Posts by author
Janet Fricker
Endometriosis: impact on ovarian cancer varies by subtype
Women with endometriosis have a fourfold higher risk of any type of ovarian cancer and those with severe endometriosis a 10 fold higher risk compared to women who do not have the condition. The study, which involved a cohort of…
Disadvantaged neighbourhoods may contribute to racial disparities in risk of aggressive prostate cancer
Men with prostate cancer living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods show significantly higher activity of stress-related genes than those living in other neighbourhoods. The observational study, published in JAMA Network Open, 12 July, found that neighbourhood disadvantage was positively associated with the…
Exercise boosts anti-tumour immune cells in people with breast cancer
Just 30 minutes of exercise increases the proportion of tumour-killing immune cells in the blood of people with breast cancer. The Finnish study, published in Frontiers in Immunology, 24 June, found that the proportion of CD8+ T cells and natural…
Treatment-free remission: How today’s CML patients can aspire to a drug-free life
Around the start of the millennium, the therapeutic landscape for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), a rare type of blood cancer affecting the bone marrow and white blood cells, was transformed by the arrival of a revolutionary cancer drug. This was…
Liver biopsies can predict when and where pancreatic cancer will metastasise and may guide treatment of early-stage disease
Liver biopsies undertaken at the time of surgery for pancreatic cancer can be used to identify cellular and molecular markers that predict whether early pancreatic cancer will later metastasise to the liver. The study, published in Nature Medicine, June 28,…
Common blood pressure drug could be used in AML to cut cardiotoxicity and improve response to chemotherapy
Treating acute myeloid leukaemia with losartan, a commonly used blood pressure agent, achieved the dual benefits of enhancing chemotherapy efficacy and preventing cardiotoxicity in a mouse model. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, 19 June, demonstrated both benefits were…
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy delivers unprecedented pathological response in mismatch repair deficient non-metastatic colon cancers
In patients with non-metastatic colon cancer who have mismatch repair deficient tumours, a short course of neoadjuvant immunotherapy (one cycle ipilimumab and two cycles nivolumab) was highly effective. The NICHE-2 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, June…
Generation X will experience higher rates of cancer than earlier generations
At age 60 members of Generation X, defined as people born between 1965 and 1980, are projected to have higher rates of cancer than Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964. The US modelling study, published online in JAMA OpenNetwork,…
Tailoring palliative care visits to patients’ needs saves resources without harm
Stepped palliative care, with visits occurring only at key points in the patient’s cancer journey, resulted in fewer palliative care visits than conventional early palliative care. The study, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, held May…
Using telemedicine in cancer care for environmental and public health benefit
Telemedicine, in addition to patient convenience, offers the environmental benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with knock-on benefits for people with chronic conditions. The study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), held May…