Research Highlights for World Cancer Day: Finding Ways to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Cancer’s Burden
Like avoiding "the floor is lava," cancer cells adapt and manipulate their microenvironment to survive, creating safe zones and pathways for growth within a reactive, often antagonistic space. Submitter: Radhika Koranne, PhD
Early detection and prevention remain key strategies to reduce the worldwide burden of cancer.
In recognition of World Cancer Day on Feb. 4th, here are some recent highlights from Mass General Brigham investigators who are spearheading research-driven advances in cancer treatment, prevention and detection. Their work is helping to pave the way for a future with fewer cancer diagnoses and better patient outcomes.
Reducing Air Pollution to Prevent Head and Neck Cancer
Higher levels of pollutant particulate matter in the air (such as soot, dust and dirt) have been linked to a higher risk of lung and other cancers, but it is less clear how air pollution impacts your risk of developing head and neck cancer.
A research team that includes Stella Lee, MD, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) examined data from the U.S. Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER), a national cancer database.
The researchers found that exposure to air pollutants increased the risk of developing head and neck cancer, with the highest risk coming five years after pollution exposure.
These findings could help guide policy in improving air quality standards to reduce the risk of developing cancer. Learn more.
Understanding a Potentially Deadly Side Effect of Cancer Treatment
Anti-tumor immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) drugs are essential medications for some cancer patients, but they can cause side effects including a rare but deadly form of heart inflammation called checkpoint myocarditis. Doctors often have to balance the potential harms of these side effects with the benefits of the treatment.
In a recent study, a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers led by Alexandra-Chloé Villani, PhD, Kerry Reynolds, MD, and Tomas Neilan, MD, MPH, analyzed blood samples from patients treated with ICI who developed checkpoint myocarditis.
The team identified specific changes to the heart that occur from ICI treatment and pinpointed factors in the blood that may indicate whether a patient’s myocarditis is likely to lead to death. These insights could help refine ICI anti-tumor treatment to minimize risk of side effects while still aggressively attacking cancer cells. Learn more.
CBD Could Reduce Scan-Related Anxiety in Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer
Many patients with cancer experience understandably experience “scanxiety,” or anxiety while undergoing imaging scans to assess the potential spread of their cancer, evaluate their response to treatment, or investigate cancer-related symptoms.
A recent study by investigators from Mass General Brigham and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute examined whether cannabidiol (CBD) could reduce this anxiety in patients with advanced breast cancer.
The researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial to compare outcomes among patients who received 400mg of CBD prior to undergoing a scan to patients who received a placebo instead.
While the results did not meet the primary endpoints outlined in the study, the researchers did find that anxiety levels were lower in patients in the CBD group 2-4 hours after receiving their scans, and that the CBD was safe for breast cancer patients.
The results lay the groundwork for larger studies testing CBD as an anxiety-reducing tool for cancer patients, the researchers say. Learn more.
Addressing Racial Disparities in Breast Cancer Outcomes
In the United States, Black women who develop breast cancer are more likely to die of the disease than White women. However, it was previously unclear if specific subtypes of breast cancer are related to these outcome disparities.
A team of Mass General Brigham researchers, led by Erica Warner, ScD, MPH, recently conducted a meta-analysis of data from 18 studies from 2009 to 2022 to learn more about breast cancer subtypes and treatment outcomes.
They found that Black women had a 34-50% higher risk of death for the most treatable form of the disease, known as hormone-positive tumors, and a 17-20% higher risk of death for the historically less-treatable hormone-negative tumors.
These disparities were influenced by factors both related to breast cancer subtype, such as the quality and timeliness of cancer care, and factors unrelated to the subtype, including structural racism and discrimination.
The researchers also identified ways to reduce these disparities and promote health equity among breast cancer patients. Learn more.