Posts by year
2020
In memory of Aron Goldhirsch, challenging oncologist with a vision
Prof. Aron Goldhirsch, an outstanding representative of italian Medical Oncology, awarded and recognized internationally, passed away on February 26. Since 2019, he was Medical Consultant at the Breast Cancer Center in Multimedica (Milan, Italy). For many years he held the…
How to make precision drugs that work better
Six lessons from the development of the first targeted anti-cancer therapy Tamoxifen famously started life as a failed contraceptive, developed by ICI (now Astra Zeneca), but with the fatal flaw that it increased ovulation rather than suppressing it. It’s a…
More evidence-based info on off-patent oncology drugs
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has offered help to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its ambitious Project Renewal, that aims to evaluate accumulated scientific evidence on safety and efficacy of long-standing off-patent oncology drugs, so…
A step forward in prostate cancer screening optimisation
A single prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement in midlife may help to personalise prostate cancer screening, resulting in a reduced risk of overdiagnosis and overtreatment of indolent cancers. The authors of the study just published in JAMA Network Open came to this…
Chiara Gasparotto – winning the case for better access to radiotherapy
A quarter of cancer patients who could benefit from radiotherapy do not receive it. As head of policy and partnerships, Chiara Gasparotto is positioning the European Society for Radiotherapy to make the case for better access and to alert policy…
AI will help Cinderella to see herself in the mirror
Many women who undergo breast reconstruction after mastectomy end up disappointed. It is estimated that as many as 30% of women have to live with aesthetic results they are not happy with. On the other hand, some of those who…
UNESCO pledges to end the gender imbalance in science
[caption id="attachment_9614" align="alignright" width="476"] One of the images with quotes prepared by UNESCO for the International day of Women and Girls in Science 2020[/caption] Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals,…
New evidence shows effectiveness of a single-dose of HPV vaccine
To prevent pre-invasive cervical disease, a single dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine could be enough. Investigation of more than 130,000 young women suggests that 1 dose of quadrivalent (4vHPV) vaccine has the same effectiveness of 2 doses, recommended…
The unique toxicities of CAR-T cell therapy
The advent of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T cell) therapy generated great excitement in the field of onco-haematology. Clinical trials have shown remarkable results in patients with relapsed/refractory B cell malignancies, and two CAR T cell products…
Everyone is invited to help with the EU Beat Cancer Plan
Today, on World Cancer Day, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced the launch of a EU-wide public consultation on the forthcoming “Beating Cancer Plan”, which aims to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of cancers in the…