Medicine
Immunotherapy: three studies point to potential strategies to improve response
Over the past 10 years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed the therapeutic landscape of cancer, becoming standard treatments for metastatic melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, head and neck cancer, and…
Liver cancer: how Europe can halt the rising death toll
When the cancer community in Europe talks of neglected cancers it usually means relatively rare or uncommon types, of which there are many. But conspicuous in the list are two…
Woman or man? Is precision medicine overlooking key biological differences?
“Something that hit me pretty early during my residency as an oncologist was that sex in most cases is a clear-cut binary, pretty obvious biological variable affecting attitudes as well…
From sea bed to bedside: Tapping the cancer pharmacy beneath the waves
Around 80% of life on our planet is found in ecosystems located within the almost 300 million cubic miles of ocean that cover the earth. Among its many wonders, the…
Does the ketogenic diet have a role in treating cancer?
The high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet known as the ketogenic diet has become an established treatment for intractable epilepsy over the last decade, but it has also gained widespread popular attention as…
Innovations in supportive care: cancer treatment side effects
The association between cancer treatments and dramatic side effects such as uncontrolled nausea and vomiting retains a powerful hold over public perceptions and parts of the media. Recent decades have…
Prostate cancer: new leads for deterring progression
Future prospects for tackling aggressive prostate cancer emerged from two presentations at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual meeting, held virtually in mid-April. One identified how the risk of…
Can gene therapy be made to work against solid tumours?
Gene therapy to treat cancer has been on the research agenda for three decades, with the first examples having been developed in the 1990s, according to Hrvoje Miletic, Senior Consultant…
Highlights of 2020 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting
Like most 2020 meetings the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, held 5-8 December, was hosted virtually. Due to meticulous planning, the format did not prevent…
Highlights of 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
In 2020, the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) co-organised in association with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) celebrated its 43rd year as the world’s premier annual breast…