22 August 2024 edition - This week, we learn that a ketogenic diet hurts pancreatic cancer when combined with a drug, discover the many subtypes of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and hear that rectal exams are on their way out.

15 August 2024 edition - Welcome back! This week, we hear that blasting a gut microbe with antibiotics lowers the risk of gastric cancer, learn that sensory nerves help breast cancer spread and discover a potential ‘off’ switch for a vicious childhood cancer.

25 July 2024 edition - This week, we hear about a gene that drives cancer growth, find out that children with deadly brain cancer might benefit from CAR T cell therapy and learn about the liver’s prophetic properties.

18 July 2024 edition - This week, we learn that lactate helps cancer cells resist chemotherapy, hear that killer T cells can exert deadly mechanical force and explore the counterintuitive finding that ageing shields mice from lung cancer.

11 July 2024 edition - This week, we hear that infections are a leading cause of non-relapse death following CAR T cell therapy, learn that mosquito-killing gene technology has inspired cancer research, and learn that tumour-infiltrating T cells are creatures of the night.

4 July 2024 edition - This week, we learn that a high-profile cancer microbiome paper has been retracted, hear about a plan to save children’s cancer drugs from market failure and delve into B-cell ‘biofactories’.

6 June 2024 edition - This week, we hear that immunotherapy is ‘melting away’ advanced colorectal cancers, explore the results of two major lung-cancer drug trials and discover how to gently fade out cancerous blood stem cells while introducing healthy cells at the same time.

30 May 2024 edition - This week, we hear that proteins associated with cancer can be detected in the blood up to seven years before diagnosis, discover how to stop macrophages from munching on cancer-killing T cells and compare the writing skills of oncologists and chatbots.

23 May 2024 edition - This week, we hear that emotional distress is linked with poor immunotherapy response, explore the effect of ageing on cancer-fighting immune cells and discover how 3M kept the toxicity of ‘forever chemicals’ a secret for decades.

16 May 2024 edition - This week, we learn that the pancreas contains hundreds of precancerous lesions, hear that overstimulating cancer can make it more vulnerable to drugs and discover ‘mini-colons’ that can model cancer.

2 May 2024 edition - This week, we learn that temporary epigenetic changes can cause runaway cancer, discover a drug that shrinks genetically unstable tumours in mice and hear that vitamin D promotes anticancer gut bacteria.

25 April 2024 edition - This week, we learn that an algorithm can predict the origin of mysterious cancers, hear about the anticancer effects of aspirin and discover a biomarker that can predict which people with eye cancer might benefit from cellular therapy.

18 April 2024 edition - This week, we hear that oncologists are no longer flying blind when selecting precision drugs for hard-to-treat child cancers, learn how to prevent exhaustion in cancer-fighting T cells and explore a broad-spectrum RAS inhibitor for pancreatic cancer.

11 April 2024 edition - This week, we discover a ‘paradigm-shifting’ idea for treating a deadly childhood cancer, learn that cannabis still isn’t being recommended by oncologists as a first-line treatment and hear that prostate cancer is on the rise.

4 April 2024 edition - This week, we discover that genetically modified T cells are being attacked by other T cells, hear that the amino acid threonine fuels glioblastoma growth in mice and learn that tuberculosis infection is associated with a higher risk of cancer.

28 March 2024 edition - This week, we hear that a small Indian manufacturer has smashed the CAR T cost barrier, identify a bacterium infiltrating colorectal tumours and pinpoint a potential genetic trigger behind lung-cancer relapse.

21 March 2024 edition - This week, we hear that genetically modified immune cells can melt brain tumours, learn that a blood test can detect colorectal cancer and explore the link between the gut microbiome and immunotherapy.

14 March 2024 edition - This week, we learn how to capture immunotherapy in action, hear about a combination of treatments that can lift bladder-cancer survival and discover that a flickering light or pulsating sound helps treat ‘chemobrain’ in mice.

7 March 2024 edition - This week, we discover how an early-stage cancer hides from the immune system, learn about an anti-gene-silencing drug for blood cancers and hear that some stem cells grown in labs harbour cancer mutations.

29 February 2024 edition- This week, we hear that exhausted cancer-fighting T cells can be reinvigorated using a new type of CRISPR technology, learn that artificial intelligence is being used by journals to spot image manipulation and discover a ‘master regulator’ for cancer-eating immune cells.

22 February 2024 edition - This week, we hear that tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes have been approved for the first time in the United States, discover a ‘truly wonderful’ development in the treatment of mesothelioma and hear that a US regulator is probing the role of middlemen in driving drug shortages.

15 February 2024 edition - This week, we hear that a cancer gene has been used to turbocharge therapeutic T cells. Plus, we celebrate a big win against cancer’s ‘most-wanted’ target and learn that the future of precision cancer therapy might be to try everything.

8 February 2024 edition - This week, we explore how cancer hijacks the nervous system, hear that cancer-naming conventions need to change and learn that people living in the ‘Cancer Alley’ of the United States are speaking out.

1 February 2024 edition - This week, we hear that tumour-loving bacteria have been modified to create a urine test for colorectal cancer. Plus, CAR T cell therapy gets a warning label in the United States and the World Health Organization is criticised over poor-quality chemotherapy agents.

25 January 2024 edition - This week, we hear that some people with blood cancers achieved sustained remission after receiving an infusion of natural killer cells modified to express a cancer-targeting receptor. Plus, we discover that tiny, spherical nanobots can swim through urine to deliver bladder cancer treatment and learn that an antibody to prevent chemotherapy-induced hair loss is under development.

18 January 2024 edition - This week, we hear that specialists have responded to safety concerns surrounding an innovative cancer treatment called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. Plus, we learn that a cancer vaccine could delay relapse by activating T cells lurking in lymph nodes and explore the results of an expansive whole-genome-sequencing project.

11 January 2024 edition - Welcome to the first 2024 edition of Nature Briefing: Cancer! This week, we hear that scientists have manufactured cancer-fighting T cells without the cells ever having to leave the body. Plus, we learn that tiny jackhammers can shatter cancer cell membranes when vibrated by light and we discover another weak spot in KRAS, which some researchers are now calling the ‘Death Star’ protein.

21 December 2023 edition - For our final 2023 edition, we look back at some of the research highlights of the year. Plus, we learn that tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes might finally get FDA approval in 2024, take a deep dive into child deaths linked to contaminated chemotherapy and explore a strategy for protecting bones from radiation.

14 December 2023 edition - This week, we explore cancer trials that will shape medicine next year, uncover the secret to making KRAS inhibitors work and hear that a spectacular clinical-trial result could revive the flagging field of cancer-fighting viruses.

7 December 2023 edition - This week, we hear that the US Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether treatment with chimeric antigen receptor T cells can cause cancer. Plus, we learn that drug combinations are rarely more than the sum of their parts and discover that brief treatment breaks can destabilize drug-dependent cancer.

30 November 2023 edition - This week, we learn that artificial intelligence can detect pancreatic cancer in CT scans. Plus, we explore how cancer survives glutamine starvation and discover that a nutrient in meat and diary can help to activate cancer-fighting immune cells.

23 November 2023 edition - This week, we discover that T cells can be nudged into a ‘Goldilocks zone’ that is just right for annihilating tumour cells. Plus, we hear that the search is on for safer hair relaxers and learn that an insurance company in the United States has refused to cover the cost of CAR T-cell therapy.

16 November 2023 edition - This week, we investigate how T-cell therapy can awaken a dormant virus, learn that brain cancer can exploit the same chemical processes that promote learning, and hear that a particular type of immune cell can reprogram pancreatic cells, making them cancerous.

9 November 2023 edition - This week, we hear about a major breakthrough in bladder-cancer treatment, discover how to use a tumour’s own toxins against it and explore the epigenetics that drive 11 types of cancer.

2 November 2023 edition - This week, we learn about a new type of T-cell therapy that can target solid tumours, hear about a blood test that detects cancer’s epigenetic signature and discover how cancer cells resist a type of chemotherapy that disrupts cell division.

26 October 2023 edition - This week, we discover that previous encounters with the herpes simplex virus help an engineered version to fight brain cancer, hear that circulating tumour DNA could be used to guide treatment decisions and learn that focusing on ‘success’ stories can make people with incurable breast cancer feel sidelined.

19 October 2023 edition - This week, we learn that artificial intelligence can classify brain tumours during surgery, discover that engineered bacteria can boost immune activity inside solid tumours and hear that a copycat nutrient can starve pancreatic cancer.

12 October 2023 edition - This week, we hear that organ-removal surgery might be avoidable in some people with bladder cancer, discover the mechanism by which tumours trigger fat wasting and learn that contagious cancer lineages can survive despite a disorderly genome.

5 October 2023 edition - This week, we discover a way to stop nerves exhausting anticancer immune cells, learn that a judge will decide whether Roundup is linked to the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and hear about the synthesis of an elusive cancer-killing toxin.

28 September 2023 edition - This week, we discover why cancer is more likely to spread to the spine than to other bones, hear that the arrangement of breast cancer cells can predict immunotherapy response and learn that we could use the quantum realm to fight cancer in the future.

21 September 2023 edition - This week marks the Cancer Briefing’s first birthday! Toot toot! In this edition, we explore how a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma resists immunotherapy, hear that scientists can disable cancer’s ‘don’t eat me’ signal, and find that the KRAS inhibitor divarasib is looking promising as a treatment for solid tumours.

14 September 2023 edition - This week, we learn just how financially toxic ‘miracle cures’ can be, hear that reducing scar tissue can help to treat pancreatic cancer and learn that Ukraine has forged ahead with cancer drug trials despite the Russian invasion.

7 September 2023 edition - This week, we learn that tumour cells can confuse the immune system by overstimulating the STING pathway, discover how γδ T cells find and destroy a wide range of cancers and hear that a tiny device inserted mid-surgery might help oncologists to personalize treatment for brain cancer.

17 August 2023 edition - This week, we hear that fast-tracking cancer drugs in the United States could be harming patients elsewhere, learn that artificial intelligence could help treat people with ‘undiagnosable’ cancers and discover that tumours can tire T cells out in a matter of hours.

10 August 2023 edition - This week, we report a first-of-its-kind settlement that recognizes Henrietta Lacks’s contribution to science, hear that researchers are clashing over the role of the microbiome in cancer and count the cost of failing to translate an entire class of oncology drugs into clinical practice.

3 August 2023 edition - This week, we discover that one of cancer’s best weapons can be turned against it, hear how the components of cancer drugs are clicked together like Lego, and learn why the US chemotherapy shortages are probably caused by the country’s own actions.

27 July 2023 edition - This week, we uncover the true impact of the first nuclear weapons test, watch gold nanoparticles poke holes in tumour blood vessels and discover how an injury-repair mechanism protects some people from lung cancer.

20 July 2023 edition - This week, we watch cancer cells transform into spiky traitors that help switch on the immune system, ponder why money is being thrown at useless cancer treatments, and enjoy the buzz around an exciting trial for a melanoma vaccine.

13 July 2023 edition - This week, we discover that cancer’s addiction to extra chromosomes is an exploitable weakness, hear that cancer is no match for macrophages in a low-protein environment, and learn that pills containing human faeces could boost immunotherapy for advanced skin cancer.

6 July 2023 edition - This week, we explore the counterintuitive finding that high blood sugar makes pancreatic cancer more vulnerable. Plus, we hear that base editing can stop CAR T-cells from killing healthy cells, discover a molecular switch that activates B cells against cancer, and delve into the controversy surrounding diet soft drinks and cancer.

29 June 2023 edition - This week, we hear about the theft of mitochondria by cancer cells, discover why shattered chromosomes shouldn’t be put back together again and learn that the Y chromosome might explain why many cancers are worse in men than in women.

22 June 2023 edition - This week, we discover that a decades-old blood pressure medication could be the next immunotherapy, hear that injecting a virus into brain tumours increases survival for some and learn that most people diagnosed with early breast cancer today will live longer than five years.

15 June 2023 edition - This week, we learn that even gentle exercise can have profound benefits for people with cancer, hear that US oncologists are adapting to drug shortages by changing treatment plans and investigate the use of an influenza virus to deliver a cancer vaccine in mice.

8 June 2023 edition - This week, we share the results of four exciting trials presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. Plus, we discover a better screening test for ovarian cancer and learn about a type of T cell that seems to resist immunotherapy.

1 June 2023 edition - This week, we discover how pancreatic cancer survives glucose deprivation, learn that oestrogen amplifies the number of copies of cancer-causing DNA, and hear that the microbiome and T-cell signatures inside colon tumours could help to predict patients’ survival.

25 May 2023 edition - This week, we learn that breaking the garbage-disposal system of a cell can drive cancer, discover the signalling cascade that triggers muscle wasting, and hear that people who smoke after cancer are more likely to experience fatigue and pain.

18 May 2023 edition - This week, we marvel at a landmark study in which mRNA vaccines prevented the return of pancreatic cancer in a small group of people. Plus, we discover that an algorithm can predict pancreatic cancer risk up to three years in advance, and find out how ‘electrical conversations’ between gliomas and the brain can accelerate tumour growth.

11 May 2023 edition - This week, we discover that ultrasound pulses can disrupt the blood–brain barrier long enough to let chemotherapy agents through. Plus, we explore the use of ‘DNA barcodes’ as a cancer biomarker in urine, and learn that one enzyme can cause double the trouble in cancer.

4 May 2023 edition - This week, we hear that the US Cancer Moonshot programme might fall short of its goal, discover that measuring changes in breast density over time could reveal cancer risks, and investigate whether the time of day influences how well cancer treatment works.

27 April 2023 edition - This week, we hear that loops of extrachromosomal DNA might drive cancer, we learn that researchers have isolated tumour-infiltrating immune cells from blood and an oncologist looks set to become the next head of the US National Institutes of Health.

20 April 2023 edition - This week, we learn about the seemingly endless ways in which cancer can evolve, we discover that the Epstein–Barr virus is causing genomic instability by snapping chromosomes like twigs, and hear that immune cells can recognize and attack the remnants of ancient viruses inside cancer cells.

13 April 2023 edition - This week, scientists discover how to stop air pollution from causing lung cancer in mice, demonstrate the benefits of using younger, stem-like T cells for immunotherapy and explore how cell death is a growth strategy for cancer.

6 April 2023 edition - This week, we hear that researchers might have found the Achilles heel of one of the world’s deadliest cancers, learn that ‘jumping genes’ could be the key to creating pan-cancer vaccines and delve into the cancer epidemic in young people.

30 March 2023 edition - This week, we learn that injecting bacteria into a tumour can turn immune cells against cancer, hear that as many as half of ‘undruggable’ proteins might have cryptic pockets that can be exploited by drugs and discover that a repurposed leukaemia drug could prevent breast cancer from awakening decades after remission.

23 March 2023 edition - This week, we hear about new chimeric antigen receptors that could help fight solid tumours, discover how cancer cells achieve immortality and hear about the first double lung transplants for advanced lung cancer.

16 March 2023 edition - This week, we learn that most men with prostate cancer have time on their side when it comes to undergoing treatment, discover that neutrophils can be turned against cancer and hear that a healthy diet could improve immunotherapy response.

9 March 2023 edition - This week, we learn that dead tissue at the heart of tumours could be leaking cancer cells to the rest of the body, hear that cancer will cost the world US$25 trillion over the next three decades and discover that cancer has two more tricks up its sleeve: randomness and electricity.

2 March 2023 edition - This week, we learn that a chemical produced by gut bacteria might boost chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer, hear that antibiotics might have a dampening effect on immunotherapy, hear the case for opportunistic fallopian tube removal and find out which animals are immune to cancer — and why!

23 February 2023 edition - This week, we learn that infections during pregnancy could be connected to childhood cancer, hear why obesity might be extra risky in people with breast cancer gene mutations and learn how biotech is using microbial signatures to develop cancer tests.

16 February 2023 edition - This week, we learn that long-COVID rates are high in the cancer community, discover that pancreatic cancer is on the rise in younger women and hear the regrets of a professor who worked around the clock to get ahead in academia.

9 February 2023 edition - This week, we learn about a new form of cell death that could be exploited in cancer treatments, discover that tighter binding isn’t always ideal for antibodies and hear that people who worked at nuclear-missile facilities have been dying from cancer at a suspiciously early age.

2 February 2023 edition - This week, we explore a new off-the-shelf CAR T-cell therapy that has been tested in phase I clinical trials, learn that ‘inflammatory memory’ seems to play a part in drug resistance in tumours, and hear that scientists have taught ants to sniff out cancer.

26 January 2023 edition - This week, we learn that it’s not just CD8+ T cells that are involved in immunotherapy — there’s another type of T cell at play. We hear about a gene that can be silenced to overcome resistance to immunotherapy, and a common weed-killer is linked to cancer-promoting oxidative stress in farmers.

19 January 2023 edition - This week, we learn that cancer deaths in the United States have dropped by one-third in the past three decades, hear that bariatric surgery doesn’t seem to cause cancer, and consider whether ChatGPT could pose a threat to research integrity by writing fake abstracts.

12 January 2023 edition - Happy New Year! We’re back! In this edition, you’ll hear about the ‘heartbeat’ that brain cancer cells use to communicate and the genetic marker that predicts autoimmune diseases in people with cancer who are receiving immunotherapy. Plus, we meet the early-twentieth-century woman who first investigated cancer in mice.

22 December 2022 edition - This week, two melanoma therapy trials hit international headlines, an anti-migraine drug may stop cancer cells ‘recycling’ nutrients to survive starvation, and publishers band together to battle ‘paper mills’ that produce bogus research.

15 December 2022 edition - This week, we discover that a gene-editing technique invented just six years ago has saved a life for the first time, learn that scientists have invented a way to visualize immunotherapy in action, and hear that Candians with cancer are experiencing parking-related financial toxicity.

8 December 2022 edition - This week, we discover how some people can live with ovarian cancer for over a decade, learn that bursting cells inside tumours using ferroptosis can backfire and meet an Irish comedian who has been praised for a lifesaving joke.

1 December 2022 edition - This week, researchers shed light on the connection between autoimmunity and leukaemia; scientists explore how to make a ‘cold’ tumour ‘hot’ using oncolytic viruses; and thousands of Australians pose naked on a beach at dawn to raise awareness of skin cancer.

24 November 2022 edition - This week, dying cancer cells warn neighbouring cells of a threat; bacteria-rich regions in colorectal tumours can promote cancer progression; and researchers discover how, in rare cases, immunotherapy can trigger heart inflammation.

17 November 2022 edition - This week, a personalized cancer therapy that is even more complex than CAR T-cell therapy has passed phase I trials; a technique for slicing large chunks out of the genome — aptly called ‘MACHETE’ — has been developed; and Australian vets are trialling an immunotherapy gel for sarcomas in dogs that might one day be used in humans.

10 November 2022 edition - This week, DNA barcoding reveals how breast cancer cells evade the immune system; a cancer vaccine passes phase I clinical trials; and a study in mice uncovers some of the biological pathways that trigger nausea due to chemotherapy.

3 November 2022 edition - This week, researchers reveal cancer’s ‘dark matter’ — everything other than heritable DNA mutations that make cancers behave the way they do. Plus, two leading cancer organizations call for an immediate ban on flavoured e-cigarettes, and magnetic bacteria show promise for drug delivery.

27 October 2022 edition - This week, researchers have designed an off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapy, which could make this treatment more accessible; biomarkers other than the well-known BRCA1 and BRCA2mutations might be useful for determining treatment success; and two gut bacteria inactivate a chemotherapy drug.

20 October 2022 edition - This week, researchers successfully test a molecule against a common cancer protein that was previously thought to be impossible to target; a synthetic virus overcomes some of the obstacles faced by existing viruses that break down cancer; and the co-founders of BioNTech return to their pre-pandemic research on cancer vaccines.

13 October 2022 edition - This week, experts discuss the significance of a large colonoscopy screening study; common cancer treatments can cause mutations in human stem cells; and vets and doctors are teaming up to deepen understanding through cross-species comparisons.

6 October 2022 edition - This week, we learn that fungi living inside cancers might affect their growth, hear that cancer cells play hide-and-seek with the immune system and find out that the robotic surgery’s apparent benefits don’t seem to be supported by evidence.

29 September 2022 edition - This week, we learn that eating well, exercising and not drinking too much alcohol can lower the risk of premature death in former smokers. The first drug to prevent hearing loss in children undergoing chemotherapy has been approved in the United States. And the mother of two children with brain tumours injects some realism into society’s perception of childhood cancers.

22 September 2022 edition - This week, we learn that leaving a one-millimetre gap when cutting around breast tumour tissue reduces the chance that the cancer will return. The World Health Organization reports that cancer, heart diseases and other non-communicable diseases are responsible for three-quarters of deaths worldwide. And an oncologist writes about her difficult experience of trying to pump breast milk on the job.

15 September 2022 edition - This week, we explore the link between fertility treatment and childhood cancers, take a look at the epidemic of early-onset cancer and examine how the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade might affect women with cancer.