EurekAlert! Cancer Research - News Releases

News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 27-Jul-2025 14:10 ET (27-Jul-2025 18:10 GMT/UTC)

‘Pill-on-a-thread’ could replace endoscopies for half of all patients being monitored for esophageal cancer risk

University of Cambridge
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Endoscopies could be replaced by far less invasive capsule sponge tests for half of all patients with Barrett’s oesophagus, a known precursor to esophageal cancer, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Queen Mary University of London. The capsule sponge test is easier to administer and could be carried out by nurses and at GP practices, reducing the burden on NHS resources.

Journal: The Lancet
Funder: Cancer Research UK, Innovate UK, Medical Research Council, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre

MSU researchers use nanomedicine and artificial intelligence to diagnose diseases — a biology first

Michigan State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from Michigan State University and their partners have found new biological clues that could help doctors detect prostate cancer and heart disease earlier. This is the first time scientists have used a mix of tiny medical tools, or nanomedicine, artificial intelligence and a method called causal analysis to connect these clues directly to disease.This new diagnostic method has the potential to help millions of Americans.

Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal
Funder: American Heart Association, American Heart Association, U.S. Department of Defense, NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Rice recruits biophysicist to boost cancer research efforts

Rice University
Grant and Award Announcement

Rice University’s Department of Chemistry will soon welcome Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede, who will enhance the university’s research efforts in biophysics when she joins the faculty as a professor July 1, backed by a $6 million recruitment grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

Funder: Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

New PET tracer identifies diverse invasive mold infections behind life-threatening illnesses in cancer and transplant patients

Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A novel PET radiotracer can accurately detect a wide range of mold species that are linked to dangerous infections, according to new research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2025 Annual Meeting. The imaging agent has the potential to dramatically enhance the diagnosis and monitoring of invasive mold infections in patients.

Journal: Journal of Nuclear Medicine
Meeting: Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2025 Annual Meeting

ImmunoPET tracer enhances early detection of liver cancer

Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A novel molecular imaging agent targeting glypican-3 (GPC3) has demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in detecting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including tumors smaller than one centimeter, according to results from a pilot clinical study. The agent, ⁶⁸Ga-aGPC3-scFv, coded as XH06, was shown to be safe, well-tolerated, and effective at providing high-contrast images of GPC3-positive liver tumors, offering a promising new tool for early diagnosis and staging of HCC—one of the most lethal forms of liver cancer. This research was presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2025 Annual Meeting.

Journal: Journal of Nuclear Medicine

International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine tackles trending health topics from ultra-processed foods to Ozempic in Washington, DC, Aug. 14-16

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Meeting Announcement

Are some ultra-processed foods good for you? Could diet change be better than Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss? What role does nutrition play in breast and prostate cancers, menopause, and Alzheimer’s disease? These are just a few of the trending nutrition topics that more than 25 of the world’s leading nutrition experts will examine at the 13th annual International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine from Aug. 14 to 16 in Washington, D.C.

Food insecurity linked to elevated mortality risk among cancer survivors

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Lack of access to healthy food is a threat to the lives of cancer survivors—a significant and often overlooked factor affecting their long-term health outcomes. A new study shows that those experiencing food insecurity had a 28 percent relative increase in risk of death as compared to those who were food secure.

Journal: JAMA Health Forum

Researchers discover new genetic target that could shape the future of liver cancer treatment

Virginia Commonwealth University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Devanand Sarkar and a team of scientists at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center found that TAF2 is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma patients compared to individuals with healthy livers. Through preclinical research, they discovered that TAF2 regulates the survival of hepatocytes—the functional cells of the liver—and tumor formation. Their study—recently published in the journal Hepatology—also demonstrates that TAF2 cooperates with the MYC gene, another known major driver of cancer, to accelerate tumor growth.

Journal: Hepatology
Funder: NIH/National Cancer Institute

Basic fibroblast growth factor-loaded hydrogel biomaterial patches for promoting the healing of esophageal anastomosis: An experimental animal study

National Center for Respiratory Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The application of hyaluronic acid methacrylate (HAMA) hydrogel biomaterial patches loaded with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in esophageal surgery improved the mechanical strength of the esophageal anastomosis, facilitated fibroblast proliferation and collagen secretion, and promoted the growth of the tissues around the esophageal anastomosis.

Journal: Journal of Thoracic Disease

SNMMI image of the year: New immuno-pet tracer superior to FDG PET in predicting PD-L1 expression in head and neck cancer

Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A first-in-class peptide-based PET tracer, ¹⁸F-AlF-NOTA-PCP2, can effectively measure PD-L1 expression in patients with head and neck cancers, outperforming the conventional tracer ¹⁸F-FDG. ¹⁸F-AlF-NOTA-PCP2 uptake strongly correlated with PD-L1 levels,highlighting the tracer’s potential to improve patient stratification and guide personalized treatment strategies. This research was presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) 2025 Annual Meeting, and the grouping of images comparing ¹⁸F-AlF-NOTA-PCP2 and ¹⁸F-FDG uptake has been selected as the 2025 SNMMI Henry N. Wagner, Jr., Image of the Year.

Journal: Journal of Nuclear Medicine
Meeting: Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2025 Annual Meeting

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