Posts by author
Janet Fricker
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…
Radiotherapy can be safely omitted in older women with low-risk breast cancer
Leaving out radiotherapy does not affect survival after breast-conserving surgery in older women with low-risk hormone-receptor-positive early breast cancer. Ten-year outcomes for the PRIME II trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, February 16, found that, although omission…
Plant-based diets cut risk of prostate cancer progression and recurrence by over 50%
Prostate cancer patients who consume the highest intakes of plant-based foods lower their risk of progression and recurrence. The study, abstract 392 presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancer Symposium, held in San Francisco, February…
New prostate cancer blood test combining PSA with epigenetic test could reduce biopsies
A non-invasive prostate cancer combination test has been shown to have a positive predictive value of 93%*, meaning that out of 100 patients testing positive for prostate cancer 93 will truly have the condition. The study, published in the journal…
Telomere shortening mediates tumour suppression
Shortening of telomeres, as occurs naturally with ageing, works through a pathway that involves mitochondria-activated immune responses to ultimately eliminate precancerous cells. The US study, published in Nature (8 February 2022), suggests that telomere shortening has evolved as a tumour-suppressive…
Epidemiological study sheds light on complex link between ovarian cancer and ovulation
Women who ovulate for longer over the course of their lifetimes may have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer. The international epidemiological study, published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 23 January, found that each additional year of…
Cancer could overtake cardiovascular disease as leading cause of death in type 2 diabetes
Mortality from cancer has increased among older people with type 2 diabetes. The UK cohort study, published in Diabetologica, 24 January, found people with type 2 diabetes were at particular risk of mortality from colorectal, pancreatic, liver and endometrial cancers.…
Study highlights need to reanalyse genomics and genetics of metastatic tumours
Around one third of breast cancer patients showed molecular subtype shifts (especially involving luminal cancers) between their primary and metastatic tumours. The study, published in Nature Cancer, on December 30th, also revealed the presence of fewer immune cells in triple-negative…
Current cervical cancer screening paradigm fails older women
Nearly one in five new cervical cancers diagnosed between 2009 and 2018 were in women aged 65 years and over. The US study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, January 9, demonstrates that relative to younger women, those aged…
Call-to-arms for Europe to provide essential paediatric anti-cancer medicines
A European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE) project has defined 66 anticancer medicines considered essential for treatment of children with cancer. The study, published in The Lancet Oncology, 23 December 2022, represents the first pan-European effort to systematically analyse the…