News
Biological differences revealed between dense and nondense breast tissue
Postmenopausal women with dense breast tissue compared to women of the same age who do not have dense tissue demonstrate upregulation of 124 proteins which may be responsible for creating pro-tumorigenic microenvironments. The study, published in the British Journal of…
Knowing ‘functional prognosis’ helps cancer patients plan unfinished business
More cancer patients want to be informed about their future functional prognosis than their life expectancy. The Japanese survey, published in Annals of Palliative Medicine, October 28, found that almost half of patients wanted to know about their functional progress…
New target identified for preventing cachexia
Targeting a specific enzyme in muscle could help cancer patients avoid the muscle wasting condition cachexia. The study, published in PNAS (October 17), found that a previously overlooked enzyme, known as UBR2, plays a critical role in cancer patients developing…
Radiotherapy benefits survival in patients with asymptomatic metastases
Treating high-risk, asymptomatic bone metastases with prophylactic radiation therapy reduces painful complications and extends overall survival. The study, abstract LBA 04, presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting, held October 23–26, 2022, in San Diego, California,…
Fungal communities are a key part of cancer cell biology
The first pan-cancer mycobiome atlas has revealed the presence of microfungi in 35 types of cancer, with the presence of some fungi correlating with overall survival. The findings of associations between cancer and the human mycobiome were published in Cell,…
Melanoma: treatment sequence matters
Patients with metastatic melanoma who received immunotherapy before targeted therapy showed a 20% overall survival advantage at two years versus those receiving targeted therapy first, with immunotherapy after. The final results of the DREAMseq trial, published in the Journal of…
Cancer metastasis hijacks process healthy cells use to move around the body
Blocking the activity of an ion channel in a mouse model of cancer triggered metastasis independent of tumour formation. The study, published in Nature Genetics, 29th September, found that the process was not just restricted to mice with cancer; when…
Advocates call for action to tackle damaging delays in myeloma diagnosis
Over one-third of European myeloma patients experience delays in diagnosis. ‘Myeloma Diagnosis Across Europe’, a pan-European survey and focus groups report published on European Myeloma Day (September 27th), revealed a landscape where diagnosis of myeloma can take over five months,…
Hope on horizon for blood test detecting unscreenable cancers
Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests offer a feasible approach for detecting 36 different types of cancer, over two thirds of which have no screening tests available. The PATHFINDER study, reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2022,…
NSCLC and climate change share common cause in particulate matter
Particles found in vehicle exhaust and combustion of fossil fuels are associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) risk. A study presented in the Presidential Symposium at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2022, held 9-13 September, showed increasing…