Metastasis, or the spread of cancer cells from a primary tumor to distant organs, lacks effective treatment options and remains a major cause of cancer-related deaths. To better understand how metastasis works — and how it might be controlled — scientists at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center have zeroed in on the role of the metabolic enzyme 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase-4 (PFKFB4) in the spread of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Their study, “Hypoxic activation of PFKFB4 in breast tumor microenvironment shapes metabolic and cellular plasticity to accentuate metastatic competence,” appears today in Cell Reports.

A multi-institutional team led by researchers from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has identified a novel approach that could potentially improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors — a type of immunotherapy — among cancer patients with solid tumors. Findings from this preclinical study demonstrated that the differentiation agent brequinar effectively targeted myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and significantly improved immune checkpoint inhibitor response.

Researchers at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, working in collaboration with Genome Protection, Inc. and Children’s Cancer Institute in Sydney, Australia, have discovered a novel way by which highly repetitive genetic components belonging to the LINE-1 family of retrotransposons enable tumors to escape treatment. The study demonstrates that LINE-1 activation can promote treatment resistance by inducing inflammatory pathways. Importantly, existing antiviral drugs overcame this resistance in preclinical cancer models.

Faced with extremely low rates of lung cancer screening and poor access to early detection services in some communities, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center worked with state and local officials to tackle the challenge of reducing lung cancer’s impact on Western New York. The result of this collaboration is Eddy, or Early Detection Driven to You — lung cancer screening on wheels, implemented through novel outreach programs targeted to benefit underserved and high-risk communities.

Researchers from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, in collaboration with Gero and Genome Protection Inc., recently published new work in Nature Communications that demonstrates the power of artificial intelligence (AI) combined with analytical tools borrowed from the physics of complex systems to provide insights into the nature of aging, resilience, and future medical interventions for age-related diseases including cancer.