EurekAlert! Cancer Research - News Releases

News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Jun-2026 11:16 ET (22-Jun-2026 15:16 GMT/UTC)

Early myocarditis onset after immunotherapy may predict treatment-related fatality

American Association for Cancer Research
Reports and Proceedings

Patients who developed myocarditis within the first month of receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy were more likely to die of myocarditis, and myocarditis-specific fatality was more common in patients who experienced co-occurring myositis and myasthenia gravis, according to results from a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22.

Meeting: American Association for Cancer (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026

Intralesional nivolumab may be effective against precancerous oral lesions

American Association for Cancer Research
Reports and Proceedings

Injecting nivolumab (Opdivo) directly into precancerous oral lesions led to reduction in lesion size and allowed some patients to avoid surgery, according to research from a phase I clinical trial presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026, held April 17-22.

Meeting: American Association for Cancer (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026

AACR: Novel approach prevents cancer progression, spares surgery for majority of patients with precancerous oral lesions

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Reports and Proceedings

Precancerous oral lesions can progress to oral cancer and are typically ablated or surgically removed as a preventive measure

Direct injection of nivolumab immunotherapy into lesions reduced toxicities and reduced lesion size by an average of 60%, decreasing the risk of cancer progression

More than 80% of treated lesions were cancer-free after one year, and patients reported improved quality of life and tolerable side effects

Direct injection approach offers benefits over systemic nivolumab, which could bring excessive toxicities for patients without cancer

Meeting: American Association for Cancer (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026

Dr. Aditya Bardia elected to American Society for Clinical Investigation

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

Bardia, an internationally recognized breast medical oncologist, was honored for his work as a translational scientist and leader in academic medicine.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor–induced liver injury: a critical appraisal of treatment and rechallenge controversies

Xia & He Publishing Inc.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The expanding use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has increased immune‑related hepatotoxicity (ChILI). Despite major guidelines, no standardized treatment consensus exists. Key controversies include immunosuppression thresholds, biopsy indications, second‑line therapies, and rechallenge criteria. Corticosteroids remain first‑line, but 20–30% are steroid‑refractory. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) shows promise in cholestatic ChILI. Rechallenge is increasingly considered, with recurrence rates of 22–31%, mostly mild. In HCC patients with cirrhosis, hepatotoxicity is hard to distinguish from tumor progression, emphasizing biopsy and multidisciplinary evaluation. Future studies must clarify algorithms and rechallenge safety.

Journal: Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology

Extra sets of chromosomes make cells more mobile

Rockefeller University Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Tulane University School of Medicine have discovered that if animal cells gain an extra set of chromosomes, a condition known as polyploidy, they activate a stress signaling pathway that causes them to become more mobile and capable of engulfing neighboring cells with normal chromosome numbers. The study, to be published April 21 in the Journal of Cell Biology (JCB), could provide new ways to target polyploid cancer cells, which are thought to promote tumor aggressiveness and therapy resistance.

Journal: Journal of Cell Biology
Funder: Ladies Leukemia League, Louisiana Cancer Research Center, Tulane COR Research Fellowships, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Study reveals dynamic interactions between brain tumors and immune cells

DZNE - German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Glioblastoma, the most common and most aggressive brain tumor type in adults, remains difficult to treat because it can infiltrate surrounding brain tissue and spread far beyond the main tumor. DZNE scientists and collaborators have captured this infiltration process in the living brain with advanced microscopy. Their study, published Immunity, is based on observations in mice affected by a brain cancer very similar to human glioblastoma.

Journal: Immunity

Targeting the yin and yang of macrophages to strengthen cancer vaccines and anti-tumor immunity

The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Dartmouth researchers have discovered that immune cells called macrophages play opposing roles in cancer, with some fighting tumors, while others help them grow. A study published in Nature Immunology points to a more precise approach to cancer treatment by selectively blocking the cells that suppress the body’s natural defenses, using a drug already approved by the FDA.

Journal: Nature Immunology

Mechanohealth: Where life science meets physical forces for health innovation

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Integrating mechanobiological principles into disease pathogenesis, therapeutic development, and tissue engineering is reshaping our understanding of biological systems and accelerating the advancement of mechanotherapy and mechanohealth. This field reveals how mechanical cues regulate cellular behavior, such as force transmission along integrin-nucleus pathways and collective cell migration, and tissue functions. In doing so, mechanobiology connects fundamental research with clinical applications, from limiting cancer metastasis and fibrosis to promoting bone regeneration and maintaining vascular homeostasis. Building on discussion from the Inaugural International Conference on Mechanobiology (ICM) 2025, integrating mechanobiological research with clinical strategies offers new opportunities to address unmet needs, including personalized anti-fibrotic interventions or precision bone regenerative therapies. At the same time, it supports the broader concept of mechanohealth -- a paradigm focused on preserving the physiological mechanical balance within tissues.

Journal: Mechanobiology in Medicine

VHIO-led study links epigenetic changes caused by diet, tobacco, and pesticide exposure to the development of colorectal cancer in people younger than 50 years of age

Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Investigators from VHIO, which is part of the Vall Hebron Campus, publish the first study to address the impact of the exposome on early-onset colorectal cancer through epigenetic signatures.

The researchers compared epigenetic methylation marks in patients with early-onset colorectal cancer with those of patients with late-onset colorectal cancer and confirmed previously identified risk factors including diet, education level, and smoking.

They have now identified exposure to picloram, a widely used herbicide, as a new risk factor associated with the development of colorectal cancer in individuals younger than 50 years old. Using population data, the investigators report that US counties with a higher use of this pesticide have higher rates of early-onset colorectal cancer, even after accounting for socioeconomic factors and the use of other pesticides.

Published today in Nature Medicine, this research has been possible thanks to the funding received from the "la Caixa" Foundation and the Spanish Association Against Cancer.

Journal: Nature Medicine

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