The scientific revolution in determining the genetic basis of cancer is finally bearing fruit in hematologic neoplasms such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), where over the past decade a number of effective new drugs have expanded our armamentarium and provided effective—and in some cases...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided communication to increase awareness of recent updates to the product labeling of capecitabine (Xeloda) and fluorouracil—indicated for colorectal, breast, gastric/esophageal/gastroesophageal, and pancreatic cancers—related to risks associated...
Exposure to Agent Orange in U.S. veterans was associated with an increased odds of developing acral melanoma compared with controls with and without cutaneous melanoma, according to findings published in JAMA Dermatology. The study authors suggested that there is a need for continued investigation ...
Colorectal metastases isolated to the liver no longer portend a universally fatal outcome. In 2024, the TransMet study1demonstrated that liver transplantation in select patients could be life-saving—thus changing the treatment paradigm—but so can surgical resection when appropriately applied....
A new European collaboration cluster, EARLYSCAN (Early Screening & Hereditary Cancer Awareness Network), has been launched to strengthen prevention and early detection strategies for heritable cancers. The cluster brings together three Horizon Europe–funded projects: SHIELD, DISARM, and...
Almost 40% of all new cancer cases could be attributed to at least one of 30 modifiable risk factors, according to a new global analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO) and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The analysis of preventable cancers was published in Nature...
“Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.” – Ovid The 2025 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition delivered multiple practice-changing datasets surrounding T-cell–redirecting therapies in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma....
The use of oxybutynin led to statistically significant reductions in the number of hot flashes per day compared with placebo for men with prostate cancer receiving androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), according to findings from the Alliance A222001 trial published in the Journal of Clinical...
When patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) progress, as is common with such an aggressive malignancy, brain metastasis is a known possibility. As such, guidelines have recommended prophylactic cranial irradiation for patients with SCLC who respond well to first-line therapy to decrease the...
The first prospective, randomized phase III trial of a noncovalent Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor exclusively in treatment-naive patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL)—BRUIN CLL-313—demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically...
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the most common form of pancreatic cancer, and is most often diagnosed at advanced, unresectable stages, when 5-year survival is just 3%. The results from two retrospective phase II studies investigating blood biomarkers to detect early-stage pancreatic ductal...
An artificial intelligence (AI)-based risk prediction model, ONCO-ACS, showed possible favorable clinical utility as a practical tool for predicting cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke events in patients with cancer and acute coronary syndrome, according to findings...
As reported in The Lancet Oncology by Zhang et al, the Chinese phase III ARTS trial showed superior disease-free survival with the third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor aumolertinib as adjuvant therapy vs placebo in patients with completely resected stage II to IIIB EGFR-mutated non–small ...
A response-adapted approach to treatment decision-making for patients with resectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma demonstrated that with the use of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab, many patients could avoid surgery and/or radiotherapy. Findings from the De-Squamate study were published in the...
Genetic ancestry plays a key role in determining the behavior of head and neck tumors and may help explain why African American patients survive for half as long as their counterparts of European ancestry, according to a new review study published by Ndahayo et al in Cancer and Metastasis Reviews....
A team of researchers and physicians found that utilizing ultrasound-guided diffuse optical tomography (DOT) technology may reduce unnecessary breast biopsy rates by nearly 25%. Using this new method first—rather than starting with a biopsy—may help to determine if additional diagnoses are needed...
Color vision deficiency is an inherited condition affecting 1 in 12 males (8%) and 1 in 200 females (0.5%), most often impairing the ability to distinguish the color red. A recent study published in Nature Health examined the possible impact of color vision deficiency on survival outcomes among...
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Higgins et al, the phase III NRG Oncology/Alliance LU005 trial showed no overall survival benefit with the addition of atezolizumab to concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). Study Details In ...
Long-term proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use may not be associated with an increased risk of gastric adenocarcinoma, according to findings from a Nordic health study published by Duru et al The BMJ. According to the report's authors, “This finding should offer relief for patients needing long-term...
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Yeh et al found that childhood cancer survivors who received abdominopelvic radiation, who are at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, can benefit from early screening to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and associated...
The U.S. cancer workforce faces critical challenges that may affect Americans' access to lifesaving cancer care and delay progress in cancer research. A new report from the President's Cancer Panel, Ensuring a Strong Future for America's Cancer Workforce, underscores these key issues—including...
Studies have demonstrated a link between alcohol consumption and an elevated risk of colorectal cancer. New research now reveals that higher lifetime alcohol consumption is also associated with a higher risk, especially for rectal cancer, and that quitting drinking can lower a person’s risk. The...
Editor’s note: On November 22, 2025—the 62nd anniversary of her grandfather President John F. Kennedy’s assassination—Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg published an essay in The New Yorker detailing her diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia with chromosome 3 inversion, a rare and aggressive subtype...
Repeated methodological flaws in published research result in misinformation that may cause eligible patients to forego or not be offered lung cancer screening, according to a joint publication from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and...
In a study (DIRECT) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Krupka et al found that phased variant (PV) ctDNA provided “sensitive and clinically meaningful response assessment” after first-line treatment of large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). As stated by the investigators, “Tracking tumor-specific ...
In 2018, the federal government expanded the coverage duration of short-term limited-duration (STLD) health plans from 3 months to less than 12 months, with the option to renew for a total duration of up to 36 months. Some states imposed more stringent regulations than those federally imposed or...
A national clinical trial led by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology has found that the CDK 4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib may slow tumor growth in patients with aggressive meningiomas that have specific genetic mutations. The primary analysis of Alliance A071401 was published by Priscilla...
For many patients with cancer, hair loss can be one of the most distressing side effects of their therapy. Increasingly, patients have been taking oral supplements of biotin, which are marketed to consumers for their potential to improve hair regrowth and brittle nails. However, there is little...
In a prespecified interim analysis of a phase III trial (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Clinical Trial Consortium trial) reported in The Lancet, Frank et al found that intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) was noninferior to standard intensity-modulated photon radiation therapy...
In an initial analysis of a retrospective cohort study (OPBC-07/microNAC) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Montagna et al found that available evidence did not provide support for axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in all patients with ypN1mi disease in sentinel lymph nodes after neoadjuvant...
Commonly used large language models (LLMs) were able to provide appropriate, guideline-aligned treatment recommendations for patients with straightforward cases of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma; however, greater disagreement with physician recommendations was seen in cases of late-stage...
Although it’s been widely reported for years that colorectal cancer incidence has been increasing among younger adults under age 50 by between 1% and 2% annually since the mid-1990s,1 two new studies by Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH, Associate Chief of the Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology and Founding...
Recreational physical activity may be associated with breast tissue composition and oxidative stress levels in adolescent girls, independent of body fat percentages, according to research findings published in Breast Cancer Research. “The importance and urgency of this research are underscored by...
Excluding skin cancers, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States, accounting for about 30% of all new female cancers each year. In 2026, the American Cancer Society estimates that 322,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer and about 61,000 new cases of...
A machine-learning model has calculated country-specific cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios and evaluated the factors that contribute the most to each country's survival gaps. Additionally, the artificial intelligence (AI) tool mapped out actions each country could take to improve cancer...
Data from a major clinical trial from the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology have uncovered a genetic factor that may inform how to optimize the dosing of abiraterone, a widely used hormonal treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Published by Norton et al in Clinical and Translational...
Dina Ioffe, MD, of Fox Chase Cancer Center, describes the results of an analysis that sought to determine how race/ethnicity, insurance status, and socioeconomic status may affect patterns of systemic treatment for metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (Abstract 489).
A research team has discovered that a particular marker on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may indicate whether a patient with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) will experience a lasting response to tarlatamab-dlle, a newly approved immunotherapy. The findings, which were published by Mishra in Cancer...
Patients with unilateral breast cancer who underwent quantitative counseling with a personalized tool incorporating genetic testing results were better informed of their contralateral breast cancer risk compared with those who received standard counseling, according to results from the GET FACTS...
A deep learning model demonstrated the ability to predict breast cancer recurrence risk and possible benefit from the addition of chemotherapy based on histopathologic images rather than genomic testing in patients with hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, according to findings...
Giredestrant, a next-generation oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) and full antagonist, significantly improved invasive disease–free survival as adjuvant treatment for patients with estrogen receptor–positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer compared with standard-of-care endocrine...
It is estimated that hereditary factors play a role in about 5% to 10% of colorectal cancer cases, with a higher prevalence of hereditary factors seen in younger patients. Many colorectal polyps are considered potential precursors to cancer: at least 10 polyps in individuals younger than 60 years...
Rates of multiple myeloma, the second most common blood cancer in the United States, are increasing and are twice as high in men than in women. A new study published by Ong et al in the journal Cancer provides insights that may help to explain this disparity. To investigate the sex difference in...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it is sharing information about the agency’s flexible approach to overseeing chemistry, manufacturing, and control (CMC) requirements for cell and gene therapies (CGTs). The agency’s more flexible approach has been, and is expected to...
For patients with previously treated multiple myeloma, the greatest risk reduction yet achieved in a phase III clinical trial was reported with the BCMA-directed CD3 T-cell engager teclistamab-cqyv plus daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj. Treatment with this combination resulted in an 83% reduction ...
Mutations in KDM6A have been identified as a regulator of therapeutic responses in advanced bladder cancer, sensitizing tumors to anti–PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibition but resisting cisplatin chemotherapy, according to early research published in Nature Communications. Based on this and further...
Based on the phase III CLL17 trial, a fixed duration of targeted treatment demonstrated noninferiority to continuous treatment with respect to progression-free survival in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The findings were presented at the Plenary Session of...
Scientists at several institutions across the country, in partnership with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), have helped generate the largest single-cell immune cell atlas of the bone marrow in patients with multiple myeloma. The findings, published by Pilcher et al in Nature Cancer, ...
An artificial saliva in the form of a mouthwash, produced with a protein extracted from sugarcane and modified in a laboratory, may aid in treating hyposalivation among patients with head and neck cancer, a new study has found. Radiotherapy delivered very close to the mouth can destroy salivary...
Higher intake of food preservatives, widely used in industrially processed foods and beverages to extend shelf life, is associated with a modestly increased risk of cancer, according to the results of a French study published by Hasenböhler et al in The BMJ. While further research is needed to...