Articles
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Tackling resistance to anti-EGFR therapies, from challenges to re-challenge
Since their first approval and use, more than 15 years ago, inhibitors of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFRi) have revolutionized the clinical practice and the prognosis for cancer patients, especially those diagnosed with colorectal (CRC) and lung cancer. These…