News & Breakthroughs at Siteman
Stay informed with the latest cancer news and breakthroughs from Siteman Cancer Center. Our news feed provides timely updates on research breakthroughs, clinical trials, and community events.
Research News & Stories
Research
Two-pronged immunotherapy eliminates metastatic breast cancer in mice
Metastatic breast cancer has no cure and has proven stubbornly resistant to one of the most innovative and promising new cancer treatments: immunotherapy. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a way to treat the area surrounding breast tumors that have spread to bone so that such tumors become […]
Research
Jumping genes in cancer cells open door to new immunotherapies
Jumping genes are short sections of DNA that have been incorporated randomly into the human genome over the long course of evolution. Also called transposable elements, these pieces of DNA have been implicated in the development of cancer. But new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that transposable elements in […]
Research
Cancer patients who don’t respond to immunotherapy lack crucial immune cells
Immunotherapy has transformed cancer care. In advanced melanoma, for example, the most fatal form of skin cancer, the five-year survival rate has risen from less than 10% to more than 50% since immunotherapy was introduced in 2011. Still, only about half of melanoma patients respond to immunotherapy, and those who do not respond face a […]
Research
Drug triggers immune cells to attack prostate cancer
A single drug compound simultaneously attacks hard-to-treat prostate cancer on several fronts, according to a new study in mice and human cells. It triggers immune cells to attack, helps the immune cells penetrate the tumor, and cuts off the tumor’s ability to burn testosterone as fuel, according to new research from Washington University School of […]
Research
Sugar metabolism is surprisingly conventional in cancer
Glucose, a common sugar in food, is one of the most important nutrients in the body. Cancer cells tend to consume it at an astounding pace. At first glance, that seems to make good sense because cancer cells have a lot of synthesis to do. After all, as tumors grow rapidly, each cell has to […]
Research
Novel treatment makes pancreatic cancer susceptible to immunotherapy, mouse study shows
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and deadly tumor types and notorious for its resistance to virtually all types of treatment, including newer immunotherapies. A new study — in mice — from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that blocking a major inflammatory pathway that is activated in pancreatic cancer […]
Research
Boosting T cells improves survival in mice with glioblastoma
Glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer in the brain or spinal cord, has proven stubbornly resistant to newer immunotherapies. And radiation and chemotherapy, the standard treatment for glioblastoma, result in fewer than 10% of patients surviving longer than five years after diagnosis. But a new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis […]
Research
Cell-based immunotherapy shows promise against melanoma
An immunotherapy based on supercharging the immune system’s natural killer cells has been effective in treating patients with recurrent leukemia and other difficult to treat blood cancers. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown in preclinical studies conducted in mice and human cells that this type of cell-based immunotherapy […]
Research
Blood test for metastatic prostate cancer could suggest better treatment options
A blood test developed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis could help determine next steps for patients whose prostate cancer has spread despite treatment. The test is designed to help doctors determine if a patient’s disease can’t be effectively treated with a newer therapy called androgen receptor (AR) targeted therapy. Knowing this, […]
Research
Fight against endometrial cancer boosted with new molecular road map
A new study that reveals the dozens of molecular changes that bring about endometrial cancer offers insight into how physicians might be able to better identify which patients will need aggressive treatment and why a common treatment is not effective for some patients. The study appears Feb. 13 in the journal Cell. Funded by the […]