Posts by author
Janet Fricker
What Caught Our Eye in March: Oncology’s Top Moments
March saw the publication of several important studies in oncology, shedding new light on cancer treatment and care. Here’s a roundup of the key studies on recent discoveries and breakthroughs that grabbed our attention this month. Small device, big impact:…
Ovarian cancer: mechanism conferring resistance to immunotherapy revealed
The presence of flagella, the propellers bacteria use to move, explains why immune checkpoint inhibitors do not work in patients with ovarian cancer. The study, published in Cancer Immunology Research, 11 February, suggests that immune cell recognition of bacterial flagella,…
Muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness improve survival in cancer patients
Muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness are linked to a significantly lower risk of death from any cause and cancer-specific mortality in patients diagnosed with cancer. The meta-analysis, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, 21st January, found a…
Low-dose aspirin reduces colorectal cancer recurrence in patients with PI3K alterations
Taking adjuvant low-dose aspirin daily for three years reduced recurrence of colorectal cancer by 55% in patients with somatic alterations in PI3K signalling compared to those taking placebo. The results of the ALASCCA study, presented at the 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal…
MRI technique can identify pre-malignant pancreatic lesions
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a form of MRI, is capable of detecting pre-malignant lesions in both mouse and human pancreatic specimens. The ‘proof of concept’ study, published in Investigative Radiology, 13 December 2024, opens the way to use DTI for…
Key link identified in mechanism promoting lung metastases from breast cancer
The amino acid aspartate has been found to function as an extracellular signalling molecule to promote lung metastases in breast cancer. The study, published in Nature, 1 January, which was undertaken in mice and postmortem human tissue, showed evidence for…
Second-generation BTK inhibitor shows promise as fixed-duration therapy in CLL
Treatment with the second-generation Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor acalabrutinib plus the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax (with or without the CD20 inhibitor obinutuzumab), delivered as fixed-duration therapies, significantly improved progression free survival in comparison with standard-of-care chemotherapy in previously untreated patients…
New evidence can help inform decisions on managing early-onset breast cancer linked to BRCA mutations
Patients with germline BRCA gene mutations and a history of early-onset breast cancer who underwent risk-reducing bilateral mastectomy and/or a risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy had lower rates of death than those not undergoing these procedures. The study, presented at the 2024 San…
Gut microbiota influence effectiveness of tamoxifen in breast cancer
Variations in the microbiota of the human gut impact on the pharmacokinetics of tamoxifen in the blood and consequently on the effectiveness of breast cancer prevention. The study, published in the journal mBio, 25 November, showed that the presence of…
Radiotherapy prior to immunotherapy is the best treatment sequence for melanoma related brain metastases
Patients with melanoma related brain metastases achieve reduced risk of progression and better overall survival if they receive radiotherapy before immunotherapy as opposed to the other way round. The meta-analysis study, abstract RADT-04, presented at the Society of Neuro Oncology…