Cancer News

March 21, 2026

Top Headlines

New Pill Cuts “Bad” Cholesterol by 60% in Major Trial

Mar. 21, 2026 A new pill, enlicitide, reduced LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by about 60% in a large clinical trial, matching the power of injectable therapies. Because it’s taken orally, it could overcome one of the biggest barriers keeping patients from using ...

New AI Tool Predicts Cancer Spread with Surprising Accuracy

Mar. 21, 2026 Researchers have discovered that cancer spread isn’t random—it follows a kind of biological “program.” By studying colon tumor cells, they identified gene patterns that signal whether a cancer is likely to metastasize. Their AI model, ...

This Common Vaccine Cuts Heart Risk Nearly in Half in New Study

Mar. 20, 2026 A shingles vaccine might double as a powerful heart protector. In people already at high risk, it cut major cardiac events by 46% and deaths by an impressive 66% within a year. Scientists think preventing shingles may also stop clot-related ...

This Virus Therapy Supercharges the Immune System Against Brain Cancer

Mar. 20, 2026 Scientists have found a way to make one of the most aggressive brain tumors vulnerable to the immune system. A single injection of a modified virus can invade glioblastoma, kill cancer cells, and summon immune fighters deep into the tumor. These ...

Gum Disease Bacterium Linked to Breast Cancer Growth and Spread

Mar. 19, 2026 A common oral bacterium tied to gum disease may help spark and fuel breast cancer, according to new research. Scientists discovered it can travel through the bloodstream to breast tissue, where it causes DNA damage and speeds tumor growth and ...

The Surprising Cancer Link Between Cats and Humans

Mar. 18, 2026 Scientists have mapped the genetics of cancer in cats for the first time at scale, uncovering major overlaps with human cancers. Key mutations—like those linked to breast cancer—appear in both species, and some human cancer drugs may also work ...

DNA Origami Vaccines Could Be the Next Leap Beyond MRNA

Mar. 17, 2026 mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during COVID-19 but have limitations like waning immunity and complex production. Scientists are now testing a new platform called DoriVac, which uses folded DNA nanostructures to better control how the immune ...

Scientists Inject One Tumor and Watch Cancer Vanish Across the Body

Mar. 16, 2026 A redesigned cancer immunotherapy is showing striking early results after decades of disappointment with similar drugs. Researchers engineered a more powerful CD40 agonist antibody and changed how it’s delivered—injecting it directly into tumors ...

Scientists Tested Vitamin D for COVID and Found an Unexpected Long COVID Clue

Mar. 15, 2026 A major clinical trial has delivered an unexpected twist in the search for ways to fight COVID-19 and its lingering effects. Researchers at Mass General Brigham found that taking high doses of ...

Severe COVID or Flu May Raise Lung Cancer Risk Years Later

Mar. 13, 2026 A severe case of COVID-19 or influenza could increase the risk of lung cancer later on, according to new research. Scientists discovered that serious viral infections can alter immune cells in the lungs, leaving behind chronic inflammation that may ...

A “Mirror” Molecule Can Starve Cancer Cells Without Harming Healthy Cells

Mar. 12, 2026 Scientists have discovered that a rare “mirror-image” version of the amino acid cysteine can dramatically slow the growth of certain cancers while leaving healthy cells largely untouched. Unlike ...

Scientists Solve the Mystery of a Vitamin B5 Molecule That Powers Your Cells

Mar. 11, 2026 Coenzyme A, a molecule derived from vitamin B5, is vital for metabolism throughout the body. Scientists discovered that most of it resides inside mitochondria, yet how it reached these cellular ...

Latest Headlines

updated 8:20am EDT

AI Finally Tests a Century Old Theory About How Cancer Begins

Mar. 10, 2026 Cancer often begins when the genetic instructions that guide our cells become scrambled, allowing cells to grow uncontrollably. Now, scientists at EMBL have developed an AI-powered system called ...

Scientists Discover Molecule That Stops Aggressive Breast Cancer in Its Tracks

Mar. 10, 2026 Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University have developed a new molecule that could open the door to treating triple-negative breast cancer, ...

Hidden Metabolism Found Operating Inside the Cell Nucleus

Mar. 9, 2026 Researchers have found hundreds of metabolic enzymes attached to human DNA inside the cell nucleus. Different tissues and cancers show unique patterns of these enzymes, forming a “nuclear metabolic ...

AI Blood Test Finds Silent Liver Disease Years Before Symptoms

Mar. 6, 2026 Researchers created an AI-driven liquid biopsy that scans patterns in fragments of DNA circulating in the blood. The system detected early liver fibrosis and cirrhosis—conditions that often go ...

Scientists Discover the Switch That Revives Exhausted Cancer-Fighting T Cells

Mar. 5, 2026 Scientists have uncovered new genetic rules that determine whether the immune system’s “killer” T cells remain powerful long-term defenders or ...

Scientists Find the Genetic Switch That Makes Pancreatic Cancer Resist Chemotherapy

Mar. 3, 2026 Scientists have identified a crucial molecular switch that decides whether pancreatic cancer cells resist chemotherapy or respond to it. The key ...

Scientists Reveal Why a Popular Anti-Aging Compound May Also Fuel Cancer

Mar. 2, 2026 Polyamines—natural molecules found in every living cell—have become stars in the longevity world for their ability to boost cellular cleanup and support healthy aging. But there’s a dark twist: ...

New Iron Nanomaterial Wipes out Cancer Cells Without Harming Healthy Tissue

Mar. 1, 2026 Scientists at Oregon State University have engineered a powerful new nanomaterial that zeroes in on cancer cells and destroys them from the inside out. Designed to exploit cancer’s unique ...

Study Finds Vegetarians Over 80 Less Likely to Reach 100

Feb. 26, 2026 Avoiding meat might slightly lower the odds of reaching 100 — but only for frail, underweight seniors. In very old age, staying strong and maintaining muscle matters more than long-term disease ...

Shingles Vaccine May Slow Biological Aging and Reduce Inflammation

Feb. 26, 2026 A shingles shot might do more than prevent a painful rash — it could actually help slow down the aging process. In a large national study of more than 3,800 Americans age 70 and older, those who ...

Microplastics Found in 90% of Prostate Cancer Tumors, Study Reveals

Feb. 25, 2026 Researchers have detected microplastics in nearly all prostate cancer tumors examined in a new study. Tumor tissue contained about 2.5 times more plastic than nearby healthy prostate tissue. ...

Scientists Create Universal Nasal Spray Vaccine That Protects Against COVID, Flu, and Pneumonia

Feb. 23, 2026 Scientists at Stanford Medicine have unveiled a bold new kind of “universal” vaccine that could one day protect against everything from COVID-19 and the flu to bacterial pneumonia and even common ...

This Reengineered HPV Vaccine Trains T Cells to Hunt Down Cancer

Feb. 18, 2026 Northwestern researchers have shown that when it comes to cancer vaccines, arrangement can be just as important as ingredients. By repositioning a small fragment of an HPV protein on a DNA-based ...

Large Study Finds No Link Between mRNA COVID Vaccine in Pregnancy and Autism

Feb. 15, 2026 Researchers tracked more than 400 toddlers to see whether mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during or just before pregnancy was linked to autism or developmental delays. After detailed assessments of speech, ...

Scientists Find Nerves Actively Fuel Pancreatic Cancer

Feb. 15, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a hidden partnership between pancreatic cancer and the nervous system. Support cells in the pancreas lure nerve fibers, which then release signals that accelerate early ...

A Secret Cell Alliance May Explain Why Ovarian Cancer Is So Deadly

Feb. 9, 2026 Scientists have discovered why ovarian cancer spreads so rapidly through the abdomen. Cancer cells enlist normally protective abdominal cells, forming mixed groups that work together to invade new ...

Massive Study Finds Most Statin Side Effects Aren’t Caused by the Drugs

Feb. 15, 2026 A massive review of 23 randomized trials found that statins do not cause the vast majority of side effects listed on their labels. Memory problems, depression, sleep issues, weight gain, and many ...

When Immune Cells Stop Fighting Cancer and Start Helping It

Feb. 10, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising way tumors turn the immune system to their advantage. Researchers at the University of Geneva found that neutrophils—normally frontline defenders against ...

Scientists Find a Clue to Human Brain Evolution in Finger Length

Feb. 10, 2026 Human evolution has long been tied to growing brain size, and new research suggests prenatal hormones may have played a surprising role. By studying the relative lengths of index and ring fingers — ...

Scientists Find a Missing Link Between Epstein-Barr Virus and Multiple Sclerosis

Feb. 6, 2026 New research suggests that Epstein-Barr virus may actively provoke the immune system in people with multiple sclerosis. Scientists found large buildups of virus-targeting immune cells in the nervous ...

Scientists Just Mapped the Mutations That Power Cancer Growth

Feb. 5, 2026 Researchers have created the first complete map showing how hundreds of mutations in a key cancer gene affect tumor growth. By testing every possible mutation in a critical hotspot, they found that ...

New Nasal Vaccine Shows Strong Protection Against H5N1 Bird Flu

Feb. 4, 2026 As bird flu continues to circulate in animals and spill over into humans, researchers are racing to stop it before it adapts to spread widely between people. A new nasal spray vaccine showed strong ...

The Hidden Reason Cancer Immunotherapy Often Fails

Jan. 28, 2026 Cancer immunotherapy has been a game-changer, but many tumors still find ways to slip past the immune system. New research reveals a hidden trick: cancer cells can package the immune-blocking protein ...

Mysterious RNA Led Scientists to a Hidden Layer of Cancer

Feb. 17, 2026 A mysterious RNA found in breast cancer led scientists to uncover an entire hidden class of cancer-specific RNAs across dozens of tumor types. These molecules form unique molecular signatures that ...

A Trojan Horse Cancer Therapy Shows Stunning Results

Jan. 30, 2026 Scientists at Mount Sinai have unveiled a bold new way to fight metastatic cancer by turning the tumor’s own defenses against it. Instead of attacking cancer cells head-on, the experimental ...

Scientists Just Cracked the Hidden Rules of Cancer Evolution

Jan. 26, 2026 Cancer doesn’t evolve by pure chaos. Scientists have developed a powerful new method that reveals the hidden rules guiding how cancer cells gain and lose whole chromosomes—massive genetic shifts ...

Scientists Exposed How Cancer Hides in Plain Sight

Jan. 24, 2026 Pancreatic cancer may evade the immune system using a clever molecular trick. Researchers found that the cancer-driving protein MYC also suppresses immune alarm signals, allowing tumors to grow ...

A Common Vitamin Could Influence Bathroom Frequency

Jan. 22, 2026 Scientists studying genetic data from over a quarter million people have uncovered new clues about what controls how fast the gut moves. They identified multiple DNA regions linked to bowel movement ...

Why Some People Get Bad Colds and Others Don’t

Jan. 22, 2026 Scientists found that nasal cells act as a first line of defense against the common cold, working together to block rhinovirus soon after infection. A fast antiviral response can stop the virus ...

New Drug Target Discovered for Devastating “brain on Fire” Disease

Feb. 25, 2026 Scientists have zeroed in on a critical weak spot behind a rare but devastating brain autoimmune disorder often known as “Brain on Fire.” The disease strikes when the immune system attacks NMDA ...