Every week, the editors of Cancer Today magazine bring you the top news for cancer patients from around the internet. Stay up to date with the latest in cancer research and care by subscribing to our e-newsletter.

Increased Calcium Can Reduce Colorectal Cancer Risk

A daily glass of milk may decrease a person’s risk of developing colorectal cancer, according to a study published in Nature Communications. Researchers recruited more than 540,000 women in the U.K. who completed questionnaires about 97 dietary factors across 16.6 years. Their analysis found consuming 300 milligrams of calcium—equivalent to half a pint of milk—daily was associated with a 17% reduction in colorectal cancer risk, the Guardian reported. Participants had a similar risk reduction with non-dairy calcium sources, such as soy milk. “This comprehensive study provides robust evidence that dairy products may help prevent colorectal cancer, largely due to the calcium they contain,” Keren Papier, the study’s lead author and a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford in the U.K., told the Guardian. “Calcium was found to have a similar effect in both dairy and non-dairy sources, suggesting that it was the main factor responsible for cutting risk.” The study also found drinking alcohol and eating red or processed meats were associated with an increased risk for colorectal cancer.

Study Evaluates Cancer Risk of Previously Uncertain BRCA2 Mutations

Mutations in the BRCA2 gene, which handles repairing DNA damage, can increase a person’s risk for breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers, but not all BRCA2 mutations are dangerous. Which BRCA2 mutations increase cancer risk is not entirely clear, as thousands have been deemed “variants of uncertain significance.” A study published in Nature attempted to provide some clarity by identifying whether certain mutations are likely to lead to cancer. Researchers used CRISPR gene-editing to insert nearly 7,000 BRCA2 variants into human cells in a lab, Reuters reported. They then analyzed which cells died, an indication the mutation could be harmful, and used computer models to determine the cancer risk for specific variants. Researchers classified 91% of the mutations, categorizing them as pathogenic, likely pathogenic, likely benign or benign. Experts hope this new information will help inform genetic testing results and provide people with answers that had previously been unavailable. “It’ll resolve the issue for them,” Fergus Couch, the study’s senior author and a genetics researcher at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told Reuters. The findings also could help oncologists decide which patients may benefit from specific targeted therapies.

Drug Regimen Extends Overall Survival for People With Lung Cancer

Preliminary clinical trial results suggest a drug combination extends overall survival for people with advanced EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) longer than the current standard of care. In an ongoing phase III clinical trial, 1,074 people with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR-positive NSCLC received either the combination of Rybrevant (amivantamab) and Lazcluze (lazertinib) or Tagrisso (osimertinib), which is the current standard of care, as first-line treatment. In results published June 26, 2024, in the New England Journal of Medicine, people who received the drug combination had better progression-free survival than those who took Tagrisso (23.7 months vs. 16.6 months). This week, Johnson & Johnson, which manufactures Rybrevant and Lazcluze, announced the trial has found the drug combination brought a meaningful improvement in median overall survival that the company expects to be at least one year compared with Tagrisso, CNBC reported. The results will be presented at a conference later this year and have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. The company said it hopes these results will make this combination the new standard of care for people with this disease. “I think the announcement that this leads to people living longer will force a harder look,” Stephen Liu, director of thoracic oncology at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, D.C., and a consultant to Johnson & Johnson, told CNBC. However, not everyone may see Rybrevant and Lazcluze as a better option. The combination has more side effects than Tagrisso and involves regular infusions, while Tagrisso is a daily pill.