Janet Fricker

An AI model has been trained using mammograms to identify breast cancer patients who could be spared from unnecessary lymph node biopsy procedures. The study, published in NPJ Digital Medicine, 10 July, found that the introduction of the AI model…

Twenty-seven species of bacteria and fungi among the hundreds that reside in human mouths have been collectively linked to people having a 3.5 times greater risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Among these, the study, published online in JAMA Oncology, 18…

Common respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and influenza, can awaken dormant breast cancer cells that have spread to the lungs, setting the stage for new metastatic tumours.  The study published in Nature , 30 July, included findings obtained in mouse models…

Could artificial sweeteners undo the benefits of immunotherapy? A study published in Cancer Discovery, July 30, found that melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who consume high levels of the artificial sweetener sucralose have worse responses to immunotherapy…

Women who survive breast cancer may face a surprising advantage: a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than their peers without cancer. The cohort study, published in JAMA Network Open, 20 June, found that breast cancer survivors had an 8%…

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) enhanced the ability of T cells to fight cancer and suppressed tumour growth across a range of cancer types in both mouse and human tumour models. The study, published in Cell, May 20, further showed…

Breast cancer survivors who carry BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and received textured implants are 16 times more likely to develop breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) than those who have implants but do not carry these mutations.  The study,…

A deep learning model using biological age estimations from photographs improved physicians’ survival predictions in patients with incurable cancer receiving palliative care. The study, published in Lancet Digital Health, found that the faces of cancer patients averaged five years older…

Colon cancer patients with a documented history of high cannabis use prior to diagnosis showed dramatic increases in mortality. The study, published in the Annals of Epidemiology on April 28, found that cannabis users were nearly 25 times more likely…

The alpha-synuclein, a protein long associated with Parkinson’s disease may hold the key to melanoma proliferation. The study, published in Science Advances, on 9 April, suggests that while excess alpha-synuclein results in cell death in neurons, conversely, it enables uncontrolled…