An oral combination treatment may prevent the progression of advanced leiomyosarcoma, one of the most common subtypes of soft tissue sarcoma, according to a recent study published in The Lancet Oncology. “These findings support the combination as a potential treatment option for patients with advanced leiomyosarcoma and provide a strong rationale for further study aimed at improving outcomes in this difficult-to-treat cancer,” said Seth Pollack, MD, the Steven T. Rosen, MD, Professor of Cancer Biology and a co-author of the study.

Can we be conscious without language? Does language influence our conscious experience? These questions, which are central to understanding the human mind, have been explored by researchers at the University of Liège. Their study, published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, shows the complex links between language and consciousness.

Researchers have uncovered the mechanisms behind three unique subtypes of mismatch repair deficient high-grade gliomas. The findings provide a clearer understanding of how these tumors develop, explain why patients respond differently to immunotherapy, and are already helping guide more precise therapies.

A new breakthrough study led by researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities could explain why patients with the same genetic sickle cell mutation experience different levels of pain, organ damage, and response to treatment. The study, published in Science Advances, shows that the severity of sickle cell disease is not best predicted by the average “thickness” of a patient’s blood, but by the specific behavior of a small population of highly “stiff” red blood cells. These stiff cells reorganize themselves within the flow, pushing their way to the edges of blood vessels—a process called margination. This creates significantly more friction and resistance than flexible cells.

Case Western Reserve University researchers have made a significant breakthrough in understanding Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous condition that dramatically increases the risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma, one of the fastest-spreading and deadliest forms of cancer. In a new study, they’ve discovered how inherited genetic abnormalities increase the chance of developing Barrett’s esophagus by weakening the esophageal lining, making it more susceptible to harm caused by stomach bile acid.