Despite steady increases in the rates of immediate postmastectomy breast reconstruction, racial disparities in receipt of the procedure have persisted in the years since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a recent study published by Schafer et al in Plastic and...
A major international study, PORTEC-4a, provides evidence that molecular profiling may safely reduce the need for radiotherapy in some women with early-stage endometrial cancer while identifying those who would benefit from more intensive treatment. The results, presented at ESTRO 2025, may mark a...
Five pivotal studies presented at ESTRO 2025 showcase how radiotherapy is reshaping the landscape for anal and rectal cancers. From reduced-dose treatments to cutting-edge combinations with immunotherapy and chemotherapy, these innovations offer safer, more effective, and organ-preserving...
Stomach cancers are increasingly being diagnosed at less advanced, more treatable stages—a shift that marks major progress in detecting one of the deadliest forms of cancer, according to a study presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2025 (Abstract Sa1374). “These trends suggest that...
The Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute established a Financial Toxicity Tumor Board in 2019. The board is the first known institutional-level intervention of its kind and functions like a traditional disease-focused multidisciplinary tumor board—with a singular focus on financial distress. Now,...
In the phase III KEYNOTE-689 trial, perioperative use of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab given with standard therapy significantly improved event-free survival in newly diagnosed, previously untreated patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, researchers reported at the ...
Researchers may have uncovered the role of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the development of Burkitt lymphoma, according to a recent study published by Ariera et al in The Journal of Immunology. Background Uncomplicated malaria occurs when a patient’s symptoms are nonspecific, including fever,...
Ruxolitinib may prove to be an effective treatment of parkinsonism arising from ciltacabtagene autoleucel treatment for patients with multiple myeloma, according to the results of a case report published in the Journal of Hematology. The report featured two cases of patients with multiple myeloma...
Investigators have uncovered mixed progress in major cancer risk factors, preventive behaviors, and screenings in the post–COVID-19 pandemic period among adults in the United States, according to a new study published by Bandi et al in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Background An ...
“Knowledge is like a lion; it cannot be gently embraced.” –South African Proverb Long-term efficacy and safety confirm that a hypomethylating agent and venetoclax is an improvement in the standard of care for patients with AML who are not eligible for intensive chemotherapy because of advanced age...
Using next-generation DNA sequencing, researchers have identified four specific genes whose mutations are linked to the development and progression of lethal stomach cancers. This could potentially enable practitioners to offer targeted treatments that would spare many patients from unnecessarily...
A new gene-expression atlas developed using single-cell RNA sequencing data sheds light on how normal hematopoietic cells differentiate and was used to catalog the multiple ways aberrant differentiation can lead to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Andy G.X. Zeng, PhD, an MD/PhD candidate at the...
According to the results of a molecularly matched, tumor-agnostic phase II trial, the combination of the PARP inhibitor olaparib and the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab demonstrated antitumor activity with no new safety signals, particularly in patients with BRCA1/2 mutations. Data from this...
A novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based model could accurately classify sarcomas among pediatric patients using digital pathology images alone, according to new findings presented by Thiesen et al at the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting (Abstract 2423/8)....
Use of a multimodal deep learning–based model led to more accurate and earlier identifications of cancer cachexia than standard clinical and radiological observations, according to findings presented at the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting (Abstract 1143)....
Although next-generation sequencing to assist decision-making for genomics-driven therapy in patients with advanced solid tumors has traditionally been conducted using tissue biopsy samples, recent data support the use of plasma-based circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for the genomic profiling of solid ...
The first-in-class covalent Werner helicase inhibitor (RO7589831) demonstrated early signals of efficacy as well as general tolerability in patients with advanced solid tumors harboring certain genetic defects, according to results from a phase I trial. Agents in this class target the DNA repair...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in 2017 to treat children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Over the past decade, other CAR T-cell therapies have been FDA-approved to treat adults with blood cancers, including...
Interim results from the VICTORI study showed that an ultrasensitive circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based liquid biopsy assay was effective in detecting signs of cancer recurrence prior to imaging and provided prognostic value within 1 month after surgery in patients with colorectal cancer. The...
PD-1 blockade with the PD-1 inhibitor dostarlimab-gxly induced complete tumor clearance and resolved the need for surgery in patients with locally advanced, mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) cancers, according to preliminary results from a phase II trial presented at the 2025 American Association...
Researchers may have identified the bacterial toxin colibactin as a potential factor contributing to the concerning rise in early-onset colorectal cancer, according to a novel study published by Díaz-Gay et al in Nature. The findings demonstrated a substantial enrichment of colibactin-related...
The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is working to understand the extent and scope of several recent executive actions. ASCO recognizes the concern and confusion many are currently experiencing and understands that if there are interruptions in care and research, there can be negative...
ASCO has released an update to the guideline for fertility preservation in people with cancer. The update, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,1 provides recommendations regarding evaluation and counseling for fertility preservation; methods and timing of fertility preservation;...
The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) announced the appointment of Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, PhD, as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). A visionary leader in oncology, health-care delivery, scientific innovation, and strategic transformation, Dr. Knudsen joins PICI at a pivotal time ...
At the 2025 Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, Kersten Rothnie, MBBS, a gynecologic oncology fellow at Northwell Health in New York City, shared study findings on an investigational tool on behalf of her colleagues.1 These results suggested the presence of...
Nicolas Girard, MD, a thoracic oncologist at the Institut Curie, Paris, presented the results of an interim analysis of the open-label phase II COCOON study, at the European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC) 2025.1 A readily available preventive regimen (the COCOON regimen) reduced moderate-to-severe...
Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) President-Elect Karen Lu, MD, assumed her official duties on March 17, 2025. Dr. Lu, who is also Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, brings many years of professional experience and active SGO membership...
A few weeks ago, a family member underwent a minor outpatient operative procedure. From a few weeks before the scheduled date of the procedure, multiple text messages and e-mails were forwarded to provide preparatory instructions for the procedure. The day before the procedure, another...
Ongoing efforts to rein in government spending have been described as a “chainsaw for bureaucracy.” It’s an apt metaphor for the haphazard budget cuts that many federal agencies are still experiencing. On February 7, 2025, the chainsaw made its way to facilities and administrative (F&A)...
Researchers have uncovered that eating walnuts may improve systemic inflammation and reduce the risk for colorectal cancer, according to a recent study published by Moussa et al in Cancer Prevention Research. Background Ellagitannins—plant-derived polyphenol compounds found in walnuts—have been...
Older patients with a solid tumor responded with similar clinical outcomes to younger patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, the results of a study published in Nature Communications showed. However, older patients did have divergent immune phenotypes compared with younger patients,...
Researchers are working to accelerate the clinical adoption of novel allogeneic cell therapies to improve cancer care and treatment, according to a new report from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Background Allogeneic cell therapy—which uses cells from a healthy donor rather than a...
Some pancreatic cysts may be benign, whereas others have the potential to develop into pancreatic cancer. A recent Japanese study followed 257 patients for an average of 5 years and evaluated the presence or absence of invasive nodules in pancreatic cysts and whether these cysts are benign or...
Overall deaths from cancer over the past 2 decades have steadily declined in both men and women in the United States, according to the 2024 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, published today by Sherman et al in Cancer. The report also found that although the incidence of cancer...
There has been remarkable progress in treating EGFR-variant lung adenocarcinoma with tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as gefitinib, erlotinib, osimertinib, and afatinib. However, several important issues remain unresolved, including whether there remains a role for chemotherapy, who should receive a ...
Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed the treatment landscape over the last decade for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the agents can also stimulate uncontrolled immunity against normal tissues and organs, leading to a cascade of immune-related adverse...
Research into germline genetic variants has identified ways that an individual’s genetic makeup can shape the biology of their cancer. The report, published in Cell, shows how these findings could potentially be applied to future treatment strategies to make cancer treatment more personalized. A...
A new study showed that approximately 80% of patients with stage III melanoma who had detectable levels of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) before they started treatment to suppress their tumors went on to experience recurrence. Researchers also found that the disease returned more than four times...
New research has revealed that Schistosoma haematobium, a parasitic infection affecting millions globally, can trigger cancer-related gene activity in the cervical lining, with changes becoming even more pronounced after treatment. Presented at ESCMID Global 2025, this pivotal study sheds new light ...
Percutaneous hepatic perfusion using a melphalan hepatic delivery system (melphalan/HDS) may be an effective treatment option in patients with unresectable uveal melanoma that has metastasized to the liver, according to a recent study published by Zager et al in the Annals of Surgical Oncology....
The incidence rates of colorectal and pancreatic adenocarcinomas have risen the most among young adults over the past 2 decades, suggesting the need for heightened awareness among clinicians for these diseases in this patient population, according to a report published by Bussetty et al in JAMA...
At current use and radiation dose levels, computed tomography (CT) scans may eventually account for 5% of all cancers annually, according to a recent modeling study published by Smith-Bindman et al in JAMA Internal Medicine. The danger is greatest for infants, followed by children and...
Patients with melanoma and lung cancer who have brain metastases may experience severe inflammatory reactions after receipt of immunotherapy drugs combined with radiation therapy, according to a recent study published by Vaios et al in JAMA Network Open. Study Methods and Results In this study,...
Almost 60% of all deaths from pediatric cancers occur in regions of armed conflict, according to the results of a study published in The Lancet Oncology. Investigators from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Duke University, and other institutions sought to reveal the relationship between...
A whole-genome sequencing–based, error-corrected method for detecting cancer from blood samples could be more sensitive and accurate in monitoring disease status posttreatment among patients with cancer compared with prior methods, according to a recent study published by Cheng et al in Nature...
Patients with active cancer who developed venous thromboembolism (VTE) and were treated with anticoagulants for at least 6 months, followed by an additional 12 months of low-dose apixaban, experienced similar VTE recurrences and less bleeding as similar patients who received a full dose of the oral ...
Investigators may have uncovered factors that may impact the quality of cancer care and outcomes among patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, according to a recent study published by Tsilimigras et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Study Methods...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) announced the launch of a nationwide search to find the organizations’ next Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In November, the ACS Board of Directors appointed Wayne A.I. Frederick, MD, MBA, to serve as...
The results of a longitudinal cohort study published in JAMA suggest that frailty following adjuvant chemotherapy may be associated with long-term survival among older women with nonmetastatic breast cancer. Women who experienced rapid frailty progression, or nonresilience, following their...
Researchers have developed, and now validated, a biomarker test to predict for genitourinary (GU) adverse events induced by stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in patients with prostate cancer, according to the results of a study published by Kishan et al in Clinical Cancer Research. The test,...