Cancer discovery news

Whole-body MRI scans provide powerful insights into treatment effectiveness and long-term outcomes for patients with myeloma, an incurable but treatable blood cancer.  Results from the iTIMM study led by The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research, London have shown that whole-body MRI scans (WB-MRI) can detect tiny traces of the disease, known as minimal residual disease (MRD), in the bone marrow after treatment. This can provide a crucial insight into how well patients with multiple myeloma are responding to treatment and whether they might relapse - offering a potential new standard in how this complex blood cancer is assessed. 

A collaborative study reveals an unexpected way cancer spreads through the body – by shedding tiny, previously unidentified fragments called shearosomes as tumour cells squeeze through narrow blood vessels. Shearosomes appear to actively influence their surroundings, supporting the growth of secondary tumours, offering new insights into how cancer spreads.

Thousands of women with breast cancer could be spared unnecessary treatment, thanks to a simple test which can identify whether or not their cancer is likely to return – just two weeks after starting treatment.

Thousands of women who undergo radiotherapy for low-risk breast cancer could be spared some of the side effects of treatment after a study confirmed that more targeted treatments are just as effective at controlling the disease in the long term.

Scientists have uncovered a protein that acts like a ‘suit of armour’ for cancer cells, shielding them from hostile environments and allowing one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer to spread through the body.

Researchers have tracked how the most common form of oesophageal cancer and its immune environment change during a standard form of treatment – offering vital clues that could shape future therapies, so they work for longer.

Cell biologists have made a significant advance, uncovering the key role of an enzyme in determining the physical structure and behaviour of cancer cells, including how they spread.

Scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research, London, have developed a tool that can predict how bowel cancer adapts to treatment – helping researchers to design new personalised drugs that will keep patients living well for longer.

Scientists have discovered clues which may explain why some treatments stop working for people with bowel cancer – causing around 16,800 deaths in the UK every year. The study, led by researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, could help clinicians make better use of current treatments and develop more targeted therapies for bowel cancer in the future.

Thousands of patients with a common type of blood cancer could benefit from a new drug combination, while others could see their disease kept at bay for longer.

A one-time immunotherapy treatment using a patient’s own immune cells has shown long-lasting benefit for people with advanced melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, according to new five-year follow-up data from a pivotal clinical trial.

A powerful new drug for advanced breast cancer can be used to treat emerging tumours, months before they have a chance to grow, helping to keep patients well for longer and delaying the need for later-line therapies including chemotherapy. Results of a global study, funded by AstraZeneca and co-led by researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Institut Curie, Paris, were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago on 1 June 2025.