EurekAlert! Cancer Research

News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Jun-2026 00:16 ET (23-Jun-2026 04:16 GMT/UTC)

27-Apr-2026

‘Forever chemicals’ may be linked to childhood leukemia

University of California - Irvine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

UC Irvine-led study found that exposure to previously unknown PFAS chemicals was associated with a higher risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer.

Researchers analyzed blood samples from 125 newborn children with leukemia and 219 without cancer in Los Angeles County, also finding higher levels of PFOA and PFOS linked to increased risk.

The study builds on earlier research linking PFAS in drinking water to childhood cancers and calls for further study as exposure remains widespread.

Journal: Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology

27-Apr-2026

Imaging tool reveals novel insights into DNA replication stress response

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a new imaging method, known as RF-SIRF, that quantitatively detects and maps reversed DNA replication forks with single-cell resolution. The results also demonstrated a unique epigenetic code for DNA replication stress that can be further examined to understand mechanisms of genomic stability, aging and treatment response.

Journal: Nature Communications

27-Apr-2026

Mail-in test for colorectal cancer could help community health centers increase screening

Mass General Brigham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Randomized trial found newer screening test had a greater uptake among participants, but increasing follow-up colonoscopy tests remain a priority

Journal: JAMA Internal Medicine
Funder: Stand Up To Cancer

27-Apr-2026

Cholesterol–mortality link reveals U-shaped risk in Chinese adults, challenging ‘lower is better’ guideline

Higher Education Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Conventional wisdom holds that lower cholesterol is better for heart health, but new Views & Comments in Engineering challenges this idea. A large cross‑ethnic study finds a U-shaped cholesterol–mortality link in Chinese adults: both very low and high levels raise death risk, with low levels linked to higher cancer and hemorrhagic stroke risk. Optimal cholesterol levels differ between Chinese and UK adults, calling for personalized, population-tailored management.

Journal: Engineering

27-Apr-2026

As heart, kidney and metabolic health worsen, cancer risk may rise

American Heart Association
Peer-Reviewed Publication

eople with advanced heart, kidney and metabolic disease may face a higher risk of developing cancer, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s peer-reviewed scientific journal Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes.

Journal: Circulation Population Health and Outcomes

27-Apr-2026

New lung cancer model reveals how tumor location shapes the immune response

Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at VIB and VUB have developed a powerful new way to study how the immune system behaves inside lung tumors. By combining a patient-relevant mouse model with single-cell technologies, the team provides one of the most comprehensive immune maps to date of lung adenocarcinoma, which is the most common subtype of lung cancer. Their work appears in Nature Communications.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: FWO, Stichting Tegen Kanker, Kom Op Tegen Kanker, VIB, VUB

26-Apr-2026

Implementation of a DNA 'molecular computer' smaller than 2nm semiconductors… high expectations for bio-computing applications

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Until now, molecular-level DNA circuits have mainly been used for simple tasks, such as detecting the presence of cancer-related substances. However, these systems have faced a key limitation: once a reaction occurs, the circuits cannot be reused. Overcoming this challenge, the research team has developed a DNA-based molecular computer that operates at a much smaller scale than conventional semiconductor devices, enabling both computation and memory within the same system. This advancement opens up new possibilities for future computing technologies in bio and medical applications, including disease diagnosis.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: Ministry of Science and ICT

24-Apr-2026

Unleashing natural killer cells against cancer

McGill University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have developed a strategy to boost the cancer-fighting power of natural killer (NK) cells, part of the immune system’s first line of defence. NK cells can detect and destroy cancer cells, but tumours often create a protective barrier that blocks them, allowing cancer to grow.

Researchers at McGill University’s Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, in collaboration with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, found that suppressing two specific proteins helps NK cells overcome this blockage, turning them into more potent cancer killers.

Journal: EMBO Reports

24-Apr-2026

Dr. Dennis Slamon elected to Association of American Physicians

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
Grant and Award Announcement

Slamon is widely recognized for his pioneering work in breast cancer research and treatment, including his groundbreaking discovery of the HER2 gene’s role in aggressive forms of breast cancer and his leadership in the development of targeted therapies that have transformed outcomes for patients worldwide.

24-Apr-2026

Understanding the origins of Hodgkin lymphoma cells could lead to better diagnostics

Weill Cornell Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For the first time, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have demonstrated that Hodgkin lymphoma cancer cells from patient samples are immune cells stuck in an “identity crisis.” Normally, a B cell matures into a plasma cell that produces antibodies to fight infection, but in this case, the cells are trapped partway through the transition. They switch off key B cell features but never fully mature into functional plasma cells, instead surviving as malignant Hodgkin lymphoma cells, also called Reed-Sternberg cells.

Journal: Blood Cancer Journal