News

That’s cancer, a long long time ago

Researchers are turning to mummies and human remains to study cancer, hoping it can inform screening and treatments in the future Modern lifestyle changes, such as smoking or a fast food diet, are often blamed [more]
Nutrition and cancer: can we really trust experts’ recommendations?

No doubt that diet, as part of a healthy lifestyle, is a pillar of disease prevention and wellbeing, but judging the evidence and coming to strong recommendations in the field is a challenging issue, even for [more]
How to fill the gender gap in oncology

The lack of women in apical positions is a weakness of oncology, and a loss for patients. Mentorship programs launched in recent years by scientific societies like ESMO and ASCO, together with practical support for [more]
Whatever happened to the minimum effective dose?

Traditional assumptions about the benefits of higher doses are being challenged as patients demand more emphasis on quality of life and new knowledge emerges about the development of resistance. So why are drug developers still [more]
The Car T cell revolution: what does it offer, and can we afford it?

In August 2018 the first therapies aimed at re-engineering patients own T cells to attack cancer entered the European market. Rachel Brazil looks at how they work, what they achieve, and what the logistical and [more]
Pushing the boundaries of curative treatment: more patients with oligometastatic disease could benefit from local therapies

Is there an early stage in the metastatic process at which the possibility of a cure remains open? Marc Beishon looks at the science, the opportunities opened up by new and more accurate imaging and [more]
How should we assess the efficacy of new treatments in rare tumours?

Traditional approaches to generating clinical evidence rely on recruiting large numbers of patients into trials. Paolo Bruzzi reflects on the challenges of designing and analysing clinical trials in rare cancers, and reviews the potential for [more]
Breasts, cancer, and relationships: changing attitudes in central and eastern Europe

Breast cancer impacts on the way a woman sees herself and on how she is seen by her partner and society in general. It’s getting easier to talk about, but are these conversations also happening [more]
The patient advocates will see you now: Cancer groups trial the AIDS model for interacting with industry

It’s easy to say you are patient centred – until you are asked to spell out what that means in terms of your processes and practice. Last summer 11 patient groups invited nine pharmaceutical companies [more]
When more sleep won’t do it: Tackling cancer-related fatigue

Cancer-related fatigue affects many people, before, during and after treatment. It can have a seriously debilitating impact on lives, but effective interventions have so far proved hard to find. Sophie Fessl explores what might be [more]