Though CAR T cells have been effective against certain blood cancers, they have not been for solid tumors. Now, a new form of highly sensitive CAR T cells aims to overcome one of the biggest barriers in solid tumor immunotherapies – the way solid tumors lack a single, widely shared surface target. By engineering an ultra-sensitive receptor capable of detecting even the smallest amounts of the protein CD70, researchers report they were able to eradicate kidney, ovarian, and pancreatic tumors in preclinical models. The findings provide a potential strategy to treat a broad range of solid tumors. Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are engineered molecular “homing devices” that augment the functions of immune cells to recognize and attack specific disease targets. CAR T cells targeting CD19 have transformed the treatment of certain blood cancers and have shown success in producing lasting remissions in patients who have shown resistance to other therapies. However, unlike many blood cancers, solid tumors lack a single, widely shared surface target that is consistently present on cancer cells and largely absent from healthy tissues. Previous studies have suggested that CD70 could be a promising target for future CAR T immunotherapies, as it is abnormally overproduced in several solid tumors. Yet CD70 expression within these tumors is uneven – some cancer cells display it abundantly while others express little or none.

 

To better understand the limitations of CAR therapy in these tumors, Sophie Hanina and colleagues developed patient-derived xenograft laboratory models that recreate the patchwork expression of CD70 seen in patients with kidney cancer. Hanina et al. found that CD70 expression exists on a spectrum in all tumor cells; even those labeled CD70-negative expressed very low levels of CD70, though not at a level high enough to be detected and destroyed by conventional CAR T cells. Building on this finding, the authors engineered a far more sensitive and highly selective chimeric antigen receptor called HLA-independent T cell (HIT) receptor and show in mouse and cell models that it can detect and eliminate tumor cells with very low CD70 expression. According to the findings, these CD70-HIT cells completely and durably eradicated tumors with mixed levels of CD70 expression across models of renal, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers. “Twenty or more solid tumor types express CD70 heterogeneously,” write the authors. “Our findings position CD70 as a pan-cancer target and provide a model for uncovering additional stealth targets amenable to sensitive immunotherapeutic approaches in the face of apparent tumor antigen heterogeneity.”

HIT cells—a close cousin to CAR T cells—eradicate kidney, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers in mice and could remove a major impediment to cell therapy against many solid tumors.

It’s widely known that breastfeeding impacts the health of both mother and child, but the underlying biology that leads to these effects has been understudied. In a review article publishing in the Cell Press journal Trends in Immunology on February 26, researchers highlight recent studies showing T cells—white blood cells that play a pivotal role in the immune system—shape the baby’s immune system, support healthy gut bacteria, and reduce the risk of breast cancer for the mother.  

About The Article: Cancer treatment can impair fertility and raise concerns about potential health risks to offspring. Clinicians should inform all patients undergoing cancer treatments about options for fertility preservation, ideally prior to initiation of cancer treatment, with consideration of the planned treatment’s gonadotoxic potential. This article summarizes the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s 2025 updated recommendations on fertility preservation in people with cancer.

Unlike some other forms of lymphoma, advanced stage follicular lymphoma has been considered incurable. But a new analysis of long-term data on patients treated for the disease years ago with standard regimens of immunotherapy and a chemotherapy combination known as CHOP suggests that many of those patients can now be considered cured, findings that could have major implications for care planning and research directions. The analysis is just published in the journal JAMA Oncology. 

Humans differ from other primates due to their relatively large, permanent breasts, and their development has so far not been conclusively explained. According to a study conducted at the University of Oulu, Finland, the surface temperature of the breasts combined with their size and shape may help a newborn maintain body temperature.

A new study led by UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center investigators suggests that adding hormone therapy to post-operative radiotherapy may provide little survival benefit for most men with prostate cancer, especially for those with very low PSA levels before treatment. 

DNA polymerase epsilon catalytic subunit A (POLE) gene plays a crucial role in DNA repair and chromosomal replication. Mutations in the POLE gene have been linked to cancer, particularly colorectal carcinoma (CRC). However, the genomic landscape and pathological significance of POLE mutant CRC remain underreported. This study aimed to characterize the clinicopathologic features and genomic landscape of CRC harboring POLE mutations and to investigate the implications of co-occurring genetic alterations.

Cancer treatment can take a profound financial toll, and new research shows the damage does not stop at the bank account. Nearly half of patients experience significant “financial toxicity,” and that strain quietly chips away at hope and social support, two pillars that sustain people through illness. As those erode, overall satisfaction with life declines. The findings suggest that addressing the cost of care is not only a financial issue but a psychological one, and that protecting patients’ hope and sense of connection may be just as critical as covering their bills.