Explore the National Cancer Institute's archive on treatments

There are hundreds of subtypes of cancer, making a universal cure nearly impossible

Cancer is an umbrella term for over 200 different diseases, each with its own subtypes, genetic mutations, and behaviors. This diversity means that a treatment effective for one cancer type or patient may be ineffective for others. Moreover, as tumors grow, their cells accumulate different mutations, creating subclones with unique characteristics.

Frequently asked questions on immunotherapy

The Cancer Research Institute takes a close look at immunotherapy and its potential for treating cancer. Immunotherapy teaches the patient's own immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells. It's especially promising as an alternative for cancers that resist chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Have all your questions about the process and its promise here.

Timeline of cancer research milestones

While cancer remains incurable, there's been so much progress in its treatment over the last two decades. Nature provides an abridged history of milestones and major triumphs in cancer research and treatment. Start in the year 2000, and see how much has changed in the first quarter of the new millennium

What is cancer bioengineering?

While new treatments for cancer are under continuous development, researchers are increasingly using engineering principles to find wholly new strategies to combat the disease. Directions include nanoparticle drug delivery, advanced imaging tools, developing new materials to interact with cells, tissue engineering, robotic surgeries, and more. Such interdisciplinary efforts are expected to unlock new tools and therapies beyond traditional drug formulation.

Patients are a part of the progress

Navigating a cancer diagnosis can be terrifying and overwhelming. There is a robust community of patient advocates dedicated to prevention and diagnosis, research and clinical trials, legislation, needs of individual cancer types, among others. See how patient advocacy improves cancer research leading to improved treatment options and patient care.

Calculate your risk of developing cancer

Hosted by the National Cancer Institute, this tool provides interactive charts that display the likelihood of dying from various causes—including cancer—based on factors like age, sex, race, and smoking status. By contextualizing cancer risk among other potential health threats, users can create custom charts.

Tumor genetic profiling can lead to targeted treatments

Genetic profiling of tumors—based on a sample from the tumor, a patient's blood, or both—can help clinicians determine if targeted therapies known to block the growth of certain types of tumors would be appropriate for specific patients.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse's resource library

The National Institute on Drug Abuse website is an in-depth and highly prolific resource on addiction science. Explore the vast scope of this website to access comprehensive guides, data visualizations, and educational materials on all facets of addiction and its treatment.

Cancer is typically described by one of five stages

Stage 0 is in situ, meaning abnormal cells haven’t spread, while Stage 1 is further progressed but remains localized to the origin. Stage 2 and 3 show increasing tumor size and spread to nearby lymph nodes or tissues. Stage 4 indicates metastasis, meaning cancer has spread to distant organs.

Stem cell therapies

Stem cells' special attributes interest researchers developing new therapeutic tools for a variety of health problems. Much of this research is done with support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This page offers a snapshot of research programs funded by the NIH and the health problems those programs focus on.

Support groups can offer insights into current and potential treatments

Beyond connecting with patients with similar experiences, support groups can also become centers for advocacy and for sharing research advances and medical experiences, including potential side effects from novel therapies or clinical trials.

Explore the differences between healthy and cancerous cells using a DNA microarray

In this simulation, you will learn how scientists use microarrays to experiment on thousands of genes at the same time. By determining which genes are on or off, users can identify those that contribute to cancer formation.

See this searchable resource about herbal therapies, including evidence and drug interactions

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has created this searchable resource of herbal supplements to inform the public about the purported uses of herbal therapies, the existing evidence about them, their mechanism of action, and any concerns about potential herbal supplement and drug interactions.

This scientist treated her own cancer

Virologist Beata Halassy treated her own breast cancer by injecting the tumor with lab-grown viruses. Though this self-treatment worked, it has not been approved for widespread use. Read to learn more about her fascinating experience, and how it has led to conversations about safety and ethics.

View a gallery of images and videos of over 200 types of cells

Funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, the Cell Image Library houses over 60,000 pieces of media, including microscopic photographs, time-lapse videos of cellular activity, and 3D reconstructions of organic processes.

How does cancer actually kill someone?

While the emotional and physical tolls of cancer are often clear, the innerworkings of how cancer kills can be confusing — and terrifying to discuss. Here, oncologists explain how cancer can progress.

How race science influences breast cancer research

Despite researchers' and physicians' pushback, race is still used in studies and clinics to categorize human differences in health conditions and treatment responses. This article explores how race has influenced breast cancer research. Considering race as a factor in cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment can lead to racial inequalities. Sociocultural factors, including food access and air pollution, greatly influence health outcomes.

Combining two cancer drugs increased the life space of mice by 30%

A study shows trametinib and rapamycin, two drugs used for cancer treatment in humans, increased mouse lifespan when used together. The medications delayed the onset of cancer and reduced chronic inflammation, results that will be explored in future research.

Learn about the more than 100 known autoimmune diseases

Explore this resource with summaries and related resources for the dozens of autoimmune diseases defined in the medical literature. Many of these disease write-ups also have interviews with a patient with the disorder—offering a personal take about challenges, advice, and lifestyle effects.

Learn about the 'Goldilocks' of radioisotopes, which can help attack hard-to-treat cancers

Actinium-225 can be attached to a molecule that binds to cancer antigens, helping it target specific cancers in the body. It emits alpha particles that can damage DNA but do not penetrate deeply, confining the damage to nearby cancer cells. However, annual global production of actinium-225 is less than a grain of sand.

Common genetic disorders

As research continues, it's clear that disease and genetics go hand in hand. Here's a selection of 50 National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) articles providing basic information on genetic, orphan, and rare diseases caused by mutations in DNA sequences, whether inherited from parents or brought about by outside factors.

Physician teaches course on being a cancer patient

Stanford physician and professor Bryant Lin was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, a terminal diagnosis. Despite its difficult implications for his life, Lin embraced the chance to teach his students from the unique perspective of a lung cancer patient. The course explored the journey from diagnosis to treatment; how to respect a patient's physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions; and more.

Fertility treatments linked to increased risk of cancer among offspring

Recent research has explored potential links between increased childhood cancer occurrence, particularly leukemia, and assisted reproductive technology (ART). Though some studies have detected this type of association, researchers caution that it remains unclear if ART itself, fertility drugs, underlying infertility of the parents, or other unknown factors may explain any increased cancer numbers among ART-conceived children. Overall, the incidence of cancer in children, regardless of conception method, is very low.

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

The most common type of particle accelerator is a linear electron accelerator

Known as linacs, these devices fire particles in a straight line, making them useful for the intense, targeted beams needed in cancer treatment. Circular accelerators, such as synchrotrons and cyclotrons, can achieve extremely high particle speeds through repeated exposure to electromagnetic fields.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Migrane 101: data, symptoms, and treatments

Living with migraine, however often the neurological condition attacks, is a journey fraught with pain and isolation. This migraine guide offers insight into the condition, common triggers, possible treatments, personal stories, and tips for managing life with migraine.

See the evolution of Ebola vaccine and treatment development.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement

Explore the known asteroids, comets, and spacecraft involved in asteroid studies within our solar system with 'Eyes on Asteroids,' a 3D visualization from NASA.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Doctors differentiate between a phobia and fear by asking patients whether their fear interferes with their day-to-day activities.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' is infamous for having some of the highest industrial pollution, toxic air emissions, and cancer risks in the US.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

This poison ivy knowledge quiz—accompanied by photos of the plant's varied forms—may help you identify this common rash-inducing growth.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

Sunflowers have long been a symbol of nuclear disarmament because they can extract large amounts of radioactive cesium from soil.

A century of Billboard issues documenting the evolution of popular music.

Explore the archaeological treasures of Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

US intelligence allegedly pursued more than 600 schemes to assassinate Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro.

Learn how to read a prospectus, the juicy document that any company must file with the SEC before going public.

Calculate how much of your tax dollars go to each federal program based on your income, filing status, and number of children

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.