The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recently announced the three winning research proposals for the 2025 ASTRO-AstraZeneca Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) Therapy Challenge, which supports research that will improve therapies and outcomes for patients with limited-stage SCLC through the integration of consolidation immunotherapy and emerging radiation therapy techniques. 

A pair of new studies examines two aspects of the colon cancer screening process: the preferences of patients and physicians for all currently available colorectal cancer screening options, and the impact of a 2023 federal policy change that eliminated out of pocket costs for those who get an abnormal result on a home-based stool test and then need a colonoscopy. 

Researchers have uncovered a promising cancer treatment strategy by targeting a mitochondrial protein called peroxiredoxin-3 (PRX3). PRX3 normally acts as a cleanup system inside cancer cells, breaking down hydrogen peroxide before it becomes toxic. The team discovered a compound fragment that binds to PRX3 and switches it off, causing hydrogen peroxide to accumulate beyond the cell’s tolerance. This surge in oxidative stress overwhelms cancer cells, while sparing healthy ones, offering a novel approach to therapy that flips the traditional model of reducing stress into one that exploits cancer’s vulnerability.

RTOG Foundation, a non-profit organization which conducts clinical trials designed to discover more effective cancer therapies, recently opened a new trial RTOG 3523, also known as the “MOMENTUM-1” study, testing the radioactive drug [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE (hereafter referred to as ¹⁷⁷Lu-Dotatate) in adult who have progressive intracranial grade 1-3 meningioma.

A European study has demonstrated a sustained long-term reduction in prostate cancer mortality through prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. However, the findings also highlight the issue of overdiagnosis, or the detection of slow-growing cancers that are unlikely to affect a patient’s lifespan, associated with PSA screening. To address this concern, the researchers advocate the development of risk-based screening.

A new study has found for the first time that magnetoelectric nanoparticles — tiny, wirelessly controlled particles activated by magnetic fields — can both locate and destroy pancreatic tumors in preclinical models, offering a potential new approach to minimally invasively treating one of the deadliest cancers.

Investigators from Mass General Brigham have developed a way to promote antitumor immunity by hijacking cellular machinery within cancer cells. The study demonstrated that inducing cancer cells to produce an immune-activating molecule led to reduced tumor growth in preclinical models. Results are published in PNAS.

 

“Tumor cells comprise a significant proportion of the tumor microenvironment but are often under-utilized for immunotherapy,” said corresponding author Natalie Artzi, PhD, a researcher in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine. “These findings highlight how tumor cells can be used to actively contribute to their own elimination.”