May Is National Cancer Research Month

May is National Cancer Research Month, during this time we aim to raise awareness of the high-quality, innovative cancer research happening at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. This research continues to help the more than 16.9 million people in the United States who are living with, through, and beyond their cancer diagnoses.

This year, many of our researchers contributed their expertise to the worldwide effort to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as we honor all those who are working tirelessly against COVID-19, we continue to support the ongoing research needed to drive further progress against cancer.

Click on the stories below to learn more about most-read research blogs from the last year.

1. A Drug That Can Stop Tumors From Growing

CU Cancer Center members found that by inhibiting NLRP3, an intracellular complex that has been found to participate in melanoma-mediated inflammation, leading to tumor growth and progression, they can reduce inflammation and the resultant tumor expansion.

2. Simple Blood Test May Help Identify Patients Most Likely to Benefit from Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer

Researchers at the CU Cancer Center are exploring what Trousseau sign of malignancy could share about a link to cancer treatment for pancreatic cancer.

3. FIRE-SCLC Analysis: Largest-Ever Study of First-Line Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases from Small Cell Lung Cancer

Analysis led by CU Cancer Center researchers details clinical outcomes for patients with brain metastases from small cell lung cancer treated with first-line stereotactic radiosurgery without prior treatment with whole-brain radiation or prophylactic cranial irradiation.

4. Cord blood as Source for Stem Cell Transplant May Outperform Accepted “Gold Standard” of Matched Sibling Donors

A study led by Jonathan Gutman, MD, CU Cancer Center member, shows no difference in survival outcomes between patients receiving donors from sibling transplants and those receiving cord-blood transplants.

5. New Insight Into How Cancer Spreads

New research from University of Colorado Cancer Center associate director of basic research Heide Ford, PhD, investigates one mechanism by which metastasis happens, and of potential ways to slow it down.

6. CU Cancer Center Study Leads to FDA Approval of New Treatment for AML

Thanks to investigators at CU Cancer Center, patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a new treatment option -- venetoclax -- that has fewer side effects and has been shown to increase longevity.

7. Phase III Clinical Trial Results Support Rituximab as New Standard-of-Care in Pediatric Burkitt Lymphoma

A clinical trial shows a 95% three-year survival for pediatric patients with advanced B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma who are treated with the addition of anti-cancer immunotherapy rituximab to standard chemotherapy.

8. CU Researchers Come Together to Better Understand Ovarian Cancer Tumors and Treatment Outcomes

A group of researchers and clinicians from CU published a paper that shares findings from research looking at how the composition of ovarian cancer tumors changes during chemotherapy and contributes to therapeutic response.

9. How RNA Editing Affects the Immune System

A new study offers new insight into how the immune system relates to cancer. A recently published paper looks at how an enzyme called ADAR1 operates in pathways associated with cancer.