Hyperthermia, a cancer treatment using controlled heat to kill tumor cells, shows promise but faces limitations due to some tumor cells' unexpected heat resistance. Researchers from Japan have now discovered that high cholesterol levels in cancer cell membranes act as a protective barrier, shielding against heat-induced membrane breakdown. When cholesterol was depleted using drugs, previously heat-resistant tumors became vulnerable to hyperthermia treatment, opening new possibilities for personalized cancer therapy targeting cholesterol levels to improve outcomes.

A recent study by researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), has shown that a class of drugs, HDACi (histone deacetylase inhibitors), protects neurons and limits brain damage following stroke by altering the gene expression of microglia, the immune cells of the brain. HDACi are currently used or being tested as treatments for certain cancers and are also being researched for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

A novel immuno-PET/CT imaging technique has identified and validated a potent biomarker for nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). The biomarker, CD70, is highly and constantly expressed in NPCs, and CD70-targeted immuno-PET/CT have proven effective in accurately detecting primary and metastatic NPC lesions. This research, published in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, has the potential to enhance diagnosis and guide personalized therapies for NPC patients.

In a bold step to transform cancer care, Mayo Clinic is bringing new hope for patients diagnosed with the most aggressive and treatment-resistant cancers. Mayo Clinic opened the new 228,000-square-foot Duan Family Building at its Jacksonville, Florida location. The building will house the first carbon ion therapy program in the Western Hemisphere, and advanced technology that can seamlessly deliver both carbon ions and protons to treat the same tumor. 

Human papillomavirus (HPV) can drive tumor development in some rare sinonasal squamous cell carcinomas (SNSCCs), according to a new comprehensive study of these tumors from investigators at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. The researchers also identified common mutations among these cancers and a potential combination treatment during the study, which was partially supported by the National Institutes of Health.