DNA damage is one of the foundational causes of cancer. But researchers have now found that deliberately causing DNA damage – by delivering additional treatments like radiotherapy – could improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy for some people with kidney cancer.

Melanoma skin cancer cells harness a gene usually used by growing nerves to escape from their immediate area and spread through tissues, new research has found.

Scientists have discovered how naturally occurring but unstable molecules, known as free radicals, can control the fundamental process of cell division, which, when it goes wrong, can lead to uncontrolled cell growth and cancer.