News

Hormones alter immunity, driving sex bias in cancer

2022-06-09

Cancer is a disease that can strike in anyone, but often plays favorites based on a wide variety of factors, including biological

mRNA vaccines: from cancer immunotherapy to COVID-19

2021-07-14

When COVID-19 took the world by storm in late 2019, the race to create an effective vaccine began almost immediately.

Health Inequities and Disparities in the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021-04-09

Confronting cancer is always difficult, particularly for populations underserved by the healthcare system, but confronting it in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic raises even greater problems.

Cancer care in the age of COVID-19

2021-02-26

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world, routines of all kinds were uprooted, and cancer testing and care were no exception. Settling into the new normal, there are many new challenges involved in cancer treatment that demand immediate and long-term solutions. UCIR recently attended the AACR-sponsored virtual meeting “COVID-19 and Cancer” February 3-5, 2021 to better understand these issues.

Immunotherapy for Breast Cancer: A conversation with Dr. Daniel Silver

2020-10-13

In honor of breast cancer awareness month, UCIR spoke with Daniel Silver, MD, PhD of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Silver is a medical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of patients with breast cancer. He is the director of basic science and research in medical oncology at Thomas Jefferson, and wrote his PhD research on basic immunology.

Can a cancer vaccine keep ovarian cancer at bay?

2020-09-25

When most people think about vaccines, they think about their important role in preventing contagious illnesses like measles or the flu, but since vaccines work by stimulating the immune system, they are also being investigated as potential cancer immunotherapies.

Two approaches share one common target: efforts to fight childhood gliomas

2020-09-04

Every battle with cancer is difficult, but cancers that affect children often seem particularly cruel. Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), and diffuse midline glioma (DMG) are both brain cancers that primarily occur in children. While the outlook for these cancers is grim, new and ongoing research provides glimmers of hope for new potential treatments and cures.

Getting to know sarcoma with Dr. Philip Friedlander

2020-07-01

In honor of sarcoma awareness month, UCIR spoke with Dr. Philip Friedlander – an oncologist at Mount Sinai in New York. Dr. Friedlander is currently an investigator on a clinical trial that involves immunotherapy treatment for patients who have Kaposi sarcomas.

Vitamin C may boost the immune response to cancer

2020-06-01

Vitamin C may boost the immune response to cancer, but it’s going to take a lot more than a glass of orange juice

May is melanoma awareness month!

2020-05-01

Skin cancer is the most common cancer worldwide. In the United States, more people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year than all other cancers combined, with one in five Americans developing some form of skin cancer by age 70.

COVID-19: Implications and Guidance for Patients Treated with Immunotherapy

2020-03-20

The coronavirus COVID-19 is considered a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Patients in high-risk categories should take extra precautions and contact their healthcare provider if symptoms emerge.

Welcome to UCIR!

2020-02-14

Our website, Understanding Cancer Immunotherapy Research, aims to serve as a comprehensive resource of basic knowledge and up-to-date information on the breakthrough field of cancer immunotherapy.

Nobel Prize recognizes the significance of cancer immunotherapy

2019-12-26

As a testament to the significance of immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer, the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Drs. James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo "for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation". Dr. Allison discovered that a molecule called CTLA-4 acts as a brake on T cells and Dr. Honjo discovered another T cell brake called PD-1.

Patient 3737: An Early Story of Success in Cancer Immunotherapy

2019-12-26

At the age of 41, Melinda Bachini was diagnosed with widely metastatic cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer that begins in the bile ducts. Immediately after diagnosis, she underwent surgery to remove the cancer, and while the doctors thought they had gotten it all, Melinda’s cancer soon reappeared in her lungs. Read her amazing story here.

Antibiotics do not play nice with cancer immunotherapy

2019-12-20

Why does immunotherapy work for some cancer patients but not others? A number of immunotherapy drugs known as immune checkpoint inhibitors have been approved in recent years for the treatment of certain types of cancers, but many patients do not benefit from such treatments, and scientists have been working hard to figure out why this is the case.

Can the bacteria in your gut help your immune system fight cancer?

2019-02-21

The human gut is filled with microbes, and these tiny organisms can have a big impact. Take a closer look at how the microbes in the gut, together called the gut microbiome, affect the immune system.

The surprising effect of obesity on the response to cancer immunotherapy

2018-12-05

Obesity is a known risk factor for the development of certain types of cancer. However, how it affects the immune system as the tumor develops and progresses and how it may influence a patient’s response to immunotherapy is not well understood.