(Title image: Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash)
If you’ve read my posts about cancer research findings, you might have noticed that some of them appear in a National Cancer Institute (NCI) newsletter/blog called “Cancer Currents“.
I had subscribed to their emails some years ago because I felt that the research they wrote about was highly relevant and useful to cancer survivors.
All was good, until suddenly last year I noticed that I had stopped receiving emails from them. I went to their website and found that the final “Cancer Currents” blog entry was posted on May 14, 2025.
This was a huge loss, not only for me but also for anyone searching for a reader-friendly version of critical cancer research.
Well, I am delighted to report that the blog posts have returned, to some extent, as of May 4, 2026. As a result, I have resubscribed. Unfortunately, the posts to date have been limited to one a month and seem to be more marketing-oriented in nature, rather than used disseminating information about specific ground-breaking studies.
Several of these posts are NCI Director Dr. Anthony Letai’s reflections. Ok, fine. But I find it disappointing that the NCI is broadcasting “reflections” that sound like someone justifying his position, like a CEO giving an annual report, when they could be highlighting details about current research, particularly at a time when the public’s trust in scientific research has become politically polarized.
I also found it troubling that, for example, the post about the ASCO Meeting (June 16, 2026, by Anthony Letai, M.D., Ph.D.) mentioned some breakthroughs but provided no links to the research. Or in another post about advances in cancer treatment (July 21, 2026, by Linda Wang), the links provided were for older research.
Well, ok, it’s great to learn the “story” of immune checkpoint inhibitors as in Linda’s post, but for many of us, waiting to hear news of current progress, it feels like lip service.
While only one “Cancer Currents” post is coming out a month, I can assure you that the research that has provided valuable fodder for NCI writers in the past still continues. My husband works in one of these cancer research centers so I’m well-acquainted with what has been going in. In some cases, delays in funding have resulted in work slow-downs and even lab shut-downs. For those who remain, it would be useful to showcase the incredible work that they are doing. Not just give a blurb about the general idea of what NCI is focusing on.
This is a pity. I am still willing to give the new “Cancer Currents” the benefit of the doubt. It would be great to have the excellent posts by qualified science writers return, and with greater frequency.
NCI, if you’ve decimated your public outreach department in the dubious name of restructuring, I encourage you to reconsider your motives and bring back the people who write articles that bring us hope.
Frantic Shanti 