Michelle Bragazzi, Managing Editor, OncoTherapy Network

Scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research in London identified a gene which may contribute to testicular cancer treatment resistance.

A multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III vaccine trial is now underway for post-resection melanoma patients with a high risk of recurrence.

Because of the high mutation rate in melanoma cells, cancer drugs have been developed to help target these signaling pathways that stimulate such rapid growth. While many of these drugs have proven to be successful, resistance to these same drugs can also occur.

When it comes to cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM), BRAF V600E is a common mutation found in approximately 50% of cases. Currently, BRAF mutations are detected by using DNA tests, but there may be an alternative assay that's less expensive, requires less tissue, more efficient, and thought to be more sensitive.

Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, have discovered a protein that could help treat certain lymphomas, including those resistant to therapy.

For patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC), administering a sequential, second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) may be more beneficial over a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor (mTORi).

A drug used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), is also helping to boost the effectiveness of radiation for those melanoma patients with metastasis to the brain.

A mechanism that leads to resistance to certain targeted therapy drugs for melanoma has been discovered by researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla.

Exelixis and their partner Roche are seeking fast-tracked FDA approval for their combination therapy drug for people with BRAF V600 mutation-positive advanced melanoma.

For women with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), adding bevacizumab (Avastin) to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy was more beneficial for those diagnosed with basal-like tumors compared to those with nonbasal-like tumors. This data was presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), held Dec. 9-13, 2014.

On December 3, 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of Amgen's immunotherapy drug Blincyto (blinatumomab), a bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) used to treat patients diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-negative precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-cell ALL).

As most of you know, at the ends of chromosomes are stretches of DNA called telomeres. Each time a cell divides, it becomes shorter, losing the ability to further replicate. This shortening process is associated with not only aging and a higher risk of death, but with cancer as well.

Ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EpHA2), a protein that in humans is encoded by the EPHA2 gene, is a promising target that may help identify patients who are at risk for developing aggressive colorectal cancer (CRC).

The bacteria Bacillus anthracis, is responsible for the potentially deadly infection known as anthrax. While healthcare professionals and researchers alike have gone to great lengths to treat and minimize exposure to this lethal disease, others are utilizing the bacteria's intricate machinery as a way to deliver cancer drugs.

Recent findings from a phase II randomized clinical trial demonstrates that a breast cancer vaccine known as GP2, may help at preventing disease recurrence in women with HER2 protein overexpression.