Articles
Contagion: a narrative approach to understanding the psychological and social impact of the pandemic
‘Contagion’ seems like an outdated word in medicine. Transmissible illnesses are no longer described as ‘contagious’, they are ‘infectious’, and we study ‘infective’ agents. Contagion is a term evocative of the medical past. Talking and writing about contagion evokes the…
Are tumour-agnostic approaches the future for oncology?
According to Francesco Pignatti, Head of Oncology at the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the term ‘tumour agnostic’ is a misnomer. The definition of agnostic in ancient greek, he argues, is ‘lacking in knowledge’. But with these new approaches, it’s not…
Artificial intelligence for skin cancer diagnosis, from science-fiction to reality
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic in many sciences, including medicine. A machine capable of making a medical diagnosis in full autonomy is fascinating and highly attractive. “Many years ago, in the movie Star Trek, the spaceship’s doctor diagnosed…
Real world data: can we rely on it to shape cancer policies and practice?
In November 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to larotrectinib (Vitrakvi), a drug that targets a neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase (NTRK) gene fusion in a range of adult and paediatric tumours. European approval followed last autumn.…
CCC-19 and TERAVOLT studies show strength and limits of research on cancer and COVID-19
The virtual scientific program of the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting2020 hosted a special session on cancer and COVID-19 pandemic. Data from the Thoracic cancERs international coVid 19 cOLlaboraTion (TERAVOLT) registry and from the COVID-19 and…
Consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients
In the COVID-19 era, oncologists all over the world have changed their schedules and daily routine practice according to recommendations from cancer professional associations, prioritising care of the most aggressive tumours and cancelling or postponing non-essential tests and screenings. Moreover,…
MDT meetings: why patient care suffers if I’m not there
In a disease as complex as cancer it seems the most logical way to ensure uniform standards of high quality care for all patients. Team meetings can also offer opportunities for education, provide a way to increase the number of…
Cancer and COVID-19 took the stage at AACR Annual Meeting
It was not scheduled in the original scientific program, but as the new coronavirus pandemic has started spreading all over the world, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) dedicated a plenary session of its Annual Meeting to this very…
Covid-19 pandemic: information and resources to support the cancer care community
As soon as the first analysis of the risk for severe COVID-19 in patients with cancer was published online in Lancet Oncology on February 14th, 2020, it emerged that these patients might have a higher risk of COVID-19 compared to…
Delivering the best cancer care during the pandemic
Key messages from the e-ESO faculty [caption id="attachment_9782" align="aligncenter" width="1440"] e-ESO coordinator Marco Siano, chief physician at the Interdisciplinary Cancer Service, HRC Hopital Riviera-Chablais Rennaz, Switzerland (left); ESO deputy scientific director Alex Eniu, medical oncologist and head of the breast…