July 25, 2026 (View All Issues)
Palliative Care Integrated at Diagnosis Improves QOL for Patients With Breast Cancer in India
Early integration of palliative, or supportive, care at the time of breast cancer diagnosis improved quality of life more than on-demand palliative care in a randomized trial of patients in India. The research was highlighted in a press briefing for the 2026 ASCO Breakthrough Meeting in Singapore.
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AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report: Trends Show Mortality Rates Improve But Inequity in Care Remains
On June 24, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) released its Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2026.1 As in past years, the report features the unprecedented progress being made against cancer, including the ongoing decline in cancer death rates, which have decreased by 35% since...
Access Denied: Insurance Barriers to Biomarker Testing in Lung Cancer
In the past few decades, the rapidly growing field of precision medicine has improved the survival of patients with lung cancer. Yet the benefits of these therapies do not reach all patients. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer, yet most patients are...
ASCO 2026: Multiple Myeloma Studies Highlight Advances Across the Field
The plasma cell dyscrasia oral abstract session at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting featured several pivotal trials that advanced the field, including those highlighted here. Coverage of new treatments for amyloidosis will appear in a separate article.
Mezigdomide-Based Regimen Improves...
EMERALD-3 Shows Benefit With STRIDE Plus TACE in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Results of the phase III EMERALD-3 trial showed that combining transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with the immunotherapy-based STRIDE regimen, (single tremelimumab[an anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated antigen 4] plus regular interval durvalumab [anti–PD-L1]) with or without lenvatinib...
Paving New ROADS in the Treatment of Brain Metastases With Implanted Tile-Based Radiation Therapy
Tile-based radiation therapy (TBRT) implanted at the time of resection outperformed standard postoperative stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) in the phase III Radiation One and Done Study (ROADS), improving surgical bed control and overall survival while maintaining a comparable safety profile,...
Neoadjuvant Inetetamab Plus Pyrotinib Evaluated in HER2-Positive Locally Advanced Breast Cancer in China
Neoadjuvant treatment with the HER2-targeted monoclonal antibody inetetamab in combination with the irreversible pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor pyrotinib (inhibits HER1, HER2, HER4) and chemotherapy produced high pathologic response rates in patients in China with HER2-positive locally advanced...
ASCO Publishes First Guideline on ctDNA Testing in Solid Tumors and Lymphoma
A panel of ASCO experts voted to approve ASCO’s first guideline on ctDNA testing in patients with solid tumors or lymphoma on November 18, 2025.1 The guideline addresses four overarching clinical questions: when ctDNA testing should (or should not) be used to (1) support cancer diagnosis; (2)...
Electronic Prior Authorization Requirements for Drugs
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) submitted formal comments (see https://bit.ly/4xYRg1j) to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the 2026 CMS Interoperability Standards and Prior Authorization for Drugs proposed rule. If finalized, this rule will require...
Integrating Environmental Health Into Pediatric Cancer Care May Improve Outcomes
A review of the scientific literature on the impact of environmental factors on the health of pediatric cancer survivors by Omar Shakeel, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology at Baylor College of Medicine and Head of the Long-Term Survivor...
The Fear of Having Cancer Never Goes Away
There is a strong history of breast cancer in my family, and the fact that I have dense breasts adding to my risk of developing the disease, kept me vigilant about getting a yearly mammogram screening since I turned 32. The test never showed any suspicious lesions over the last nearly 2 decades,...
Discovery Is an Act of Hope: Remembering Dr. Maura Gillison’s Pursuit of Truth
Maura Gillison did not chase awards. She chased answers, and especially clinically impactful answers. That distinction between the pursuit of recognition and the pursuit of truth defined everything about her as a scientist, a clinician, and a person. She was direct with compassion, generous to...
