Posts by month
March 2020
COVID-19: Cancer World editor and immunologist Adriana Albini explains how it works and how researchers are hoping to tame it
International collaboration, data sharing and investing in research is how we’ll tame the COVID-19 virus, explains Cancer World editor Adriana Albini. An immunologist now on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Cancer Research, Albini was part of…
Parity and breast cancer risk are not so strictly linked
The reduction in birth rate has been blamed in the past for the increase in breast cancer in young women, but now a study just published in JAMA Network Open (JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(3):e200929. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.0929) offers evidence refuting this hypothesis:…
Women make great surgeons, so why is the profession still dominated by men?
Professor Isabel Rubio is a surgeon at the top of her profession. She is Director of Breast Surgery at Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Madrid. She is President-elect of the European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) and head of public…
Evidence-based medicine and precision medicine – irreconcilable or inseparable?
"Medicine cannot be learned quickly, because it is impossible for there to exist any established method in it, as for example when someone who has learned to write in one way that is taught then understands everything. Medicine from one…
Cancer survivors need more (and longer) support
After defeating cancer, people are facing other worries, which too often remain unsolved, even though they are seeking for help, according to a Canadian study concluding that it’s time to enhance survivorship care: «Without appropriate support systems in place, these…
COVID – are cancer patients being protected?
This is a particularly worrying time for people going through chemotherapy and other treatments that suppress the immune system. So what advice is being offered by oncology departments and what extra measures are being taken to keep their patients safe?…
How retractions are helping cancer research
In 2015, cancer researcher Anil Potti - back then associated with Duke University in Durham, North Carolina - was found guilty of research misconduct by a US federal investigation led by the office for research integrity of the Department of…
COVID-19: ECCO demands attention to protect cancer patients
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant threat for cancer patients, which deserve to be protected through immediate action on several levels all over Europe, according to a statement published today by the European Cancer Organisation (ECCO). Matti Aapro, President of…
Can we still rely on Omega-3 & Co. for cancer prevention and management?
According to an extensive systematic review recently published in the British Journal of Cancer, there is no evidence for a protective role of polyunsaturated fat (PUFAs) against the risk of cancer. Moreover, a very high intake of total PUFAs could…
Right drug, wrong patient: here’s how we improve our targeting
When it comes to precision and personalised medicine (PPM), clinical practice in oncology takes pride in developing and administering treatments that selectively target components of tumour cells. But, PPM is a model that also takes into account the inherent variability…