Posts by month
June 2020
The burden of thyroid cancer increases worldwide
The global burden of thyroid cancer is increasing worldwide, according to a cross-sectional study with data from 195 countries just published in Jama Network Open. The study, by Jun Lyu…
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‘Contagion’ seems like an outdated word in medicine.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…
COVID-19 is delaying diagnosis, but getting back to normal is not what we need
Across the globe, all human and technical resources in healthcare are currently focused on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, which is having an impact on other areas of healthcare. At…
AACR: cancer vaccine combination shows clinical activity in advanced solid tumors
According to an industry-funded, preliminary clinical trial presented at the AACR Virtual Annual Meeting currently underway, a personalized cancer vaccine in combination with the PD-L1 inhibitor atezolizumab appears to be…
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…
Cancer prevention through physical activity and diet: an updated guideline from the U.S.
update of the American Cancer Society (ACS) guideline, four main pillars are needed to keep cancer away using diet and exercise. Here they are: achieve and…
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…
Telling stories about cancer ‒ six award-winning journalists show how it’s done
We often talk about the need to break down ‘silos’ in cancer care – to view treatment, care and research holistically, collaborating around patient needs. Who would have thought that…
The burnout epidemic in oncology, highlights form ASCO 2020
“Burnout is universal and no one is immune. We are all in this together and together we can come up with solutions”. Tara Sanft, Associate Professor of Medicine at the…
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…