Posts by author
Janet Fricker
Heart failure may be oncogenic, statins could reduce cancer risk
Two studies highlight the relationship between heart failure and cancer, showing people with heart failure are more likely to develop cancer, and that statins may reduce that risk. The first study, published in ESC Heart Failure (28 June 2021), found heart failure…
ACE inhibitor protects against cardiotoxicity
In HER2 breast cancer, concurrent use of the ACE inhibitor lisinopril with trastuzumab-anthracyclines benefits left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The study, abstract 509, presented in a poster session at the ASCO meeting, June 4-8, found breast cancer patients treated with…
Advance Care Planning increases hope
Hope for cancer patients may be increased by engaging in advanced care planning (ACP). The study, abstract 12029, presented in a poster session at ASCO, which took place online June 4-8, found that hope was significantly higher among patients who…
Wake-up call to offer equal access to life-prolonging treatments in metastatic prostate cancer
Less than one third of men with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC) received established treatment intensification by 2018 that had been demonstrated to extend survival. The US study evaluating real-world utilization of advanced therapies, abstract 5073, released in advance of…
Study provides motivation for European policy makers to implement comprehensive tobacco control
Fully implementing tobacco control policies across Europe would avoid an estimated 1.65 million lung cancer cases over the next 20 years. The modelling study, published in the May issue of The Lancet Regional Health-Europe, found the largest proportion of lung…
Fit, susceptible, or frail? Updated recommendations for managing breast cancer in older people
Management of breast cancer in older women should include routine use of geriatric assessments. Recommendations from an updated multidisciplinary taskforce, which includes members of the European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists and International Society of Geriatric Oncology, published in Lancet…
Ovarian cancer population screening study signals need for additional biomarkers
Annual screening for ovarian cancer detects cancer earlier but does not save lives, concludes the largest ovarian cancer screening trial up to now. On the basis of the UK study, published in The Lancet (13th May 2021), general population screening…
Study suggests tackling loneliness could help reduce cancer in middle-aged men
Loneliness among middle-aged men is associated with increased risks of developing cancer. The longitudinal Finnish study, published in the May issue of Psychiatry Research, additionally found mortality was higher among male cancer patients who were unmarried, widowed or divorced than…
Drug repurposing approaches offer hope for squamous cell carcinoma and Alzheimer’s disease
Two recent publications highlight the growing interest of drug repurposing in oncology. A study in Cancer Prevention Research (published online 12 April) shows how dopamine can stop the development and progression of ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced precancerous squamous skin cancers; while…
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 prostate cancer progressing to lethal disease might be mitigated by…