. In contrast the rate…

A multisite study published today in the Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) shows that a commonly prescribed anxiety drug is linked with worse outcomes in pancreatic cancer patients and shorter progression-free survival (PFS). The drug, benzodiazepine lorazepam, sold under the trade name…

A large-scale, longitudinal, study found that less than seven percent of cancer patients received germline genetic testing, even though it is recommended by practice guidelines to support targeted treatment and inform health decisions by relatives. The authors, who included researchers from Stanford and University of Michigan, noted that genetic testing…

Chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, commonly referred to as CAR T therapy, is an intervention that uses a patient’s own cells to fight their cancer. The therapy first received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2017. For some patients, this meant long term remission and even cures…

Research to be presented at Digestive Disease Week 2023 indicates that people who undergo bariatric surgery have less than half the risk for developing an obesity-associated cancer than their peers who do not receive weight loss surgery. “The primary benefit people consider when they think about bariatric surgery is weight…

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that examines tumor sample images to provide doctors with prognoses and guidance on the most appropriate treatments for colorectal cancer. According to the team, the tool can discern how aggressive…

Decades ago, the oncology community took on the crucial challenge of detecting cancer at the earliest possible stage. Overall, survival rates improve dramatically for cancers detected before metastasis. For example, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that the five-year survival rate for breast cancer patients more…