Articles
CAR T cells v chemo for childhood leukaemia: are we ready for the next step?
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, genetically engineered immune cells targeted to attack cancers, are one of the most exciting breakthrough cancer treatments in oncology today. After decades of incremental development, its clinical efficacy was shown in 2010, with the…
How do I respond? Advice for friends and family on supporting someone through cancer
A few days after being diagnosed with cancer, at only 32 years of age, Katarzyna Chmielewska-Wojciechowska met a friend who asked, in passing, how she was doing. She told him. His response was to sympathise and offer reassurance. He knew…
Molecular tumour boards: translating data into tailored therapeutics
Developments in molecular diagnostics are allowing us to capture an extraordinarily detailed picture of the genomic and other molecular changes that characterise a given tumour specimen. But making best use of the information at our disposal is proving quite a…
Unpaid women carers: recognising their contribution and their needs in Latin America
Researchers and public policies have historically overlooked the challenges of informal caregiving for cancer patients in Latin America. Now, public health experts are working to profile this neglected group, evaluate their quality of life and put an economic value on…
‘Fragile’ cancer patients hit by Turkish earthquake need urgent support
Hakan Büyükhatipoğlu was at home with his family in Gaziantep at 4.17 in the morning of 6th February when the earthquake struck. The epicentre of that first quake was less than 40 km from the city. Less than 12 hours…
Expert cancer surgery: could VR help speed up and standardise training?
Spinal surgeon Bronek Boszczyk has said that training in complex surgery is like having to learn the violin during a full orchestral concert. The training revolves around closely supervised surgery on real patients in a real operating theatre – which…
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 non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). “ICIs have revolutionised care in…
A blood test for early detection of any cancer: What’s the ideal? Are we getting there?
Earlier cancer diagnosis could make a huge difference to cancer survival rates – only two in ten of those diagnosed after their cancer has metastasised survive, compared with nine in ten diagnosed when the disease is still localised. In 2020…
Food insecurity: Why screening for access to nutrition should be part of cancer treatment everywhere
Sixteen-year-old Sahil Bacchav had just finished his tenth grade exams when he developed terrible headaches and a feeling that his nose was blocked. He was referred to King Edward Memorial Hospital, a municipal hospital in Mumbai, where he had his…
Cancer care in Ukraine, one year on
I make two appointments to speak to Anna Uzlova of Inspiration Family, a Kyiv-based foundation set up in September 2020 to support adult cancer patients. The first time the interview cannot take place because Uzlova is going to visit family…